Egg Bake

I have a problem.  Not with egg bake.  Egg bake is good.  It is easy.  Your family will like it.

This is my problem.

And I can definitely answer the question of which came first.  It was the chicken.  Chickens.  Of which, we seem to be accumulating strange and diverse species of.   

This spring we got three different batches.

And we still have the ones from last year.   

And the year before.  Help me.
  

One weekend I found chicks in my bathtub.  And we're still married.

 

I blame it on this boy, who wants to show chickens for 4-H.  Who can resist his brown eyes?  His dad can't, that's who.  His dad keeps caving in.  That's why we have more than 16 dozen eggs in our refrigerator. 

What's a girl to do?  She makes egg bake.  And angel food cake.  And meringue.  She sells them.  She gives away eggs to elderly neighbors, and folks dropping by to pick up their children.  She sends them with family members.  And she shares her recipes with you.  If you want to make egg bake, feel free to come on over and take a dozen to get you started.

 You might double this recipe, though, because it only calls for six.  And some milk.

 Salt.  Peppers.  Ground mustard.  Weird, right?  Ground mustard.

Whisk it all up but good.

Add croutons.  You could use old bread, but croutons seem less....old?  I don't know.  The thought of baking with stale bread just kind of grosses me out.  (Do not tell me croutons are old bread.  K?  They come from a store, so they have to be approved by the FDA, and the FDA would never approve old bread.  Don't remind me of "pink slime".)

You can make this meatless, or you can use crumbled bacon, ham or sausage.  Whatever floats your boat.

 Cheese too, of course.

It all goes into a pan or casserole dish.  That depends on how long you have to cook it, and how big you want the pieces.  If you put it in a 9 x 13 pan, everyone will get big square pieces and it will cook faster.  If you put it into a round casserole or 8 x 8 dish, everyone will get deep thick smaller pieces, and it takes longer to bake all the way through.

 About 45 minutes in my deep round casserole, and it's ready to go.

All the cheese and egg and bread and sausage meld into perfect brunch food.  Or breakfast-for-supper, if you have an appetite like my children.

They find it particularly good with applesauce--one of the few types of 'fruit' they will eat.  If you have eggs in excess, or just feel like breakfast-for-supper now too, give it a try.  It's good.

 
Egg Bake
A Hoey family recipe that appears regularly for holiday brunches.

6 eggs
2 c. milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1 5 oz package croutons
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. cooked ground sausage, or meat of your choice

Preheat oven to 400.  In a bowl, combine eggs, milk and spices.  Whisk until well blended.  Stir in croutons, cheese and meat.  Pour into a greased baking dish.  The baking time will vary depending on the size of dish you use.  An 8 x 8 baking dish will take between 35 and 45 minutes.  A 9 x 13 baking dish will take a shorter amount of time.  Bake until the eggs are set.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.  Enjoy!