Overnight Blueberry (or Strawberry) French Toast

mmm mmm good. The original recipe calls for blueberries, but I use strawberries instead because I'm not a fan of the antioxidant packed blueberry. Oh well.

Ok, so this is Meals 'N Deals. Where does the deal come in? Well, hmmm I had to think about this one because I really wanted to share it, but ya know, I wanted to stick with the Meals 'N Deals idea. This isn't just a recipe blog right? We're more over here at Meals 'N Deals. So, I thought, and truly, this meal cost me about $6 for the whole crew -- which was 6 adults and 2 kids this morning.

Bread -- on sale, but you could even make it (which would be so yummy and hearty in this)
Eggs -- dozen eggs were about $2
Cream cheese -- ok, this was more expensive...$2.56
Strawberries -- on sale in bulk...I'd say it was, oh, maybe about $2.
Other ingredients -- I have on hand
Total: Ok, maybe more like $8. Not super cheap, but for a special occassion, which it is this weekend...feeding so many hungry adults, I thought it was good. My father-in-law liked it so much he kept calling it dessert for breakfast. That was nice to hear.


Makes 8-10 servings

12 slices day old bread
8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 c. fresh or frozen strawberries
12 eggs
2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. maple syrup or honey (I use honey)

Sauce:
1 c. white sugar
1 c. water
1 c. strawberries
1 T. butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Place half into a greased baking dish (9x13). Cut cream cheese into small pieces and place over bread. Top with strawberries (now the recipe says 1c. but I usually take a handful of cleaned and cut up strawberries and sprinkle it over to my heart's content) and remining bread crumbs. Beat eggs in large bowl; add milk, vanilla, and honey (or syrup). Mix well; pour over bread crubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning (Good Morning by the way!) remove from the refrigerator 1/2 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 25-30 minutos or until center is set and is golden in color.

Prepare the sauce in a saucepan by combining the sugar and cornstarch. Add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly and boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir in strawberries and reduce heat; cook for 10 minutes or until strawberries start to fall apart a bit (if you are using blueberries, the blueberries will begin to pop). Stir in the butter and pour over the french toast.

I just doubled the sauce and am saving the left overs. I'm going to make some flapjacks for the girls this week and will use the remainder of the sauce as the syrup. mmmmm