Breakfast of Champions

Vegetable Cheese Strata is a sort of "everything but the kitchen sink" dish. I clean out the fridge making it, plus it's a tasty way to use up the stale remainders of the "good bread" (a.k.a. artisan) from the Tall Grass Bakery in Ballard or Essential Baking Company in Fremont.

The night before your Breakfast of Champions, saute together in butter/olive oil the following:
1.5 cups mix of chopped onions, shallot, scallions + 1 clove garlic
1 head of broccoli, chopped
whatever random leaves of kale you have aging in the fridge
lots of mushrooms, sliced
When these are soft and the mushrooms have released their juices, throw in 1 cup (or so) of sliced bell peppers (or roasted peppers). Saute a little longer.
Throw in fresh herbs: rosemary from the yard? basil from the farmer's market last weekend?

In a separate bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, 1.5 cups of milk, some salt and pepper. From epicurious.com I also learned that it's a good idea to add a couple tablespoons of whole grain mustard and several dashes of Tabasco.

Chop up your stale good bread into 1" cubes (or thereabouts). Pull out your beloved casserole dish. Mine is a Pfaltzgraff Brown Drip from a garage sale. Spray the inside with cooking spray. Layer the bottom tightly with bread cubes. Spread a layer of half the sauteed vegetables on top. Sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese (parmesan and cheddar are good starts--but this is an opportunity to use up the rest of whatever you have in the fridge--use your mental tastebuds to avoid a serious cheese clash) on top of the vegetable layer. Repeat the layers a second time: bread, veg, cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top, evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, pull the Strata out of the fridge and put it on the counter, preheat the oven to 350, and go take your shower. 20 minutes later, put the Strata into the oven (uncovered at first) and leave it in there 45-60 minutes. When it's done baking (you may have needed to put the lid on the casserole for the last 10-15 minutes to prevent over-browning the top), pull it out and let it sit with itself for 10-15 minutes. Then dig in! This type of breakfast is sure to make your day more pleasant.