Ham, Egg and Cheese Bake

I don't know about you, but do you ever have those nights when you have no clue whats for dinner and there's not much in the fridge?  I have them far too often, especially in the summer.  I found this recipe in a magazine about 5 years ago and I love it because it is easy and really good.  

The recipe calls for regular monterey jack cheese but I have substituted that with monterey jack cheese with red peppers and dang its so good! (found it at Target)

6 slices white bread, crust trimmed and cut into 1" pieces

8 oz ham, diced (I buy the pre-diced pkg)

2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

3 Tbls finely chopped green onions

6 lg eggs

1/2 c milk

salt and pepper

2 roma tomatoes, thinkly sliced

**note you can substitute whatever cheese or meat you may have on hand like bacon or sausage and cheddar or swiss

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 2qt baking dish.  Layer the bread, ham, 2 cups cheese and 2 Tbsp green onion in the dish.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Pour in to the dish and top with the tomato slices in an even layer.

2.  Bake the eggs until nearly set, about 30 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c cheese and 1 Tbls green onions on top and bake until golden  (I skip the extra green onions, but add to your liking)

Peaches and Cream Sensation

YIELD: SERVES 8

Note: To moderate the sweetness of this dessert, it's best to taste your peaches before making the dessert. If they are overly sweet, decrease the powdered sugar in the cream mixture. If they aren't very sweet, you might consider increasing the amount of powdered sugar by a bit to help the peaches out a little. Also, in case anyone wonders, I haven't made this or tried it with canned or frozen peaches.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
• 2 sleeves graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
Creamy Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 5-6 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thinly

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Stir in the melted butter until combined. Take out 1/3 cup of the crumbs and set aside for later. Press the remaining mixture on the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the rest of the dessert.
2. In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat together the powdered sugar and cream cheese until light and smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Pour in the cold heavy cream and mix on low (to avoid spatters) until the mixture starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
3. Spread a thin layer of the cream filling over the chilled crust, about 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Layer the sliced peaches over the top of the cream. Dollop the remaining cream over the top of the peaches in large blobs and spread carefully to cover the peaches completely. Spread the cream filling all the way to the edges of the pan so that the peaches are well sealed inside the cream (otherwise if prepared in advance, the air can make the peaches turn an off-brown color). Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker mixture over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours before serving. Cut into pieces, scoop onto a plate and serve.

Why I love this dessert:  it' yummy (hello it has the word "Cream" in it!)  easy to make, quick, if you are a fast peach slicer:) makes a lot and doesn't require use of the oven.  Say no more, you should make this!