Recipes from the Heart – August 2015

The Eastlack family has been volunteering at RMHC of Cville for several years in different capacities.  While they’ve done everything from moving furniture to house cleaning to lawn care, their favorite way to be involved is definitely through our Meals from the Heart Program.

“Our schedules are really busy, so meal times at home are often rushed.  When we’re here it’s different. We have the chance to slow down and be together while hopefully making someone else’s life a little less stressful,” says Amy Eastlack (who just happens to be the RMHC of Cville Communications and Development Coordinator!).

This month Amy left the meal planning up to her daughters who decided on one of their favorites meals – Breakfast for Dinner – complete with waffles, egg and sausage casseroles, bacon, sausage and fruit.  The meal was a big hit that night – and the leftover were just as delicious the next morning!   Amy shared her egg bake recipe with us this week which she says is also great for holiday breakfasts and brunches because you can make it ahead of time (she made this one on her lunch break!).

SAUSAGE, EGG AND HASHBROWN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (adapted from Plain Chicken)

INGREDIENTS
2 lb Italian sausage (I use mild for groups, but spicy at home)
1 (30-32oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
In a large saute pan, cook sausage over medium heat until it is no longer pink, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Drain fat and remove sausage from pan, reserving a little bit of grease in pan. Set sausage aside.
Add onion and pepper to pan and saute for about 5 minutes. Add to sausage. Place frozen hash browns in saute pan and cook according to package directions until lightly brown.
Place hash browns in bottom of greased baking dish. Top with sausage and then with cheese. Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk together in bowl. Pour over hashbrowns, sausage and cheese.
If baking later cover with aluminum foil and place in refrigerator. Otherwise, bake at 350 for 4o-45 minutes.