Meals: Breakfast for Dinner || Stuffed French Toast

Breakfast for dinner, in my opinion, is absolutely delicious, not to mention pretty inexpensive.  I could eat it once every week.

Last night, we had the missionaries from church over.  The problem was... we had an ice storm and I couldn't make it to the store.  I had to rely on what we had in our house and something quick that my husband could pick up on his way home from work.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite recipe books: The Gathering of Friends, Volume 2.  I had to make a few modifications because we don't like some of the ingredients and didn't have some other ingredients.

Sweet Stuffed French Toast
(adapted from The Gathering of Friends, Volume 2)

Feeds 4; 45-50 minutes total time

Ingredients:

• 20 thinly sliced pieces of french bread (slice the loaf into pieces a little less than 1/2 inch; about the size of a regular piece of bread)
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. of butter
• 1/3 c. of syrup
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. whole milk (the recipe calls for 1% but we only have whole in our house)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9"x13" glass pan with cooking spray.

Brown Sugar Glaze

Melt butter in microwave in a medium-sized bowl.  Add brown sugar, maple syrup and mix together well.  Put the other half to the side.

Spread about 1/2 of the brown sugar glaze mixture on the bottom of the pan.  

Add 10 slices of bread on top of the brown sugar glaze. 

Cream Cheese Filling Mixture

In another bowl, whip the cream cheese until creamy.  Add sugar and cinnamon and mix well.  Spread cream cheese mixture onto one side of the remaining 10 slices of bread.  

Place these slices of bread (cream cheese mixture side down) on top of the bread in the pan... like you are making a sandwich.  

Egg Mixture

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg together.  Pour over bread.  Let the bottom pieces of bread soak up the egg mixture.  

Spread the remaining brown sugar glaze on top of the bread.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip each "sandwich" over to allow the egg mixture to soak the opposite side.  Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.  Make sure egg mixture is completely cooked (it shouldn't be runny anymore). 

Broil for 3-5 minutes to reach a golden-brown.  

Top with whipped cream and strawberries... and ENJOY!

Serve with scrambled eggs and hashbrowns for a wonderfully inexpensive meal.  Most of these items can be found in your kitchen already!

Pumpkin Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

I first tasted these delectable fall treats at a little fall party hosted by friend Megan.  This recipe comes from the Food Network with the exception of a few changes I made. The original recipe is found here.  It's pretty easy to make... and easily makes smiles on all who eat it. 

Ingredients

Waffles:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup melted shortening (transfat-free)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white

Topping:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 crisp apples, peeled and sliced thinly
• a sprinkle of cinnamon

Buttermilk Syrup:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Directions

For the waffles: 

Preheat a waffle iron to medium heat.

Whisk the flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, spice and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat together the milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and melted shortening, egg and egg white, in a large measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk together to make a slightly lumpy batter.

For the topping: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and let cook until slightly browned, but still crisp, about 4 minutes. 

For the buttermilk syrup: Put white sugar, buttermilk, butter, and baking soda in a saucepan.  Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 

Pour and spread about 1 cup batter into the waffle iron. Cover and cook until crisp and a rich golden brown, about 7 minutes.  

Serve hot with the apples and buttermilk syrup.