Breakfast Casserole, Poochie’s Biscuit Bean Bake, and Piled-On Porkchops:

Well, Christmas is right around the corner. To most this means large gatherings of family and friends, and this in itself means grub…and plenty of it!

Here at our gathering at Mom and Dad’s, we put on a pretty good feed bag as well. Over the last few years, Mom made the switch from Christmas lunch, to Christmas breakfast, and I’m here to tell ya, this has been one, big hit! The whole family has bought into this, whole-hog!

The main dish is a breakfast casserole, but she supplements the casserole with another dish or two as well. You know, so you don’t go home hungry. In regards to our Mama’s, we all know they don’t want you leavin the table and your belly ain’t full yet.

So as I said, my Mama might just throw a couple other things on the table to prevent such as that. Normally this is scrambled eggs, country ham, biscuits, red-eyed gravy, grits, sausage balls, mounds of bacon, sausage gravy too, sliced tomatoes, and a heaping bowl of fruit salad.

We get enough…but just barely. If we keep it down to 3-4 plates per person, it kinda stretches it out some. LOL!

You know, isn’t this a wonderful time of the year? I mean, the entire rest of the year is great, and since Deb’s ordeal, we’ve come to realize that EVERY day is a blessing, no doubt, but this time of the year is special.

By our string of holidays being fairly close together, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, this allows our families time off from work at the same time, and our children are “school free” for a little while. This in itself helps all that much more in bringing families together.

Enjoy this time.

As you get older, and your family begins to “leave the nest” the closeness, or maybe the better description is simply having the opportunity to spend good quality time together, fades. Time, distance, work, even having the resources to see your loved ones all come into play.

So guys, enjoy your family and friends. We’re only here for what time the good Lord allows us, so make the very best of each day. Get up…give thanks. Go to bed…give thanks. Make life count, cause you only go around once.

Take the time and the effort to hug your family. Let them hear the words come from your mouth, by telling them that you love them. Sometimes we forget the importance of saying those few words…I love you, but they sure are comforting, and even more, they’re so encouraging to hear if you’re on the receiving end!

Deb and I would like to wish the very best for each and every one of you! You guys have all been just great to us, and we appreciate everything you guys do for us. It is appreciated. Better yet, doing a little of “practicing what I’m preachin…” We love you guys!

“Awright Deb, you can turn it off now…I told em!” LOL!!!

All three recipes today, come once again from the cook book, White Trash Gatherings,” by Kendra Bailey Morris. It was published by the Ten Speed Press.

If you like a little Southern “down home humor, and maybe picking up a tip or two, with some good home-cookin thrown in boot, then you might want to consider picking ya one up! We’ve enjoyed our copy.
First off, we’ll be cookin up a breakfast casserole today.

During the Christmas season or not, these are a good way to start off the day. As the author states, these are “self-contained” breakfasts, and can be prepped the day before.

Just stick it in the fridge overnight. Then, the next morning, slap it in the cook stove, have a sit, pour you a cup of coffee, and visit with your guests. When the timer goes off, get up and scratch (for us older ones), head off to the kitchen, and chow down!

Down at the Milk House Breakfast Casserole:

• 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 slices white bread
• 12 eggs
• ¾ cup of milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• Salt and Pepper, as much as you like (hee, hee, hee…that’s for you Sandy)
• 3 to 4 green onions, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried
• Dash of hot sauce, **more if your guests like it spicy
• 1-1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

Brown up your sausage in a medium skillet. Spread the butter over the bottom and sides of a casserole dish. Put your bread pieces on the bottom of it.

Get yourself another bowl and beat up your eggs, milk, and soup, and add salt and pepper the way you like it. Add in the onions, parsley and hot sauce. Pour the mixture over your bread. Top with the cooked sausage and then cover the whole mess with a bunch of cheese.

Now, cover the dish and stick it in your fridge overnight.

Next morning, turn your oven on to 350. Bring your casserole close to room temperature before putting it in a hot oven (or you just might crack your casserole dish). Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, or until eggs are done. Serve up hot.

**(Just a word of caution here, per Dub…don’t get it too spicy though! Grannie Margret put too much hot sauce in Granddaddy Troy’s pork and rice once. They didn’t have indoor plumbing at the time, so you may see where this is headed. Anyway, it was so hot it tore his stomach up. Grannie said he ate a plateful, got up and TOOK OFF outside. She said he couldn’t make it to the outhouse, so he just runned off into the scrub. In just a matter of a few seconds, Granddaddy…had set the dern woods on fire! Use caution with the hot sauce!)

Poochie’s Biscuit Bean Bake:

• 1 pound ground beef
• ¼ chopped onion
• 1 envelope Sloppy Joe seasoning mix (set aside 1 tablespoon of mix)
• 1 (31 oz.) can or 2 (15 oz.) cans pork and beans
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 (12 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup cubed Cheddar Cheese

Turn your oven on to 350. Grease up a casserole pan.

Saute your ground beef in a little oil until fully cooked. Drain off the fat, unless you like it there. Add the onions and sauté a little longer. Add your Sloppy Joe mix (except for the 1 tablespoon you’re setting aside), your pork and beans, brown sugar and ketchup. Simmer it for a couple minutes until bubbly. Pour into your casserole pan.

Unroll the pack of biscuits. Open each biscuit and place a cube of Cheddar cheese inside. Do this for each biscuit. Place biscuits on top off the bean mixture. Sprinkle the rest of your Sloppy Joe seasoning mix over the biscuits and bake for about 30 minutes, or until biscuits are done. Serve hot.

Judy Mac’s Dee-Licious Easy Piled-On Porkchops:

Turn on your oven to 350.

Put a little shortening in your cast iron skillet and brown the pork chops real good on both sides. Then put your chops in a deep baking dish. Now, pile on the good stuff! Top each chop with a slice of lemon, a slice of onion, and a big tablespoon of brown sugar followed by a heaping tablespoon of ketchup.

Drizzle some molasses over the entire dish and add a little salt and pepper. Then pour the water evenly over the whole dish. Bake in a hot oven until the sauce starts to thicken, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.