Breakfast Strata

Calling this a strata is really just a fancy way of saying "savory bread pudding". If that sounds totally weird to you, trust me on this one. This was a delicious meal even if the pictures don't look like much.

The recipe calls this "overnight" strata but I decided at 7:00 p.m. one night that I wanted it for dinner THAT NIGHT. So I made the shortcut version, willing to bet that the results would not kill me, and I was right. It was delicious. This was awesome for dinner but would be equally delicious as breakfast or brunch. If you were going to do it for breakfast I would start it the night before and refrigerate it overnight but you can whip it up in less than a couple hours if the mood strikes you.

It's super customizable so add whatever makes you happy. I had some cooked sausage hanging around in the freezer so I used that and sauteed some mushrooms up. You could add sauteed spinach, bell peppers, thick sliced ham or chopped bacon instead, or just plain.

Breakfast Strata

• Slices of bread, left out overnight to dry out
• The recipe called for French bread but the store was out so I used Publix's Chicago style white bread and toasted it for a few seconds until it was a little dried but before there was any color on it to dry it out a bit. 
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half n half (I used fat free)
• 1 carton cremini mushrooms, cooked
• 1/2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked
• 1 cup cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
• salt and pepper

Lightly grease 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Place one layer of bread on the bottom. Sprinkle half the mushrooms and sausage over top and then half the cheese. Repeat with another layer of bread and more sausage and mushrooms. Mix the eggs and half n half together with salt and pepper and pour over entire pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and put something heavy on top to make it absorb into bread. At this point you can refrigerate up to 12 hours, or just as long as you have. I only waited maybe 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until golden brown around the edges and set in the middle. Let cool 10 minutes and dig in! Leftovers are good too.