Plate Licking Good!

So that last blog might have been a little less than cheerful. What can I say? 6:00 a.m. comes earlier than I remembered. Well, the saying goes "If life gives you lemons, MAKE LEMONADE!" I say... "Make Stuffed French Toast!" We have usually reserved this delicious treat for holiday breakfasts. (You know, the ones where you can lounge around in your p.j.'s after gorging yourself?) Kids made a special request to start their school year in style and I couldn't deny them. Got this recipe from my hair dresser, who got it from a client, who got it from... who knows the circuit it has traveled. I am sure it'll find its way on to your family's best recipe list and perhaps become the catalyst for many meaningful family meal stories!

Enjoy!

Stuffed French Toast
10 slices french bread or
bakery bread (thicker cut)
2 8-oz cream cheese (sounds like a lot. Guess what? It is! And worth EVERY pound!)
1 doz eggs
1 C milk
1/3 C
maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon

Remove crusts from bread. Cube and place 1/2 of the bread in a buttered 9x13 casserole pan. Cube the cream cheese and place over bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add remaining bread. Combine eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next day, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup
1 cube butter (here's another diet buster)
1/2 C buttermilk (or 1 C milk with 1 T vinegar)
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

Combine butter, buttermilk and sugar. Melt over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, remove from heat. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir (it will foam up for a moment).