Holiday Guests Breakfast Idea

Need a last minute breakfast idea for your holiday guests over the next two weeks? How about this Ham and Cheese Strata?It's very traditional, but the ease of making it ahead of time is a great time saver and allows for a more relaxed morning with your friends & family. We recently served this with just a large fresh fruit salad. For the original recipe visit my friend Maralyn Mathias' new website featuring her recipes from her cookbook "Around the World with Annie!" But, I'll tell you my variations ... and in these pictures we doubled her recipe.Cube a loaf of crusty multi-grain bread. Sprinkle 1/3 in the bottom of your pan. Add a bunch of diced ham and veggie sausage slices and cheese. These are your layers. We often also add tomatoes, mushrooms and green peppers, but some people don't care for those veggies, so we kept it simple this time. Mix the eggs, milk and seasonings in a separate bowl. Pour over your whole mixture and let it rest overnight. Bake in the morning for at least an hour, covered for most of that, at 325. We always add one last layer of cheese to make a yummy crusty top! I don't have a pick of after baking, but it always looks great! Keep in mind this will puff up while baking, so if you cover it with tinfoil, leave room for it to expand and not have the cheese topping stick to it. We made this in WAY too deep a dish - took too long to bake in the middle, so if you need to double the recipe, I suggest two shallower pans. Then you could do one with the extra veggies. :-)

UPDATE (2/15/10):

Maralyn's recipe is no longer at the link above, so here it is:

Ham & Cheese Strata

8 slices bread, crust removed
2 c (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 c milk
4 eggs
8 oz ham, thinly sliced

Cut each slice of bread into triangles. Arrange half of slices, points slightly overlapping, in a 8” square baking pan. Sprinkle with half the cheese and half the ham. Repeat. Beat milk and eggs together, then pour over the bread and cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 325 for 60 minutes or until mixture is puffy and light golden brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 9 servings (3”x3”)