Sausage, Fontina and Bell Pepper Strata

Today we started our Biggest Loser Club. Derek, Chantal, Doris, Paula and I each put $25.00 in a pot and weighed in. We are going to do our weigh in on Sundays and have a healthy breakfast. The girls made up a fresh fruit platter and I made this strata as we seemed to need meat, cheese, and eggs to complete the breakfast. It was excellent. I used Chorizo Sausage. You can buy it at Loblaw's in the deli section. It's already sliced. I also let the strara sit overnight in the fridge to marry the flavors. Also, I think I will cut up the bread in cubes instead of slices the next time I make the strata, instead of trying to fit slices in the dish.

Sausage, Fontina and Bell Pepper Strata

Ingredients

6 large eggs
21/2 cups whole milk
2 cups sliced green onions
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup finely grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch wide-strips
1 1-pound loaf rustic French bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 cups (loosely packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Whisk first 7 ingredients in large bowl; sprinkle generously with pepper. Set aside.

Place sausage in large nonstick skillet; push to 1 side. Add bell pepper to other side of skillet. Sauteacute; over high heat, breaking up sausage with fork, until sausage is cooked through and bell peppers are brown in spots, about 7 minutes.

Arrange half of bread slices in prepared dish. Pour half of egg mixture over. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of sausagepepper mixture. Repeat layering. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge. Bake strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.