Strata

I have been testing breakfast recipes in anticipation of the arrival of TEN TEENAGERS on the weekend of March 2-4. Joe is the taste tester. He suffers through it if he must. The strata above was adapted from a Country Living magazine recipe in the January issue this year.

Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli

• 4 1/2 cups 1-inch bread cubes (about three quarters of a French loaf)
• Butter, for greasing dish
• 6 ounces shredded Cheddar (about 1 1/2cups)
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups milk ( I left this out of the original post edited on 2/26/12 see why I should not do this?)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 4 ounces ricotta cheese (about 1/2 cup

• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1. Place bread in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Top with 1 cup cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon parsley.
2. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over bread and gently press to soak every cube. Add dollops of ricotta over top. Sprinkle strata with herbs de Provence and remaining Cheddar. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.

Remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about one hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until strata is puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My Notes:

I used mozzarella because I had a lot and it is lower in fat. 
I had no ricotta cheese or parsley so I left them out. 
 It tasted light and delicious and Joe loved it.
It was quick and easy to make.
I cook all the time but sharing recipes makes me anxious for some reason.
Must work on this.

♥♥♥

Thank you for your comments yesterday about the camellias 

and yes they came from our flower garden.  

Our red ones are just about to bloom.

joy and peace

Olive