Egg and Sausage Casserole

I've been doing a lot of reading about casseroles lately, and not necessarily by choice. It seems that all the main cooking mags are on the same page because casseroles are the "it" thing right now. I've never been a big fan, to be honest. I like my foods somewhat compartmentalized. (I'll blame my childhood phobia of stewed tomatoes in green peppers for that one.) But, there are a few casseroles that get two thumbs up from me. This is one of them. I think every woman (OK, almost every woman) has her version of this recipe. (It turns up at every MOPS meeting I've attended in the past five months.) I've tried several versions, but this is by far my favorite. It came from my dad's co-worker Candice, who frequently brought it to Friday morning potlucks when they both worked for Discover.

Egg and Sausage Casserole
1 lb. ground sausage, cooked
6 slices bread cubed
8 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 ½ cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (perhaps a little extra)

1. Grease 7x11 or 9x11 pan.
2. Place meat and bread cubes in pan.
3. Mix together eggs, salt, mustard, soup and cheese. Pour over meat and bread
4. Toss lightly. Refrigerate minimum 10-12 hours.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (can take longer) until middle is done and knife comes out clean.

Lessons learned: This recipe is pretty forgiving and a good baseline for lots of experimentation. If you want more zing, add several dashes of chipotle Tabasco. For even more zing, use a can of Campbell's nacho cheese soup instead of the cheddar and serve it with salsa and guacamole. Add onions if you like them ... or sauteed mushrooms. I usually up the sausage content since I like sausage. The original recipe said you could use bacon instead, but I like the substance of the sausage. I want to try it with French bread sometime instead of the pillowy stuff you get for less than a dollar in the bread aisle. Going for the healthier version? Use Egg Beaters and turkey sausage. See? I told you it was a very forgiving recipe.