Contribution by Erin O’Toole-Delawari

EO: We have always made this brunch casserole on holiday mornings, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and others. It reminds me the most of Christmas morning. In our home on Devonwood we all would make this casserole together on Christmas Eve so that we could pop it in the oven on Christmas morning to bake. On Christmas morning as we sat in our living room and opened gifts, the casserole would bake, filling our home with scents of good things to come. Once it was finished baking, we would curl up on the sofa together and watch the movie Christmas Vacation while enjoying our brunch casserole. This recipe creates a vivid picture in my mind of my now lost home filled with such love, happiness and warmth.

[…] food, home, and family are all interwoven. It is all our family culture. We enjoyed years of good meals at our home … it sustained us and brought us so many core memories. It is important for me to contribute to this project to reflect on all of the good memories I have of my home. Despite the immeasurable loss, it makes me feel whole again to think of my home and all the good meals and memories we shared there.

Erin O’Toole-Delawari has been a resident of Altadena for 18 years. She is 44 years old and has four children. She has been a teacher for 20 years and in her spare time has always loved running the trails in the Altadena mountains and cooking for her family. She lost her home in the Eaton Fire.

ERIN’S BRUNCH CASSEROLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 12 slices white bread (crusts removed, cut into 1in cubes)
• 3/4 lb shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 1/2 lbs browned breakfast sausage (cooked & crumbled)
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 Tbs mustard
• 1 can golden mushroom soup
• 2 3/4 cup milk
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• The night before: set oven to 350 & spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

• place cubes of bread in pan & brown in the oven.

• Once browned, remove from oven & add the cheese, browned breakfast sausage, & green chilies in order in layers in the pan.

• Beat the eggs, 2 1/2 cups milk, salt & pepper, & mustard in a bowl. Pour over casserole.

• Cover & refrigerate overnight.

• In the morning: preheat oven to 350, mix remaining milk with mushroom soup, & pour over casserole.

• bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• Cool, serve, & enjoy.

Note: This contribution was sent to Altadena Cooks through google form, and responses have been edited lightly for clarity. See an issue? Please email me at altadenacooks@gmail.com