Christmas Chaos

I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post... shame on me. I have been cooking up a storm in that time and have a few gems to share with you. Since it's been so long I've decided to do something a little different... something special. I'll be posting three recipes today in a two part post and it's all about BREAKFAST (this one's for you Alan.)

Part 1: Wife Saver

When my brother and I were growing up there was always one thing we waited for every year on Christmas morning. No, not presents from Santa (though that was fun too) ... Christmas Morning Wife Saver. This has been a breakfast tradition in our house as long as I can remember. We'd wake up in the morning with our tummies growling, force Mom and Dad out of bed and tear into our presents. Mom would disappear into the kitchen for only 5 minutes or so and miraculously the most wonderful, savory smell of bacon, cheese, onion and egg would fill the house. This was something special - something we only ate once a year - and the thought of it has always warmed my heart ... and belly. This year was mine and Jason's first - just the two of us and the thought of Christmas morning without Wife Saver just wouldn't do. When we woke up that morning, Jason threw on the coffee while I threw the Wife Saver in the oven and just an hour later I felt like a kid again... this was Christmas, the way it should be. Funnily enough when my family
came over later that day my brother told me that Mom decided not to make it this year and he was very disappointed. I promptly offered him some of mine and within a matter of minutes half of my delicious Wife Saver was gone. - Well worth it to keep the tradition alive for my brother.

Hubby Approval Rating                           ?/5.0

Unfortunately since it's been too long since we had it, Jason can't remember what it tasted like and doesn't want to rate it. I do remember his exact words Christmas morning being "I guess I'll keep you around". I suppose that's a good thing.



Christmas Morning Wife Saver

16 Slices White Bread - crusts removed
16 Slices Bacon (or about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
6 Eggs
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 cup minced Onion
1/4 cup finely chopped Green Pepper
2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 cups Milk
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
1/2 cup melted Butter
Crushed Special K or Corn Flakes


- On Christmas Eve line the bottom of a buttered 9x13 glass baking dish with 8 pieces of bread. Cover the bread with all the bacon (cook before hand for a crisper texture), cheese and remaining 8 pieces of bread.
- Beat eggs, pepper, dry mustard, onion, green pepper, worcestershire, milk and tabasco. Pour over bread and refrigerate over night.
- Christmas morning, drizzle in melted butter and sprinkle with corn flakes or special K.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 1 hour. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.


Part 2: Tasty Toppings

One of the fabulous presents I received for Christmas was a waffle iron from Jason's Mom, Kim. I absolutely adore waffles and was looking forward to making this sweet treat with fruit topping, only I had no idea where to start. I prefer berries on my waffles and Jason hates them, so any time we want to have fruit topping I have double the work ahead of me. I searched online for two recipes, one with blueberries and one with apple for Jase. The two I found did not disappoint, I encourage you to give these a try, they are way better than any store bought topping - guaranteed.

 Hubby Approval Rating: (Apple Topping Only)     3.5/5.0

Why? "It wasn't as sweet as I was expecting and it would have been easier to cut without the peel on. The apples tasted really good and so did the sauce."

Apple Topping

• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 large tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add apples. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in water; add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Blueberry Topping

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

In a 2-qt. saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water. Add blueberries; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold over French toast, pancakes or waffles. 

Thanks for reading today's post. I hope you have your own Christmas traditions to share with me in the comment section below - or feel free to steal mine, you won't be sorry!

Bacon and Eggs,

Dani