Shower power

YEAH!! The shower is done, and it was a success!

Amy's bridal shower was yesterday and everyone had a great time. On Friday night my Mom and Allison came over and helped set up as well as made the food. In addition to many side dishes, we served three breakfast casseroles. Those casseroles were made on Friday night so that on Saturday morning we just had to stick them in the oven to cook. It made for a much more relaxed morning on Saturday.

I received many compliments on the food at the shower and I promised I would post the recipes, so here they are!

Hash Brown Casserole

20 ounce bag of fresh hash brown potatoes (found in the refrigerated case of the store near the eggs)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom because my sis is a vegetarian and it came out GREAT)
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 small onion, finely chopped

Mix all of the above and put into a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with corn flake topping (see below) then bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is hot and the topping is nicely brown.

Corn flake topping
2 cups of corn flakes
1 stick melted butter

Crush corn flakes in a plastic bag and mix together with melted butter.

Breakfast Casserole
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (this is optional. I left it out to make it a vegetarian dish)
10 eggs beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 cups milk
4 slices bread, cubed (french bread works very well)
1 1/2 cups grated cheese

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in 9x13 pan for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf french bread
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows

Slice french bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup if desired

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.