“Quick Breakfast Casserole” is my suggestion for a lazy Father’s Day breakfast. It can be partially made ahead of time and then baked that morning. The one-dish meal is a filling breakfast which lasts into the rest of the day. Marie brought the casserole to our “ladies weekend getaway” in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, last month and I loved it. With sausage, eggs, cheese, Bisquick and seasonings, the casserole is a simple one-dish meal good for any gathering of family or friends.

Quick Breakfast Casserole

I love this sort of casserole — it is not low in fat, but on special occasions, it works. (I’ll post a vegetarian version in July.) The casserole is an easy and satisfying meal for guests or on holidays such as Father’s Day. The casserole is based on Bisquick and few other ingredients. Can we remember Bisquick? Yes, it is still around and very useful. Just brown the sausage (this can be done the day before), then mix everything together in one bowl, transfer to a casserole dish and bake. Saves time cooking a complicated breakfast and washing alot of dishes on Father’s Day — just get on with the activities. And fresh fruit to accompany the casserole can also be prepared ahead of time.

Cajun “Touch”

Here are the ingredients (except milk) for the casserole.

You can increase the “hot” in the casserole by using hot bulk sausage or mixing regular and hot sausage (which is what I did). Also, Marie added a bit of creole seasoning which gives it a spicy touch. Adjust these seasonings according to your family’s preference. Here in Louisiana, this kind of dish is often a little “spicy.”

Outing to the Beach

I have to share a few of my photos which led to my discovering Marie’s casserole. For a fun adventure, five friends involved in music and myself went to “the beach” along the Mississippi coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The weekend getaway was in April and we had been eager to go for several months. It turned out that the lovely rental house was really on a bay at the end of a long and secluded road. The bay was on one side of the very narrow road and swamp on the other side. No beach swimming, no large waves, no ocean view.

However, the weekend had many activities — the time wasn’t wasted. There was plenty of shopping in Ocean Springs as well as visiting several art and pottery galleries, relaxing on the porch of the guest house, walking along the beach, playing dulcimer music and eating Marie’s breakfast casserole. No one turned on a T.V. all weekend (although the house did have WiFi). How wonderful!

And so I entertained myself by taking photographs. Others in the group read books or practiced music. But I love digital photography — snap as many photos as the memory card allows — and was in “photography paradise.” The second day, the wind picked up making small waves with a shimmering appearance in the sun.

We were entertained by flocks of brown pelicans who patrolled up and down the bay overhead. 

We watched these birds for hours. If only life was always so simple!And the WiFi connection turned out to be useful to learn about the habits of brown pelicans. Someone in the group had to know! So brown pelicans mate in flight. Really? I think this member had over her limit on margaritas. Once on the endangered species list because of DDT, these birds have made a resurgence. My trusty digital Canon camera (used for all my food photography) also worked well to capture these photos.

Occasionally, the pelicans would dive down into the water to catch a fish. Pretty amazing to watch what evolution has accomplished.

The last morning of our visit, no pelicans. The water was calm.

In the far distance, we watched as a solitary shrimp boat silently trolled it’s nets up and down the bay. And I ate a final helping of Marie’s casserole.

What a great, and somewhat unexpected, weekend it turned out to be. I enjoyed the time with friends.

Father’s Day will be simple for us. I have breakfast ready! Hope you have some good adventures this weekend with your family.