The weather has been rather crummy the last few days, leaving me uninspired! I was happy to get out of the apartment to spend the day with my good friend Heather as we worked away on our project reports, but I returned home with soaking boots and a general feeling of dampness. I love Vancouver, but being unemployed AND stuck in an apartment while it rains definitely isn’t my favourite. I do have to say, I’d be a lot less happy in a snow-blanketed city, so there is that!

Hospice Yukon approached my mom about writing a piece for their newsletter about how our family celebrated dad’s life without having a typical service. Mom wasn’t comfortable writing it but asked if me and Kel would be able to. So we are going to start working on that tomorrow and I am going to check with them about the right to post it here as well. I know that there is a growing trend towards non-religious celebrations for both good and tragic things, so I am excited to share our experience and what the gathering of friends meant for us and our father’s memory. So, hopefully more on that later!

This casserole is awesome comfort food! With all the crap rain in Vancouver, it is nice for me to be able to whip something up the night before and just have to slide it into the oven the next morning. The flavours are adaptable to your tastes and this dish keeps really well in the fridge for a few days. It is also incredibly filling, I thought it would serve just 4 but it ended up being 6 very satisfying servings, and could be even more if served with something else (steamed veggies for dinner, or a salad).

I made the terrible mistake of buying apple-y sausages to make this the first time. I thought they were typical breakfast sausages, but they were apple, turkey, something something (I was in a bit of a haze it seems). Anyway, the flavour of the sausages was OK, but this dish is much better with the typical breakfast sausage flavours (with pork, turkey, or TVP).

Sausage & Egg Casserole

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, cooking the sausage bites until browned. Drain, and set aside.
2. Melt the tablespoon of butter in pan, add the mushrooms, garlic, and jalapeños. Cook just until the mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in with the sausages. Allow this mixture to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese.
4. Stir the sausage mixture into the egg and cheese mixture.  Cover with plastic, and refrigerate in the bowl overnight.
5. Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a casserole dish. I baked this in a smaller, deeper dish that gave me thick slices, but it can be made in a 9- x 13-inch dish for thinner slices. If you opt for the large dish, the baking time will be less.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the coconut flour and butter. Quickly whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture, removing any lumps.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure that the sausages are distributed evenly. If you want, you can top the casserole with another 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until lightly brown and no longer liquid in the centre.
9. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

A bowl of goodness.

Ready for baking!