Hashbrowns, eggs and cheese. A delicious combo!
It all started when my mother kept telling me how much people liked the funeral cake she served at a recent dinner. The first time I let it pass. Then later I just had to ask about the morbid name and why this dish was called such a thing. She said she didn’t know and that the recipe came from a family friend.
While researching funeral cakes online, I came across several recipes for funeral potatoes. Funeral potatoes are a staple in some religions and served at (you guessed it) funerals. The reason is because there are few ingredients – all readily available – which go together quickly and result in the perfect comfort dish.
When I thought about writing a post on the topic of “my favorite hashbrown breakfast casserole” I realized it’s my own version of funeral potatoes. And I laughed as I remembered that the first time I tried this dish I was at a funeral (but wasn’t really laughing then.)
My tradition now is a much merrier and happier one. I make this dish the night before Christmas and bake it the following morning as a warm-up for the gift unwrapping. It is a simple dish, but once your house begins to fill with the scent of cheese and potatoes you will feel a little more festive and a whole lot hungrier.
So whatever your reason for celebrating this season – from the team at Yummly.com – Happy holidays and best wishes to you and your family!
Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add 3 ½ cups frozen shredded hash browns to an 8” x 8” pan. Drizzle ¼ cup melted butter over top.
- Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Cool.
Mix together and pour over the baked hashbrowns:
Then top the entire mixture with:
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- ½ cup grated jalapeno cheese or Monterey jack
- Your choice of toppings*
Topping recommendations: diced ham, cooked sausage or bacon, diced tomatoes, red pepper, green onion and mushrooms.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Warm up with hearty lentil soup.
To me, lentils are the ideal ‘convenience’ food: healthy, economical and tasty. Note: usually the first two items cancel out the last.
Not only are lentils packed with B vitamins (especially B3) they are also high in iron, zinc and calcium. According to the USDA website “one-half cup of cooked peas or lentils provides more than 10 grams of dietary fiber.” Add some rice or beans and you’ve got a great source of protein or replacement for red meat (whoa – I know that might be pushing the envelope here.)
Since lentils are so good for you it only seems fair to add bacon to the recipe below as a counterbalance. The soup recipe below is simple and makes an ample amount for friends, family or your future lunch (it freezes without a hitch!)
Lentil Soup
- 1 lb. bacon - sliced
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 cup celery – chopped, with leaves
- 1 cup carrots – chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 lb. lentils
- 3 quarts water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional ingredients: bay leaf, basil, hot sauce or Tabasco and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 1
Cook bacon, onions and garlic. Drain the fat thoroughly. Return the mixture to your stock pot.
Step 2
Add remaining ingredients.
Step 3
Cook ingredients until lentils are soft but firm*. If you want a creamy texture, puree half the soup in a blender and return to the pot.
*This step won’t take more than 45-60 minutes.
The recent “pizza toss” morning session at the SF Food and Wine Festival seemed simple enough. We show up, watch a pizza making demonstration, take a few notes and leave. Oh, and devour about 6 pieces each before leaving (all before 11:30 am!)
The people at the helm were none other than a few Bay Area pros from Delfina, Pizzaiolo and the Grand Café. Each had a slightly different perspective but altogether the final results were outstanding. During the demonstration the crowd was introduced to traditional Neopolitan style (simple crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) plus an Alsatian delight called Flammekueche. The latter was basically a flatbread, run through pasta rollers to render it thin and topped with various items like sardines, capers, smoked salmon and figs.
I guess I thought I knew a lot about pizza, but for those who are serious about their craft, it’s anything but “just dough and sauce”. There’s the 00 flour (made in Italy, perfect for crust) the need for San Marzano tomatoes and a fair amount of discussion about olive oil in the dough (“don’t need it” seemed the concensus although it appears in most recipes!) Charlie Hallowell of Pizzaiolo also discussed the ideal oven temperature (somewhere between 750-800 degrees) which requires the removal of the temperature gauge in a standard oven (“not really recommended” joked Hallowell.)
Where did pizza get it’s start? According to Wikipedia, the origin of the word is unclear but first appeared around 997 in Medieval Latin. Of course most people know it started in Naples in the 16th century. What some might not know is that at the time pizza was a baker’s tool, a dough used to verify the temperature of the oven. It was only later that the “dish of the poor people” was sold in the streets and considered something befitting a recipe or of value.
Given the popularity – and variations – of pizza worldwide, it’s no surprise that the chef’s at last week’s event are so enthusiastic about their craft and product. No longer just a baker’s tool, it does make me wonder whether “poor food” sparks the eventual culinary trend to become mainstream and if so, what’s next?
Fig flammekueche made by the Grand Cafe’s Sophiane Benaouda
