Any-Season Strata

Ack! No time to go shopping before your guests arrive? Fear not. This strata was designed with you in mind.

Butter for greasing the baking

dish

6 large eggs

1 1⁄4 cups milk Fine-grain sea salt and pepper,

to taste

8 cups stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 3⁄4 to 1 1⁄2 cups grated or crumbled cheese, depending on how cheesy you want it to be

2-3 cups cooked vegetables such as squash, broccoli, onion, mushrooms or sweet potato

Up to 1 cup cooked meat, such as sausage, roast chicken or ground beef

Instructions:

Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter. Whisk the eggs and milk together along with a healthy pinch of

salt and a few grinds of pepper and set aside.

Spread about half the bread cubes in the bottom of the buttered dish, then layer on half of the cheese and half of the vegetables and meat. Then repeat: Layer on the rest of the bread and remaining ingredients.

Pour the egg and milk mixture over everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 30-40 minutes. Uncover at the end for some browning action if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 312 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 193 mg cholesterol, 851 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar, 19 g protein