My thoughts on a weekend morning are usually as follows:

“Oh, man.  I really slept in longer than I wanted to.  I have so much to do today…where should I start?  Take Scout for a mini walk.  Make some coffee.  Feed the animals.  Make something for breakfast…oh wait…I have an overnight breakfast casserole to eat for breakfast, and all I have to do is preheat the oven and pop it in to bake.  Score.”

I compare a strata like this to one of the little things you sometimes hear people do to lighten their loads a little.  Like, sometimes I will leave cash in the pockets of my winter coats when I pack them away in the spring so that inevitably I will find it a year later when I have forgotten it completely.  Same thing goes for the glove compartment in my car.  An extra $5 for unexpected tolls and/or emergency coffee run?  I might have that covered.  This casserole is sort of the same thing.  My short term memory isn’t always the best in the morning, so the sudden realization that I will be having a warm and fancy breakfast with little effort is almost like an impromptu breakfast in bed.  It’s the little things in life, right?

The other nice thing?  If you do plan on hosting some sort of brunch or breakfast function, you can make this the night before and serve it to some seriously impressed and happy people for breakfast.  Whatever it takes to make life just a little bit easier, right?

I took Annie’s suggestions on how to modify this recipe when she made it, and I really liked the results-there was enough spinach there to make me feel good about eating my vegetables, but it still satisfied my need for some eggs and cheese. It also reheated really well throughout the week as leftovers (huge bonus).

Cheese and Spinach Strata

Servings: about 6-8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)

Two 1-ounce packages of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided

8 cups ciabatta bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces

6 ounces Gruyere, grated

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated

9 large eggs

2 and 3/4 cups milk

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

2. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and cook for another minute.

4. Add the spinach and cook until heated through, stirring, for about another 2 minutes or so.  Set aside.

5. Generously spray a 2.5-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

6. Combine the cheeses in a medium size bowl.

7. Layer the bottom of the dish with about 1/3 of the bread cubes, top with 1/3 of the spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

8. Repeat the layering process two more times.

9. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, remaining salt and pepper until combined.

10.  Evenly pour the egg mixture over the bread/cheese/spinach layers.  Cover tightly and chill overnight.

11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  While your oven is pre-heating, let the strata come to room temperature.

12. Bake uncovered until slightly crisped and golden, about 45-55 minutes.

Source:  Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen, as seen in Gourmet, February 2003.

The all-consuming visual crack-like addiction known as Pinterest has claimed me.  I can’t get enough of the visual, written, and creative inspiration that is out there.  I usually hit up the Food and Drink pages first…and then I slowly make my way through fashion, travel, and home decor.  But the Food and Drink pages are what get me.  Do I have a slight problem?  Yes.  In the Twelve Steps of total Pinterest addiction, I am admitting that I have a problem.  It’s my first step.

I saw this dip on Pinterest the other day through the Wisconsin Cheese Talk website (the original post from the Parsley Thief can be found here).  Since I was out the door to the market anyways, I figured I would pick up a 40-ounce bottle of Guinness while I was at it.  At eight in the morning.  Awkward, much?

This is one of the easiest dips I have ever made.  And probably one of the tastiest.  I pretty much ate half of it while taking the pictures…it was so good…and perfect for any beer/cheese/Super Bowl fans out there.  It’s not healthy.  It’s indulgent.  It’s creamy and the taste of Guinness is right there.  It actually reminds me of a beer-cheese fondue that I make quite often.  But this is definitely a go-to if you want something simple, something easily made in advance, or something that will be a major crowd pleaser.

Guinness and Cheddar Dip

Servings: about 4 cups

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons half-and-half

1/4 cup Guinness

2 or 3 scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, mustard, and half-and-half.  Pulse until smooth.

2. With the food processor running, slowly pour the Guinness down the feeder and blend until combined.

3. Add the scallions, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Blend until thoroughly mixed.

4. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill at least for one hour prior to serving.

Source:  Barely adapted from The Parsley Thief, as seen on Wisconsin Cheese Talk.

I’ve been waiting to post this one for a while now.  I didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag yet.

I don’t share all that much about my personal life on this blog.  It’s about the food for me.  But, I feel strongly about this one, so I figured I would share it with all of you, my friends through the internet.

Some of you may know that I had been traveling cross country the past few months, interviewing at several different places for my final, real, grown-up job.  Hectic?  Just a smidge.  After going through all this training (ahem, student loans galore….), I wanted to make the right decision when it came to finally settling down somewhere for a while.  Get my roots, you know?  And after some pretty extensive turmoil over the past four years or so of my life, I was ready to finally go ahead and get my big girl pants on….find a job…negotiate a contract…uproot myself (again) on my own (with a package deal of one fat orange cat, one petite and prissy black cat, and one lovable, sweet sweet boxer..) and start the next phase of my life.

And, so I did.  I’m moving to Milwaukee, friends!  So, starting in July, expect a lot more recipes that call for beer and/or cheese.  I’m going to a great practice with great people, and I will get to do my dream job…everyday.  It’s rare that opportunities like this come up for people in my field, so I am running with one.

To celebrate, I wanted to share a recipe with cheese.  Lots of it.  Something comforting.  Something rewarding.  I indulged at the market with the truffle oil.  I had passed by the white truffle oils several times, giving them a sideways glance and wondering what all the fuss was about.  And, as in fuss, I mean a small bottle costing nearly $20.  My grocery bills are exorbitant enough for one person (I mean, sometimes it’s seriously embarrassing with the amount of food I bring home..for one person.) so I never went for it.  But, with the contract officially signed and sent off now, I figured I should celebrate.  So I bought the big bottle.  Big girl (fancy) pants, right?

A few things about this recipe: I think I may have used a little too much truffle oil, so I am tweaking the recipe here for you.  The flavor is great..it’s a little hard to describe: earthy, savory, a little salty…but definitely fancy.  I also used Dijon mustard in the original recipe, but I would also omit this as well the next time I make this (so I omitted it for you here). The cheese combination melted beautifully.  I used the panko because I prefer that over bread crumbs any day, but feel free to use whatever topping you like.  I decided to broil the mac and cheese instead of baking it because I prefer the texture of a creamy stove-top-like one over a baked version.

And so what did I do?  I poured myself a nice glass of wine, made a side salad, ate something totally unhealthy for dessert, and enjoyed this fancy-pants mac and cheese to celebrate my new transition into being a grown-up.

White Truffle Macaroni and Cheese

Servings: approximately 8

Ingredients

1 cup panko

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1-2 tablespoons white truffle oil (to taste)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups half and half

8 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated

8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces elbow macaroni (or your personal favorite type of pasta)

Green onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (this is considered broiling).  Generously spray a 2.5-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon white truffle oil (if using less white truffle oil overall, use about 1/2 tablespoon here), mixing until combined.

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. (If you are short on time, it might be helpful at this point to get your water boiling for the macaroni.)

4. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the mixture forms a thick paste, about a minute or so.

5. Slowly whisk in the half and half until smooth (some lumps may remain-that’s ok).

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

7. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add the cheeses and stir until completely melted.

8. Add the remaining truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni as directed on the package.  Once cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce.

10.  Evenly distribute the macaroni into the prepared casserole dish and top with the panko mixture.

11.  Broil until the panko topping is lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes.  (Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn!)  Top with green onions (if using) and serve immediately.

Source:  Adapted from Leites Culinaria.