Breakfast Casserole/Weekend

We had a good weekend with friends recently.  My friends of 27 years were here to visit us with their baby foster child.  It was so nice to spend a long weekend with them as I had not seen them for nearly 2 years and had never met their foster child.  I cooked up a storm and we sat around and talked and stayed up late sipping wine and watching football.  I cannot believe I didn't take any pictures!!  I did take a couple cell phone pics of their baby but as they are just foster parents and have an adoption underway, they are not allowed to post pics of the baby so I will  honor that rule and not upload my cell phone pics to here.  Let me tell you though....cutest little guy!  He has huge blue eyes and I think his dark eyelashes are about 1/2 inch long.  His cheeks look like he has marshmallows stuffed in them.  He was just precious....except when he cried in the middle of the night...well, he was still precious even then.  He was born at 26 weeks gestation a year ago and had problems at birth and for a few months but is now the picture of health and right where he is supposed to be developmentally and does not appear to have any learning problems.  He is very loving and smiley nearly all the time.  He didn't mind being held by us "strangers" and let me feed him and carry him around even though  he'd never met me. 

Bob smoked a pork butt for Sunday dinner and I did a little baking and cooking.  One thing we all enjoyed for a couple mornings was a Breakfast Casserole I found on a blog last year but hadn't had a chance to make yet.  It has a little of everything breakfast-y in it and was a good idea since it could be reheated a day or two later and still taste good.  I served it with some pumpkin and apple breads from Great Harvest Bakery. I had the last piece for breakfast on Monday and it was still quite tasty.

Breakfast Casserole

10 slices of thin bread, crusts removed and cubed
1# of sausage, cooked and crumbled
6 eggs, beaten (I actually used 8 eggs due to a mistake and it was fine)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk ( recipe actually called for half and half but I used whole milk and it was fine)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of Tabasco

Spray nonstick spray in bottom of 9x13 dish.  Preheat oven to 350.
Spread bread cubes in bottom of dish.  Sprinkle sausage and cheese on top.  Mix eggs, milk and seasonings then pour over top of sausage and cheese.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until eggs are cooked all the way through.  I think  mine took about 5 minutes longer because of the extra eggs. 
**I also made my casserole the night before and refrigerated it over night which I think helped  the bread soak up the extra eggs.  I guess you could add green pepper, onion, sub the sausage with ham or bacon, etc. and switch the type of cheese you use.