A favorite McAdam family tradition for any holiday is to kick off the day with a cozy egg bake that’s truly perfect for any season! Because you prepare the egg bake the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking the next morning, this is an easy, delicious, and hearty way to kick off any holiday.

• 1 lb spicy pork sausage (e.g. Jimmy Dean “hot” ground sausage; can also use regular if you prefer a milder egg bake)
• 2 4 oz cans of diced green chilis (depending on your spice tolerance, you could use mild green chilis; or one mild, one hot; or both hot!)
• 1-1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Or more/less, based on your preference.)
• 5 buttered bread slices, cut into cubes (basic sliced bread works great, but feel free to go fancier! You want enough to do one layer of cubed bread at the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish)
• 6 eggs mixed with:
  • 2 cups milk
  • ~1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • ~1/2 tbsp salt
  • ~1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning (if we’re using Old Bay, we usually cut back on the separate serving of salt)

1. Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish.
2. Brown the sausage.
3. Butter and cube the bread.
4. Grate the cheese.
5. Open the chili cans.
6. Mix together your egg, milk, and spice mixture in a bowl.
7. Layer your cubed bread along the bottom of the baking dish.
8. Next, layer on the browned sausage.
9. Top that layer with your green chilis.
10. Pour the milk, egg, and spice mixture over the ingredients in the dish, coating as evenly as possible.
11. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, adding as thick of a layer as you like.
12. Cover in tinfoil and refrigerate overnight.
13. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once heated, place the foil-covered egg bake in the oven and bake for ~1 hour. Emily usually removes the tinfoil with ~15 minutes to go so the cheese gets ooey-gooey. Depending on the oven, it may take a bit longer than an hour to bake. You want the edges to be starting to crisp and for the middle to seem set.
14. Remove, let cool, and enjoy with your favorite toppings!

 To serve, we like to eat this egg bake with a dollop of crema or sour cream, a salsa of our choosing (Emily’s favorite is the Herdez medium guacamole salsa), and some fresh cilantro on top.

Alternatives: Don’t like spice? Not a meat-eater? Feel free to make this egg bake your own by swapping in fillings of your choosing. Truly the most important parts are the bread and egg/milk mixture—the rest is your own blank canvas to play with!