Easter brunch breakfast casserole

For the blog today, I'm linking to my post last year about this same time for my favorite brunch breakfast casserole recipe. Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Breakfast casserole recipe

This is a repost of a blog entry in March, but since I will be making it to enjoy Christmas morning, I wanted to share again.  Make it sometime on Christmas Eve, then pop it in the oven on the morning of the 25th.  I love how I don't have to take away time from watching my kids open gifts, yet we get to have a yummy, hearty breakfast to enjoy as a family.

Breakfast Casserole

1 1/2 boxes of Pepperidge Farm croutons or 8 slices of bread, cubed
3 cups of milk
4 eggs
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli soup
2 to 3 cups of cheddar cheese (more or less to your liking)
1 pound of ground sausage
Package of ritz or saltine crackers
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Spread bread/croutons in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix 2 1/2 cups of the milk, eggs, and mustard. Pour over the croutons. Brown the sausage. Sprinkle the meat over the crouton mixture. Top with the cheese. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of milk with the soup. Pour over the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Crush a sleeve of crackers. Mix the crackers with the melted butter. Pour over the casserole for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

Starting a new tradition

I get lots of nice comments from people that I meet at art shows, jewelry making classes, and such saying they feel like I'm "one of the family." I think these are some the nicest things anyone could say to me. I always try to treat people with respect and kindness and I'm glad to know that it shows. This got me thinking, why not make them a part of my family too? I thought that I would share, from time to time, some of my family's favorite recipes. My mother was a home economics teacher, so cooking and learning how to cook has been a part of my life ever since I can remember.

This recipe comes from a friend of mine in college. I thought this would be great to share since the Easter and Passover holidays just beg for brunches. This breakfast dish is wonderful to feed a crowd and since you make it the night before, it's the perfect "force me to be organized" breakfast dish.

Breakfast Casserole

1 1/2 boxes of Pepperidge Farm croutons or 8 slices of bread, cubed
3 cups of milk
4 eggs
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli soup
2 to 3 cups of cheddar cheese (more or less to your liking)
1 pound of ground sausage
Package of ritz or saltine crackers
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Spread bread/croutons in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix 2 1/2 cups of the milk, eggs, and mustard. Pour over the croutons. Brown the sausage. Sprinkle the meat over the crouton mixture. Top with the cheese. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of milk with the soup. Pour over the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Crush a sleeve of crackers. Mix the crackers with the melted butter. Pour over the casserole for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

Enjoy!