Starting The Day Out Right

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I agree, however, breakfast is the meal at our house that gets shoved aside most often.  Although I would never allow my children to skip breakfast, my husband and I are regular breakfast skippers.  The children more often than not are having a breakfast of cereal and fruit.  Cereal with fruit is not a horrible breakfast, and the kiddos never seem to mind, but there is a better way! 

Mornings are usually hectic for our group of 7 and I have one thing on my mind, getting school started!  I drag out the cereal boxes and plop them on the table, cut up the fruit and tell the kids to hurry up.  But sometimes I "make breakfast" and the whole family is so excited.  Especially my husband!  We start our day out together, instead of everyone grabbing and going in different directions, and we talk, and we eat, and school actually runs smoother when everyone is filled up on a solid meal. 

I realize there isn't time for a sit down breakfast every morning with work schedules and school schedules and such, but once in a while it's nice to make a meal for breakfast.  A lot of my breakfast recipes can be made the night before and then the only effort required in the morning is turning on the oven.  There is no excuse not to make breakfast for my family more often!

Here are some breakfast recipes to try.  Get creative and figure out when you could serve up some breakfast goodness to your family!!  Maybe fix breakfast for dinner, or make a special breakfast on the weekend mornings, or who knows what you can come up with.  I think with just a little planning we can help our families get the day started out right!
*Remember Emilie Barnes' tip to set the table for breakfast at night before going to bed.  I love this tip and always feel like I'm ahead on my day when I do this!*


French Toast Casserole (an all time FAVORITE at our house)

Melt until syrupy:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish.  Layer slices of French bread (single layer) over syrup.
Beat well and pour over bread:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Lay out 20 minutes before baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, uncovered.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve with berries (optional) and syrup.

Sausage Casserole

• 1 lb sausage - brown in skillet until done but not dry
• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar - grated
• 8 slices of bread
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• dash pepper

Grease 9x13 dish, line with bread slices, cheese and sausage.  Mix remaining and pour over.  Chill overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. 

Cheesy O'Brien Egg Scramble

• 1 package (28 ounces) frozen O'Brien hash brown potatoes
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 12 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, prepare hash browns according to package directions.  Sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper.  Transfer to a greased 2-1/2 qt. baking dish.  Top with soup.  Set aside 1/2 cup of bacon; sprinkle remaining bacon over soup.
In another skillet, scramble eggs in butter until nearly set.  Spoon over bacon.  Sprinkle with cheese and reserved bacon.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Yield: 10-12 servings