And they say I’m hard to please…
I used to be one of those girls who asked for jewelry and flowers on Valentine’s Day. But nowadays, I’m old and boring and somewhat of a cheapskate. So this year for Valentine’s Day, I asked Brian for something that was low on cost, but high on effort - I asked him to make strata!
Believe it or not, I’ve never had strata. Apparently there’s a whole world of casserole-style dishes that I was never privy to until recently. Brian actually had to explain to me what Strata is. Can you believe it? Let that be a clue of how unqualified I am to write about cooking. I should be stripped of my blog! 
From what I’ve gathered, strata is a breakfast casserole, to which you can add whatever ingredients you’d like. Brian used a great recipe from his grandma. I was hovering over Brian’s shoulder while he cooked, and I was able to get a few pictures before he shooed me out of the kitchen.
Here is the recipe, courtesy of Brian’s mom:
Ham (or Sausage) and Egg Strata
Ingredients:
12 slices buttered white bread
8 eggs
4 C milk
1 tsp. salt (or less)
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 C (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 C diced ham or cooked crumbled breakfast sausage
Cornflake crumbs
Directions:
Place 6 slices of bread, buttered side down, in the bottom of a 13X9 pan.
Spread ham or sausage over bread
Spread shredded cheese over meat.
Lay 6 slices of bread, buttered side up, on top of everything.
Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and dry mustard.
Slowly pour over all making sure to soak all the bread.
Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight.
Lightly sprinkle with cornflake crumbs and place in preheated 350 degree oven for 90 minutes (+/-).
Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean – do not over bake.
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It turned out perfect, and I can’t wait to make it again, and play around with the ingredients!
Soundtrack to this post: Eric Clapton -I’ve Got a Rock and Roll Heart
Coming Soon: The best (okay… the only) Farmer’s Market I’ve been to all season - the Rogers Park Winter Farmers Market!
Actually the recipe is not mine but came from Nanny Rancine. I too had never had strata before, and when she made it for me I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!