By Amy Ledig

I’m always a little sad to be away from home on Easter. At home, it’s a pretty big deal. Tons of family and friends come over. We have an Easter egg hunt, and the dining room table gets lost under the ham and ridiculous number of side dishes. After spending the last few years ignoring it, either eating out or going to Chicago for the weekend, I decided to do something about it this spring. I’m finally off campus with a kitchen – an admittedly tiny one, but a kitchen nonetheless -at my disposal. I am a chronic hostess of dinner parties, so I decided to just bump up the timeframe and have my sister and my friends come over for Easter brunch. Our tentative menu involves hashbrowns, Grand Marnier french toast, fruit and maybe some matzah. My contribution will be my mom’s ham stratta, always one of my favorite parts of the holiday.

On the off chance you’re not headed to my place for Easter brunch and an egg hunt but want to do something festive, check out the recipe. Go heavy on the cheese, it’s the best part!

______________________

Amy’s Mama’s Ham Stratta

20 slices white bread
3-5 cups ham cubes (can buy 1 lb ham slices and cut up or even thicker sliced deli meat )
2+ cups grated sharp cheddar
2+ cups grated swiss cheese
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard (in a pinch, use regular. mustard)
Crushed Ritz crackers for topping

-Beat the eggs and milk together. Add seasonings.

-Cut/tear crusts off bread and lay 1/2 down in bottom of 9×13 pan.Spread 1/2 ham and 1/2 of both cheeses over the bread. Repeat layers.

-Pour egg/milk mixture over everything. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

-Preheat oven to 375. Uncover. Sprinkle top with crushed crackers. -Bake 45 min to 1 hour until it puffs up.