Great Holiday Make-Ahead Breakfast Favorites

© Leslie Sausage

Tired of cold cereal or cheese toast for your holiday breakfast?
Do you starve yourself on holiday mornings waiting on the "big" meal?

Try one of these favorite make-ahead casseroles for your next holiday breakfast!

The first two are sweet, the apple cobbler is made in the crockpot and uses granola, and the last one makes a very hearty "meat and potato" casserole.

• French Toast Bundt Pan Breakfast
• French Toast Casserole
• Crockpot Breakfast Apple Cobbler
• Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

Make-Ahead: French Toast Bundt Pan Breakfast

This is a cross between coffee cake and cinnamon rolls!

12 (very cold) unbaked dinner rolls
2 eggs
1/3 C liquid hazelnut coffee creamer
1/4 C pancake syrup or honey
3 T butter, melted
2 T sugar
1/2 T ground cinnamon
1/2 T vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Buy frozen rolls or make the rolls yourself, but this works best if the dough is still very chilled from the refrigerator before the dough starts rising.

Cut rolls in fourths. Combine the other ingredients in a bowl. Dip rolls in mixture and place in Bundt pan, which has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Pour remaining mixture over rolls.

For make-ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at this time.

When ready to prepare, loosen cover and let rise at room temperature until rolls rise to the top of the pan.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Drizzle with syrup and powdered sugar. Slice and serve with additional syrup.

Easy: French Toast Casserole

Everything could be mixed the night before and then poured over the French bread in the morning before baking.

1 loaf French bread
6 eggs
3 C milk
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Spray a 9x13-pan with non-stick spray. Tear up the bread and place it in the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients together. Pour them over the bread Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.

Make-Ahead: Crockpot Breakfast Apple Cobbler

4 medium-sized apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 C honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T butter, melted
2 C granola cereal

Place apples in slow cooker and mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours (overnight) or on high 2-3 hours. Serve with milk.

Make Ahead: Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

3 C frozen shredded hash browns, 24 oz. bag
3/4 C Monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 C mild salsa
1 C Ham, or Canadian-style bacon, diced
1/2 C green onions, sliced
4 eggs, beaten
12 oz evaporated milk, canned
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Make Ahead (day before)
Grease a 2-quart square-baking dish. Spread the potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheeses, ham, salsa and green onions. Combine the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt and pour over the potato mixture in dish. Cover and refrigerate. To serve, bake, uncovered at 350°F for 40 to 45 or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Optional, add extra shredded cheese to the top during the last 15 minutes of baking. Serves 6

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Leslie Sausage lives with her husband in rural Texas. She is the mom of four grown children, a freelance writer, and has a degree in business administration. You are invited to visit her online for more creative, practical and fun ideas -- http://heart4home.net.