Breakfast and a Boat: French Fry and Bacon Breakfast Casserole

Where I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, summers meant lots of time spent on the lake.  Fishing, boating, tubing.  It was a great place to spend those long, hot, summer days.

This past week has been a strange one here.  The humidity has been intense - unusual for Southern California.  Combined with the thunderstorms, it felt a little like Hawaii.  And with the heat, it felt like those summers I grew up with. 

So over the weekend, we decided to head to the lake.  Or "a lake" to be more precise, because there are several in San Diego County.  But on Saturday I picked up a magazine that spoke of Dixon Lake and the historic stories of old San Diegoans heading to camp there in the summer.  So we went to check it out.

 

The lake itself is picturesque, and in many way reminded me of the lakes I grew up with. With the exception of those mountains!  The lake sits in a basin, surrounded by mountains and trees.  You can't swim in the water, but you can boat.  And so boat we did.

 

We rented a peddle boat for the four of us.  It was Thatbaby's first time on one of these and he had a blast.  He was so quiet, sitting there and taking it all in.  But everytime we asked if he was having a good time he would nod his head very seriously.

Thatboy remarked to TMIL that she probably didn't think she'd be "camping" while they were here.  For him, being on the lake reminded him of his summers camping with his family.  With that in mind, I wanted to indulge him in a "camping" type breakfast.  Camping is in quotes here because I always tease Thatboy that his family, who proclaimed themselves to be avid campers, never actually camped.  They camped in lodges or campers, always with a working stove and oven.  So while my camping experiences involved cooking over an open flame, they ate the same foods they would have at home.  This is that kind of breakfast.  Filling, a great use of last night's leftovers, and there's something about breakfast casseroles that make you think about sleeping in a tent.  Maybe that's just me.  Since we know Thatboy has very little tent experience!

Bacon and Potato Breakfast Casserole

4 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8  eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups french fries

1. Heat the oven to 350. Spray a baking dish with baking spray.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until crisp.
3. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper, garlic, and salt to taste, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Whisk in the milk. 
6. Whisk in some salt and pepper. 
7. Stir in the cheese, french fries, bacon and vegetables.   Pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.