Easy Monday Breakfast

I like to have hot, healthy meals for the daycare kiddos but Mondays are a chaotic mess of getting this and that sorted out and trying to prevent any issues from cropping up in the five minutes it takes to even pour cereal.  It's a rough start to the week for us adults, and the kids feel it too.  It takes an hour for them to chill, get used to the routine again and settle into to playing and loving each other again.  But when I noticed the loaf of french bread that never made it out to the party spread Saturday night, I knew I could whip up some overnight baked french toast and give them a happy start to the week.  Of course, I had to steal a few slices to eat with some brie I had to have from Wegman's but that is another tale for another time....

I happened to also have some leftover cream, so it was even richer than my normal use of skim milk.  I had about 3/4 of a large loaf that I cubed, and in a separate bowl I mixed 3 eggs, 3 T of brown sugar, 2 t of cinnamon, and 1 t of vanilla and added in about 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of cream.  I wish I was a more exact baker for all of you.  I am more a "pinch of this, pat of that" sort of cook.  I feel badly sometimes that I even have a blog for cooking because I am so NOT a professional type chef!  But I do love to cook, and I do love to share.  So, here I am.  Anyway, back to the "recipe" I whisk all the ingredients except the bread with a wire whisk until fluffy and then toss the bread cubes in the mixture.  I put the whole thing in a greased 8" by 11" pan and then I cover it with foil and put in the fridge overnight.  This morning, I popped it into a preheated 350 oven for about 45 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes and it was perfect!  Just a bit browned on top and nice and gooey in the center.  We all had a good breakfast today!