Blueberry French Toast Casserole-Great for Christmas Morning

Day 21-Blueberry French Toast Casserole
A girlfriend of mine turned me on to this and I have made it a many times (baby showers, for the day after Thanksgiving, etc. )  It is always a hit.  It's perfect for Christmas morning when you don't want to cook.  You make it the day before and then just heat up in the morning.  It is super rich but very yummy. I got the exact recipe off of www.About.com

A delicious French toast bake with cream cheese and blueberry sauce.

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 2 packages (16 ounces total) cream cheese
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or other syrup
• .
• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

Cut bread into 1-in cubes; place half in a greased 13- x 9-i x 2-inch baking dish. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch cubes; place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in milk and syrup, blending well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes more or until golden brown and the center is set.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; add water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve sauce with French toast.
Serves 6 to 8

DOUGHNUTS!

Yummy.  I was in Newport Beach this past weekend and they have this awesome store called Sur la Table.  I saw these doughnut (this is how they have it spelled on pan, kind of cute huh ;) pans.  I had to have and wanted to try.  They were great. Perfect for kids hands and hubby loved so wanted to share. This recipe was on the pan.

What you need...

2 cups of cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray Doughnut Pan with nonstick cooking spray and flour.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.  Add buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Beat until just combined.  

Fill holes on 2/3's the way full.  
About to large spoon fulls. Don't overfill or they will spill over.

Bake about 7-9 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring  back when touched.  Let cool in pan for 4-5 minutes before removing.  Finish doughnuts with chocolate glaze, cinnamon sugar or powered sugar, sprinkles. Makes 12 Doughnuts.

I topped mine with cinnamon and sugar using 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.  I melted the butter, dipped cooled doughnut in and then dipped in cinnamon sugar mixture.

My Tips 
Start with baking less you don't want them dry.  Think about adding something to the mixture like chocolate chips, sprinkles, vanilla, strawberry or almond extract.  I will try something different next time and let you know how they turn out.