BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13 inch glass baking dish by spraying bottom and sides with cooking spray. (I was out of cooking spray, so the dish in the picture was greased with butter.)
• 2. Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces. In a large skilllet, cook until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Reserve bacon drippings if you want to make homemade gravy.)
• 3. Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces. Place biscuit pieces in a single layer in the baking dish.
• 4. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
• 5. Pour eggs over biscuits in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
• 6. Sprinkle with cooked bacon.
• 7. Sprinkle with cheese.
• 8. Cook gravy according to package directions. Pour over cheese. Smooth with a spatula to cover entire casserole. (I did not have gravy mix this time, so in the picture the gravy is homemade.)
• 9. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• 10. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
• 11. To make homemade gravy: Using the same skillet you cooked the bacon in, pour off all but about 4 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Heat over medium-high setting.
• 12. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. (The pepper is what makes it foamy.)
• 13. Add about 1/4 cup flour. Whisk to combine. The mixture should be the consistency of paste. (Be careful--it is easy to burn the mixture during this step.)
• 14. Add about 1 cup milk. Whisk to combine. The mixture will get thick very quickly.
• 15. Add 1/2 - 1 cup water. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and returns to a boil. The mixture should be thick, but you should be able to pour it from the skillet.
• 16. Use this gravy in place of the gravy mix in step 8. Please note: I do not measure anything when making homemade milk gravy (also called cream gravy or white gravy). It definitely takes practice to do it that way, but you will get the hang of it. The secret is the paste-like mixture in step 13. It can make or break your recipe!