Groundhog Day, Part Deux

Today is Groundhog Day -- the day where we find out if spring is around the corner, or, alas, there is six more weeks of winter.

The forecast for the prairie is mostly sunny which means that there is a good possibility that Br'er Groundhog WILL see his shadow which definitely means six more weeks of winter!

This winter has been kind to us living on the prairie -- a week in December of icy temperatures and two weeks in January of the same. But the rest of the winter has been mild with very little snow. We COULD live with six more weeks of that!

We DO have a neighborhood groundhog -- he doesn't LIVE at Linderhof but instead somewhere in the neighborhood. We saw him twice last summer in our garden -- drinking from the fountain. He has a duty today, which I am sure he will perform admirably.

Tongue in cheek, we love having "ground hog" for a meal on February 2. sometimes an old recipe for ham loaf, sometimes sausage links and today I've got this great casserole in the fridge ready to be popped into the oven for breakfast.

While we sit in the breakfast room sampling our "ground hog" and sipping coffee, will we see Br'er Groundhog? And will Br'er Groundhog see his shadow?

GROUND HOG BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

9 large eggs
12 slices bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes
1 1/2 pounds sausage
1 1/2 t. dry mustard
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 cups milk
paprika

Brown sausage; drain on paper towels and let cool.

Beat eggs with milk; add pepper and mustard. Stir in bread cubes; add cheese and browned sausage. Pour mixture into a lightly buttered 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with a little paprika. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: For the two of us, I make a half recipe and bake it in a 8 inch square pan.

My post this morning disappeared, thus Part Deux!!!! I'm not sure what happened but I'm not totally computer savvy!

Br'er Groundhog DID see his shadow so, alas, six more weeks of winter. Too bad he is such an earlier riser -- it's now overcast -- spring COULD have been just around the corner!