Three Great Southern Breakfast Meals

If you are from the South, you already know that cooking is like an Olympic sport and eating the great southern cooking is like winning a gold medal. Now, if you are not from the South and are looking to enhance your cooking background, then you need to learn how to cook southern style. Basically southern style food is just like any other place in the world, we don't use any special ingredients. We cook our food with more love then normal, and a true southern cook never makes exceptions when it comes to the ingredients. If it calls for real butter, we will use real butter and never substitute with anything that is fat-free or no calories because it takes the southern taste out of the meal. If you stick with those two tips, any meal you make will be a great southern dish. Here are three of my favorite southern breakfast meals. I hope you enjoy.

Breakfast Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
8 slices of bread
butter
1 lb of pork sausage
1 ^1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs beaten
2 cups of milk (2%)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Remove crusts from bread, spread butter onto bread slices.
2. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish and set aside.
3. Cook sausage until brown, stirring until it is crumbled, drain well.
4. Spoon over bread slices and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper, mix well and pour over the bread and cheese you already prepared.
6. Cover casserole and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
7. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
8. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered for an hour. Time may vary depending on your oven.

Breakfast Sausage Sandwiches
Ingredients:
Softened butter
8 slices of bread
1 lb cooked and crumbled sausage
1 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 beaten eggs
1 ^1/2 cups of 2% milk
1 ^1/2 teaspoons of prepared mustard

Directions:
1. Spread butter on one side of each bread slice.
2. Place 4 slices of bread, butter side down, in a single layer lightly greased, 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Top each bread slice with sausage and then the other piece of bread butter side up.
4. Sprinkle cheese over bread slices.
5. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over sandwiches.
6. Cover and place in refrigerator at least 6 hours.
7. Remove from refrigerator and let stand for 15 minutes.
8. Cook, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Tomato Grits
Ingredients:
2 slices of chopped bacon
2 (14 ^1/2-oz) cans of chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of instant grits
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons of canned chopped green chilies (optional)
1 cup (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Cook chopped bacon in a large heavy saucepan until crisp, drain.
2. Gradually add broth and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in grits, tomatoes and chillies and return to a boil. Make sure you stir this often.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, stir often, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Stir in cheese, cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.