Celebrating Christmas starts early in the morning at most Southern homes. Children who usually have to be pried out of the bed for school will be up before dawn to see what Santa left under the tree. Even with all the fanfare of opening presents, breakfast or brunch needs to be seen to and there’s still the Christmas lunch or dinner. These recipes for breakfast foods are easy and most can made the night before, this helps guarantee the cook doesn’t miss the opening of the presents.

This first recipe goes together quickly and can bake while the coffee makes and stockings are opened. I melt the butter in the microwave and mix my sugars the night before. It is best served warm, and if you turn it out on a plate it can cool while presents are being opened.

Monkey bread

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

30 refrigerated biscuits

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously grease a 10-inch tube pan. Pour the melted butter into a shallow bowl. In another small bowl, mix the sugars and cinnamon thoroughly and spread out on a plate or a square of foil. If you are using the chopped nuts have them in a small bowl.

Take the biscuits, one at a time and roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Dip 4 or 5 of them at a time in the melted butter and roll in the sugar mixture. Arrange in the tube pan about a 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle with a few nuts if using. Repeat, layering the sugared balls of dough and sprinkling with some of the nuts (if using) over each layer. Sprinkle any leftover sugar mixture on top of the rolls.

Bake until golden brown, 45 minutes to an hour. If the top gets brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Turn the bread out of the oven as soon as it is removed from the oven or the sugar may stick to it. Serve warm.

This gravy is easily made the night before, it will be a little thick when you are reheating it so add just a little more milk or half and half as you reheat. Be sure you reheat it on low. Pop a pan of frozen biscuits (this is no time for homemade, you’ve got presents to see to) into the oven and they will be ready by the time the gravy heats up.

Sausage gravy

1 pound bulk sausage

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons

all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cup half and half

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring unitl it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a colander or a paper-towel lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup of the drippings in the skillet, dispose of the rest. Over medium heat add the flour to the 1/4 cup of drippings, whisking until smooth. Add the sausage, half and half, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Serve over biscuits.

These grits are delicious; using the chicken broth to cook the grits makes a world of difference. I make these the night before by making the recipe up to the point where it is mixed and poured into the casserole dish. Let them cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next morning let the casserole set out for about 15 to 20 minutes and then bake. The grits will have absorbed most of the liquid so I usually pour a little melted butter over the top and cook until warmed through.

Baked garlic cheese grits

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups of regular grits

3 6-ounce rolls of garlic cheese, cubed

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs, beaten

1 stick of butter

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 4-quart casserole dish (this recipes feeds 10 to 12) with nonstick spray. Bring the broth, salt and pepper to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, this takes about 8 minutes. Add the garlic cheese and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese if using and bake for 45 minutes or until grits are set. Kraft used to make garlic cheese in a 6-ounce roll that was perfect for grits and other casseroles. Recently I found a similar product in the cheese section at Southside market. It is just as good as the Kraft and I bought several and put them in the freezer.

This will breakfast casserole is designed to be made the night before so the bread absorbs the egg mixture. I use the thick sliced bread that is sold as Texas toast for this recipe. In a pinch I have used the frozen Texas toast garlic bread.

Breakfast casserole

5 slices thick-sliced white bread, crust and all, buttered and cubed

1 pound mild sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Place the bread cubes in the casserole dish. Evenly spread the cooked sausage over the bread. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the sausage. Combine the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and hot sauce in a small bowl and mix well. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let the casserole set out for 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 1 hour.

I have made this next recipe the night before and refrigerated it unbaked. Prepare the recipe up to the point where you pour it into the dish. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next morning let it set out for 15 to 20 minutes then continue to recipe. It won’t have to bake as long as the potatoes will have absorbed some of the liquid.

Hash brown-cheese bake

1 20-ounce package refrigerated or frozen hash browns

1 10-ounce can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom

1 8-ounce container sour cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Spray a 13 by 9- inch pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the hash browns, soup, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. You can also add 2 cups or chopped cooked ham or sausage to this recipe.