Cheese Strata Casserole

AKA the main staple breakfast dish for any holiday or special breakfast/brunch that we attend. It's so easy to make, here I'll show you:

Ingredients:
12 slices White Pepperidge Farm Bread (crust removed)*
6 slices of thick cheese (I usually use Cheddar or Swiss)*
1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained*
1 1/2 cups chopped or diced ham or bacon (really crisp bacon)*

4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. minced onion

To construct this dish, the night before you plan on serving it, prep all ingredients (cook bacon if need be, thaw broccoli, trim bread crusts, etc.)

In a 9 x 13 dish, layer 6 slices of bread (or however many pieces you need to cover the bottom). Put a slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread. Scatter broccoli on top of cheese, then spread ham or bacon in with the broccoli. Top with remaining slices of bread.

Mix together all other ingredients listed beating the eggs first. Pour the liquid mixture over the entire casserole dish. Refrigerate overnight. (This lets the bread soak up all the liquid)

Next morning, bake at 325 about 55 minutes. (I usually bake the first half hour with foil on the dish and the last 25 minutes without) Let the casserole stand 10 minutes before serving.

Now you may have noticed some *s above. There's some tips to the ingredients:

* The reason Pepperidge Farm Bread is listed is because it's dense and will hold up with all of the liquid and cooking. You want the regular thickness, not the thin slices, but you could probably substitute another equally dense bread. Just don't use Wonder Bread or something like that.

* Same thing with the cheese, get the thicker slices from the Deli counter. This dish bakes almost an hour, you want it to hold up through all that cooking. Last time I mixed Colby Jack and Swiss - Yummy!

* If you don't like broccoli, fine! You can put in whatever veggies you like. For Easter I did a mixture of Spinach, Mushrooms and Shallots. If you put any real onion or Shallot in the dish here, don't add the minced onion into the liquid mixture.

* I made the last one with Sausage (brown and crumble beforehand) and it was yummy. Any meat will do.

So that's it. Customize however you like to suit what might be in season or your family's tastes. I hope you like it and enjoy! I love this recipe! If you have any other ideas for veggies or seasons, let me know! I'd love to hear it!

Mystery Solved!

So, I've been sewing up a storm, almost finished one quilt top and I'm getting ready to start another. Boy, do I love progress!!! And I solved the mystery around the house, let me clue you in:

Okay, so do you remember back here when I first showed pictures of my resident squirrels and was wondering why the one was so big??? Well, this is the reason:

 Two very small adorable baby squirrels!!! I thought I saw something rustling in the squirrel hole, but didn't see anything for about a week or so and I just dismissed it. But today I saw it again and I now have photo proof!

 When I first noticed them and grabbed my camera Momma here must have signaled them because the little ones dove into the hole as fast as they could and she was flicking her tail until I left...

 So I snuck into my sewing room and took pictures in between my miniblinds (pardon the fuzzy lines) and you can just barely see a baby here.

 Well, Momma took off and left for a few hours so the little ones were soaking up as many rays of sun they could while it lasted.

This one is gonna be a daring little guy. He would try to stretch and climb knowing that both Mom and Dad can do it. He's definitely a determined toddler. A little wobbly and he'll be running and climbing before too long. So, I wasted some time I probably should have been sewing taking these pictures, but it was well worth it. You can almost see him here thinking "I can do this, now just how?"

So, I will be posting the Strata recipe later this evening, but for now I have to go quilt a bit more! Got any ideas for names for these little ones?

The Envelope Please...

Congrats to Dot!!! You have won the contest for the wedding quilt idea brain storm session what-cha-ma-call-it!!! Dot, you have an e-mail in your inbox, please send me your snail mail address and I will get your prize to you as soon as I can!

Thank you to all who gave advice and opinions on the subject. I'm still searching for that perfect pattern... maybe I will just have to draw one up!

Well, a storm's a brewing here... Soon I'm going to have to invest in pontoons and kayaks if this keeps up. So much for working in that garden... I'm just hoping the old saying is true "April Showers bring May Flowers". At this point I'm fearing all the wildflower seeds I planted last week have floated off to somewhere other than where I had planted them...

So, other than that I am sewing as we speak (had to take a small time out for dinner and catching up on e-mails) and hoping to sew much more tonight! Wish me luck!!!

Thanks again for all who participated and I'm hoping to have another recipe up tomorrow. I made this awesome new version of my family's Cheese Strata which is typical holiday breakfast/brunch food and I think I have to share. No pictures though, it was ssssooooooo good it all disappeared!

Until next time!

Happy Easter!!!

Cheese and Sausage Strata made - Check!

Getting Hungry for Easter Brunch (CarbFest part Deux) - Check!

Loving the blooming flowers - Check!

Wishing it won't rain today - Check!

Wishing all of you a Happy Easter! - Check!

Hope you all have a wonderful day, we're spending the morning with family and the plan after that is 1- if it's not raining working more in the garden.... 2 - if it is raining, staying inside and getting some quilting done!!!

Have a wonderful day and I will announce the winner of the contest tomorrow morning... (the Easter Bunny convinced me to be nice, so if you haven't submitted yet, you can still enter through today!) The winner will be posted tomorrow!!!! Have a great day!!!

Busy week

They all seem to be that way anymore, but that's fine with me! I keep telling my Hubbin it keeps me out of trouble. I'm not sure he's buying it, but maybe one of these days he'll believe me.

So I know I disappeared for a little bit over the last week or so. This is what I've been up to:

 I spot this woodpecker in my back yard from time to time. See it in the upper left? It's nice to see birds again and hear them chirping.

 I planted these tomato plants last week and look at them already!!! I can't wait to have my own garden again!

 I've been cutting and cutting and cutting more quilts. And I still have a ton to go so nothing finished to show you right now.

 And I have to take some time to spend with this one...

 And this one... even if it's me checking my e-mails while snuggling on the couch with one or both of them.

And lastly, I got this card from the wonderful Moda Lissa. I thought it was special and wanted to pass it on to show all of you!

So, it's been productive this week but I thought I might have something finished to show you. Not yet, but I'm working on so many things, one of them is gonna get finished soon by golly!

So I'm off to cut out more fabric so wish me luck I get done (or close to it) and draw out some more ideas.

Oh, and I almost forgot!!! For the contest I've decided to give away a Charm Pack, a Perfect for Precuts magazine, and some other little small goodies. Head on over and tell me what your ideal quilt for a wedding gift would be to win the prize!!! Enter until April 23rd (the day before Easter) and I will post the winner on Monday the 25th. Good luck and I'm loving the ideas so far!!!

Until next time!!!

Opinions needed

This contest is now closed. Thank you to all who participated!!!

I have a couple dear friends getting married next year and I would like to make them quilts. Luckily I have plenty of time to make and quilt these pieces before the weddings bells ring, however I'm stuck before I start.

I'm having the hardest time trying to find a "wedding" pattern that isn't a double wedding ring. Or some other seriously complicated hand pieced design.

I know I am a pattern designer and I could probably come up with something, but I was kinda wanting to go the traditional route with a block that could "possess" the story and good will for a newly wed couple.
So here comes the fun part, why don't we have a little contest. Post a comment below with your ideal "wedding quilt" and what colors you would do it out of. If you would like to elaborate on why you would choose those, go ahead and chat your heart out!!!

I'm always looking for some inspiration and since I'm so near and dear to these friends I think that's why I'm just flat out stuck...I want it to be perfect and something that they will be able to treasure throughout their long married lives.

I don't have an exact idea yet on what the prize will be... most likely some precuts and some other goodies, but I will get back to you on that one. How about we close this contest at midnight (EST) April 23rd, the day before Easter...

I can't wait to read what you all would choose to do or have done in the past. I'll go shopping tomorrow and let you know about what goodies you could win and what else I've been up to this week...Until next time!!!

Popping in to say Hi!

So, I've been cutting out a bunch of quilt projects over here.

I've also gotten some odds and ends finished.

You know those pesky ones that multiply when you're on vacation???

So, I've gotten some quilting done.

My guild raffle quilt blocks are done so that's a plus...

But we ended up at the vet with Duncan yesterday

(he hurt his spine as a pup and it flared up again)

so some Mommy and Duncan time was needed

and that's fine with me!!!

Not pictures today, but I should have some soon...

And as much as I'm having to delete and retype all these misspelled words, I need to go take a nap.

Chat with you all later!