Yes. I call my brother Poopy. In our family, all my siblings and I have nicknames for each other. Josh’s is “Poopy”. He received this endearment because for part of our childhood he was a “Poophead”. I know. HUGE childhood insult. But I do still have the scar from the time he shot me with an arrow to prove it. Luckily Josh and I have grown up, had some great years of high school together to bond, and are now good friends and close siblings.

Actually, it’s my brother Poopy who should be credited as being the first to encourage me along my journey of culinary passion. While Mom would be taking her afternoon naps when we were still quite small, Josh and I would sneak downstairs and explore the contents of her fridge and cupboards. This was how we ended up creating one of our favorite childhood games, which we called “Feed Joshua”.

How the game worked was Josh would lie down on the linoleum floor with a dish rag over his eyes for a blindfold and I would feed him whatever I found in the kitchen. Sometimes I’d give him nice treats, like Cheerios of cherry Jell-O. Other times it was some gross grown-up food such as leftover steamed broccoli or coffee forgotten in the pot. No matter what, Poopy had to eat it all, and there was no peeking allowed. As the game developed so did my creativity. Combinations began to happen. The Cheerios were dipped in the coffee and the Jell-O was mashed up with the broccoli as well as some pickle juice. In a sense, I’d begun my first experimentation with cooking. However at that point my goal was not to blend foods and flavors into a pleasant experience, but to stir up as much disgusting in one cup and see how my little brother would react. Oddly enough, Poopy actually enjoyed the game as much as I did.

I think Josh sometimes feels like we are still playing this game whenever I come home and cook some weird vegetarian dinner for the family – such as the saag paneer I made for Easter one year. He’s still a good sport about eating it and I can still laugh at him making funny faces, as well as the quick wit he’s now gained as an adult. But today for his birthday I want to post a recipe for a mix I know he loves, which we also happened to make together for other brother Zac’s birthday this past summer. And I also want to add that Josh himself has actually grown-up to be an excellent cook as well!

This is the ultimate comfort combo you can fit in one casserole dish. Biscuits, gravy, tempeh – at home for my non-veg brothers I use bacon – eggs, and cheese are all layered and baked together. I know this is more heart-attack than heart healthy, but it is a perfect brunch for either cold, winter weekend indulgences or for late turn-tos when you know your shipmates had too much of a good time at the crew party the night before. And of course, it’s the best for brothers’ birthdays too! Also, don’t be daunted by the length of ingredients and instructions, it actually is really simple to prepare.

Happy Birthday Poopy! Thanks for being a fun brother and great guinea pig all these years! Lots of love from your Sissy!

Greasy Spoon Breakfast Casserole

6 buttermilk biscuits*

1 15 oz can of lentils, drained

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried sage

2 tbsp Montreal chicken seasoning – or any other favorite savory blend

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 10 oz package of tempeh

1 tbsp, plus 1 tsp Braggs liquid amino acids

1/8 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

1/4 tsp maple syrup (optional)

1 tsp olive or canola oil

6 eggs

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

* At some point I will post recipes for my homemade buttermilk biscuits. But for now either use your own or premade ones.

• Bake the biscuits either according to your own recipe or the packaging they came in. This casserole is baked at 350°F, so keep the oven on after the biscuits are done and if needed, adjust the temperature.
• While the biscuits bake, slice the tempeh into thin strips width-wise. Place in a frying pan with a little water over medium heat and cook with the lid on to steam the tempeh for about five minutes.
• While the tempeh steams, begin the gravy by combing the lentils and spices in a food processor and pulsing for a second a few times until the lentils are coarse and crumbly looking.
• At this point the tempeh should be done steaming. Remove from heat, drain water, and set aside.
• In a saucepan over low heat melt the butter, then mix in the flour. Cook until the flour and butter are bubbly and well blended. Increase the heat to medium, add lentil and spice mixture, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the lentils begin to brown and be a little crusty.
• Add 1 cup of milk to the saucepan, whisking until all the ingredients are smooth. Repeat with another cup, whisking again until smooth, and then the last cup the same way. Allow the gravy to cook for a few more minutes so it can thicken, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add more flour if you would like it thicker. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a small bowl mix together 1 tbsp of the Braggs with the liquid smoke and maple syrup. Toss in the tempeh and coat evenly with the mixture.
• In the same frying pan – so you’re not dirtying more dishes than you need to! – heat the oil. Add the tempeh and sauce. Fry the tempeh until brown and crispy on one side – about 5 minutes. Pour the rest of the Braggs over the tempeh slices and then flip to cook the other side until crispy as well. Remove from heat.
• Place biscuits in the bottom of a casserole dish and pour the gravy over them. Atop the biscuits and gravy arrange the tempeh slices. Next crack an egg over the tempeh, spacing the eggs as evenly as possible. Finally sprinkle the cheese over the eggs. Place the finished casserole in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the egg whites are firm and the cheese is melty and bubbly. Serve hot and happy!