My mom has on her record a very short list of not-so-successful Christmas projects. But she scores a far greater number of Christmas triumphs. Take, for example, the doll house in this photo.
Tiled roof, wraparound porch, painted shutters, wooden siding, hardwood and carpeted floors, not to mention it was wired with electricity. She built it.
Then there are her famous Stockings Extraordinaire, filled with everything from magazine subscriptions to iTunes gift cards to your entire year’s supply of makeup. Each stocking is precisely customized to the recipient. Score.
She makes them for all the kids in the family. (In our family, “kid” is defined as, “However old Josh is. And younger.”)
Let’s just say, Santa Claus could stand to take a few lessons from Shae-Shae.
But her crowning achievement, year after year…
… is her Christmas morning sausage casserole.
Every Christmas morning, she serves it up super hot alongside cinnamon coffee cake and a citrusy fruit salad. I highly recommend the entire menu, but if you don’t have time to make a coffee cake, store-bought cinnamon rolls also make a great accompaniment. You might also give these butter puffs (with or without the blueberry compote) a try.
Assemble the casserole the day (or night) before up to the steps shown above. Then on Christmas morning there is just one last easy step.
Then it goes into the oven to bake while the kids discover their Santa (and Shae-Shae) surprises.
I’ve had some good breakfast casseroles, but none has ever held a candle to this one. It’s so fabulous, we may just strike that popcorn-and-cranberry garland from the record.
CHRISTMAS MORNING SAUSAGE CASSEROLE (pdf)
- 1/2 loaf (approx) white bread, crusts removed, cut into 2″ pieces
- 1 lb spicy pork sausage
- 1 lb mild pork sausage
- 3 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1 C milk + 1 soup can of milk (approx 2 Cups total)
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
A NOTE: The morning you bake (and serve) this casserole, keep in mind that it can take 90 minutes to bake, in addition to the time it takes to preheat your oven. Start early because people work up quite an appetite while opening presents.
In a heavy skillet over medium/high heat, cook the sausage, breaking up into crumbles with a spatula or wooden spoon as you go. Once the sausage crumbles are thoroughly browned, drain off excess fat.
While sausage cooks, lightly grease a 9x13x2 inch casserole dish (cooking spray is fine), and arrange the bread pieces along the bottom in a single layer, tearing off smaller pieces to fill in any gaps.
Spoon the sausage over the bread. Sprinkle cheese on top.
Whisk together the eggs and 1 C milk, then evenly pour the mixture over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator, uncover, and preheat oven to 325. Meanwhile, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of milk. Pour the soup mixture over the casserole. Bake until the top turns golden brown and the edges are bubbling, about 90 minutes.
This casserole is fabulous served with cinnamon coffee cake (cinnamon rolls or cinnamon donuts would work well too) and a citrusy fruit salad.
xoxo,
