@Summer Shine I make a vegetable and cheese strata every Christmas for after the presents are opened. You make it the day before, and it can be baking while tyou are doing the presents. You can add sausage or bacon, but I don't think they add anything to this:
Vegetable and Cheese Strata
Ingredients:
1 cup onion – diced
3/4 cup scallion - sliced
1/2 lb. sliced white mushrooms
2 red peppers – diced
1 green pepper - diced
2 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 8-10 ounces)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
10 eggs - well beaten
3 cups milk
2 Tblsp. Mustard
1 loaf of Italian bread from supermarket bakery (about 1 lb.) - cut into cubes
3 Tblsp. olive oil
Tabasco to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet cook the onion, the scallion, and the mushrooms in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the bell peppers and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the liquid the mushrooms gives off is evaporated and the peppers are tender. Arrange half the bread cubes in a buttered large shallow (4 1/2-quart) baking dish, spread half the vegetable mixture over them, and sprinkle half the Cheddar and half the Parmesan over the vegetables. Arrange the remaining bread cubes over the cheese, top them with the remaining vegetables, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the milk, the mustard, the Tabasco, and salt & pepper to taste, Remember that the cheese has salt in it, so go easy on the salt. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the strata, and chill the strata, covered, overnight. Let the strata stand at room temperature for 15 minutes and bake it, uncovered, in the middle of a preheated 350 F oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is puffed and golden and cooked through .You may want to put a shallow pan or tin foil under the casserole to catch the spillage. If the top gets too dark, just cover it lightly with foil. Note: You could also add cooked Italian sausage to this recipe. Make sure you render all the fat when you fry it up. Bacon works too.