Taking A Few Days Off, & My Champagne Brunch Recipe

March 29 is Marc and my 28th anniversary. Oh my gosh, where did the time go? I know that is such a cheesy thing to say..but it is so true. I can’t imagine that we are now grandparents dealing with disability payments and bad backs.

I was a month away from twenty, and he was two months away from twenty one when we got married. It was on a Saturday because we could not get leave time. Our best man did not show up..so one of the other guys got drafted to be best man. I made the cake. The detachment took up a collection to pay for the reception. Ah, good times.

Well, our kids took up a collection, and are sending us to a nice hotel for an overnight. The have plans, because they told us that there would be a knock at the door at 7:30 and we should answer it.

This is the third time in 28 years we have been away together. He is still eye candy to me, I think I am still eye candy to him.. to the point that our kids joke about us “making out” in the kitchen…or den…or…. They roll their eyes but they smile. No matter what else is going on it’s o.k…Mom and Dad are in love.

I am packing a few things in my suitcase I have not had opportunity to wear since my oldest daughter and her family moved in and lack of privacy became the norm. If you are young, just married or getting married, it doesn’t have to get boring…It doesn’t have to get mundane. But it is your choice. You get out of a relationship pretty much what you put into it. We have worked hard over the years at our marriage and it is easy to be in love now…There were times when it was not so easy. That is what commitment is about.

I watch my daughter and her husband, married 7 years, with a third baby on the way..they have to work hard at their marriage..they are still in the building stage. I pray for my son, 23 and not married..he is afraid that he will not find what his dad and I have…but I think he is also afraid of the investment that goes into it. The rest of the kids have a ways to go, and I hope that they will ultimately find the best mate for them. And I hope that they will work hard to make things work.

Our work is behind us. We are in the best years of our marriage. I am not a size six, and Marc’s hair is thinner than it used to be…but they are the best years because we are reaping. We are gathering in all the investments of time, and communications, and forgiveness..and enjoying the easy life…and each other. Geez,the man is hot. And it isn’t my cooking that kept him home all these years…

So, there will be no Saturday Surfing this week, here or on Kettle and Cup. I will be spending time with the most awesome, hottest, sexiest, most fascinating guy on the earth…When I get back Saturday afternoon I will be making my Daring Baker’s challenge item to post on Sunday. Have a fabulous weekend!

Here is a recipe, actually one of the first things i ever made as a new wife. I hope you enjoy it…..

Champagne Breakfast Casserole, circa 1980

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1½ cups organic chicken broth
¾ cup good Champagne
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup sour cream
10 eggs, beaten

Filling
5 cups cubed day-old French bread
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 ounces ham, cubed
1 can artichoke hearts, cut up

Grease a 13×9 baking dish

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the flour and mix well. Stir in broth, Champagne, nutmeg, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream.
Place eggs in a large bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot mixture to them. Beat egg mixture into sauce.

Put bread cubes in the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes and top with cheese, artichokes, and ham. Pour egg mixture over top. Cover casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F. Uncover casserole and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 10 to 12….Or a couple of hungry Marines.