Easy & hearty fall dinner (or brunch)!

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day in Washington. The sun was out and the sky was blue, which made the fall colors pop on the trees – reds, oranges, yellows. It was the sort of crisp day that made me craving a yummy, hearty meal last night. My first thought was chili, but we were out of tomatoes and onions, so that was out.

Then I recalled a breakfast casserole I found in a cookbook of mine. I didn’t have ground sausage, but I did have some bacon. It turned out very good. I then whipped up some homemade applesauce with a bunch of apples about to go bad. It was a perfect combination!

I thought I’d share the recipes with you. Not only are they easy, they are economical – using ingredients we’ve been seeing on sale in recent weeks. And while I made this for dinner, it would also be perfect for those lazy Saturday mornings or for a Sunday brunch.

Breakfast Casserole
Tear up four slices of bread and place them in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Crumble 1 lb. cooked bacon pieces or breakfast sausage over the bread. Sprinkle 2 cups cheddar cheese on top of meat. Whisk 6 eggs with 2 cups milk – season with salt and pepper. My recipe also called for a dash of mustard powder, which I decided to omit. Once well mixed, drizzle on top of casserole and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until eggs are set.

Homemade Applesauce
Peel, core, and chop up apples into small bite-size pieces. Cook on stove with a little water or apple juice (I had about 8-10 apples yesterday and used 1/4 c apple juice). Let cook on medium – medium high heat for a good 10-15 minutes, until very soft. Mash with a potato masher and add equal parts white & brown sugar to taste. Add cinnamom to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!