So I figured I would start with Thanksgiving breakfast. My husband and I have a tradition of always having a special breakfast on holidays. French Toast for Thanksgiving and Cinnamon Buns for Christmas morning are the two we never miss. Both are great because they can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator till the morning where you just stick'em in the oven to bake and then you stuff your face before a full day of stuffing your face. We figure if we are going to eat bad, we might as well make a full day of unhealthiness.
So we began our day with Strawberry & Cream Stuffed French Toast Casserole, coffee, and the Thanksgiving Parade.
This is a recipe that I created based on the Pioneer woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast, found here. I had made her recipe once before and all though delicious, it was a little too sweet for me so I decided to add my own twist and cut down on the sugar. For this recipe you'll need a few things: Challah bread (my favorite bread to make french toast with since its so thick and sweet to begin with), cream cheese, milk, heavy cream, sugar, butter, eggs, lots of eggs, strawberries, a lemon, Bailey's Irish Cream and cinnamon. First butter your 9x13 baking dish.
Next tear half of your Challah bread into small pieces and place at the bottom of your casserole dish, making sure to cover the bottom completely.
Then you will beat your softened cream cheese, sugar, and one egg till smooth.
Now pour this creamy mixture over your challah bread. Spread softly and evenly.
The strawberries are next. Slice strawberries and in a saucepan, cook with a small amount of sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Cook till strawberries are soft and their juices are released. Remove from heat and let cool.
Once the strawberries have cooled for a few minutes pour over top the cream cheese and spread out evenly. Then you want to tear the rest of the Challah bread into pieces and place on top of the strawberries. Again, cover strawberries completely.
Now you want to make the mixture that will soak into the bread and make this french toast moist and delicious. Start by mixing milk and heavy cream. Next add your sugar and wisk or blend well. Now your going to add the rest of your eggs and blend well. Lastly you'll mix in your Bailey's Irish Cream for that perfect amount of liquor that will elevate your French Toast to the next level of deliciousness. Pour over your casserole evenly and finish with a dusting of cinnamon over top. Then cover and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours or for best results, overnight.
When you're ready to bake this heavenly breakfast just uncover and place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on how firm or soft you like your french toast.
Drizzle with your favorite maple syrup and devour! You know I did.
This recipe is linked here:
Strawberry & Cream Stuffed French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf of Challah Bread
- 6 Eggs
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
- 16 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 1 quart Strawberries
- 1/2 of lemon's juice
- cinnamon
*This recipe is best made the night before you plan on serving.
Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Tear half the bread into pieces and cover the bottom of the baking dish completely.
Blend softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 egg in a bowl. Spread evenly over top the challah bread pieces in the baking dish.
Next slice strawberries and cook in a saucepan over medium heat with 1/4 cup of sugar and the juice from half a lemon. Cook till strawberries are soft and juices begin to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, spread evenly on top of cream cheese layer.
Tear the remaining Challah bread into pieces and place on top of strawberries covering them completely.
Lastly mix milk, cream, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl. One by one blend in 5 eggs. Fold in Bailey's Irish cream and evenly pour mixture over top of casserole. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or for best results, overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole and bake for 45 minutes to an hour depending on how firm or soft you like your french toast. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve warm.
