Little Man began piano lesson last week. We have been considering starting him in lessons, as he LOVES music, claims he wants to be a worship leader when he grows up, and he desperately wants to learn to play the guitar. I believe the first instrument any child should learn should be the piano, so that is where we are starting.

We have borrowed a keyboard from my parents, and a friend of mine is giving him lessons. She is also our lovely CC director, and has a son the my son adores. It’s a win-win. She doesn’t charge a ridiculous fee, either, but when we started texting to confirm dates and times for lessons, I took a deep breathe and sent this:

“So it’s $x, right? Or I could feed your family every lesson night :)!”

Y’all – she totally took me up on it! Barter system for the win! That particular day of the week is very busy for her, I love to cook, so for now, we are trading piano lessons for dinner.

This is what I made for week #1:

Amy’s Breakfast Casserole (so named because the recipe comes from my friend Amy):

• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 roll of sausage, browned, crumbled & drained (I prefer Jimmy Dean mild)
• 4 slices of bread (or 2 hamburger or hot dog buns)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer extra sharp cheddar)
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• dash of salt
• pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Fry sausage & drain
• Meanwhile, beat eggs and milk together in mixing bowl. Add spices.
• Tear bread into tiny pieces and mix into egg & milk (I don’t like my casseroles to be particularly “bread-y” – this is why I like this recipe & why I tear my bread pretty tiny)
• Mix in almost all of the cheese, holding back a handful to sprinkle on top.
• When the sausage is done, mix in the drained sausage.
• Pour into an ungreased casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
• Bake 30-45 minutes until done.

This recipe does not freeze well, but you can make it up, refrigerate it overnight, and then bake it in the morning. It also tastes better reheated the next day, in our family opinion. I usually serve it with muffins and fruit, which is what I did for piano lesson payment #1. Here is my muffin recipe:

Frozen Blueberry Muffins (possibly from Taste of Home? I can’t remember; I’ve made these for years)

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups frozen unsweetened blueberries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prep muffin tins (line with
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just moistened.
• Fold in frozen blueberries.
• Fill muffins tins.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Freezes well & yields about 30 muffins.

We love breakfast for dinner, since Keith works nights. These are two of our favorites. Enjoy!