Andrew is in his final year of college at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, where he is working on dual engineering degrees. This is his last homecoming weekend as an undergrad. RIT’s nickname of Brick City came about because of the nearly universal use of bricks in the campus’s construction, an estimated 15,000,000 of them.
There’s usually a crew of us in the family who attend Brick City Weekend for the festivities. Pumpkin Chuckin’ is a big draw with the masses. Teams of students use human-powered mechanical equipment they’ve designed and built to launch 3-to-5 pound pumpkins. It’s pretty fun to watch and goes on for a few hours. There’s always a prominent & inspirational guest speaker on Saturday afternoon. We’ve seen Michael J. Fox, Mark Kelly & Gabrielle Giffords and Alec Baldwin. The main event (for us) for the weekend is the hockey game. RIT doesn’t have a football team, but they do have a Division I hockey team. We’ve been a hockey family since Andrew started playing hockey as a 5-year-old, so we’re more than okay with this.
Our gang at Brick City Weekend, 2012
The best part of the weekend is the time spent together. Our group ranges anywhere from 4-15 people. In the past, the weekend would involve breakfasts at a local restaurant, but this year we’re doing it a little different. Our niece, Amanda, makes a breakfast casserole that gets put together quickly & can feed a crowd. That’s exactly what is called for this weekend. Get ready for a crowd, Andrew!
Amanda’s Breakfast Casserole Serves 12-16
12 eggs- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 – 1 pound bacon
- 1/2 – 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 28 ounce bag of Tater Tots
Spread the Tater Tots in a 9 x 13 baking dish and bake them in a 350º oven for 10 minutes, just to make them crispy. When the Tater Tots are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside until the rest of the ingredients are ready.
Precooking the Tater Tots for a short amount of time crisps them up before the rest of the ingredients are added.
Cook the bacon & sausage (or use pre-cooked bacon & sausage) and cut them into bite sized pieces. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper.
The added milk lightens up the scrambled eggs.
Pour the eggs over the Tater Tots.
Amanda made this for us during Wedding Weekend.
Layer on the meats and cheese.
I go easy on the meats & cheese. Amanda uses more meat and 1 pound of Velveeta cheese cut into small squares when she makes hers.
Bake the casserole in a 350º oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
There’s always a hungry crowd around just waiting for this to come out of the oven!
To reheat the casserole, place it in a 300º oven for 20-30 minutes, until warmed through.
Breakfast is served!
A no-fuss crowd pleaser! ~Linda
Amanda’s Breakfast Casserole Serves 12-16
- 12 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 – 1 pound bacon
- 1/2 – 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 28 ounce bag of Tater Tots
Spread the Tater Tots in a 9 x 13 baking dish and bake them in a 350º oven for 10 minutes, just to make them crispy. When the Tater Tots are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside until the rest of the ingredients are ready.
Cook the bacon & sausage and cut them into bite sized pieces.
Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the Tater Tots then layer on the meats and cheese. Bake the casserole in a 350º oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. To reheat the casserole, place it in a 300º oven for 20-30 minutes, until warmed through.