Peaches-and-Cream Baked French Toast

hi everyone!  my name is laurie and i blog over at love, laurie.  i am so thrilled that angie asked me to do a guest post on her blog today!  i absolutely love to cook and bake, so i thought that i would share a recipe with you.



we love fun breakfast recipes over at our house, and recently we created a new breakfast recipe which has now become one of our favorites . . . peaches-and-cream baked french toast.



a few weeks ago, my husband ryan and i were talking about food (a pretty common occurrence at our house) and the topic of baked french toast came up in our conversation.  one thing lead to another, and we started constructing a recipe for baked french toast.  i'll give ryan credit for thinking of incorporating the peaches.  i'll take credit for thinking of incorporating the cream cheese.  thus, peaches and cream . . . i call that good team work.



this recipe kicks things up a notch on the french toast scale.  it is definitely not your grandmother's old-fashioned french toast.  instead, it is almost like a french toast bread pudding.  this dish can stand alone as a weekend morning breakfast, or it can serve as an awesome side dish for a brunch.  it would be perfect for special occasions too.



all of the work is done the night before, so when you wake up in the morning, all you have to do is preheat your oven and let it bake.  it doesn't get much better than that!  serve it at your next gathering, and you'll be a hit for sure!

gather your ingredients

beat the cream cheese until smooth

mix in the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup

add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla

beat everything together until smooth

place 1 inch cubes of bread and the peach slices in a buttered glass baking dish

pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices,

then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight

the next morning, allow the dish to come to room temperature, then bake

allow the dish to sit for several minutes before cutting

serve hot with powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, and peaches



. . .

peaches-and-cream baked french toast

prep time: 10 minutes

resting time: approximately 8 hours

baking time: 60-65 minutes

yields: 8-10 servings



ingredients:

12 oz. french bread

16 oz. frozen peaches

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup light sour cream

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

10 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract



directions:

cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place the bread cubes in a buttered 9x13 inch glass baking dish.  evenly spread the peach slices on top of the bread cubes.  in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric hand mixer.  add the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup.  beat until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the sugar is dissolved.  add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.  beat until smooth.  pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices.  cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.



remove from the refrigerator and allow the dish to sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.  meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  bake covered for 30 minutes.  uncover and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until there are no visible signs of liquid egg mixture.  remove from the oven.  allow the french toast to sit for several minutes to set up before cutting.



serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar.  garnish with maple syrup, whipped cream, and additional peach slices.

enjoy!

love, laurie

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Important Message

I'm sure some of you have heard Google Reader is leaving as of July 1st and I don't want you to miss out on any posts.   So, if you currently get my posts there, be sure to head over to the right side of my page and look for this lovely list of ways to stay connected...  

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If you are anything like me, the thought of transferring all of the blogs that I read on Google Reader to Bloglovin' is scary. But good news! In less than 15 seconds I was able to transfer all of the blogs on GR over to Bloglovin'.

Click here to transfer all of the blogs you read to Bloglovin'.

See, I told you it was easy!

RIP Google Reader.

 

Green Smoothie

Let me begin with, I'm not Irish, but I do love green food.

 

So in honor of St. Patty's Day, here's my kids' favorite green smoothie.

 

½ c water

2 bananas, halved

2 c spinach

½ c ice cubes

 

Blend until smooth and enjoy.

 

 

Two Book Reviews & Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to read and review two books:   Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty by Dannah Gresh andBecoming God's True Woman...While I Still Have a Curfew by Susan Hunt and Mary A. Kassian  As the mother of a teen girl I was pumped to start reading these two books and even more excited to give a copy of each book to one of my readers! Yep, you read that correctly! I'm giving away these two books to one lucky reader!  First, let's talk about Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty.

 I read through it in 2 evenings. Then I handed it to my daughter and said "read this and let's chat." This is a powerful book that explains to young ladies the importance of modesty from a biblical perspective. Gresh shows the reader where fashion started vs. where we are today and explains how fashion has diluted the power that God gave us (modesty). She does an excellent job at explaining we can still keep up with fashion and stay true to His desire for us to stay modest. Gresh even gives the reader a few tests to do before heading out the door for the day to see if their clothes are appropriate. This book is a must have for anyone with a teen daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend, neighbor, stranger...you get the point. Every teen girl needs a copy of this book.    Now, let's talk about Becoming God's True Woman...While I Still Have a Curfew 

  This is a 35 day devotional for teen girls. Each day the reader starts with short devotional, followed by "Time to Read" (scripture), "Time to Think", "Time to Pray" and "Time to Live for God's Glory." In each of these sections there is space for the reader to journal their thoughts. Each chapter ends with a real life story from a woman who has "been there." This part is one of my personal favorites. It is always nice to know that someone else has been in a similar situation and they made it through with God by their side. What a great encouragement! The book covers a wide range of topics which leads the reader to answer tough but necessary questions.  I would highly recommend this devotional to any teen girl! Entry to win is simply. Just follow the steps below.Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

{Note: I was contacted by Moody Publishers to review the books "Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty" by Dannah Gresh as well as "Becoming God's True Woman...While I Still Have a Curfew" by Susan Hunt and Mary A. Kassian. I received one copy of these books as compensation in exchange for my review and the opportunity to give away a second copy of these books. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.}

Why Do We Serve Others?

I was recently asked what makes me serve. Let me begin by saying it's a long story. But I pray that you read to the very end because it's something I'm passionate about.   When I was 3 years old my parents divorced. Neither parent was able to care for us 24/7 so we (my brother and I) went to live with my Grandparents. As a child this was really hard to understand.   "Why is Dad stationed so far away?" "Why can't Mom take care of us?" "What did I do wrong?"   As I grew older I began to see things from a completely different angle.   My grandparents didn't have to take us. They had finally gotten all of their own children out the door and were now taking on a 3 and a 1 1/2 year old.....at the ages of 62 and 64.  Seriously, what were they thinking? Were they nuts!? Diapers and potty training all over again? It makes me tired just thinking about it.   We lived with them for 8 years.  And these two people  hold a special place in my heart.  

  They cared for us, when they didn't have to. Simply put, they served.   The Lord calls us all to serve.  

    Whether you think you are a servant or not, you are. We all have gifts from God that we use in our every day life. We.....   Shovel our neighbor's driveway Tudor children Hold the door for someone Tell you friend when they have something in their teeth Buy a stranger's cup of coffee Sponsor a child   I've mentioned before that we sponsor a young lady, Ana, from Nicaragua.  

  Let me tell you, this little lady is incredible. She definitely has a heart for the Lord!   Our sponsorship with her began in 2009, but it wasn't until just recently that I decided to blog about our sponsorship and Compassion International. I mean, Compassion is such a big part of our lives, why not share that with you, right?   Here are a few tidbits for you....   An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide every year.   Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.   The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 26 percent of children (49 million) are involved in work.   There are 781 million illiterate adults worldwide, and 64 percent of them are women.   Roughly 12 percent of the world's population, or 884 million people, do not have access to safe water.   We have the ability to help change that. The ability to provide a safe place for a child to learn to read. The ability to provide vaccinations for a child. The ability to provide safe drinking water and healthy meals to a child. The ability to show God's love to a child who is far away from us in distance, but close to our hearts.   That is why I serve.   Why do you?  

Baptism Week

It's a big week around here. 

 Last weekend was baptism weekend at church. Twice a year our church baptizes those who have repented and believe (it's called the believer's baptism - different than being baptized as a baby).  This is for those who wish to publicly profess their faith and follow Mark 16:16  A total of 910 were baptized, including two of my favorite people: my husband and daughter! 
   

Forever changed.