Mushroom Strata

Saute diced onion and thinly sliced celery in butter or margarine until limp but not brown. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook the whole mixture until all of the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Mix together eggs and milk very well. Grease (or use non-stick spray) a 1.5 quart round baking dish. Put about a third of the bread into the dish. Top this with half of the mushroom mixture. Add another third of the bread, then the rest of the mushroom stuff, then the rest of the bread. Divide cheese into thirds and put it on top of each vegetable layer and then on top of the final layer of bread or if it is very finely grated mix it in with the milk-egg mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the dish. Let it sit for at least an hour. Half-fill a roasting pan with hot water and set the (uncovered) strata dish in the middle. Bake at 325 F for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. The top should be golden and puffy.