By Labor Day weekend. Hannah's sisters drove down for the long weekend — both of them, the first time they've been here together in two years. Linda from Stillwater and Marcia from Joplin. The house was full in a way it hasn't been since Christmas. They slept in the spare room and on the pull-out, and I cooked because that's what I do when the house is full, and they let me cook because they know.
Saturday I smoked a brisket and made bean bread and roasted corn and put together a dinner for eight that turned into a dinner for ten because Lily and Ben came up too when they heard the sisters were in town. The kitchen was loud and the porch was louder and Hannah was happier than she's been in a while. Her sisters are her oldest people. They knew her before me. They have stories about her at twelve that I don't have. They told one Saturday night about Hannah taking the family dog to a 4-H show without their parents' permission and getting home at midnight and grounded for two weeks and worth it because the dog won a ribbon. I had not heard that story before. Hannah looked at me across the table and said: don't.
Sunday I made breakfast for eight — biscuits and gravy and eggs and bacon and the last of the cantaloupe from the garden. I had not made biscuits in a while and the first batch was tough. The second batch was right. Marcia asked for the recipe. I said: it's the back of the flour bag. She said: the back of the flour bag never tastes like that. I said: the back of the flour bag plus a cold kitchen and not overworking the dough. She wrote it down on a napkin. I have a feeling I'm going to be the source of the biscuit recipe in Joplin from now on, which is a kind of legacy I didn't expect but which I'll take.
Monday they left. The house got quiet. Hannah sat on the porch that afternoon and didn't talk for a long time. I sat with her. After a while she said: I miss them when they're here. I said: I know. She said: that's a stupid thing to say. I said: it's not. It's not stupid. The missing starts before the leaving when the seeing reminds you of the missing. It's how time works on people who are far away most of the year. Hannah nodded. She said: thank you for cooking all weekend. I said: thank you for asking them to come.
Sunday morning with eight people in the house and more coffee to make and Hannah’s sisters still in their pajamas at the table — that’s exactly the kind of morning that calls for something you can pull out of the oven and set in the middle of the table and let everyone serve themselves from. The biscuits were my own project that morning, but a Ham ’n’ Cheese Strata is what I’d make the next time we’re all together — it’s the kind of dish that sits overnight and bakes while people are still waking up, so by the time Linda and Marcia wandered in, breakfast would already be done and the kitchen would be calm and I could just sit down with everyone else for once.
Ham ’n’ Cheese Strata
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min (plus overnight chill) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 12 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 2 cups diced cooked ham
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Layer the base. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 slices of bread in a single layer to cover the bottom, trimming to fit if needed.
- Add filling. Scatter the diced ham evenly over the bread layer, then top with 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar. Lay the remaining 6 bread slices on top to form a second layer.
- Mix the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
- Pour and press. Pour the egg mixture slowly and evenly over the bread layers. Press down gently with a spatula so the bread absorbs the custard. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar over the top, then dot with butter pieces.
- Chill overnight. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. This is what gives the strata its custard texture.
- Bake. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Rest and serve. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve directly from the baking dish at the table.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 820mg