I have always been fascinated with the little Christmas decorations that adorn the inside of a home. I guess I like small pretty things, as most women do. When I was little I would make up stories with the ornaments on the tree. I would lie under the tree and play with these ornaments for hours as if I were playing with my Barbies. I loved my mother’s crèche as well. It was white porcelain; the figures were so elegant looking. When I started my own family my mom bought us our first crèche. She told me she picked this specific one because the faces of the figures were so sweet looking and she thought my children would really like the set. They do–it is a beautiful crèche. Every year I take it out of the box and just like when I was little I take a lot of time deciding where to place each figure. I want it just right. I think of how I have seen it set up in books or at church. I think about the Wisemen coming from the east and always imagine that the shepherds probably stood back at a distance and Mary was hovering close to Jesus and that Joseph was probably at Mary’s side. At some point I stop myself and say, “Ok, it looks fine, stop obsessing it is just a decoration!” This year I did this same ritual, then much later as we were decorating the tree I saw that my daughter had rearranged the crèche. She had put everyone in a circle around Jesus. I smiled and I knew that would be how I would leave it.
Assemble this casserole on Christmas Eve. On that busy morn just pop it in the oven and go open some presents while it cooks . . . Merry Christmas to All!
12 ounces low-fat, bulk breakfast, sausage
3 slices white bread, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
-Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring to crumble. Remove it from the heat, drain off any fat, and let it cool.
-Place the bread in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Layer the sausage over the bread, then top it with the Monterey Jack cheese.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the contents of the dish, then top with the Cheddar cheese. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
-In the morning, heat the oven to 325º. Remove the plastic wrap from the dish and bake the casserole for 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked through. Makes about 6 servings
By Leigh Sackett [email protected]
