Monday, January 5, 2015

The Luxury of Lounging in the Morning


Every New Year's Eve, my college roommates gather at my house. The four of us live fairly far apart now, so New Year's is our special time to get together and catch up. Everyone stays overnight, and we've developed our own little rituals. I try to make a showstopper dessert for New Year's Eve, and we always eat black-eyed peas, spinach, and pork on New Year's Day.

One of my friends insists we wear yellow and red underwear into the new year. She claims yellow is for luck in money and red is for luck with love. Wearing red and yellow panties into the new year hasn't helped my love life one bit, nor have have I won the lottery. They tell me those are customs somewhere! Maybe we should wear red undies on Valentine's Day Eve instead.

One of my favorite breakfasts is French toast topped with apples cooked in brown sugar. So yummy! For years I've been making the toast on the griddle, but this year I experimented and prepared it all in a casserole the day before.

I have to admit that it was an incredible luxury to get up and simply pop it into the oven. All I had to do was make coffee and tea and relax with the girls. I have got to find more make ahead breakfasts like this!

One of my friends likened it to eating bread pudding for breakfast. The eggs and milk have all night to soak into the bread, so it's indulgently creamy after baking. The apples were so sweet that no one needed maple syrup on top of it, either. It makes enough for six servings, so it can feed quite a few people.

Overnight French Toast with Apples

4 apples
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) + extra for greasing casserole dish
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
10-11 slices bread

Peel, core and slice the apples. Melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar and cook until it melts. In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk together. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Lay slices of bread on the bottom, covering it. Pour half the egg mixture over it evenly. Scatter half the apple slices over the bread, and pour half of the brown sugar mixture over top of them. Place a second layer of bread over the apples. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread. Distribute the remaining apples slices over top, and pour the brown sugar mixture over them. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for about 1/2 hour and preheat the oven to 350. Bake about 35 minutes.

After a night in the fridge

All you need is coffee!


18 comments:

  1. You're so funny Krista! we need a weekend at your house for MLK! and smart to make the French toast in a casserole...especially after a showstopper dessert. xo

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    1. It was the smartest move I made. Breakfast was so relaxing! And it only take about 1/2 an hour to bake, so there isn't a long wait time.

      We should have an MLK weekend! Bet some of our readers would want to come, too!

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  2. What fun.
    I would have thought the red was for money. At least it is in Eastern cultures.

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  3. What a hoot! Glad to know your underwear secrets as well as this super recipe.

    Happy New Year.

    XO

    MJ

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    1. ROFL! Hmm, maybe I shared too much?

      Happy New Year to you, too, Mary Jane!

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  4. Your tradition sounds like great fun, and the overnight French toast makes waking up to a new year a true treat. I can't wait to make this. Thank you for sharing, and enjoy the first week of the New Year!

    ~ Cleo

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    1. Cleo, it's so nice to be able to share time with dear friends. No one has to run off anywhere, and we can talk about the things that don't always get mentioned in an email or a phone call.

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  5. I love the tradition. And the panties? Well, maybe TMI. LOL. This is a go-to breakfast. Thanks for the fun post.

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. TMI, huh? It really is a tradition somewhere for luck. LOL!

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  6. I guess I need to get a little more adventurous with my underwear! And this casserole looks delicious! I will be trying it soon.

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    1. LOL, Elaine! It only works on New Year's Eve, so you have a whole year to plan ahead! But the casserole works anytime! ; )

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    2. Funny! Maybe other colors on other Eve's are good for other things...

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    3. Good heavens! Let's not tell my roommate. She'll have us dressing in all kinds of things!!!

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  7. Definitely trying the recipe, not so sure about the underwear ;-).

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    1. LOL, Grandma Cootie! I hope you like the recipe. Red and yellow undies not required! ;-)

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  8. That recipe sounds wonderful. I love make-ahead recipes-thank you for sharing!

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  9. This recipe is going to be done :).

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