My roommate Caitlin Sullivan made this dish for our Easter brunch, and it was wonderful. It's a recipe from her mother, who calls it "cheese strata."

    • 12 slices white bread
    • 8 slices of yellow American deli cheese
    • 1 package of frozen chopped broccoli, cooked
    • 6 eggs, slightly beaten
    • 3 and ½ cups milk
    • salt and pepper to taste

Use a glass to cut circles from bread. Butter a 9 x 13" Pyrex pan. Layer bread remnants (not circles), then cheese, then broccoli, then bread circles. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over all. Bake in a 325 F oven for 55 minutes.

Optional variation: If desired, add diced cooked ham before baking and shredded cheese the last five minutes of baking.

To read about how marathon trainee Eleanor Barkhorn whipped up Easter brunch for 25, click here.