Beauty Brunch PDX + Savory Breakfast Croissant Casserole

Monday, April 14, 2014

This past weekend Jane and Rachel hosted the most adorable and fun beauty brunch for bloggers and nail polish junkies.  It was an absolute blast and the perfect way to start off a sunny Saturday.  The ladies set up a mimosa bar and picked up pastries from little t baker and Pearl Bakery.  I even brought a simple casserole to share with the ladies (Recipe Below).  They turned to Something Borrowed for beautiful service ware and and vintage accessories.  So vintage I even spotted my grandmother's china!!  After eating snacks and making mimosas we headed over to the manicure station.

It was so nice catching up with the ladies and making new friends!  Bee and I were able to brainstorm the perfect neighborly welcome; in a city like Portland where dietary restrictions are vast and diverse it can be tricky.  While we would both love a pie, Mrs. Meyers goodies or a plant seem like the safest options!  I was able to talk fashion and reminisce about Delias with Kelsey.  Chloe is beyond sweet and just started a travel blog!  Miss Erin is the queen of bakeries and just so happens to live very, very close to me.  I have every intention of tricking her into cake-based happy hours.

Thank you, again, ladies for all of your hard work!!!  I had a great time!

See that casserole?? It was my contribution to the party.  A savory breakfast croissant casserole that requires a handful of ingredients and can be prepared the night before!  It is a very filling dish and would be perfect for Easter brunch, Mother's Day, or a baby shower.

Start off with old croissants that have begun to dry out.  If you don't have old croissants pop them in a low temperature oven (300) and bake for 20-30 minutes.  These are on the smaller side.  Larger croissants can easily be substituted. 

Look at all of that buttery, flaky goodness.

Cube the croissants into bite size pieces.  Let them sit out for 20-30 minutes.

Chop one bunch of green onions.  Approximately 6 heads.

Cook up one pound of quality ground breakfast sausage.  I selected a maple pork sausage from the Whole Foods counter.  This is a key component in the dish and it is important to use something with a lot of flavor.  Using "plain" ground meat will result in a bland dish.  

In a large bowl mix the croissants, green onions and one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  I went with the low fat cheese because this is clearly a figure friendly dish.

Add in the hot, cooked breakfast sausage.  Let the flavors marry together while the meat cools down.  

Add the mixture to a large baking dish.

Whisk together 6 eggs and 1 cup of non-fat milk.  

Pour the egg mixture over the croissant base and let sit over night.

Add remaining cheese.  Bake in the oven at 375 for 30-40 Minutes.

Savory Breakfast Croissant Casserole

8 Small Croissants{3-5 Days old}
1 Bunch Green Onions
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Pound Ground Maple Breakfast Sausage
6 Eggs
1 Cup Skim Milk

1.  Cube croissants and sit out.  Chop green onions.
2. In a large bowl, mix together croissant cubes, green onions and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
3.  Cook breakfast sausage and add to croissant mixture.  Let cool.
4. Spread mixture out in a large baking dish.
5.  Whisk together eggs and milk.  Pour over croissant mixture and refrigerate over night.
6.  Remove dish from the fridge and preheat oven to 375.  Sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella cheese over the casserole.
7.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Until the dish is golden brown and egg mixture has puffed up.
8.  Let the dish sit for 20-30 minutes and cut.