conference casserole

for conference, my family likes to make
breakfast casserole
fruit dip, along with fresh fruit
and other yummy stuff.

i won't make it to my parents house for that tomorrow,
so we're making our own.
i don't have a camera, so i can't show pictures
but i can provide recipes.
it's DELISH.
try it sometime!

breakfast casserole:
frozen hash browns
eggs
green chile
onion
sausage or ham
chopped green pepper (i don't add these 'cause i don't like 'em)
sliced mushrooms (i don't add these 'cause dave doesn't like 'em)
grated cheddar cheese
tomatoes, sliced
whipping cream
ground mustard
salt
pepper

choose your pan size, and pour frozen hash browns into the bottom--lots of them. then layer diced onions, green chile, green pepper, mushrooms, ham or sausage (i like to use the jimmy dean pre-cooked sausage, and just cut it up into little slices), and then add cheese (as much as you want). in a separate bowl mix eggs and whipping cream: use 1/4 cup of whipping cream for every 2 eggs. add to that mixture salt, pepper, and ground mustard to taste. i use 4 eggs for a square pan, 5 or 6 for a 9x13. pour the egg mixture on top of the casserole and add sliced tomatoes on top. they shrink, so put lots of them close together. i hate tomatoes and these are sooo good after they're cooked. bake at 350* for at least an hour. a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. this is obviously not a precise recipe, but you can fiddle with it and do whatever you want (we added the green chile on a whim and it was a great choice). i also like to make it the night before so i can just pop it into the oven in the morning.

misty's fruit dip:
8 oz. cream cheese (use light or fat free, you can't taste a difference)
8 oz. cool whip
1 jar of marshmallow creme
dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
orange zest (optional)
soften the cream cheese really well (you do not want chunks of cream cheese on fruit, believe me), then mix everything else together. best on strawberries, bananas, pineapple, apples, pears, oranges, grapes....you get the idea. it's delish. one tip: use a mixer to do this. i've tried three separate times to make this by hand and the cream cheese never mixes in and it's nasty. so this morning i finally tried a mixer and it's perfect. wish i had thought of that months ago. i also only do half of the recipe because this makes a lot and unless you're having a huge party, you'll never eat it all.

enjoy conference! i know i will.