From Our Recipe Box to Yours...Breakfast and Chocolate

Since we've had two snow days this week, I've been home, stuck inside because it's so cold and windy. And I've been dreaming about summer! I can't wait to walk barefoot outside in my yard, wear shorts, and eat ice cream cones. Another of my favorite summer pasttimes that I can't wait to do is cooking in my Dutch Ovens. We take them camping and cook most meals with them, plus my husband and son made me a special Dutch Oven table that I can use at home, too. It's fun to try new things and "bake" without an oven. I especially love the little smoky flavor you get when cooking in a Dutch oven. Plus, it's usually put all of your ingredients in and then bake: one dish meals are the best!

Today, I'll share a simple favorite that we make camping almost every time. (Of course, I still cook in Dutch ovens in the winter, I just put them in the oven and voila! It's just not quite the same as if you are camping, but still yummy!)

Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole

Size 10 Dutch Oven
9 slices bread, cubed
6 T. butter, melted
1 lb. shredded Cheddar cheese
12 eggs
3/4 C. milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. cooked sausage, bacon or ham
1 small can green chilis, optional

Start about 25 coals, 10 for the bottom and about 12-15 for the top. Grease your Dutch oven very well including the lid. Can use tinfoil  or parchment liners to line it, if you want very easy clean up. (Which I always do; I hate dishes!) Add bread cubes in bottom. Drizzle butter over bread, then sprinkle cheese over th top. Whisk together eggs, milk, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper (sometimes I use something like Emeril's seasoning depending on my mood). Pour eggs over bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage over the top. Add green chilies, if desired. Ciover and bake for 30-45 minutes or until eggs are set (sometimes it's almost an hour to cook.) You don't want to check it too often, as it loses a lot of heat when you open the lid. Serve with salsa if you are feeling spicy. Yummy and fun to share.

And now for some chocolate. The Friends Chocolate Buffet will be Friday, February 25, from 7-8:30 p.m. here in the library. Admission is $5 for all the chocolate you can eat! There will be a chocolate fountain, cakes, pies, candies, chocolate as far as the eye can see. If you are a Friends memeber, you get in FREE. If you become a Friends member, you get in FREE. Friends Registrations available at the library any day and that night, also. PLUS, our own Jon Wolfe will be playing his guitar to add to the romance of the atmosphere. Come, have a listen and have some chocolate!