Sausage Breakfast Casserole

I always looked forward to this casserole being served at my brother's home on Christmas mornings. My understanding was that it was his wife's father's recipe. I bugged her for the recipe for about five years before she finally told me, "Bill, that's your mother's recipe."

I went through my mother's recipe box, which I had inherited, and sure enough – there it was. I'd had it all along. I have made a few changes and additions, and this is the result.

Dry Ingredients:

8 – 10 slices of French or sourdough bread – cubed and dried for 12 hours, then sauteed in ¼ cup butter until lightly toasted

1 large Shallot – minced

1 lb. chub of Jimmy Dean sausage (or 1 lb. sausage links)

1.5 – 2.0 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup cooked fresh sliced mushrooms or 1 small can of cooked mushrooms

½ cup French's Crispy Fried Onion rings

French's Crispy Jalapenos (optional)

½ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Wet Ingredients:

8 eggs

2 cups cream

1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp Coleman's dry mustard

1 tsp. crushed garlic

½ tsp. dried minced garlic

Pinch ground cayenne

Pinch nutmeg

A few drops of liquid smoke (optional)

1 tsp. dried onion granules (not onion powder)

Note: The dish is best assembled and refrigerated the night before baking and serving. An alternative would be to top the assembled casserole with the wet ingredients and marinate for two hours before baking.

Directions: Slice sausage meat into ½-inch slices and fry until cooked and browned. Drain fat, cool, and then cut meat up into ¾-inch chunks. If using links, fry links until browned, then cool and cut into ½-inch chunks.

Spray an 8"x8"x2" casserole pan with PAM cooking spray. Arrange approximately 2/3 of the cooked sausage chunks on the bottom of the casserole (the sausage tends to float and rise when the dish is cooked), half the minced shallots, and half the cooked mushroom slices. Place about half of the dried bread cubes on top of meat and mushrooms, then sprinkle with half ¼ to ½ cup shredded cheese, and ¼ - ½ cup French's onion rings, (¼ cup French's Crispy Jalapenos, optional). Build a similar second layer using the remaining ingredients, cheddar on top. Then top the cheddar with Parmesan cheese.

In a bowl, place 8 eggs, 2 cups of cream, the crushed garlic, wet and dry mustards, cayenne, nutmeg, dry garlic and onion granules. Blend well using a wire whisk. Slowly pour over casserole, cover with aluminum foil, and place in fridge over night.

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Bake between 50 and 60 minutes. After 30 minutes check to see if the top has browned and cover with foil if it has. Check center of casserole with toothpick to ensure it is thoroughly cooked. If it is still wet, replace the foil and cook another 10 to 15 minutes. The top should be brown and bubbly when done. After removing from oven, allow the casserole to cool and firm up on a rack for about 10 minutes. Slice into squares and serve. Enjoy!