Craig Daily Press

Diane Prather

Diane Prather's columns appear in the Craig Daily Press each Wednesday and Friday. You can contact her at 824-8809 or e-mail .

Craig — The recipes in this week’s column came from Sunnie Smith and Mary Kihlstrom, readers who have contributed recipes to the column before.

Sunnie sent me a recipe for “Overnight Ham and Egg Casserole.” It reminded her of a breakfast casserole that I featured in the column awhile back. Sunnie’s family enjoys the casserole on Christmas morning.

“But I have also used it when I have company,” Sunnie said. “While we’re catching up over a nice cup of coffee, breakfast is cooking. And by then all the sleepy heads are up and awake and ready to eat.”

Sunnie added that paper plates make cleanup easy. I think it’s a great way to use up leftover ham, too.

The ingredients for the breakfast casserole are: 1 small loaf white bread, 1/4 cup softened butter, 8 eggs, 4 cups milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 cup chopped cooked ham ( I used a little more), 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies.

Trim crust from each slice of bread, butter, and cut into fourths. Layer in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard in a large mixing bowl. Beat well.

Stir in the mushrooms, ham and chilies. Pour over the bread and sprinkle with the cheese. Wrap the casserole dish with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until the eggs are almost set. Uncover and bake five minutes longer.

I haven’t bought the zucchini to try Mary Kihlstom’s “Zucchini Soup,” but I’ve tried Mary’s recipes before, and they’re always great.

To make the soup you’ll need: 4 medium zucchini (quartered and sliced), 2 (15-ounce) cans chicken broth, 1 bunch green onions (chopped), 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, green dill weed (Mary says maybe 1/4 cup) or about 2 tablespoons dry dill weed, 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, and 1 cup sour cream with chives (or plain sour cream).

Put the zucchini, chicken broth, green onions, salt, pepper and dill weed in a pot. Cook until the ingredients are soft, about 20 to 25 minutes..

Meanwhile, blend the cream cheese and sour cream in the blender until smooth. Then blend into zucchini mixture a portion at a time, about a cup at a time.

Chill overnight (or serve when the soup is cooled) or serve hot. Garnish with chives and paprika.

Thanks to Sunnie and Mary for the recipes.

Do you have a favorite zucchini recipe? Send it to me at Box 415, Craig 81626 or call me at 824-8809.