Christmas time is about family, food, and of course, the gifts. For me, Christmas has always been the time to reconnect with family, and to create new memories together. One of those special memories for me revolves around a special Christmas dish called the Wifesaver.
The WifeSaver is a recipe that my family always makes for Christmas morning. When you wake up, it's put into the oven and taken out by the time you’ve opened your presents from Santa.
To me, the WifeSaver has always looked gross because the process for making it was soggy, and that ruined my view of the whole thing. So, the Wifesaver became the one thing that dulled my Christmas morning. Over the years it’s grown on me, and this year It was something to look forward to. On Christmas morning everyone sits together in the living room of my Grandparents’ house and opens presents all day. No one wants to be the person stuck in the kitchen making breakfast., Which is why when someone discovered the Wifesaver, that has to be prepared the night before so the next day it’s oven ready., It quickly became a tradition.
My Uncle Fred introduced the Wifesaver. He got the recipe from his mother, Donnah, because she makes it every year too. In a way, the tradition migrated to us!
The first time it was made, there was lots of talk about how it would taste and if it would really work. I don’t remember that much about it, but I know there were lots of laughs.
My Grandma told me that it was a perfect recipe for Christmas morning, and that she had been looking for something just like it. She also said that it was delicious, and definitely the perfect meal for a big family. Everyone seemed to enjoy it too, but I wasn’t so sure about it. In the oven it smelled of delicious bubbling melted butter, and looked a lot like lasagna but for breakfast, which now that I think about it, it does sound pretty appetizing. Every year after that the Wifesaver has become a family tradition, and now that I’m older it’s actually not so bad.
This year, Christmas was with my dad’s side of the family, but my dad still made it for them to try. My cousins didn’t eat it; they had the same reaction I did when it was first introduced to me. In the end, everyone else loved it though, and maybe the tradition has been carried over to another family.
The WifeSaver is a recipe that my family always makes for Christmas morning. When you wake up, it's put into the oven and taken out by the time you’ve opened your presents from Santa.
To me, the WifeSaver has always looked gross because the process for making it was soggy, and that ruined my view of the whole thing. So, the Wifesaver became the one thing that dulled my Christmas morning. Over the years it’s grown on me, and this year It was something to look forward to. On Christmas morning everyone sits together in the living room of my Grandparents’ house and opens presents all day. No one wants to be the person stuck in the kitchen making breakfast., Which is why when someone discovered the Wifesaver, that has to be prepared the night before so the next day it’s oven ready., It quickly became a tradition.
My Uncle Fred introduced the Wifesaver. He got the recipe from his mother, Donnah, because she makes it every year too. In a way, the tradition migrated to us!
The first time it was made, there was lots of talk about how it would taste and if it would really work. I don’t remember that much about it, but I know there were lots of laughs.
My Grandma told me that it was a perfect recipe for Christmas morning, and that she had been looking for something just like it. She also said that it was delicious, and definitely the perfect meal for a big family. Everyone seemed to enjoy it too, but I wasn’t so sure about it. In the oven it smelled of delicious bubbling melted butter, and looked a lot like lasagna but for breakfast, which now that I think about it, it does sound pretty appetizing. Every year after that the Wifesaver has become a family tradition, and now that I’m older it’s actually not so bad.
This year, Christmas was with my dad’s side of the family, but my dad still made it for them to try. My cousins didn’t eat it; they had the same reaction I did when it was first introduced to me. In the end, everyone else loved it though, and maybe the tradition has been carried over to another family.
Instructions
Ingredients
Wifesaver:
- Prepare a 9×13 glass baking dish by greasing the inside lightly with butter.
- Lay out 8 slices of bread.
- Layer the ham over the bread, making sure to cover it.
- Sprinkle on all of the shredded cheese.
- Lay the remaining 8 slices of bread over the cheese.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth.
- Add the pepper, dry mustard, minced onion, chopped peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Mix well.
- Pour the egg mixture over the layered bread/ham/cheese.
- Cover with tin foil and let rest overnight in the fridge.
- In the morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the 1/2 cup of butter then pour it over the wife saver.
- Top with crushed corn flakes.
- Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour (until the top is not jiggly).
- You might want to place a baking sheet on a rack under the wife saver as sometimes it can bubble over.
- Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Wifesaver:
- 16 slices white bread with the crusts removed
- 16 slices Canadian back bacon or deli sliced ham
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese sharp is most flavourful
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green or red pepper
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- dash Tabasco
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- crushed corn flakes cereal