Conference Weekend

This weekend was the semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We got to spend 4 hours listening to the uplifting, guiding words of inspired leaders of the Church. This weekend in April (and the second Conference weekend in October) are some of my favorite days -- so many great speakers, such a great spirit, and such wonderful guidance! It reminds me again how blessed we are to have the Gospel of Christ in our lives.

But another reason I love Conference weekend is the food tradition that Darren and I have started for our family: We make Creme Brulee French Toast, and man, is it delicious! The 'tradition' started when we were dating, actually; we've continued it since then, and plan to continue it into the future. It's easy, delicious, and can feed a crowd (or feed the two of us for a few days' worth of breakfast). We also make various muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, and whatever else sounds good for brunch. But today, we'll just share the French Toast recipe.

I got this from Darren, who got it from his mom. So in that way it's a "family recipe" but I'm sure it has some outside source that I'm totally unaware of (as I've found *most* of my "family" recipes do...).

Make this the night before, then just pop it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or so; makes for an easy, no-hassle breakfast. I also made a quick berry sauce to go with it (not at all necessary, since this toast can stand on its own!). Just mix some berries with about a teaspoon or two of berry jam and a little bit of sugar, if needed. Let it sit for a few minutes for the flavors to combine, then serve over French Toast, waffles, pancakes, or whatever else sounds good!

Creme Brulee French Toast

½ cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 loaf Texas toast bread (extra thick slices)

5 eggs

1 ½ cups half and half cream

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan. Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, cream, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350° for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. If not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over (this will prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan).