海角大神

My poor husband. He woke up last Sunday morning thinking that it was Father鈥檚 Day. He woke up thinking there would be breakfast in bed. And gifts. And probably聽lamb burgers聽for dinner. Alas, he had pegged the wrong Sunday. Not only was today听苍辞迟听Father鈥檚 Day, and not only would he not be leisurely reading the newspaper while dining on breakfast in bed, but it was聽my聽morning to sleep in, since he鈥檇 had his turn the day before. It was聽his聽turn to prepare breakfast for the three boys while I grabbed a few precious extra minutes of peaceful slumber.聽Sorry, hubs.聽This Sunday you鈥檒l get your breakfast in bed. And gifts. And maybe even lamb burgers.

Breakfast in bed on Mother鈥檚 Day and Father鈥檚 Day has become our annual tradition. There鈥檚 just something so luxuriously relaxing about it. And since it doesn鈥檛 happen often, the kids get really excited about the occasion. If the kids ever sleep past six in the morning, perhaps we鈥檒l start treating them to a special breakfast in bed on their birthdays.

Recently, I made this bacon, egg, and cheese bagel casserole. It was inspired by a bag of bagels which my parents had brought up from Long Island. They鈥檇 been left unwrapped for a few days and had gone slightly stale, but as anyone who鈥檚 ever had a good Long Island or NYC bagel knows, it鈥檚 a crime to let them go to waste. So, I thought I鈥檇 try throwing them into a breakfast casserole with a hefty dose of bacon, eggs, and cheese. The resulting casserole was a satisfying success; every bite with the flavor of a good Long Island/NYC bagel sandwich.

I鈥檓 betting that a lot of dads out there would enjoy this special casserole for their Father鈥檚 Day breakfast!

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel Casserole

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon butter, softened
5-6 large bagels (any variety), chopped into 1-inch听肠丑耻苍办蝉*
1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
12 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

*Slightly stale bagels work perfectly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a paper towel to rub the bottom and sides of a large (13脳9-inch) baking dish with the softened butter. Arrange 5-6 chopped bagels in the baking dish. They should mostly fill the baking dish. Scatter the bacon and cheese over the bagels.聽

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the bagels, bacon, and cheese. Press down on the mixture, so that the bagels are mostly submersed in the egg mixture. Allow the mixture to rest for about 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator so that the bagels absorb some of the egg mixture.

Bake for about 45 minutes.

Related post on The Gourmand Mom: Breakfast and Brunch Recipe Round-Up