Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋
Welcome to my all-time favorite brunch table!
This brunch is simple, and goes well with a mug of tea or coffee OR a glass of mimosa or Bloody Mary, depending on the kind of day you want to have. Fruit is always served, and I favor berries, because they go so well with the star of the show: French Toast.
I think French Toast is one of the most glorious dishes to grace humanity. The French have a knack for that actually. Whenever I am down about the world, I remember that humans invented things like croissants, profiteroles and pain perdu, and my faith is restored. Viva la France! 🇫🇷
Here we have the Magee family version of this brunchified dessert, and I am telling you, it is the best French toast I have ever eaten. Ever. It is a great salesman for an at-home, totally COVID-proof, brunch. You go out to brunch for the experience, and perhaps a few unique dishes, for sure. You can create a whole experience for yourself right from the comfort of your home, though. For a truly great brunch, all you need is your own kitchen, stale bread, and some kitchen staples. How easy - and inexpensive - is that!
Mrs. Winks' Overnight French Toast
Ingredients:
- 1 whole unsliced loaf of Italian or French bread (not a baguette)
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- cinnamon, optional
- Confectioner's sugar, optional
Preparation:
- Slice the bread into 1.5 - 2 inch thick pieces.
- In a saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the butter, add the brown sugar and syrup, and stir constantly until it is caramelized. Pour the syrup mixture into a 13 x 9" glass baking dish.
- Place the bread on top of the syrup mixture, squeezing the pieces in so it all fits tightly.
- Meanwhile, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a mixer and beat until frothy, about 2 minutes. Pour over the bread. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon, if desired.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning, preheat your oven to 350, remove the plastic wrap from your baking dish, and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Serve warm, powdered with Confectioner's sugar if desired.
*This refrigerates so well and keeps for approximately a week. Pop it onto a plate, nuke it for about two minutes, and dive right back into the warm, sweet comfort all week long!
You know what I love about French toast? Its origin story. French toast was merely invented to extend the life of "lost" - otherwise known as old - bread. You have a stale loaf of bread you cannot waste? Never mind that! Slather it with syrup and cinnamon and you have yourself an upgrade on the entire concept of bread. C'est incroyable!
I love topping this French toast with Confectioner's sugar and swirling the strawberries and blueberries in the sticky syrup with each bite. The cinnamon enhances the sugar so the toast does not turn sickly. I like that the syrup is thicker, and that there is less of it. The bread sponges the syrup up without becoming soggy, so when it is time to eat you have a thick, chewy slice of toast that oozes hot, sugary goodness with every bite.
I am telling you, this might be as close as you can get to heaven at the breakfast table.
Treating myself in all areas of life, tomorrow I finish Boho Beautiful's Fourteen Day Yoga & Meditation Journey. It will be so sad to say good bye, but it has helped adjust my habits so I can take their tips and bring them forward with me. I started doing Boho Beautiful workouts about three years ago, and they have such a grounded, kind approach to life that I love. This Journey has been such a great way to start the year, pairing great workouts with reflections that foster love, clarity, and peace. The program has been such a valuable gift to me and has really helped me clear my head and discover things about myself. If any of that is your jam, you can check out their website here, or their youtube for free pilates/yoga workouts and meditations, which is what I usually do. They are not paying me to say this, by the way, I am just genuinely so thrilled with their work.
Also, they are currently hosting a fundraiser to help build a clinic at the Territorio de Zaguates, a dog shelter, in Costa Rica. This clinic will help care for the strays, providing spaying, neutering, vaccines, ultrasounds, etc. Additionally, it will spay or neuter any non-shelter dog brought to the clinic for free. Juliana and Mark, the couple who run Boho Beautiful, initially donated in honor of their dog Prince, who passed away in November, but then they decided to bring the cause to the public, in case others might be interested. Due to this, the Territorio de Zaguates has decided to create a beautiful plaque in memoriam of beloved dogs who have passed on, which will be displayed at the shelter. For anyone who donates $12 (CAD) or more, you can opt to have your dog's name, home city, and country engraved on the clinic's plaque. Any donation amount is appreciated though. You can learn more and, if you like, donate here.
All of this has made me think a lot about my family's dog, Jack. I have not really talked about him on the blog because he passed away in August 2018, after sixteen amazing years. In my humble, unbiased, opinion, Jack was the best dog. He was sassy, sarcastic, and very spirited. I used to joke he was my favorite brother, and I miss him quite a bit.
In other news, I am at the point in my strength-building Headstand Practice where I am supposed to start lifting my feet off the ground. This practice started back in May. That was a long, long time ago, so you would think my muscles would be up to the challenge. I consulted with my biceps though, and they said no. ☹️ I am not sure if I should keep pushing or accept that my spaghetti arms just do not have it in them. Any thoughts, tips, encouragements, or advisories for me to quit now would be greatly appreciated.
Wishing you all strength, clarity, peace, love, and/or whatever other good vibes needed! ❤️
XX,
MK
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