Egg, Ham, and Red Pepper Brunch Casserole--Our Christmas Eve Day Family Celebration

     After searching in vain for an egg casserole recipe for our Christmas Eve Day brunch (I had certain flavors in mind), I decided to create my own. I relied on existing recipes for egg/milk proportions and included the ingredients that sounded good and that our family would like (I hoped--and they did!). Of course, you will vary the recipe below in any way that suits you and your family or guests. Our younger son would have liked it hotter; since he is alone in that, he'll need to use hot sauce on top. But you may want to use more cayenne pepper or to include chopped hot peppers. I think this casserole could take almost any cheese you like; this time we used Swiss cheese.

     I wish I had taken a photo of the whole brunch, but didn't. We also had Martha Stewart's buttermilk French toast, a rich tasting and yummy version with pancake syrup and blueberry syrup, bacon I made in the oven, and the fruit salad you see pictured (there were egg casserole and fruit leftovers available for their photo shoot another day). We did not have green salad for brunch; the photo shows my plate of leftover casserole for supper another day. I have been searching for the French toast recipe on-line and can't find it--sorry. I had hoped to provide you with a link. I probably have the title wrong on my recipe card, but it was definitely a Martha recipe, modified a little.

     The bacon left me wondering why I had waited so long to make it in the oven--fear of messy splatters, for one thing. It did not spatter at all, but baked up uniform and flat. My husband was kind enough to get the pans ready while I was doing other things. He placed the bacon strips on racks that were set in parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheets. It took 2 10" x 14" pans to bake a little over a pound of quality bacon (it's best if the strips don't overlap). The only caution is that it would be easy to burn it--it goes fast in the last couple of minutes. About 20 minutes at 400 degrees was perfect.

     The fruit salad was fresh pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and some fresh pomegranate seeds (which come all prepared in a plastic container from Pom Pom--saves lots of trouble wrestling with the whole fruit to get the seeds out). It was a delicious combination and looked festive in a cut glass bowl.

     OK, the casserole recipe, made the day before serving:

                    Ham and Swiss Overnight Egg Casserole

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

3/4 cup chopped red pepper

2 cups cubed deli black forest ham from a thick slice

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies

8 eggs

2 cups skimmed evaporated milk

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. black pepper

generous dash cayenne pepper

2 cups shredded cheese (delicious with Swiss)

3 cups crusty bread (Cuban bread is yummy in this) torn or cut into about 1/2 inch pieces

     Saute onion and red pepper in about 2 tsp. butter; add ham and green chilies and saute 1 more minute. Let cool a little while making the egg mixture.

     Whisk eggs and skimmed evaporated milk together well; whisk in seasonings. Stir in about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, the bread, and the ham mixture and mix well. 

     Pour into a 9" x 13" buttered or sprayed casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover well with foil and refrigerate overnight.

     In the morning, leave the foil on and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more until it is set (it will firm up a little more as it stands).

     A word about the skimmed evaporated milk: I have found it to be an excellent substitute for whole milk or even cream in many recipes. It lends richness and flavor to your dish with many fewer calories and less saturated fat.

     I have posted other recipes; you will find a listing at the recipe index post.

Question of the Day: This is a new tradition for us; the family has traditionally joined us for an appetizer supper on Christmas Eve Day. However, this year we needed a schedule that left time for our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter to have a nap before they attended the Children's Christmas Eve service. How have your family's holiday traditions changed over the years--or do some things stay the same for you?