Comfort Sunday III & Cheesy Buttery Bread Casserole

OMGosh be careful what you wish for! After lamenting the heat wave last weekend I am sure I am totally responsible for the arctic temperatures over the past few days. Jiminy it is cold as shitake here…. totally conducive to SHS (Stay Home Sunday) and actually Stay Home Saturday! I stocked up Friday in anticipation of the frigid weekend. I have books, movies, Target jammies, rabbit slippers & the robe; a smorgasbord of lay around, keep warm & relax material plus a roaring fire!

Friday I loaded up my shopping cart with fresh eggs, milk, cheeses & French bread in preparation for Cheesy Buttery Casserole. Okay I’ll admit not a very sexy name but calling it by its name on my torn & tattered recipe card from 1974: Cheese Pudding, may have you running for the Food Network & as far away from this blog you can get. Then you would miss out on this easy to make, fast to disappear, sure to induce a food coma, comfort food. That would break my heart as this dish is supercalifragalisticexpealidocious. I think Mary Poppins would for sure agree!

Thanks go to my BBF Betsy Tom (Elizabeth Thomas Lawrence Homewood- gotta love Southern names and this was before she married!) who made this recipe every time we had a brunch (often) when we lived together in college; way back in the day. It continues some 30 + years later to get rave reviews. Updated the cheeses to make it more current; try your fav hard cheeses as it is easy to adapt to your own personal taste & it called for soft loaf bread, I subbed a hearty French loaf.

Layers of cheese, bread and buttery goodness stack up against any cheese soufflé you may ever attempt with none of the stress and hassle of such soufflés. Heap on custard of eggs and milk with some simple seasonings, bake & dig in! Crossover appeal at breakfast, brunch or sits proudly next to a nice Rosemaried Pork Roast, Baked Apples & something green; buttered spinach or perhaps some wilted buttered broccoli rabe; you decide.

Heap it all in a casserole dish or make individual servings in little ramekins to fancy it up – cut back on time; bake til set & puffy, about 25 minutes.

Jazz it up with a nice Pepper Jack Cheese or perhaps 1/2 cup of chopped jalapeños; layer with the cheese; YUM!!!

Mam Flo's Cheesy Buttery Casserole

1 loaf soft bread- I used French Bread sliced 1/2” thick

12-14 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I used white cheddar & havarti)

6 eggs

3 c. milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1 t. dry mustard

1 stick butter

In a greased casserole alternate bread & cheese (begin and end with bread.)
Beat eggs & milk together & add seasonings. Pour over casserole.
Melt butter and drizzle over top. Let stand covered overnight or all day in fridge. Bake 45 min @ 375.

Decorate with paprika.

While I partake and savor this indulgence I will contemplate a more appropriate name; perhaps Faux Cheese Soufflé….. Has a nice ring; don’t ya’ think? BT (gotta love she has that long name & goes by BT….. go figure) wants y’all to know this is her beloved Grandmother Mam Flo’s recipe & has been around since at least 1948!

XO,
BB