Breakfast Strata.

It's like quiche only better.  Because it's easy.  And has the same quichey flavor.  Only, did I say it was EASY?

Easy Breakfast Strata

Ingrediants:

7 cups of bread, cubed.  {For the super lazy, ahem like me, that is 9 Costco dinner rolls.}

8 ounces of Emanthaler Swiss  {Trust me, go for the good cheese here people, it makes a difference.}

5 large eggs

1 cup of milk

1 cup of heavy cream

2 TB butter, melted

1 TB dijon mustard

1/2 t. thyme

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. salt {I used Spanish Rosemary sea salt... because when you spend $50 on salt you should use it.}

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. onion powder

2 shakes of Tabasco

Directions:
Cube the bread, shred the swiss, & set aside.  Crack eggs and whisk with a fork.  Add milk, cream, mustard, spices, & Tabasco to the eggs.  Add a layer of bread to the bottom of a baking dish, then a layer of cheese, then repeat.  Pour the egg mixture on top.  Then pour the melted butter on.  Pop in the fridge overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Allow the strata to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes on the counter.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes, then cut into squares. 

This is such a forgiving recipe that if you'd like to add in your choice of vegetables {spinach, mushrooms, or red onion sounds divine} or meats {sausage, bacon, procuttio, or chorizo are good choices} you can do that too.  Just sautee the veggies or cook the meat and allow to cool before adding to the strata.  Maybe about a cup or cup and a half cooked would be a good amount.  If you do this, you may want to add another egg and up the milk & cream 1/4 cup each, just make a judgement call when you get it all together.

Another tip?  I used I think a 9x13 pan... it would be better to do a deeper and less spread out pan so that it's thicker.  Next time I think I am going to use a 9x9 or 8x8 square pan instead.

Enjoy!  And if you try the recipe, stop back to let me know how you tweaked it for your family.