French Toast d'Antoine

The secret to a good French toast is to use day old French bread

He states while he was slicing the bread on a slant or cutting it on the bias.

Still clad in his PJ's he starts to make breakfast for all of us,  his house guests, making sure everyone is fed, especially his grandchildren.

He pours some milk into a bowl with 4 eggs...

Perks up the flavor with cinnamon... whisks them together...

Makes sure the day old bread gets soaked with the egg mixture...

And gives a nice sear with the heavenly goodness of butter...

Then he sneaks out to his garden... cuts some fresh flowers...

and as soon as he hears the stomping feet of  hungry children

he adds more layers of goodness... golden syrup, whipped cream and fresh berries... YUM!

Freshly cut  flowers from his garden plus freshly seared bread that is soaked with milk and butter... yes there is no better way to express his father's love to us his family. And there is no better way to start the day with the warmth of early morning sunshine coupled with the warmth of a father's love letter  - all written in a morning spread like this!

With Father's Day around the corner, let me greet my father in law a Happy Father's Day Papa Tony.  Thank you for all the love, support and generosity you have given us throughout all these years.  And Papa, let me tell you what the secret to making a good French Toast... it's YOU!. We love you!

Weekend Express

I always have a perfect description on how to spend my weekends: purely having fun and relaxing. It makes you feel like time is on your side, no deadlines and pressure from work and home. Well you know how it goes during the weekdays: when the alarm starts to buzz, you crawl out of bed, find your way to the kitchen, make coffee, then breakfast, (and well for me it includes preparing 3 brown bags for lunch). Thank goodness for weekends... the days to recharge myself... no jumping out of the bed early, spending my time instead to sleep, cuddle up in bed, sleep some more and as a bonus I have the privilege of waking up to the sweet aroma of bacon and toast that my hubby makes.

After breakfast, the pace of the day often changes. Ok if this was a movie this is the part where the calm music fades and changes to a different rhythm... I'm thinking from the piano-based music of Amelie to the orchestral bombast of The Gladiator. Having 2 teenage kids who are actively involved in serving the community, I have to drive them around, and on some weekends having an early start. Yes, early as in 5:30 AM when they volunteer for fun runs for charity, like Run for the Hungry in downtown San Diego, or Race for the Cure held at Balboa Park.

This weekend was one. A battle between the alarm clock and the comforter ensues. “Wake up!” the alarm clock commands, while my comforter seduces me to tuck myself in tighter and place the covers over my face. On a chilly December morning, the comforter wins… zzzzz. I need more sleep, I justify. My son comes in to my room and reminds me that they have to go in a few minutes… “Why do you volunteer so early!" I protested. "I think you’ve overbooked yourselves again this weekend” I whined some more... and my son was stunned, and sheepishly reminds me that I should be proud that they are part of the concerned youth movement trying to make a difference in the world.

Embarrassed by my own behavior, I instinctively got up. My son's words shook me and awakened me... Act like you’re the mom here I challenged myself… So off I go to the kitchen. I have to have breakfast ready in 20 minutes... so think fast Malou, work even faster... as I was trying to think what to prepare for them. I wanted to serve them something that would say, “Mommy is so proud of you!", like a cheerleader, I wanted their breakfast to say GO Kids , GO !

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST… came to my mind. Yes stuffed with a combination that is out of the ordinary: BACON and Nuttela. They love French toast and the extra stuffing should be able to perk them up. I love to see their pleasantly surprised faces after having a bite...Seeing their faces transform and hearing their praises for the food, the feeling is PRICELESS! So let’s begin:


STUFFED BACON AND NUTTELLA FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp French vanilla creamer
8 slices of white bread
3 tbsp butter
Break the eggs into a bowl. Whisk it lightly then add milk and French vanilla creamer.

Spread the nuttela on one slice of bread and arrange the bacon strips on a second slice. Pair them together.
Heat a skillet coated with a thin layer of butter.
Soak the pair of bread with the egg mixture then put it on the skillet. Cook it until golden brown. Flip it and brown the other side as well



Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish it with chocolate chips all around the plate. Serve it hot. As they bite, the bacon and nuttela will reveal itself. It would be gooey sweet and the saltiness of the bacon will stand out yet complement the chocolate spread… No need to add syrup.



P.S.
Thank you for the emails and the FB messages you've sent me... I got a suggestion from one of the readers, Cathrina (check out her amusing blog about design, shopping, food, and being a career-mommy at http://cathrinadionisio.blogspot.com/) that I should start a series where I'll be answering questions from the readers, and I think I'm convinced based on the emails that I receive. So I'd love to hear from you! If it’s a recipe, an ingredient or maybe a suggestion I would prefer that you ask it on the comment section of the post. That way everyone can benefit from the information. I will turn your questions and suggestions into a blog post.

Thank you and looking forward to hear from you!

xoxo,
Malou
a.k.a Impromptu Diva