Cheese Strata

Feeds 6

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  45 minutes
Cheese Strata is a filling baked dish that is actually better with stale bread–perfect if your bread is getting old, or has been stored in your freezer.  It can use basic ingredients or you can load it with ingredients.  It also takes little preparation time.  You can prepare the strata and then refrigerate it to cook later if you’d like.
Ingredients:

• 12 slice of bread
• 6 slices of cheese or 2 cups shredded cheese
• Any vegetables you have, fresh or cooked. (Mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, salsa, and chilies all work well. If you plan to use crisp vegetables such as broccoli or bell peppers, you may want to sauté them first.)
• 2  2/3 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange 6 slices of bread in the bottom of a 9×13″ greased baking dish. Cover with cheese.
3. Create a layer of vegetables of your choice.
4. Top with remaining bread.
5. Beat together milk, eggs, salt, and mustard. Pour mixture over bread.
6. Bake 45 minutes or until golden and puffed.