Christmas Brunch - Creative Christmas Traditions

Fill the gap between present opening and that late afternoon meal with a new tradition, Christmas Brunch!

If you have children in your household, presents tend to be the first order of business on Christmas morning, right? Kids are rushing to unwrap, and grown-ups want to be there to see their excitement. No one wants to step away from the action long enough to cook anything substantial.

Christmas dinner is scheduled for later than normal lunch, because you need extra time to cook everything, and possibly time for more people to travel to be there for the meal. You end up with an awfully long gap between the candy pulled out of stockings and the afternoon holiday meal.

What if, right after the presents were opened, you calmly announced that "Brunch is ready.", and led everyone to an already set table, and a hot prepared meal? Wouldn't that be nice? An extra opportunity to spend time together.

But who's going to cook this meal, you ask?? You will, but NOT on Christmas Day. This is one holiday meal that can be prepared completely in advance!

This recipe is for a make-ahead breakfast casserole. You assemble it the night before, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

Here's what you'll need to make it:
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* One pound of sausage; cooked and drained, and crumbled up (or you can substitute a meatless-alternative)
* 10 eggs, slightly beaten
* 3 cups of milk
* 1 tablespoon of mustard
* 6 cups of bread, cut or torn into 1-inch-ish pieces (day old bread works great for this recipe)
* 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* Salt to your personal taste
* Pepper to your personal taste
Optional ingredients: Chopped onions, tomatoes, green peppers, and or mushrooms (add ½ to 1 cup of these if your family likes them).

Layer half the bread into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Then sprinkle half of the cheese, half the sausage, and half of any of the optional ingredients over the bread. Then add another layer of the bread, and then the other halves of the cheese, sausage, and optional ingredients.