Overnight Eggs

Trust me when I say: You have found a new holiday favorite. 

Those of you who know me (and even those of you who don't, because I sorta feel like you should know me because I write the way I talk) know that I don't waste time writing about food that doesn't matter. I write about food that I would stuff my face with until my spleen burst (spleen? Hmm, that was an interesting choice of organ...). 

So, here it is. The no-fail, no-fuss, super tasty, melt your face off delicious recipe we make every year for Christmas Day gift opening:

Overnight Eggs

1 Recipe fills a 9x9 pan. Double for a 13x9 pan.

1 lb mild breakfast sausage (we use Jimmy Dean)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

2 slices white bread - 1" cubes

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (mild is best, we even use the Mexican cheese blend, shredded, of course) reserve about 1/4 cup for the top if desired (you don't have to, we don't usually)

Brown and drain sausage well. Beat eggs and milk together. Add the mustard, salt and cheese. Gently fold in the bread cubes so you don't break them up. Pour mixture into a casserole pan and refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, over night.

(Yes overnight! Oh come on! The recipe is called "Overnight Eggs"! Don't get all huffy on me. I even titled this post Overnight Eggs. Overnight eggs means that they take one full night. It won't kill ya! You're basically making a custard. What's a custard? Let's consult the culinary book! Yay!

"A simple baked custard calls for blending eggs, a liquid such as milk or cream, and sugar and baking until set." -The Professional Chef [The Culinary Institute of America]

Now, minus the sugar, we basically have ingredients that will make this a very soft and fluffy product. This is important, because you are going to freak out at me when I say this thing is done and you look at it and go, "Um, it's still wobbly! With eggs, that means it's not done! Merrrr!" Just, trust me on this one. A friend of mine from work tried out one of my recipes and she was happy. I'm just saying, I won't lead you astray, so just trust me! Ok?! Ok.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slide dish (straight from fridge) into the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until it is "GBD" (Golden, Brown and Delicious!!!). 

Now, we just talked about this, but I know what you're thinking:

"It's wobbly. I'm scared. What's gonna happen? Will my family think I am trying to poison them?! AM I GOING TO GET THE PLAGUE?!?!"

Trust me, it is cooked. Any longer and you're going to have blackened Overnight Eggs, which just isn't right. If you are elderly, sick or pregnant, you are considered a higher risk for undercooked foods, but you don't have to worry, because this food WILL BE COOKED. Now, whether or not you trust your oven is another question. In order to be sure you're hitting 350, you should have an oven thermometer, yes? That's right. If you don't have one, get one, or stop complaining to me about your food not being cooked properly, CAPISCE?!

Check on your dish after about 50 minutes if your oven runs hot. Golden edges are fine (and unavoidable, even with a pan without corners). It'll puff up nice in the oven like a beautiful souffle, but it will deflate when you take it out because there's not enough structure there to hold that puff up.

Trust me, even if you already have a Christmas tradition, this will TAKE OVER. That is all.

Oh, one last thing. I cracked myself up because the photo of the unbaked pan of O.E. was named DSCF5678 on my camera. I read the last four numbers and got all hilarious because I couldn't stop myself from thinking, "5-6-7-8!!! AND KICK THOSE LEGS!!"

Ok, I'm done now. ENJOY!!!

Egg