Recipes

In Praise of the Christmas Morning Wife Saver

Unlike Love, Actually, it's a cherished tradition.

By Neal McLennan /

Given the topsy turvy, dumpster fire of the last few years, the idea of some calming traditions is…comforting. And for us here at WL, it’s tough to beat the classic Best of Bridge Recipe the Christmas Morning Wife Saver in terms of shear nostalgia. Sure, the “wife” part is outdated, but to be fair the whole recipe is a wonderful anachronism. Sixteen slices of white bread? Green pepper, the Ringo of the capsicum family? Special K or Corn Flakes? (BTW, always Corn Flakes). We also love that it specifies “sharp” cheddar like anyone in the history of this recipe has used anything fancier than a massive block of Cracker Barrel.

But park all that snickering a minute and revel in what this dish is: communal, wholesome, comforting. Heck, it even sorta feels kind. So we plan to keep the tradition going strong this year especially and invite you to hop aboard the nostalgia train.

Christmas Morning Wife Saver Recipe

Courtesy Best of Bridge

Ingredients

16 slices white bread, crusts removed

16 slices Canadian back bacon or ham

16 slices sharp cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2-1 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 cups milk

dash Tabasco

1/2 cup butter

Special K or crushed Corn Flakes

Instructions

Set 8 pieces of bread into a 9″ x 13″ (23 x 33 cm) buttered, glass baking dish.

Cover bread with slices of back bacon. Lay slices of cheddar cheese on top of bacon and then cover with remaining slices of bread to make it like a sandwich.

In a bowl, beat eggs and pepper. To the egg mixture add dry mustard, onion, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, milk and Tabasco. Pour over the sandwiches, cover and let stand in fridge overnight.

In the morning, melt butter, pour over top. Cover with Special K or crushed Corn Flakes.

Bake, uncovered, 1 hour at 350 deg.F (180 deg.C). Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.