Christmas Breakfast Casserole

So something entirely out of season, but you know you'll use it eventually! :0) Okay, so a little story about the next recipe...When I was home recently I started looking for the Christmas Breakfast Casserole thing that mom makes. I know for sure that it's one I'll end up using over and over again and would be incredibly convenient to have access to wherever Christmas ends up taking me. So I started looking and I lucked out, but didn't at the same time.

I found the recipe all right, but instead of finding just one I found not two, not three but four different recipes. Mom was already asleep and I wasn't quite sure what her answer would be about which recipe she uses. Well, that's not entirely true either, I figured she would say she didn't know and probably something like an amalgamation of all four. So after reading through all of them I figured this was the closest to what I remembered having (with notes where I wasn't sure). FYI I do have copies of the other 3 recipes, so if you remember something else let me know and I can send the other versions of the recipe to you. Anyhow, enjoy! A little bit of family tradition to share with your families for years to come...

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 slices of white bread (crusts removed)
• Slices of ham (Mom usually ended up doing one casserole with cubed up ham and the other with sausage bits)
• Slices of sharp cheddar (though I figure you could use shredded cheese as well)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (you can add more, up to a cup, depends on how spongey you like your bread...I think with the butter though you don't need as much milk)
• Dash of Tabasco sauce (Don't think Mom uses this)
• 1/4 lb butter (this ends up being 1 stick of butter, so 1/2 cup butter)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper (Not sure whether or not mom uses this either)
• 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Ditto for this ingredient)
  
• Special K or Cornflakes, crushed (I think Mom has been leaving this bit out for the last couple years)

PREPARATION:

1. Butter a 9"x13" glass dish
2. Put 8 slices of bread in pan, cover dish entirely
3. Cover bread with ham, cheese and then remaining bread
4. Beat egg, salt, pepper and mustard--add milk etc to mixture
5. Pour over bread and cover, put in fridge overnight
6. In the morning melt butter, pour over top and cover with crushed cornflakes. (We just put extra cheese on top. Maybe don't add this last bit until the last 10-15 min)
7. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 min. before serving.