I know, I know

I've been shamefully neglecting my blogging responsibilities, it seems like it takes ridiculous amounts of work looming (like the two papers and a presentation I'm working on today!) to get me to post.  I keep meaning to do better and have even taken pictures of meals, only to forget about writing them up, or rather decide that Hulu or going out are better uses of my time. I've also been shockingly busy (for a second semester senior, that it. It's a different criteria), but as the weather finally improves and we start to grill more, I hope to be all over that, if only so I can one day remember what I've been doing and can possibly recreate them in Arizona (!) or wherever I end up after that. If Grace can get her act together to keep hers going, so can I!

I haven't completely forsaken the whole foodie thing in my absence, though! The Food & Drank page is alive and well (reviews, reviews, and more reviews!) I've also started trying to get better about understanding what it is we drink. Getting into wine seemed like a logical next step in our foodie development, so my housemates and I have taken to performing very rudimentary wine (and occasionally beer) tastings - see one of our early forays here.

Holidays, though, are always worth documenting. I'm always sad to miss Easter at home (fully documented in Food & Drank! I told you I've been writing!) so we decided to do it up right. I made my mom's Ham Stratta, one of my friends made Grand Marnier French Toast, another brought her excellent Breakfast Potatoes, and we rounded it out with ambrosia (old school!), fruit, and mimosas.

My mom's stratta is really good, always one of the highlights of Easter at home. I altered the recipe a bit from the one I put in the paper, and clarified a few things (she was nice enough to dash it off in an email to me when I was trying to shop and get ready!) Honestly, though, I'm not really sure how you could go wrong with this one. Eggs and cheese? What's not to love?

Ingredients:
-A loaf of white bread (you'll need pretty much the whole thing)
-4 cups cubed ham (I bought a 1 lb pack of pre-cooked ham steaks in the meat/deli section and chopped it up myself)
-2 cups grated sharp cheddar
-2 cups grated swiss cheese
-6 eggs
-3 cups milk
-dry mustard (My mom uses Colman's, but I couldn't find it so I used dijon with no problems)
-Crushed Ritz crackers for topping

Beat the milk and eggs together, adding in a little (tsp?) mustard. Cut the crusts off the bread, spread a thin layer of mustard on each, and lay half of the slices down in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread half of the cubed ham and half of each of the cheeses over the bread. Repeat for a second layer. Pour the egg mixture over everything.

Cover it and let it sit for the egg to soak in. My mom and I are usually not very patient, and you can let it hang out in the fridge for just an hour or so, but I made mine the day before and left it in the fridge overnight (all the better to party on a Saturday night and avoid getting up any earlier than necessary!)

When you're ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 375. Sprinkle the top with crushed Ritz (I added a little more cheese too). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until it's puffed up.

Easy and delicious, plus it can feed a ton of people, pretty much the perfect brunch item!