The Texas Kids Annual Visit – Final Days

For their final days at Almost Heaven South, our visitors began with a busy Monday.  The girls all went to a local nail shop for manicures and pedicures courtesy of Meme, then they all went to Gatlinburg for a round of Hillbilly golf and supper at the Cherokee Grill.

They seemed to have a big time in Gatlinburg and came back with big smiles.  They they caught lightning bugs which several had never seen before. 

For their send- off breakfast, I pulled two more casseroles from the freezer and baked them.  The first was another sausage hash brown and the second was based upon the recipe for Ham, Sausage, and Mushroom Frittata that I enlarged into a casserole.

Ham, Asparagus, and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole – Adapted from Flavor Of The Moment

Ingredients for 1½ recipes:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided

1 large leek white and light green parts only, halved and sliced into half moons (1 C .onions)

3 cloves garlic minced

12 ounces cremini mushrooms stemmed and sliced

12 ounces asparagus cut into 1" pieces

1½ cup diced ham

12 large eggs

¾ cup half and half

¾ cup grated jack and cheddar cheese blend or your favorite

¾  teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spray the inside of an 11x11 dish with Pam.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 9 or 10" non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. 

4. Add the leek, garlic, and mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. 

5. Add the asparagus and a pinch of salt, and cook until crisp tender and the mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes more.  

6. Stir in the diced ham and add the mixture to the casserole dish.

7. While the vegetables cook, beat the eggs and milk in a medium bowl until well combined. 

8. Whisk in the cheese, salt, and pepper, and pour the mixture evenly over the vegetable-ham mixture. 

9. Bake covered for 45-50 minutes or until eggs are set.

10. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.  Top with chopped parsley if using, then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Trying to stay on my low carb diet, I only ate a small bite of the hash brown and a serving of the asparagus and while they were both very good, being the meat and tater man that I am, I preferred the first one.

Before they left on Tuesday, we took a couple of group photos.

Everyone said they had a great time and we enjoyed the visit and will look forward to the next one – but it was nice to get back to normal.

Hopefully we will get to see the remaining grandkids before the summer is over.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/7 - 6/8/21 event dates