Breakfast Casserole

Thanks to my good friend Rachel Allen who gave me this easy overnight breakfast bake recipe the night before I needed to take a "main dish" for a brunch at MOPS. If you know anything about me, I don't eat breakfast. If I do, my idea of breakfast is a really chocolatey granola bar. So, here's to Rachel, who helped me look like I had it all together in the morning.

Ingredients:

8 slices bread, cubed
3/4 lb breakfast sausage, browned (I used 1/2lb plus about a half a cub of fried ham)
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 t mustard powder
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c milk

Layer the bread, then sausage, then cheese in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix the milk, eggs, and mustard powder, then pour evenly over the bread, sausage, and cheese. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or more (overnight). Mix cream of mushroom soup and 1/2cup milk to have ready for the morning. In the morning, preheat oven to 300*. Spread cream of mushroom/milk mixture evenly over casserole. Bake for 90 minutes or until the egdges are turning brown.

*If you like mushrooms a can of mushrooms would be a a great addition to this recipe. I think green pepper would also do well.

Iced Latte Excellante (that's a step above excellent!)*

Ingredients:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 c instant coffee
2 c cold water
4 c chocolate milk
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

Add instant coffee to boiling water. Pour into pitcher and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Serve over ice. This recipe can be done using hershey's syrup and milk--but I am not sure how that affects the points values.
Makes 2 qts
8 servings
Each serving = 6 points
(If you use lowfat chocolate milk, and fat free sweetened condensed milk, it reduces the points value to 4 per serving!!!)

Cream Cheese and Chocolate Coffee Cake**

My mom and I made a version of this coffee cake for breakfast the other morning. Let me just say it helped me fall of my weight watchers diet "wagon" for the day. (I prefer to think I stepped off...Luke says I like to be in control...) So, before reading further please note that this recipe will hurl you in the opposite direction than diet...but it was so worth it. The problem is, she sneakily sent it home with me...(thanks for the HELP mom.) I don't have a picture yet (I don't dare make it again) but will try soon. I am planning to re-vamp the recipe and see if I can keep the taste and add some health. For now, enjoy it in it's most sinful state.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and 1-1/4 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9-in. springform pan. (I actually used a 6X8 2.2 qt pyrex pan) Combine the pecans, cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool completely before cutting.
Makes: 12 servings.
The fact you don't want to know until I revamp the recipe: 11 points per serving. (hoping to take it down to 7 and preserve the taste!)