Charleston Breakfast Casserole

Serves 8 (slightly adapted from Allrecipes)

I've made this for family, friends, and just for hubby and me.  As I'm enjoying a week at Wild Dunes Resort, which is a hop, skip and jump away from Charleston, SC I decided to make it this morning!  It's as good as I remembered!  Since it's just the two of us, I made 1/2 recipe in a 8x8 square baking dish.  I served it with creamy garlic cheese grits.  Charleston perfection!
 

This is an easy, yummy breakfast or brunch dish that can serve up to eight.  I've even made it for "breakfast for dinner night"!  It's easily halved if you want to make it for 4.   You can play around with the ingredients by using bacon or sausage or ham or no meat; bell peppers, chopped green chilis, onions, or no veggies.  You can use cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese, or your favorite blend.  You can use egg beaters rather than eggs.  There are dozens of ways to make this your own favorite breakfast dish! Leftovers are great too!

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon (can use bacon bits) OR 1 lb sausage) 1/4 cup unsalted  butter, melted 3 cups croutons (garlic & cheddar!) 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 6 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk 1 bell pepper (any color), diced (optional) 1 tablespoon prepared mustard salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3.	Melt butter. Spray a 9x12 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Place croutons in the bottom of the dish, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with shredded Cheddar cheese.
4.	Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisking to break up the yolks. Add milk, peppers, mustard, salt, and pepper, and beat until well-combined. Pour over the croutons and cheese, and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.