Christmas-Movie-Aholics

The cold weather in South Louisiana is FINALLY here!!! Right on cue as well the Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel are here to put even the biggest scrooges in the holiday spirit. Yes we are cheesy-Christmas-movie-AHOLICS. There's nothing better than a weekend spent curled up on the couch sipping hot chocolate and watching these quite addicting movies. The holidays also mean baking......and LOTS of it in our house. So Tracy & I cranked out some cookies (yes I will admit to baking store bought cookies on a blog about cooking) & casseroles while we watched all the mistletoe smooching & Santa Clause magic. Tonight we will definitely be tuning in for the premier of the cute new movie Northpole so for a quick & easy dinner I decided to take advantage of having some free time to make use of all the extra breads crowding up the fridge & pantry. These egg dishes would be great for a holiday breakfast or a brunch get together.

Ciabatta Bread Brunch Casserole

2 onion poppy ciabatta sandwich rolls
2 zucchini squash
1 2.25oz can of sliced black olives (drained)
8 eggs
1/4c low fat milk
1 10 oz can of rotel  
1/2 tsp Slap Ya Momma (or other Cajun seasoning)
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4c of shredded mozzarella

Cut the ciabatta rolls into cubes and place into casserole dish. Cut the ends off of the zucchini & chop into small pieces. Add the zucchini & olives to the casserole dish & toss everything together. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the eggs & milk. Stir in rotel & seasonings. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish & mix everything together to make sure that all the bread cubes are coated. Top with mozzarella & bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 mins

 Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Casserole

About half a loaf of Pepperidge Farm cinnamon swirl bread
About half a loaf of Pepperidge Farm pumpkin cobbler bread
10 eggs
1/4c low fat milk
1c vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4c light brown sugar
1/4c pecans

Cut the cinnamon & pumpkin breads into cubes and put into a casserole dish. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the eggs & milk. Whisk in the yogurt & cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish & stir together to coat all of the bread cubes. Sprinkle the brown sugar & pecans on top. Cover with foil & bake at 350 degrees for  30-40 mins