Breakfast

Christmas Breakfast has been a tradition in my family as long as I can remember. I used to hate it when I was a kid, but now I can't even imagine Christmas without it. My mom would prepare it before us kids went to bed Christmas Eve, and in the morning between browsing through the presents Santa left and opening our stockings, my mom would place the baking dish in the oven to bake. To a kid early Christmas morning, it seemed forever when we'd actually eat. I guess 45 minutes must be eternity in kidland. Then when we'd sit down at the dining room table, still bundled in our pajamas, robe, and slippers, I'd pick at breakfast, eager to get back to opening our alluringly wrapped presents.Many years later, though I'm older and enjoy watching my nephew open his gifts more than my own, Christmas Breakfast is still that part of Christmas that never changes. My brother will still complain about eating this breakfast, and I'll still pick at the sausage since it's never been my favorite meat. But we'll never stop baking it for all the Christmases left in my lifetime.Since I've been an adult and hosted Christmas at my home, I've experimented with how to make the traditional casserole healthier. Most variations have turned not so great, but I've continued on the quest. This year I finally got the recipe right without sacrificing the hearty flavor. My sister-in-law's mom even asked for the recipe and everyone at the breakfast table ate more than one portion, even my husband who's a confessed non-lover of the breakfast. So enjoy this recipe and may you have many blessed Christmases to come!