Brunch staples ~ 1.10.11

Southwest Sausage Bake
adapted from Taste of Home

6-10 flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 cans chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 lbs bulk sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used a package of sweet turkey sausage that I squeeze out of the casing and then cook and crumble)
8 oz shredded jack cheese (I use some pepper jack, too)
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp each salt, garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, cumin, (Adobo seasoning, my addition)
paprika
4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced
sour cream & salsa- to garnish

grease 9 x13 inch baking dish, layer half of the tortilla strips to cover the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle sausage crumbles, chiles, cheese on the bottom layer. Repeat until you have three layers, you may need more tortillas, so adjust and go with the flow.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over all the layers. Sprinkle with paprika, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove at least 30 minutes before baking (Sometimes I'll take it out before church and then bake it when I get home)
Bake, uncovered, 350 degrees for 50 minutes. While it bakes, slice your Roma tomatoes to place on top of the casserole. After 50 minutes, put the toms on top and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 10 should do it.

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

The recipe says 12 servings, but it's so filling, you could get 24 out of this 9x13 dish. I served 8 adults and 9 kids (granted not all the kids ate it, mine love it) and STILL had half of this leftover!


Shredded Potato Casserole

{this recipe was given to me by my good friend, Rachel. It's been a hit for years and I cannot have a brunch without it. I will get in BIG trouble if this casserole is not present! I have adapted the recipe to fit my tastes, but I'm writing the original here with my adaptations in parenthesis.}

1 bag shredded potatoes- thawed
1 cup cubed Velveeta (I use 8oz shredded cheddar)
1 onion, grated or minced really fine
1 container (small) french onion dip
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream (light)

**the last time I made this I used Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion in place of the french onion dip AND the minced onion. It was lacking onion flavor, so if you're going to skimp on something, don't skimp on the fresh onion! I used a whole cup of sour cream and 2 Tbsp of Onion Onion in lieu of the french onion dip. See, versatile, use what you have or just stick to the original recipe. I thought it was still pretty good.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients except the potatoes.
After all the ingredients are incorporated, add the potatoes and mix.
Put in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with 4 Tbs butter (I've skipped that and no one was the wiser)
Cover and bake 30 minutes. THEN, uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Test to see that it's hot all the way through by inserting a knife and touching the blade to see if it's nice and hot.