Erik Estrada

SimpliFried launched this week. It's a sister blog to Unclutterer. I'm looking forward to following this blog for awhile to see what kind of advice and delicious dishes they come up with.

One of the first posts on the SimpliFried blog is "Elastic Recipes"--ones that are generic enough to incorporate whatever is on special at the grocery store or left in your fridge or freezer. This is a topic I've been thinking about for awhile, so in honor of the SimpliFried launch and my first recipe post of 2011, I'm posting one of my elastic recipes: Erik Estrada.

I love stratas. You can make them ahead of time and warm them up. I always have breakfast when I arrive at work so I want my morning prep to be grab-and-go before I leave the house. Let's face it, I'm usually running late, so whatever I grab for food for the day has to be quick. Plus, stratas feel more like a celebration--a fancy brunch dish--than a granola bar. They are hearty and the aroma of them warming in the microwave makes all of my coworkers jealous because Erik Estrada is all mine.

And Erik Estrada is very flexible. He has a few basic needs: eggs, milk and bread. Beyond that you can dress him up or strip him down as much as you like. (We're still talking about food, not a television motorcycle-riding member of the California Highway Patrol. Quit being gross!)

I can't find the strata recipe I used for my base, but I remember it pretty well. (I think). Anyway, there are lots of recipes for strata online that you can consult if you think the proportions or bake time are off on this.

Flexible Erik Estrada
10-12 slices of bread, cubed. Whenever we get down to the heels, I throw them in the freezer. Same thing with bread that is getting stale or has been around too long. I planned to use it for stuffing/dressing but I used it all for the strata. This was taking up a lot of space in my freezer! What I used was a mix of homemade bread and store-bought heels, but for argument sake we'll call this 72 cents.
A dozen eggs. I had 10 eggs. Luckily, I had a carton of egg whites that had the equivalent of 2 eggs left in it. I uncluttered my fridge and freezer with just one recipe! This time at the grocery store there wasn't a sale so this cost about 2.04.
2 cups half and half. I used a 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream that was leftover from Christmas Ice Cream and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Just milk would be fine and it would cost 48 cents.
1/4 cup bacon. Here is where the fun starts. Just use any meat you'd like. Use however much you'd like--within reason. We have some leftover ham that I wish I'd used. Don't like meat? Don't use it. I used 4 strips of bacon. It cost about 60 cents.
2 cups shredded cheese. Again, use any you'd like and as much as you'd like.  $1.28
Can of mushrooms, drained. I don't know what it called for, but I used mushrooms. Here you can use whatever you want. Use up whatever isn't going to last too long in the fridge. Cook up some onion and pepper. Pop in some roasted asparagus. Open up your freezer and use the last bits of broccoli, spinach or corn that is lingering. Lots of possibilities--Erik Estrada loves him some vegetables. 69 cents

Ok. best as I remember, you mix up the bread, meat, cheese, and veg and dump it into a greased 9 x 13. If you've got a small house like me, maybe cut this recipe in half. I've been chewing on Erik Estrada every morning for a week.

Whisk up the eggs and milk. If you've opted for soft cheese, you can whisk it in here. If you want to get fancy with your pantry, throw in some spices or herbs. Salt and pepper are always good options.

Pour the eggs over the bread. Refrigerate for a while. Overnight would be best. Bread gotta soak up them eggs otherwise it's just the old, stale freezer-burned shit you had cluttering up your freezer.

Bake in a 350 oven for like an hour I think. If it gets too brown, cover it with foil. If it gets too smelly, you're probably done baking. Check the middle and if it's not runny, you're probably done. Remember, I said probably. If you get salmonella, it's not my fault. It's Erik Estrada's. Maybe you can get some of that money he made for being on The Surreal Life with Ron Jeremy and Vanilla Ice.

Let your Estrada sit about 10 minutes. Then dig in! It's better than the critically acclaimed telenovela Dos Mujeres, Un Camino.

Total cost:  $5.81. This could probably serve 12 so total per serving is about 48 centavos.