Now We're Cooking!

This year has seen some big adventures for all of us but especially for Reed, my now 15 year old son.  He has been broken badly, moved up to high school, been on two hockey teams and is trying to get the hang of being a freshman and get all of his homework done while he builds a go-kart too!  Sometimes I feel like its just too much, but my resilient son never seems to.  He just keeps going forward and growing up - starving for knowledge and, of course, food!

One of the classes he is taking at the school, one that I have mentioned numerous times here in the blog, is culinary arts.  Its a great way for the kids to get an extra lunch and learn how to cook it for themselves too!  He gets extra credit if he cooks at home, or it can count as make up work for the days he misses for hockey.  It's a great deal!

This past weekend he had some of his hockey friends over to ice fish on the lake and he had me help him make this breakfast bake.  He did most of the making, but since the recipe is in my head I had to help with the ingredients!  This is a great way to make a hot and hearty breakfast for a gang of hungry maniacs (or ice fishermen or hockey players).  It freezes well, and travels to the cabin well also, just put it in a tin pan instead of glass.  You can make it in a cast iron skillet over a campfire if you need to or on a wood stove or the grill.  It is yummy and versatile!

Start with a pound of cooked crisp bacon (sausage works too) and a bag of garlic and herb croutons.  Yes I said croutons!  Even the big bags of Thanksgiving day stuffing ones works for this - they are nicely seasoned.  Layer those items in a 9x13 pan or like cooking vessel that will work for you.  Size does not matter here.  Fill it up about 3/4 full.

 Take 8-10 eggs, less if you are using a smaller pan, 2 C shredded cheese, 1 C sour cream, good dash of Franks hot sauce (which we forgot in this batch but it really is good with or without the Franks), 1/2 medium onion diced fine, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper, and 1 C milk or half and half.  Mix it well with a wire whisk.

 Pour it over your crouton/bacon mix in the dish and cover lightly with tinfoil.  Let sit for about 10 minutes for the bread to soak up the egg mixture.  If it looks like it is too dry add more milk and if you think it needs it eggs.  Whisk em a little and pour it over the top.

Bake it for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Uncover for the last 10 minutes.  It will puff up and look like a souffle for the last bit of cooking but then it falls and rests evenly as it cools off.  If you are going to freeze it don't cook it all the way, as when you are heating it up it will finish and you don't want it too brown.

This can also be made into grab and go breakfast packs.  Either bake it in the jumbo muffin tins, or after it is cooked cut it into freezer bag sized portions for heat and eat ease!

It's never too late to start cooking with your kids, for your kids, or even if you are the kid - grown ups too.  I find it very therapeutic to cook food that my people want to eat, and that they want to try to cook too!  Enjoy!