Even if you are not planning on having a house full of people on Christmas morning, having an overnight breakfast casserole in your refrigerator when you wake up is always a good idea. 

You can assemble it before you go to bed, stick it in the refrigerator, and pull it out in the morning and pop it into the oven. 

Add a fruit salad, which you can also assemble the night before. Heat up some cinnamon rolls and you are good to go.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

1 pound breakfast sausage

8 eggs

2 2/3 cups whole milk

1 ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon paprika

12 ounces Italian or French bread, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated

2 tablespoons chives, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

Add eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard, dried parsley, black pepper and paprika to a large mixing bowl.  Whisk until combined.

Add cubed bread pieces to a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Top with crumbled sausage, and 3/4 of the cheeses. Pour egg custard over the top, using a wooden spoon to gently push any un-soaked bread down into the custard. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheeses. Cover pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator, uncover, and let sit at room temperature while oven preheats to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve hot, topped with chives and parsley.

 In a large skillet, brown and crumble sausage until cooked.  Drain and set aside.

Use a bread knife to cube Italian bread into 1/2-inch pieces, then set aside. Combine shredded cheddar and Gruyere cheeses, then set aside.

Fancy Cheesy Croissant Casserole

1 pound hot ground sausage

1 ¼ cups parmesan cheese, grated

1 teaspoon salt

6 green onions, sliced

24 mini croissants, torn into pieces

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups Gruyere cheese, grated

Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Cook sausage until done and then drain.In a bowl, combine cooked sausage, Parmesan, salt, green onions and croissants. 

Arrange in baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together milk, heavy cream and eggs. 

Pour over the sausage mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole and sprinkle with Gruyere cheese. Bake 45 minutes until golden.

 Fruit Salad

Dressing:

¼ cup honey

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice from half of the lemon

 Salad:

3 cups strawberries, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

2 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into sections

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 ½ cups grapes, halved

 Combine dressing ingredients. Toss salad together, cover and refrigerate salad and dressing separately. Before serving, toss fruit salad with dressing.