CHEESE AND SAUSAGE BREAKFAST BAKE
Preheat oven to 350 F., rack in the middle position.
1 pound breakfast sausage patties (I used Farmer John’s)
8 to 10 slices of bread of your choice (I used white, Michelle uses rye from the bakery near her house just off campus at Macalester.)
Enough salted butter, softened, to cover 8 to 10 slices of bread 8-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 12 ounces)
6 large eggs 2 cups half-and-half or light cream 2 Tablespoons ( cup, 1 ounce, ? stick) salted butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Dijon-style stone ground mustard ? teaspoon ground paprika Several dashes of hot sauce (I used Mike’s favorite Slap Ya Mama)
1 cup chopped, fresh parsley
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and set it on the counter.
Using a large frying pan, fry the breakfast sausage patties over MEDIUM heat until almost all of the fat is rendered out and the sausage is nice and brown.
Remove the sausage from the pan and place it on paper towels on top of a large plate or platter to soak off any excess fat.
Cut the crusts from the slices of bread and spread one side with the salted butter.
Place the bread slices in the bottom of your prepared cake pan, buttered side up. (If necessary, you can cut them to make them fit.)
Place the breakfast sausage patties on top of the buttered bread in the cake pan. Distribute it as evenly as possible.
If you haven’t already done so, drain the mushroom stems and pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle the mushroom stems and pieces on top of the breakfast sausage.
Sprinkle the sharp, grated cheddar cheese over the top of the ingredients in the cake pan as evenly as possible.
Crack the 6 eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat them until they’re thoroughly mixed.
Add the half-and-half to the bowl with the eggs and mix it in until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
In a separate small bowl, mix the melted butter with the salt, mustard, and paprika.
Add several dashes of hot sauce and mix them in thoroughly.
Stir in the butter, salt, mustard, paprika, and hot sauce mixture into the egg and half-and-half mixture. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
Pour the resulting mixture into the baking dish, making sure to cover everything as evenly as possible.
Sprinkle the chopped, fresh parsley over the top of the pan.
Bake, uncovered, for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a table knife inserted one-inch from the middle of the cake pan comes out clean and without any milky egg mixture clinging to it.
Remove the cake pan from the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or on a wire rack on the counter.
Let your Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Bake cool for at least 10 minutes. Then cut it into pieces, remove them from the cake pan with a metal spatula, and serve them to your guests.
Yield: At least 10 servings of a delicious breakfast dish that your guests will love and ask you to make again and again.
Michelle’s Note: When I make this breakfast dish for my roommates at college, I prepare everything the night before and place it in the cake pan. Then I cover the cake pan with aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Then all I have to do in the morning is preheat the oven and bake it. If you decide to do this and you bake your Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Bake cold, baking time could be increased by as much as 10 or 15 minutes. Be sure to test for doneness before you take it out of the oven.
Hannah’s Note: I’ve made this breakfast bake with ground sausage rather than sausage patties. It works just fine as long as you fry it to reduce the amount of fat.
Andrea’s Note: I made this for Bill on his birthday. Tracey helped me do it. Since I didn’t have any breakfast sausage, we used slices of ham. Bill loved it and it was delicious that way.
Chapter Eleven
“Hannah!” Mike greeted her the moment she and Michelle came in the door. “Just the person I wanted to see.”
Wish I could say the same, Hannah’s mind made a sharp retort, but of course Hannah didn’t voice it. Mike was sitting on his favorite stool at the stainless steel work station, drinking a cup of coffee. “Good morning, Mike,” she greeted him pleasantly. “I see Lisa gave you coffee. Where is she?”
“Lisa had to straighten up in the coffee shop. She said you hadn’t had time to do it after you closed last night and it was a mess. She told me she’d come back as soon as she could, but there were a lot of things she had to do before she’d be ready to open.”
Somehow, Hannah managed to keep the delighted grin off her face. Absolutely nothing needed to be done in the coffee shop and Lisa knew it. They’d straightened up and prepared for opening before they’d left for the night.
Smart move on Lisa’s part! Hannah thought, but again, she said nothing of the sort. She’d compliment Lisa on her quick thinking after Mike had left. Then she’d be able to find out what Mike had asked her.
“How about a couple of Double Fudge Brownies?” she offered.
“Chocolate for breakfast?” Mike asked, looking pleased when Hannah nodded. “Sounds good to me.” He turned to Michelle. “I heard you two went out to the bar at the Lake Eden Inn after we left Hannah’s place last night.”
“Yes,” Michelle replied, giving Hannah one of their silent but communicative sisterly glances that said, I don’t know how you want to play this, so you’d better get me out of it.