Tropic of Mom's breakfast casserole

A funny thing about me is that breakfast foods are my favorite things to eat, but typically I don't eat them. And breakfast for me is usually a warm beverage (coffee, tea, chai, whatever) with whichever kick I am on -- protein, yogurt, steel-cut oatmeal . . . you get the idea. (Today I am not on a kick and had whole-grain toast. I am not very imaginative in the morning.)

Recently, I went to a morning moms group and elected to bring breakfast. (What was I thinking?!) I decided to make a nice breakfast casserole, which, it turns out, offers all of the four food groups. Someone else brought the fifth food group, chocolate.

This breakfast casserole is good for a small crowd, and I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of it.

Tropic of Mom's Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients
6 cups of frozen, uncooked hash-browned potatoes (the loose kind, not the hash browns already in patties -- you can get a big bag of these potatoes at most supermarkets)
8 eggs (I know!) or egg substitute
1/4 cup milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 tsp. garlic or garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Add the potatoes, evenly covering the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Mix in the garlic, cheese and pepper. Pour this egg mixture over the potatoes.

Bake at 325 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until you see the casserole bubbling and starting to turn golden brown. Yum!

Feel free to get wild and crazy by adding diced ham, sausage or bacon, or increasing the amount of cheese.

Serves 8 morning-moms-group-type people, or three lumberjacks.