Sausage, Biscuit and Gravy Casserole

Well, we are on the homestretch of Christmas.  I was thinking about what sounded good for this week and I thought we might want a good breakfast/brunch dish, a festive drink and a salad perfect for our Christmas celebrations. 
So today let's start with our breakfast dish.  We have Christmas brunch at our house and I'm thinking this one is going to be on the menu.  Can you think of a better combination for breakfast - biscuits, sausage and gravy?  Yum ...

Ingredients:

·         8 large buttermilk biscuits, frozen or refrigerated

·         1 pound bulk mild sausage

·         1 envelope country gravy mix

·         2 cups milk

·         8 eggs

·         2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.        Bake biscuits according to the package directions, using the lower end of the recommended cooking time so they don’t overcook.  Let cool and cut the biscuits in half horizontally.  Set aside.

2.       Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat and crumble. 

3.       Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the dish with the bottom halves of the biscuits.  Sprinkle the sausage on top of the biscuits; then sprinkle about 1 ½ cups of cheese over the sausage.

4.       In a large bowl, whisk together the gravy mix, milk and eggs until well combined.  Pour this mixture into the baking dish.  Arrange the top halves of biscuits over the top of gravy mixture; lightly pressing the biscuits into the mixture. 

5.       At this point, if desired, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

6.       Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of biscuits during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.  Allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving.