END-OF-THE-WEEK DINNER STRATA

I don't use too many recipes for weeknight cooking.  And when I do use recipes, I change them quite a bit depending on what's in my refrigerator.  I believe cooking is an art, not a science.  The wonderful thing about my kitchen art experiments is that I discover great dishes, invented by me.  The bad thing is that not all my dinners are delicious (if I ever invite you over for risotto, make sure you decline, or eat ahead of time).

However, my mistakes are less and less as I experiment and cook.  And as I can't stand wasting food, at the end of the week, I try to see what I can do with the leftovers and make a meal out of it.  This dinner strata is one of those "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" meals.  You use leftover bread, leftover vegetables, whatever cheeses you have on hand, some eggs, and bake it.  Super easy and delicious.  In my last strata, I had broccoli, onions, and mushrooms with cheddar.  My favorite strata includes asparagus with Gruyere.  What will your dinner strata have in it?

Dinner Strata:

*Saute about 1 pound of cut vegetables.
* Shred or have on hand 1 pound of shredded cheese.
*break into bite-sized pieces (or cut cubes of) about 2/3 of a loaf of left over Italian or french bread (preferably whole wheat)
*In a 9 X 9 inch baking pan:
          1) scatter one-third of the bread pieces,
           2)Top with one-third vegetable mixture,
          3) sprinkle one-third of cheese; repeat twice more, ending with cheese on top.
* Whisk 2 cups milk and 4 eggs and salt and pepper to taste; pour mixture evenly over strata and let it rest for about 20 minutes for the bread to absorb the mixture.  Depending on how much bread and veggies you've used, you may need to add more milk.  The strata should look damp, but not doused in liquid.
*Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let strata cool for about 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy your creation!