Brunch Anyone?

Oh my....did you think that you had gotten rid of me? No such luck...sorry! It has been a bit crazy around this house and every day that I say, "I am adding a recipe today", it clearly has not happened. So, without any further chit chat, here is my offering for today.

This is one of the best breakfast/brunch dishes I have ever had. It is easy, because you do most of it the night before. I have also found that it is a most welcome change from the egg and sausage casserole that I know y'all have all had at least a dozen times!

Further on this, I have substituted egg beaters for the eggs and fat free half and half for the full strength. There is no difference is taste, but a pile of difference in fat and calories. For the maple syrup, you may ONLY use the real deal. If you are like me, you grew up on Log Cabin and Aunt Jemima....LISTEN UP....you can only use real maple syrup for this recipe! I know that it is ridiculously priced, but suck it up and get it.

Here we go:

Overnight Pecan French Toast

Slice:
1-1 1/2 loves of french bread (each slice should be about 1 inch thick)

Mix together:
8 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Pour 1 cup into a greased,sprayed 13x9 pan. Arrange the french bread slices over the egg mixture. I pack them tight! Once all bread is arranged, pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread, cover with foil and refrigerate over night.

In the morning...

Microwave together:
1 stick of butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2-3/4 cup REAL maple syrup
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Microwave this together for about 2 minutes (until butter melts), stir well and pour over the bread.

Bake, uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Franny's notes:
For the french bread, I use the skinny loaves that come from the bakery at the grocery store. It usually takes about 1 1/2 loaves. Once I take this out of the oven, I let it cool quite a bit. I promise y'all, that whoever you serve this too, they will go crazy over it! Simply said, it is FABOLICIOUS!

Enjoy....xoxox!