French Toast Casserole

I really wanted to make a yummy breakfast for Valentine's Day, but didn't want to spend all morning slaving over the stove when I could be enjoying my sweet Valentine while he played with his new Thomas the Trains.

I had bookmarked this recipe from My Tiny Little Kitchen a long time ago, and thought it would be perfect!

In an attempt to be a tad healthier to compensate for the fat and calories we'd be consuming later that night at the Outback (hey, Alice Springs Chicken is plenty romantic when you have a 2-year-old in tow!), I used whole grain bread. I think that compromised a tad on the taste, though, because I thought it was a bit bland. However, I could have also added more cinnamon and that probably would have taken care of that.

Overall, this was very simple to prepare and pretty good - I would make it again for sure. Maybe next time I'll be motivated to finally attempt the task of making my own brioche...


Ingredients

• 5 cups bread cubes
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.