Whipping up breakfast for a large gathering doesn't have to be stressful, especially when this make-ahead ham and cheese casserole does nearly all the work for you. Some folks label it a strata or a soufflé, but in our house, it earns a much simpler title: absolutely irresistible.
This particular recipe has lived on the blog since day one, simply because it ranks among my all-time favorites. Yet every worthwhile creation eventually deserves a fresh coat of paint, so I finally gave it the makeover it had been waiting for.
My relatives aren't bound tightly by long-standing customs. During childhood, we never returned to the same vacation retreat each summer, and no one dragged out the same tired lineup of party games at the yearly family get-together.
What we did share, however, was an unwavering commitment to gathering on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those remain my most treasured holidays without question. I picture grandparents, a parade of aunts and uncles, and a swirl of cousins crowded around the table, sharing meals, trading stories, pinning my boy cousins in arm wrestling matches—and trouncing them—while TBS aired its endless A Christmas Story loop in the background.
For more than twenty-nine Christmases now, this very ham and cheese casserole has graced our table every single December 25th. We prep the entire dish the evening prior and slip it into the oven on Christmas morning, emerging gloriously bubbling with melted cheese and savory ground ham—pure heaven for breakfast enthusiasts.
What truly sets this recipe apart is its exclusive place on our holiday calendar. We never serve it during any other season, all to preserve that unmistakable holiday magic it carries.(…)Continue reading Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole (1,209 words)
©FoodieCrush for FoodieCrush Magazine, 2017. | Permalink | 52 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: breakfast and brunch, casserole, cheddar, eggs, ham, holidays, make ahead, milk, recipe roundup, souffle, strata
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