Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream with 1 ½ cups of the cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper, stirring well to combine.

Place the buttered bread across bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan; top the bread with half of the cooked sausage crumbles.

Pour the prepared egg mixture over the sausage layer, then top with the remaining half of the sausage; sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over all.

Cover the casserole with foil, placing it into fridge to rest overnight, or 8-10 hours. **FYI – This is a very important step, I’ve discovered. Don’t be tempted to skip it if you desire a tender and delicate breakfast casserole.

When ready to bake, remove the breakfast casserole from the fridge and uncover; let the casserole rest on the counter for 40-45 minutes to remove the chill.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. (If the casserole is still clinging to the knife when you do this test, cook the casserole for an additional few minutes until the knife test is successful.)

When the casserole is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve topped with warm country gravy.

In a deep skillet, over medium heat, cook the ground pork sausage, letting the fats remain in the pan; add the butter or margarine letting it melt. Now add the flour, stirring constantly until this mixture turns from white in color to more of a tan color, cooking it just a minute or two. The mixture will be very thick and lumpy at this point. Remove the skillet from the heat - don't ever skip this step when making gravy if you want it to be lump-free each and every time.

Slowly add the evaporated milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly, never adding more milk until what you’ve already added is fully incorporated. Now whisk in the regular milk in the very same way.

Return the skillet of gravy to the burner over medium heat; season the gravy to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, as desired, whisking the gravy until it’s creamy, thickened, and simmering. Reduce the heat to low to keep the gravy warm until it's time to eat.