Hi Friends! I hope your week is off to a great start!We had some warmer temps this week, and much of our snow melted, and people got out and about! Always so good to start seeing your neighbors outdoors again!

Well this week we have a truly special recipe, a Brunch with Friends Egg Bake! I don’t believe I’ve done much in the breakfast line of foods, so this was fun to include! This recipe comes from my sister Stacey Rall, thank you, Stacey! She is quite a cook, and loves making all sorts of different tasty dishes!

But before we begin, I need to thank my very dear friend Maribeth Schmidt who did the incredible pictures for this shoot. She is such a visionary when it comes to food photography! Its like you see the love in her heart in the way she portrays the food! What you may not know is that for any one of these recipes she will send me usually 80 plus pictures that I can choose from! They are phenomenal and its very often hard to choose which ones to use! I should probably have her standing over my shoulder when I do it, she has such an artist’s eye! This week, the “cooking” shots are done by me (you will notice the difference pretty quickly!) and the finished product shots and the ingredients shot are done by Maribeth, and she makes everything look simply beautiful! I don’t deserve her, but I am so so grateful to have her in my life first and foremost as a friend, and then of course for her gorgeous pictures! If you would like to see more of her work, or for an inquiry, you can contact her at Maribeth Schmidt Photography.

Ok, lets begin! This casserole is such a flexible dish, you can literally make it to suit your taste! My version below that I made was a fairly basic but delicious version. But if your family likes the heat, you can zap it up! Or if you like veggies or an Italian or Mexican twist you can tailor this to your liking! I’ve given lots of ideas below to customize your egg bake!

Ingredients:

• 1 Dozen Eggs
• 2 C Monterey Jack Cheese (Cheddar or part Cheddar and part Pepper Jack, even Mozzarella would be good too)
• 2 C Cottage Cheese (could also use light or fat free cottage cheese)
• 1/4 C Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 C Melted Butter
• 2 C Cubed Ham (or cooked sausage or cooked crumbled bacon would be great too! Or skip the meat all together and just add what you like!)
• Optional – Could add chopped green pepper, sliced mushrooms, chopped broccoli, onions/chives, a can of chopped green chilis or even a cup of washed chopped spinach – whatever you like!)
• Optional seasonings – salt and pepper, italian seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder – pick seasonings you like
• Optional condiments – ketchup, hot sauce, salsa

Preheat oven to 350° and grease or spray a 9×13 pan.

In large bowl add 12 eggs, and whisk until pale yellow. Add in the flour and baking soda (these two give your dish some fluff!) and whisk. Here I add in a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

When eggs are a pale yellow, add in the cheese, melted butter, cottage cheese, and ham, and any additional ingredients. Stir.

Pour into greased or sprayed 9×13 pan.

Bake until the edges are golden and eggs are firm in the center. About 45 minutes.

When I pulled it out of the oven, it was bubbling all around the edges. I took this picture to try and capture it.

Wait about ten minutes before you cut and serve it.

Now you may be thinking, “cottage cheese?” Trust me, it blends in and gives a lovely rich texture!

Keep some hot sauce, salsa  and ketchup nearby for those who like to zip it up a bit.

The word breakfast of course means that you are “breaking the fast” from the night before.

Now for a really lovely brunch, you would of course include some beautiful fruit!

And of course some delicious sweet baked goods!

There is something so lavish and indulgent about a brunch!

Your body is hungry after a long sleep, and at the brunch table, its a feast for the eyes and the soul!

You just feel so special! This is the feeling you treat your guests to when you present them with a lovely brunch!

The concept of brunch appears to have its roots in British history. The word “brunch” first appeared in an article in 1895 by author Guy Beringer in a British hunting publication.  “Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting, It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” Sounds good to me! I’m glad it caught on!

When it made its way to the United States, one of the first cities to truly embrace it was Chicago.  I’ve been to a few great brunch places in Chicago, there are lots of places to choose from! And of course, its now a popular experience in all cities from sea to shining sea!

But best of all is the brunch served at your own dining table! Because it comes from you!

Its an opportunity to tell those you love how crazy grateful you are to have them in your life! You are presenting them with this gift… to nourish them, because you care for them. But even more, the splendor at the table says that you want to honor them with this beautiful feast! Who doesn’t treasure the moments they feel so valued, so spoiled, so loved? And what if we always had at least one more chair at the table for the one who needs it more than anyone? Maybe someone who has just gone through a disappointment or a loss, or simply needs companionship?

It is a privilege to simply drench them with a beautiful feast! And its not all that much work to put something like this together! Get some delicious fruit juice and nice hot coffee, maybe a bouquet of flowers, and your biggest smile and warm hug! And your guests, weary with the chaos of life will come to the table and be fed body, mind and soul! Doesn’t it bless you to just think of the smiles and tremendous warm feelings of affirmation you can pour on the dear ones who come to your kitchen hungry, and you meet their need and then so much more!

And I think the more we lavish others, the more our own cup is filled! Ahhh I am smiling and I lift my coffee mug in a toast to you, dear friend! Cheers!

Thanks again to my sister Stacey for sharing this recipe!

I hope you have a fantastic week!

I’ll be back Friday for another Fashion Friday!

Love Always,

Amy

“To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel; but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.”  ~Max Lucado