Back when I worked at Mississippi State University, I sometimes wandered over to Barnes and Noble for a bite to eat.

The little Starbucks at the corner of the store sold a few grab-and-go meal options in their coolers. I am not a big fan of sandwiches, so I began to try all the offerings in hopes that I’d find something I liked.

That’s how I discovered the deliciousness of strata. They sold an artichoke version and one with spinach.

Strata is very similar to breakfast casserole, but because it’s not baked in layers, the texture is different. Where breakfast casserole is cheesy and melty on top and soft on bottom, strata is a bit craggy and crunchy on top and smooth and silky inside.

To be honest, though, I never gave much thought to the possibility of making my own until the cafe stopped selling it. At that time, I found a few recipes but soon abandoned the mission.

I remembered it again this week. I’ve been trying to use up what we have on hand before buying more food. (This is the story of my life).

On Sunday, I realized I had both a loaf of Italian bread I’d purchased on clearance and a spiral-sliced ham that was marked down after Easter.

That’s when I remembered the magical strata.

I looked up a recipe for ham strata and found several to choose from. There was only one problem: I forgot the cardinal rule of strata-making, quiche-making, and breakfast-casserole-making. (Yes, it’s all the same rule, so you’d think I wouldn’t easily forget it. You’d be wrong.)

That rule is this: never use just regular milk in the egg mixture.

I have tried tons of variations on these recipes, and I have absolutely never been able to get them to cook completely in the time recommended when I have used milk. It doesn’t matter whether the recipe says it’s possible or not; it’s never worked for me.

Instead, use half-and-half or something similar. (I have had good luck with half cream and half milk instead, which is what half-and-half is anyway.)

This time, it had been too long since my last foray into the world of baked eggs, and I forgot my own rule. The end product had great flavor, but it was also soggy in the middle even after a full hour of bake time… because I used exclusively milk.

Of course, there is an easy fix for that: microwave individual portions of the dish for about 30 seconds at a time until the texture is to your liking.

But honestly, having to microwave individual portions of a dish I’ve already prepped the night before and cooked for a whole hour is enough to make me lose my religion.

So just trust me on the half-and-half thing.

HAM AND CHEESE STRATA

Ingredients
12 ounce loaf French, Italian, or sourdough loaf of bread
12 eggs
3 cups half-and-half (or 1 1/2 cups milk plus 1 1/2 cups heavy cream)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded other cheese (I used gruyere)
2 cups chopped ham
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
Note: Prepare this dish at least one hour (and up to 18 hours) before you plan to bake and serve it.

■ Grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Tear or cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Place bread into dish. Top evenly with chopped ham and shredded cheeses. Into a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, dairy, mustard, and seasonings together well.
■ Pour egg mixture over top of cheese. Use tongs or a fork to stir ingredients around so there are no spots of dry bread. (Remember, this is not a layered dish. Ingredients should be dispersed throughout the dish roughly evenly.)
■ Cover and place dish into refrigerator overnight. About an hour and a half before mealtime, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake strata, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean when it’s done.
■ When done, allow to cool and firm up for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.