How Was Your Christmas?

Hello to all!

I had a wonderful Christmas.  It was relaxing, fun and filled with family.  We began with the daughter coming for breakfast.  I make this breakfast casserole from Paula Deen.  I know we all have a breakfast casserole recipe and swear by them (I'd love to try others if recipes come my way), but this one is easy and delicious.

Breakfast Casserole:

Assemble the night before in a 13x9" baking dish:
     4 cups bread cubed ( use enough to cover the bottom of the dish)
     1 pound ground sausage ( I use Jimmy Dean) cooked, crumbled and drained
     3 cups of grated cheddar cheese
  
Pour this mixture over the top of the cheese:
     2 cups milk
     4 eggs
     1 teaspoon dry mustard
     a few drops to 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Cover and put in refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.  Bake in oven at 350* for 55 minutes to 1 hour.  Serve .

Even though there is bread in the dish, I usually serve this with muffins or link sausage on the side.  It is really yummy.  I use whatever bread I have on hand.  This time I used a cranberry bread that gave it a bit of sweet that wasn't too bad.  Plain sourdough is the best.

The first thing my husband said when he got up is that I had to open his gift.  He was so insistent that I wondered if it was something to do with breakfast.  It was the Keurig system--the coffee brewer that does one cup of coffee at a time.  It will be wonderful when I just want one cup of coffee.  We actually opened the rest of the presents after breakfast around 10 am.  What a joy to open presents at a leisurely pace.

We went over to the in-laws for a yummy prime rib dinner.  Lots of good food and wine.  A great time was had by all......