Thank You to everyone who has enjoyed my food after the services at CSL on Sundays. You have given me so many compliments that I want you to know how much I appreciate all of you who love to eat! It certainly makes it so much more fun to cook and try new ideas. I have also had many requests for recipes, so I will continue to share my vegetarian food ideas with you in hopes of inspiring you to have more fun and freedom in the kitchen.

Some of my favorite food in the winter time is casseroles. My Mom was the queen of leftovers! It seemed she would toss everything together, put it in a casserole dish and send it to the oven. Most of the time her combinations came out very interesting, a term we use when the dish is not really fantastic, but not really awful either. Occasionally her experiments wouldn’t come out at all and we would moan and groan until the next round of fresh ingredients.

Now I love to make casseroles too, but not having to feed five kids, I rarely have enough leftovers to have to make another meal, so I always use the freshest ingredients. One great leftover is bread. Not the sandwich kind, but any kind of French or Italian loaf. Mostly I buy a couple of loaves, let them sit out and get crusty and stale, cut them into slices and freeze them for my bread puddings and Tomato Basil Strata. This is a wonderful, savory brunch dish perfect with a salad, fresh fruit, or assortment of sweets. If you can get some good fresh tomatoes, use them, otherwise I used canned diced tomatoes, drained well.

Butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Heat oven to 350`. Slice one long loaf of crusty French bread crosswise. If bread is fresh you can toast the slices in the oven until golden brown. You will need a shallow bowl with 1 cup milk or half n half and ¼ cup white wine. Dip slices of bread in milk mixture and put first layer in casserole. Spread a thin layer of pesto over bread slices, add layer of thinly sliced tomatoes or drained diced canned tomatoes. Sprinkle layer of Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, or combination of shredded cheeses. Continue layering until casserole is filled to the top. You will have to continue to add more milk and wine to your dipping bowl. Finish with layer of bread. Lightly beat 4 eggs and 2 cups milk or half n half. Pour mixture over the top of the bread. Sprinkle additional cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

This dish can be prepared in advance and left in the refrigerator over night. Bake in the morning. The Strata also holds over well and can be reheated. The layers are more defined when cooled, refrigerated and reheated.

Have fun with this. You really can’t mess it up. You can add more eggs if you like it eggier or substitute heavy cream for a rich, decadent treat. Add fresh basil leaves on top of the tomato layers if you have them. Lay a few tomato slices on the top before you put the cheese on for color and a burst of flavor. Finely chop fresh basil or Italian parsley to sprinkle on top.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!