English muffin breakfast casserole

Help! I have a new kitchen and I can’t stop baking and cooking!

I have never really been the domestic, live-in-the-kitchen type goddess (nor have I ever been any other type of goddess), so this recent urge to cook and bake is really beginning to baffle – and concern – me.  Not only is this not good for my already disconcerting weight issues, but if I don’t stop this soon my family might begin to (gasp!) expect it.

That said, I had a significant surplus of English muffins hanging out in the bread box lately and, being a lazy Saturday morning, it was time to finally do something about it.

Since one of the half-used bags of muffins were the cinnamon raisin variety, I decided to make a tasty breakfast casserole.  I had no idea how I was going to go about this, but figured that the first step was certainly to toast them.

While they were toasting, I beat together

• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup flavored coffee creamer (Only because I had it around and it sounded good.  You can also use 3 cups of milk.)
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• a dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then I beat this whole mixture together for about 5 minutes…

 

…while I tore up the English muffins and placed them at the bottom of a 13 x 9” Pam-sprayed casserole dish.  (It turns out that I needed an 8 x 8 pan too.  This makes a lot of casserole!) Then I covered the muffins with the egg mixture…

 

…dabbed on some butter and cinnamon…  (But remember that I lined the dishes with Pam instead of butter, so we’re still good -- right?!  Pffffft!)

…and let it all sit for about 10 minutes before popping it all into the 350 degree pre-heated oven. 

Oh look!  There at the back of the stove (because a certain un-named puppy has been known to steal food off the counters… do you want her?) are the last of the oatmeal raisin cookies I made last night when Aleks came home.  I’m telling you, all this cooking and baking is becoming a problem. 

Dang new kitchen! 

(NOOOOOT.)

I’m surprised that the luscious smell coming from the kitchen right now hasn’t roused Tom or Aleks from their Saturday morning slumber – or beckoned Kat home from visiting Portland, Peter home from visiting Leavenworth, or even Elisabeth home from Seattle – because it really does smell heavenly!

Ooooh!  They’re almost done! 

Hmmm… something must be wrong.  Breakfast is finished, coffee is hot, and certain guys are still sleeping!

I better go make sure they’re still breathing.