Brunch Eggs

Anyone that has been to a breakfast or brunch hosted by my sister, C, my mother, or I, has probably had brunch eggs. As a family, we have had them every year on Christmas morning since I can remember Christmas, and they make special appearances throughout the year as well.  The first morning I ever made them on my own was the day of my college graduation, a day my friends and I needed all the moral support we could to face the reality of that day. They are always a hit, only a total weirdo wouldn’t appreciate such a delightful combination of bacon, egg, and cheese, easy to make, and can be put together the night before.

Brunch eggs can also be made vegetarian.  Omit the bacon and add in some steamed spinach and sautéed mushroom, chopped roasted red pepper, or just keep it cheese and egg. Soy sausage crumble would also make a tasty substitute if you’re into that (not for everyone, I happen to enjoy it from time to time).  For a real meat lover, you could use regular sausage in addition to the bacon.  If you are into cheese, we used nice extra sharp Irish cheddar this past Christmas and it was quite the treat.

I made brunch eggs this weekend for a birthday brunch of sorts hosted for my friend, K. I did not prepare the casserole the night before, as I only volunteered to host the brunch the night before, but was able to pull it off with a questionable Saturday morning BAC after a Friday evening of birthday celebrating.   An afternoon of drinking proceeded the brunch, so it was important we had a meal in our bellies before we continued the festivities.

I rounded out the brunch spread with some bagels and cream cheese, fruit salad, and blueberry muffins.  The past couple years on Christmas morning I have managed to disappoint my family with homemade blueberry muffins, rather than the Duncan Heinz box mix we all know and love, so I kept it simple Saturday with the box mix; nothing like canned blueberries and streusel topping.  I also set up a Bloody Mary bar, and few bottles of champers were popped and mixed with some OJ. We’re all adults, here.



Part of the spread!



Such a fabulous weekend and I’m so glad I could share this joy of bacon, egg, and cheese with some wonderful friends, new and old. Happy Birthday, K!



Eggs before they went into the oven



Brunch Eggs

1 lb of bacon

Package of xtra sharp shredded cheddar cheese

Package of swiss cheese

Cheap, squishy white sandwich bread

6 eggs

3 cups milk

Salt and pepper

Chop the bacon into thin slices, about a ¼ inch thick. In a large pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Be careful, because it seems to go nowhere at first, but then all of the sudden it’ll be burnt if you don’t watch it and you’ll need to start over and it will smell awful. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan and put it on a plate with a paper towel.

Beat the eggs lightly, and add the milk and whisk until combined. Add ¼ tsp of salt and cracked black pepper.

Trim the crust from the sandwich bread. How many slices you use depends on how big the slices are, but you need enough to make a single layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Line the bottom of a greased, 9x13 baking dish with the bread. Layer the Swiss cheese over the bread, then the shredded cheddar cheese, and finally the bacon. Pour the egg and milk over everything. Bake for 45 min to an hour in a 350^o oven. When the casserole is puffed up, browned, and bubbling around the edges, it’s done.

You know how I know it's done? It's puffy.