the french toastiest

Ian wouldn't let me help him make french toast Sunday morning. I tried. He complained loudly, "I'm making french toast." I handed him the vanilla and the box of cinnamon and suggested he add a dash of each to the eggs he whisked up. Oh no, wait. I sliced the bread. And when I tried dipping it in the egg, that's when he asserted his french toast rights. I had mine with light karo corn syrup and berries and a dusting of confectioner's sugar. Nothing better. Yummy.

The bread was store-bought Italian. It went well with the ground sirloin patties topped with provolone and the hash brown casserole we ate as Saturday night's dinner. Most of the hash brown casserole went to a friend who is grieving. I took a mess of hash brown casserole and a pecan pie over for she and her family to enjoy later that night. We ate the HBC from the mini-casserole dish that I set aside for our consumption. It was good. Ian liked the crusty-crunchy bits alongside the edges. That was a clean mini-casserole dish. Can't remember where I got the recipe, actually, I do.

I worked at Rocky Mount Historical Association twice in my life, as an historical interpreter, and the first time, one of the ladies there, whose name I've since forgotten, shared her recipe with me. She said it tasted just like the hash brown casserole from Cracker Barrel. The only thing I like eating from CB is breakfast. Messing up breakfast is difficult. And, working there? That's how I learned fireplace cooking in a dutch oven. I have such skills.

Ian and I decided on our Christmas Eve menu. Even though I'm not crazy about ham, I'm making one. It's the coca cola ham from Nigella that I made at Easter. What else? A sweet potato souffle/casserole, green beans, corn pudding something, rolls, and two desserts: The banana pudding pie that came to a bad end last year before anyone got to eat it, and a red velvet cake. Maybe. I cleaned up my kitchen table the other afternoon and found Stephanie's grandmother's recipe. I'll compare it to Tayari's mom's and see if there's much difference.

Comments

[lla]

That is the prettiest French toast!

And the menu sounds lovely...

I'll be fantasizing about it when I'm eating leftover HoneyBaked Ham slices and pimento cheese at the inlaws...
(that's the set-in-stone menu for the Christmas Eve luncheon buffet. But since my MIL doesn't cook (she doesn't like to, and therefore doesn't do it well...) she asks for enough leftovers so that we eat it for Christmas Eve dinner and then again at least once on Christmas Day. If she cadges enough, we eat it twice Christmas day...)

[Donna]

Loved the french toast story..want to really impress? Instead of Italian bread use panattoni,the Italian Christmas bread with dried fruits and raisins. Beat a couple of eggs..milk add a little vanilla and cinnamon. Slice and dip the bread cook on low in butter...heaven. I buy a loaf each year just for that purpose.But careful it's extremely rich.