11/9/08

My Son Made Breakfast - the Night Before! (Crockpot Breakfast)

We had a special dinner for our son Garrett a little over a week ago. I pulled out my “Let’s Celebrate” plate (from my Pampered Chef days) as we barbequed steak, veggies, and ate our last meal of the season on our back patio.

We talked in depth about Garrett’s accomplishment that we were celebrating, the details surrounding it, the responsibility of it, the price that went along with it. We also talked about charisma – and what you do with the gift of charisma. How do you handle it, and use it rightly, as it’s a God-given gift! And what are the consequences of mishandling it?


It was a lesson for all of us. But all of our lessons around the dinner table are for all of us. As our whole family participates in conversation and discussions around our table – we feel safe, comfortable and free to express opinions.

It was a great celebration that night
.

I've found that good food makes celebrating our children's accomplishments even more fun!

We all have to eat, so why not make a special meal and a big deal of that particular kid’s achievements?


I’ve learned it doesn’t even matter what you serve (Mac & Cheese works just fine!) We just need to celebrate, and support and encourage our kids. They don’t always make perfect choices, but each day has a new teachable moment, and there’s always something that we can find to celebrate!

Besides his school achievement, Garrett was also helpful that night in making breakfast for our family the next morning.

The night before?
Yes, the night before. The meal cooked all night long in the crockpot!

Always Improvise!
I gave Garrett an easy recipe, which he followed, and we modified it to work with the ingredients we had on hand.

(Note: When I don’t specify a particular kind of meat or cheese in my posts, it’s because I always USE WHAT I HAVE IN MY FRIDGE. I rarely go to the store to buy an ingredient that I don’t have. I always improvise!) Plus, we want to start using all of these potatoes that we just harvested from our garden!

Here’s how he did it!
He used the crockpot and put the meal together before bedtime, and then plugged it in when he went to bed.

What did our family wake up to?
We had a tasty wake-up meal in the morning, and our family decided this recipe was a keeper!


Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
32 oz. frozen or freshly grated hashed browns (we baked our own potatoes first, then grated them)
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 lb. turkey sausage (pre-cooked bacon would work too!)
2 C. shredded cheese
One dozen eggs
1 C. milk
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of dry mustard

Grate/place the hashed browns in the bottom of a lightly sprayed crockpot


Pour salsa on the potatoes


Crumble sausage or bacon on the hash browns; sprinkle cheese on top


Mix the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard


Pour eggs over the entire mixture


Cover and cook on low for 10 hours - and ENJOY!

Give it a try! Or modify the recipe to make it tasty for your family!

ONE YEAR ago on Reluctant Entertainer: No More Store-Bought Jams, by Abby Coughlin.

TWO YEARS ago:
Sweet Potato Cheesecake (Award Winning!).

38 comments:

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

Okay that sounds 100% completely yummy. I have to give that a try. I've done oatmeal over night but not a casserole involving eggs. Thanks for sharing.
Hugs.

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

A crockpot breakfast sounds perfect! Nothing better than waking up to breakfast already cooked, huh? Congrats to your son and I love your plate. We have a "You are Special Today" plate and I remember my parents using it too when I was young. Love it!

Blessings,
Melissa

Jen said...

That sounds really good. I have bee meaning to try this...I have seen it before. I'm glad you have tried it...I may do it for Thanksgiving....

RyzKys said...

Neat plate! Where can I buy one? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Yum! You're so lucky!

Emily Dykstra said...

That looks great! Who knew you could do that the night before? Congrats, Garrett!

Anonymous said...

Yum! I might have to do this for Christmas morning. That and a big bowl of fresh fruit and maybe some sort of pastry. Mmmm.

gayle said...

Thanks, Sandy, for this sweet glimpse into your family's life. What a great example you have given to do what the Lord says in Deuteronomy 11:18-21. "...teach them to your children, speaking of them (these words of Mine) when you sit in your house..."...around the breakfast table! A real encouragement, and the recipe looks delish. Blessings!

Christine said...

First of all,... I like what you shared about the special dinner for your son. I am and always will be a huge advocate not only of celebrating one another but spending time around the dinner table together as a family. I wish more families would hook back up because it is such an important part of binding our families together not to mention teaching them and creating great memories! So Hurray on you!

I have two crock pots going on during the soccer season, one with the dinner and the other with the dessert. I have made a few breakfast meals for the Christmas season but I have never seen this egg recipe! Thanks for your example on here and all your fun ideas you share as well! =o)

Smelling Coffee said...

Sandy~ I loved looking around your blog and reading some of your posts! What inspiration to be a better homemaker and hostess! I'll be back for more inspiration! Thanks for visiting Smelling Coffee and leaving a comment!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

10 hours to cook eggs?! That's so interesting! And how lovely to have your son allready involved in cooking! Well done to you and to him!

Kirstin said...

that sounds super yummy!! I might have to try that.I love the idea of celebrating achievements. I'm thinking of that in regards to my oldest. She has just finished playing with the soccer team she's played with for 5 years, is turning 13 and is just an amazing young lady. I think I'll do something special for her this week!

Two years ago for her birthday party I brought along index cards and had each guest write something they loved or appreciated about her. Than I took pictures of her with each of her guests, put it in an album with their card and gave it to her. She still looks at it. They were not only friends her age, but many young adults from our church who mean alot to her.

~nanashouse~ said...

You are a genious! I'm going to try this very soon. I will add some ham instead, because I have it on hand. Just look how much I have learned from you :-)

Jessica said...

hello! like one of your other readers, i remember having a special plate on special days, too - and it totally transformed the whole meal for me!

i was wondering where you got your gorgeous brown tablecloth! i'm guessing a yard sale or goodwill, but maybe not? :)

Jan said...

What a celebration of what your son is made of. All good things. Happy you mom.

Robin Beck said...

That really sounds like it would be perfect for Thanksgiving morning!!! Love it! Thank you.
Robin~♥

Tammy said...

Oh this sounds delicious!!! I am really going to have to try this!

And such a good reminder for us to take time to really celebrate achievements of those we love!

Good for your son for helping with that recipe!

(And I use to sell Pampered Chef...I love all the tools and cookbooks I still have from those days!)

Blessings!
~Tammy

Rebekah said...

As usual, it looks absolutely delicious. What a wonderful thing to wake up to!

Tamara Jansen said...

Wow that looks amazing.....can you guys eat 12 eggs in one meal??? I'm afraid that'd be enough for the month of December for my family :)

La Tea Dah said...

Happy Birthday to your talented son! And thanks for the great recipe!

LaTeaDah

Martha said...

What a great recipe -- especially with the holidays coming up and so many of us having company that we have to feed.

Kim said...

I'm so glad you visited my blog so I could find yours. Love it and your ideas. Looking forward to being a reader here! And, I'm anxious to try this recipe. Great idea!!!

Jules from "The Roost" said...

What a handsome young man! Yes celebrate those accomplishments!!! Well stated. I can not wait to make this when my kids come home for Thanksgiving.
Thanks you so much!!!

orneryswife said...

Lots like the old standby-breakfast casserole. This is a great idea, though, cooking it over night. Sounds like a holiday breakfast!
tm

Kim said...

One of my favorite breakfasts is an overnight steelcut oats dish made in the crockpot. How wonderful to wake up to a great breakfast already made! Especially on a cold morning.

grace said...

so your son is a looker and he makes breakfast? keep your eye on him, sandy--if they're not already, the gals'll be after him soon. :)

~j~ said...

what a great topic of conversation with the family. As always the food coming from your kitchen looks absolutely delicious and creative.
That blue plate is something i think i would like to have had when the kids were growing up, great idea!
I am sure you use that one quite often :)
xo
j

Haley said...

MMMmmmmm..... I will def. have to give this one a try! It sounds so great. I love your ideas on entertaining!

Anonymous said...

In case you haven't been told today, you are amazing!.

We love you!

Amanda

Ms. Tee said...

You're son is just too cute. :) Congratulations to him for his acheivement!
Your casserole looks great - I love anything with salsa on it!!

Monkey Giggles said...

Yum yum yummy. Every Tuesday Morning I have breakfast at my house for some dear friends. I was looking for something new to try for tomorrow and this is it. Perfect timing. Thank you

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

It sounds so wonderful and I have never gotten a recipe for the crock pot for breakfast...I am excited to try it!
Carrie

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonderful way to celebrate. Your recipe is great, but your family spirit even greater. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Come again.

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

I love crock pot breakfasts....
and you brought back memories from my Pampered Chef days as well. I still use ours, but also have the Red "You are special" which seems to hit the table more often.

Alisa Lucas-Brown said...

Sandy,
I totally agree with you about lessons learned around the dinner table. Prince Charming and I have two sons. We find that the best conversations seem to be at dinner time. Our youth of today so need to know they are loved, cared for, safe and cherished. Too many homes don't have what you have. We work with teens at our church that are ALL from broken homes. I am going to use your idea to celebrate each one of those kids in the upcoming new year! What great ideas! Keep 'em coming!

Anonymous said...

This recipe sounds wonderful. I'm going to have to try this soon.

50s Housewife said...

Thank you for posting this recipe! It sounds like a perfect Sunday morning breakfast. I often do a breakfast casserole that I refrigerate overnight and pop into the oven the next morning, but I like this idea even better! I try to do a special breakfast on Sunday mornings, but I don't have time to stand over the stove while getting everyone dressed, hair combed... :)

sherry said...

Mine is in the crockpot for supper. My husband loves breakfast for supper and tossing a green leafy salad together will complete it rather nicely I think.

I've linked to this post.