They're cheesy, cheap and classic. What are talking about? Casseroles, of course! In this brand-new series food writer and blogger Emily Farris, author of "Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven" crafts tasty new casseroles exclusively for Slashfood readers. Green Eggs and Ham is her premier dish -- just in time for Easter.
As a kid, I never understood why Easter dinner was called "dinner" if it happened at noon. Luckily, one of the great things about being an adult is that we can make our own rules and name our own meals. And because I still can't bring myself to call a meal that happens that early "dinner," this year I'm hosting Easter brunch.
Am I making a 10-pound ham and scrambling three-dozen eggs while my guests drink free-flowing mimosas? Nope, this thing is happening potluck style. Like most people I know, I can't afford to host lavish brunches (not to mention dinners!), but wanted my meal to incorporate the different elements of Easter and, well, be a little brunch-y. So green eggs and ham it was, with eggs, ham, spinach, biscuits and my favorite thing in the world: cheese.
After a bit of experimentation, I wound up with a sort-of upside-down quiche with a biscuit crust, and who wouldn't go crazy for that? Although it'd be a wonderful meal for Easter brunch or supper, it's also a great way to use up that leftover Easter ham. Regardless, it's the sort of thing that would make Dr. Seuss -- or the Easter Bunny -- proud.
Green Eggs and Ham Casserole
Serves 8
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup baby portobello (or other) mushrooms, chopped
8 eggs, beaten
1 pound fully cooked, cubed ham (If you don't have leftover ham, pre-cooked, cubed ham is pretty easy to find in the deli section)
2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 package pre-made, refrigerated biscuits (split in half, width-wise)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (don't worry, it won't make the dish spicy, it will just enhance the flavor of the cheddar cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a medium pan over medium heat sauté the mushrooms and onions in the olive oil until the onions become translucent. Remove from flame and set aside. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ham, milk, spinach, one cup of cheddar cheese, mushroom and onion mixture, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Transfer to a greased or buttered 3-quart baking dish and bake uncovered for for 45-50 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, cover with a layer of cheddar cheese (reserving some for the end) and top with biscuits, overlapping them if necessary to fit the size and shape of your dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake uncovered for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and biscuits are golden brown. Enjoy!
4-10-2009 @4:24PM Bob said... >> As a kid, I never understood why Easter dinner was called "dinner" if it happened at noon.
There's an interesting tale behind "lunch", "dinner" and "supper".
In the UK, before the advent of electricity. Everyone called the mid-day meal "dinner" and the evening meal "supper". "Lunch" wasn't really used.
After artificial lights became common in the cities, the twenty-somethings of the era stayed up late and rose late. Did you think the party crowd life-style was a recent invention? Anyway, these late-risers missed the breakfast-time meal and ate late or at the traditional "dinner" / noon time.
Soon the trend was to call their second meal of the day "dinner" which was the same as the normal "supper". Confusion resulted, to this day. For a while the difference was a city / country split but gradually the usage became breakfast / lunch / dinner for everyone, although you can see the remnants from traditional practices -- hence "Easter dinner" can be mid-day or evening, depending on when your grandmother decided.
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4-10-2009 @4:44PM dksbook said... Bob (@ #1): I am 60 years old, and I remember my British Gran calling our meals, "breakfast, lunch and tea", and holiday afternoon meals, usually served about 2 pm, were called "lunch" as well. We always had "supper" after those big lunches, sitting at the kitchen table, picking at the lamb (Easter) or the turkey (T-giving) or the standing rib roast (Christmas)and trimmings, as well as finishing up whatever pudding (dessert) was left of the meal.
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4-10-2009 @5:16PM Julie said... Our dinner was usually around 4:00pm so calling it dinner seemed appropriate in our case. I do have to say that green eggs and ham biscuit recipe looks delicious.
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/
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4-13-2009 @10:49AM Emily Farris said... Brunch is another interesting one. Well, I never thought it was until I moved back to the Midwest and people thought I was crazy for calling a meal that happened at 1 on Sunday brunch. But it's not like I had breakfast before. It is the huge, alcohol-fueled meal I have in place of breakfast and lunch.
On another note, did anyone make this for Easter?
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