Chili-Cheese Casserole

This casserole is terrific for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; it also reheats well in the microwave. Summer and fall are a great time to make this casserole if roasted chiles are available in your local farmers' market. In fact, use this casserole as an excuse for buying extra chiles and freezing them.

Chile-Cheese  Casserole

Serves 8

2 7-ounce cans Ortega whole green chiles, drained 
1 pound reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, grated 
2 green onions, thinly sliced 
1 ¼-ounce can sliced black olives, drained 
6 eggs 
1 13-ounce can evaporated skim milk 
Salt and pepper to taste 
½ pound reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, grated

Slit chiles and remove their seeds. It may help to rinse chiles in running water and then pat chiles dry with paper towels.

Spread half of chiles on bottom of lightly buttered 9x13-inch glass baking dish.  Cover chiles with half of Monterey Jack cheese.  Top with remaining chiles.  Sprinkle with green onions and olives.

In bowl, beat eggs well.  Add evaporated milk, salt, and pepper to beaten eggs and beat.  Pour egg mixture over casserole.  Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole.  Bake uncovered in 325°F. oven just until set, about 1 hour. Let sit five to 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES:
- Use fresh roasted chiles if available. Peel and de-stem them before using.  Or canned diced chiles may be used.  
- You may buy 10 or so olives at an olive bar and slice those rather than using canned or bottled olives.  
- Good served with corn or cornbread. However, adding corn to the casserole makes it too sweet for my taste.

- Recommend serving with room-temperature salsa. Sliced avocados are a nice accompaniment as well.

BAKED OMELETS a.k.a. CRUSTLESS QUICHE

The beauty of making individual omelets is that you can truly have what you want.  Hubs hates mushrooms and I love them.  He likes his with more salt and I like more pepper.  You see where I'm going with this?  It's all about what YOU want.  They also take half as much time to bake as a whole casserole would.

The one on the left is rotisserie chicken, mushroom, onion, fresh ground pepper and nacho cheese.  The one on the right is pot roast, onion, green Tabasco, salt and pepper with sharp cheddar cheese. These are a good place to use up some leftovers!

BAKED OMELETES aka CRUSTLESS QUICHE
BASIC EGG MIXTURE - per person
2 eggs
1/8 cup whole milk
1/8 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
Fillings to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 ˚.
• Spray ramekins with cooking spray,
• Fill bottom with your favorites.
• Whisk together the eggs, sour cream and milk.
• Pour over fillings.
• Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.
• Let sit 5 minutes.
• Invert onto plate and enjoy.

Potato-Fennel Gratin

My friend gave me this recipe after we each received a big fennel bulb in our weekly Bountiful Baskets.  She said it's one of her favorites, and when she says that you know it's good!

This is a savory, comforting dish, with the delicate flavor of fennel and sauteed onions.  I used regular Swiss as I was out of Gruyere and it was great.  Next time I'll watch mine a little closer, I had to run a long errand and put my husband in charge, and the edges were a bit burned, but still delicious!

Try some the next time you run across some fresh fennel!

Potato-Fennel Gratin 
From Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Total Time: 2 hr 15 min

Prep 20 min
Inactive 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min

Yield: 10 servings

2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound), or regular Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

French Toast Casserole

We love French toast, but I hate having to make recipes that require one of us to eat while it's hot and the next batch is on the griddle. This recipe makes us both happy at the same time and is a time saver because I throw it together the night before AND it uses what might otherwise be wasted. We love sourdough bread, but the heels are sometimes a little tough. I save the heels from each loaf in the freezer and when I have enough I make this casserole. It's absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning. The smell of the cinnamon baking is one of the best smiles you can give your family. 

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

CASSEROLE

8-10 sourdough heels (or regular slices work too)

8 eggs

3 cups milk

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

TOPPING

3 tablespoons butter, cubed or sliced thin

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

maple syrup - OPTIONAL - it really is great without it

• In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, 4 teaspoons sugar, vanilla extract and sea salt.
• Cube bread.
• Add bread to the egg mixture and toss to coat well.
• Grease a 13x9 baking dish.
• Pour bread mixture into baking dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove casserole from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350˚.
• Dot casserole with butter pieces.
• Combine topping sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle over top.
• Cover** and bake 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out of center clean.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

**If you want a crispy top, uncover 10 minutes before it's through.

Southwestern Breakfast Burritos

The other day, I did a search for Southwestern Breakfast Burritos. I was asked to bid on a catering job, and that item was one that was suggested that the client may want for breakfast. So I googled. I ran across several different recipes, all of which I'll be trying and reporting on here.

This one sounded the best, in particular because Joelen makes these in advance and keeps them in the freezer. That, as you know, is right up my alley. I haven't gotten it together to prep these during the day, so we decided to make them for dinner and freeze the leftovers.

I made a few changes, and next time I will make a few more. We ended up with 9 burritos (and despite doubling the eggs from the original recipe, I still had to scramble up a few more to use up the rest of the sausage). When I make chorizo and eggs, I use a pound of chorizo and a dozen eggs, so that is the formula I will stick with next time. I also increased the peppers and added half & half to the eggs because that is how I roll.

For the original recipe and more, please visit Joelen's wonderful blog, What's Cookin' Chicago?!

These burritos were a hit! Our somewhat-picky 6 year old ate an entire burrito! Everyone in the family liked them a lot. We can't wait to have them again for breakfast, and I can definitely see these becoming a staple around here as well as spawning many many variations.


*The only problem I can see, is that after 2 weeks in the freezer, upon reheating, the tortillas became somewhat chewy, not the best texture, although the filling was still good. This does limit their "make ahead-ability."

Southwestern Breakfast Burritos

Adapted from an original Joelen recipe

1 pound pork sausage
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
9 eggs *(next time I will use 12 eggs)
2 tablespoons half & half
salt & pepper to taste
9 burrito sized flour tortillas
shredded taco cheese

In a medium skillet, crumble in sausage and cook until browned. Add onions and bell peppers; cook until softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook the eggs in a hot skillet and scramble. Add the eggs to the sausage and pepper mixture; toss to combine. Allow mixture to cool.

Heat flour tortillas on a dry skillet until warmed and pliable.

Place a desired amount of cheese on one side of a flour tortilla. Top with a couple spoonfuls of sausage & egg mixture. Carefully roll up the tortilla in a burrito fashion. Wrap the burrito in foil and place in a gallon sized freezer bag; freeze.

To serve, no need to defrost - just cook up from frozen. Heat up foil wrapped frozen burritos in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes... or remove frozen burrito from foil, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 2-3 minutes on high until warmed/hot.

"Drunken Frenchman" Toast

So this has taken a while, but I finally made it!

For Spring Break, we drove over to Colorado to visit my friend Nicole and her family, who were on vacation from Germany. We stayed at the Devil's Thumb Ranch, outside of Tabernash, Colorado. They have a gorgeous lodge with several restaurants. The restaurant we frequented every morning (and our first night) was called Heck's. It is a very impressive hexagon-shaped (hexagon = six, in case you've forgotten) room which surrounds a spectacular hexagon-shaped fireplace. Breathtaking.


Before we left, I had to try their "Drunken Frenchman" Toast. I asked for the recipe, but the waitress only recited a list of ingredients. So other than the ingredients, the proportions are all mine. For the record, the waitress said "bourbon." I don't have any bourbon, so I chose to use Jack Daniel's. You can use whatever you'd like.


I was hoping it would turn out similar to my breakfast at Heck's, and I have to say, woohoo! This is a delicious rendition of the Devil's Ranch breakfast! Make some at your ranch!

"Drunken Frenchman" Toast
Serves 4

8 slices Texas toast*

4 eggs
2/3 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Jack Daniel's

powdered sugar
maple syrup

Preheat griddle to medium; preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Whisk eggs, half and half, spices, vanilla, sugar and bourbon together in a shallow dish. (a pie plate works perfectly for this). Soak each side of each piece of Texas toast in the egg mixture, (not too long!) then place on griddle. Cook for about 2 minutes each side, until golden brown. Place toast on an oven-safe platter and keep warm in the oven.

To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

*I actually got nine pieces of toast out of my egg mixture this morning.

Bauducco Panettone French Toast

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program, I received two free samples of Bauducco's Panettone! (If you're like me, you're saying, what does that even mean?)


Well, when I opened the box, I saw that a Panettone is a "specialty cake!" We got one with chocolate chips in it, and one with raisins in it. Each cake is about 26 ounces, pretty big! Foodbuzz also sent a couple recipes, for French toast and Bread Pudding. I couldn't resist the French toast...and of course chose to make it with the chocolate chip panettone!


But first a bit of history...right off the box.

"In 1952, in a small confectionery, the Bauducco family began making Panettones using its special recipe directly from Italy. With great dedication, work and a special talent for baking, the family saw its Panettone become increasingly recognized for its quality and unique taste. Carefully prepared with a traditional natural leavening process, each Bauducco Panettone takes more than 50 hours to bake."


We sampled a couple pieces before we made the French toast, and it is delicious! Just the right texture, with a hint of a citrus flavor, which is excellent with the chocolate! So far we've only had the chocolate chip cake, because we have two little boys who love chocolate. They are in love. "That cake is sooooo yummy," they both have said several times. "This is the Best French Toast Ever," they said. Things like that.

If you want to try some, here's one place to get it: Bauducco Panettone with Hershey Chocolate. You do have to carefully remove the baking paper from the cake, but it comes off pretty easily.

The French toast is, of course, simple to prepare. The recipe calls for sour cream, but I made a late-night chip dip last night and...we don't have any more sour cream...so I used plain yogurt. I doubled the recipe so we each got a piece, and there was enough egg mixture for 6 half-slices of toast. (the cake is pretty big, so I cut each slice in half for easier handling)


The French toast turned out moist and decadent, a welcome departure from regular French toast. We loved it! It was like a special treat on a regular Saturday. We went simple and served ours with maple syrup (and a little whipped cream for my husband and the boys!)


Panettone French Toast
Serves 2

2 3/4-inch-thick slices of Bauducco Panettone
2 eggs
1 heaping tablespoon sour cream (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons milk
Butter

Beat eggs, sour cream and milk in a shallow, flat-bottomed dish. (I always use a pie plate). Place panettone slice in the dish for a minute, then turn over to soak both sides completely.

Warm skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter to grease the skillet. Gently remove soaked panettone from dish and place onto heated skillet. Cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side for soft center, 3 minutes per side for firm center. (I cooked mine for about 2 minutes per side, and they were perfect!)

Spread a little butter on each slice, then drizzle with maple syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Taste & Create: Irish Cheese Ball

Taste & Create is a monthly food blog event, created by my friend Nicole of For the Love of Food. Participants are randomly paired, and must choose and create a recipe from their partner's blog. It is FUN. If you'd like to sign up, check out How it Works or email me at cowgirlmin07[at]gmail[dot]com by the 8th of every month!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of my Taste & Create partners this month is Laura of Tasteful Diversions. I was happy to see all of Laura's recipes organized by category on one page! While several of her recipes look delicious, I was intrigued by the Cheese Ball with variations.


I chose the "Irish" variation, mostly because I couldn't imagine what a cheese ball with Bailey's Irish Cream in it would taste like, so I had to find out.

This is a delicious cheese ball! There is a slightly tangy flavor from the Bailey's, which adds interest without a heavy alcohol flavor. It's good! We all liked it. (Mine turned out a little flat because we couldn't wait the full three hours...)



Irish Cheese Ball

1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1/2 – 1 tsp seasoned salt (to taste)

Blend all ingredients together in food processor until creamy. Empty contents of food processor onto large square of plastic wrap. Holding all for corners of plastic wrap, twist plastic closed. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. When firm, remove from plastic wrap and shape into sphere. Roll ball in chopped pecans.

Serve with crackers.

Taste & Create: Stuffed French Toast

My partner for this month's Taste & Create was Chaya. Chaya has a few different blogs, including Comfy Cook's Kosher Kitchen, and has even contributed some recipes here at The Bad Girl's Kitchen! I spent some time searching her archive of recipes, mainly for something for which I had all the ingredients, because I realized the deadline was fast approaching and I wasn't going to make it to the store beforehand.

*Taste & Create is an amazing monthly food blog event, created by my friend Nicole of For the Love of Food. Participants are paired up randomly, and each create a recipe from their partner's blog! It is so fun! Please join us.

I love love love the Pain Perdue (stuffed French toast with cream cheese and orange marmalade) at Mimi's Cafe. Although it's completely different from Mimi's, when I discovered Chaya's Stuffed French Toast recipe, I had to make it. It sounds delightfully simple, filled with cinnamon cream cheese. And delicious too!

*since I started planning to make this, Chaya has consolidated her blogs, so the original recipe can be found on Bizzy B. Bakes, link below!*


I didn't have whipped cream cheese, so I brought about 4 ounces of regular cream cheese to room temperature and whipped it myself. I wanted to make this breakfast for my family of 4, but the original recipe calls for a whole cup of cream cheese to serve just 2 people! Although I love cream cheese, the thought of eating 1/2 cup of it didn't sit well with me, so I didn't double the cream cheese mixture. I just divided it between 4 sets bread and doubled the amount of eggs. I also halved the amount of brown sugar, and didn't increase the cinnamon or vanilla in the egg mixture.

It's important to whisk the egg mixture in between soaking the toast so the cinnamon doesn't separate too much.

I think the amount of cinnamon I used in the recipe is about right, I certainly wouldn't increase it. The amount of filling I used was just right for us too. Number One and H-Bomb and I liked the French toast; Sawed Off didn't want any.

This is a sweet treat for breakfast, and I look forward to experimenting with more variations!

My measurements, to serve 4, are below. Follow the link for Chaya's original recipe to serve 2, if you want more filling and more cinnamon.



Stuffed French Toast
Serves 4

8 pieces of bread

Egg mixture:
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten well

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 tablespoon butter

Put butter in large skillet or griddle. Heat slowly.

Combine cinnamon, vanilla, milk and eggs in a shallow bowl. Mix well and set aside egg mixture.

Combine the filling mixture, whipping until smooth.

Make sandwiches. Spread cream cheese mixture on one slice of bread, top with another slice of bread. Soak both sides of the "sandwich" in egg mixture.

Heat griddle to medium and put sandwiches on griddle. Cook for two minutes on each side, being careful not to burn. They should be golden brown.

Remove from heat and enjoy.

Taste & Create: Homemade Paneer

Have you participated in Taste & Create yet?? You totally should. It's a food blog event created by my friend Nicole. People are randomly paired off, and you have to make something from your partner's blog. Easy and super fun! What are you waiting for?

Go here to find out how to sign up, by the 8th of each month.

This month, my partner was Padmajha, aka "PJ" of Seduce Your Tastebuds. We've been partners before, you may remember when I made her Vegetable Kurma and Meethi Paratha last year. I always get so excited when I'm partnered with someone whose recipes are so different, a world apart from my own!

I've never had or made paneer before, but given my recent success with Greek Yogurt, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I might be using some of our paneer to make these Vegetable Paneer Parathas, if we don't eat it all first!

This is very simple to make, and has sort of a cream cheese texture. Yum!

Here is what you'll need, aside from milk and lemons. A pan or pot (I used my Le Creuset pan), a small sieve, cheesecloth, a large bowl (to catch the whey), a large sieve. That's about it.

PJ has a nice set of step-by-step pictures on her post, follow the link below to her original recipe.


Homemade Paneer

1 liter milk (I used organic cow's milk)
juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon

1. Heat the milk in a pot. Bring it to boil and turn off the flame.

2. Squeeze out the juice of lemon into a small sieve over the milk. [I used a whole lemon]. Vinegar can also be used. If it does not curdle immediately or fully, add some more lemon juice/vinegar.

3. The milk will curdle immediately. Let it stand for around 10-15 minutes.

4. Strain the contents of the pan.

5. Remove the paneer into another pan and rinse with water a couple of times to remove sourness.

6. Drain and transfer the paneer onto a muslin cloth/cheese cloth.

7. Squeeze out the water and hang the cloth over a bowl until the whey completely drains out, about an hour. (I couldn't squeeze very hard without curds squishing out of the cheesecloth, so I let mine drain for about two hours)

Paneer is now ready to be used in a dish of your choice. You can save the whey water, which is very nutritious. Here are some of PJ's ideas for using it:

• Store whey in the fridge and the next time you prepare chapathi/Roti use this water to make the dough.
• It can also be used instead of lemon juice[as a starter] the next time you make paneer.
• Use it as a soup base
• Add a pinch of salt and drink it up
• Use it while preparing baked goodies.
• Use it in milkshakes instead/with milk.

Smoked Salmon Frittata

When you have a lot of chickens, you have a lot of eggs. When you live in the middle of nowhere, with no neighbors to whom to sell/give/unload your eggs, you have A LOT of eggs. Therein lies my motivation. Besides calling for a dozen eggs (woohoo!), the recipe just sounds good and I happened to have every single ingredient~bonus!

This comes from Ina's Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I love Ina, and I love this cookbook.

I made this back in December, and it was delicious. We'll have it again very soon. Although we had it for dinner, the frittata would be excellent for brunch or any time of day!


Smoked Salmon Frittata
Serves 8

1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 extra-large eggs (I threw in an extra egg for good measure)
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (I used 3 teaspoons dried dill)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté the onion and butter in a 10-inch oven-proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the heavy cream, goat cheese, smoked salmon, scallions, dill, salt, and pepper and combine. Pour the mixture over the onions and place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.

Thick & Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup

I saved this recipe from a package of canned chicken breast from Costco. I knew it would come in handy for a quick meal! Really you could use any kind of cooked chicken instead.

You should have just about everything for this meal right in your pantry or refrigerator, so it's easy to throw together. The thing that takes the most time, honestly, is grating carrots, but you don't have to do that many.

The soup is actually thick and hearty! H-Bomb loved it, Sawed Off was having a bread night (but ate a few bites of soup too). I thought it was good for a last-minute weeknight kind of soup. Very fast.


Thick & Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup
probably serves about 4

1 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 (250 ml-10 3/4 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (350 ml-12.5 ounce) can Kirkland Signature Chunk Breast of Chicken
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium saucepan, cook carrots and green onion in hot butter about 10 minutes or until tender but not browned. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts. Serve hot.

Taste & Create: Pizza di Ricotta

For this month's Taste & Create, I was paired with Maria at Mangia, Figlie. I was immediately tempted by her Zeppole di San Giuseppe, but time got away from me. In a pinch, with the T&C deadline fast approaching, I decided to make Maria's Aunt Ann's Pizza di Ricotta, or Ricotta Pie. Of her Aunt Ann, Maria writes, “…she’s the one who cooks furiously and always has something ready to go in the freezer for when 30 people just happen to drop by on a Sunday afternoon."


Does that sound familiar? I may not be able to pull a meal for 30 out of the freezer, but if someone says in the morning "Can you make dinner for all 15 of us tonight?" I can say "yes" and have a pretty good head start with my well-stocked freezer/pantry.

For those of you who don't know, Taste & Create is the brainchild of the lovely Nicole of For the Love of Food. T&C is a monthly food blog event in which participants are paired off to choose and prepare a recipe from their partners' blog, and blog about it. Occasionally, like this month, I get to host this fun time. Head over to the T&C website and check out what deliciousness everyone's been creating!

...So then I got sick, and I am just now getting around to making this! It may be the latest T&C entry I've ever submitted! Thanks for waiting...I'll report back after the pie has been chilled and sampled. It SMELLS delightful. =)


I love that this "pizza" has no crust, it really doesn't need one, and it's so easy to put together. The pie is cool and refreshing, with sort of a custardy texture. Definitely a strong hint of anise (licorice) flavor with just one teaspoon, I would NOT use more than that. I think it would also be delicious if you substituted almond or vanilla for the anise. Delicious with or without coffee!

No-Crust Pizza di Ricotta

1 1/2 pounds ricotta
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons anise extract (I used 1 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small glass pie plate or 8-inch baking dish.

Mix all ingredients, pour into dish, and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool and refrigerate several hours. Serve chilled.

Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere

We were served this strata at a brunch a couple weeks ago, and I just happen to have the recipe. It comes from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe. It's a delicious strata, but it's not my favorite strata to date. (My favorite so far has asparagus, sausage and fontina, and I have to tell you it's much easier to make than this one too!)

Sorry, I don't have a picture for you, maybe next time!


Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere
Serves 6 to 8

Though each strata calls for a certain type of cheese, feel free to substitute any good melting cheese, such as Havarti, sharp cheddar, or colby. Be sure to use supermarket-style loaf bread with a thin crust and fluffy crumb; artisan loaves with a thick crust and chewy crumb don't work well here. The strata needs to sit in the refrigerator, well covered, for at least 8 hours in order to achieve the desired consistency, and it can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

16-20 (1/2-inch-thick) slices supermarket French or Italian bread
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the baking dish
2 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine or vermouth
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
12 large eggs
3 1/2 cups half-and-half

1. Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the bread cool completely and then spread butter evenly over 1 side of each bread slice, using 4 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.

3. Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and tightly fit half of the bread slices, buttered sides up, into a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half of the spinach mixture, then 1 cup of the cheese evenly over the bread slices. Repeat with the remaining bread slices, spinach mixture, and 1 more cup of the cheese.

4. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until combined, then whisk in the reduced wine, half-and-half , 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top.

5. TO STORE: Wrap the strata tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap flush to the surface of the strata. Weight the strata down (three 1-pound boxes of brown or confectioner's sugar, laid side-by-side over the plastic-covered surface, or a gallon-size zipper-lock bag filled with about 2 pounds of sugar or rice, make ideal weights for the assembled strata.

6. TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, unwrap the strata and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

HAM & CHEESE QUICHE

I have used this same recipe for traditional quiche for years and adapted it today to use what I had on hand. It was a pleasant success.

Be sure and visit me over at Always Eat On The Good China for more great recipes.

1/2 pound diced ham
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 shallot finely chopped
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 deep pie crust

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Pre-bake the pie crust and cool before filling.
• Lightly saute shallot and ham.
  
• Sprinkle the ham and onion and grated cheddar cheese evenly into crust.
• Beat the eggs, whipping cream and seasonings until well blended. Pour over mixture in pie crust.
• Bake 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 300° and bake an additional 35-45 minutes or until just golden and knife comes out clean.
• Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.