Sunday, December 30, 2012

Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast for dinner. Need I say more?  I don’t think I know a single person who doesn’t love breakfast, but not everyone eats in the morning. Coffee? Yes please, lots. Breakfast? Too early for food.  What to do? Breakfast for dinner, yay!



Berry French Toast Casserole | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe
Berry French Toast Casserole

Breakfast for dinner always reminds me of New Year’s when my kids were little. We’d want to celebrate, but it was tough to find babysitters who could stay till 2am, or who didn’t have plans themselves. We did often get together with other families, but we were always home early, as we all had young kids. It was really fun, a great option for us while our kids were little, but not a celebration on the scale of past New Years.

At that time we were in our first house. The house had a den off of the kitchen that was well used. It also had a large living room off of the dining room that I never did furnish. One year I decided that if we weren’t going to have a major New Year’s Eve celebration, we could have a New Year’s Day party. Perfect. People weren’t working and most had no plans. What to serve? Easy, everyone loves breakfast. I cooked and baked for weeks, set up the food on the dining room table and set up long tables in the unfurnished living room so people could sit and eat. It was an Open House  so no pressure to be there at a designated time, and it frequently went all day (well, till the champagne was gone anyway). Afterwards my closest friends would stay to critique the dishes to see what would make it to the next year. There were years when I had over 40 guests.

So breakfast for dinner is not only a delicious treat but, because I always make a dish from those New Year’s Brunch days, it brings a nostalgic smile to my face. True comfort food, it’s my own inexpensive therapy of sorts.


New Year's Brunch | www.BakingInATornado.com
Setting up for one of the earlier New Year’s brunches

Lately I’ve been going through my kids’ scrapbooks. I kept them diligently for about 6 years then stopped, cramming new pictures into empty sleeves. The pages prod me to remember stories of fun times, of sad times when we had to pull together, uncertain times when we started new chapters, people who’ve moved into and out of our lives. I may be amusing myself at others’ expense, but I’m thoroughly enjoying pulling out naked-first-bath pictures and threatening to put them in the school yearbook. Not really sure if this would be characterized as therapy, or my need for therapy, but it brings a nostalgic smile to my face. Just like having breakfast for dinner.


Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Berry French Toast
                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:  
12 slices of cinnamon bread (or 2 boxes frozen French toast)
2 cups berries (bigger ones like strawberries need to be sliced)
cream cheese
8 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
cinnamon for sprinkling on top
Opt: maple syrup for serving
Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 glass baking dish.
*Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on one side of all the bread slices. Put 6 into a dish in a single layer, cream cheese facing up.
*Sprinkle with berries, then cover with the other 6 slices, cream cheese facing down.
*Wisk together eggs, milk and maple syrup and carefully pour over top.
*Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover with foil, refrigerate for the day (dinner) or overnight (breakfast).
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes.
*Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

48 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you, Catie. I think you should make the recipe . . . and invite your Mom! XOXO

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    1. You have to try this one Kelly, it's really good and it serves a lot. AND it's Yum!

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  3. Anything involving cream cheese works for me! This sounds scrumptious! I am always looking for tried and true recipes. I LOVE breakfast for dinner, too, Karen!!

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    1. Me too, Rebeka. I love cream cheese and fruit together. And there's nothing better than breakfast for dinner.

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  4. this sound delicious, my mouth is watering! my mom used to do breakfast for dinner once in a while and it was such a treat!

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    Replies
    1. We think it's a treat too, especially since I rarely make a big breakfast at breakfast time.

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  5. Great post! Love the recipe! Also love breakfast for any time of the day! It's quick and easy cooking and delicious!!!

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    1. Thanks, Vicky. If you love breakfast you should try this one, it's my favorite.

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  6. Breakfast for dinner is always tasty. I was actually thinking about having it tonight. This recipe looks tasty and not too complicated. Thanks.
    Jae Mac, I'm Just Sayin'...(Damn!)

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    1. It's really simple and very good. Hope you try it and like it.

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  7. Nice... Every now & again, I too, will make breakfast for dinner. Love it. Nice post, Slu

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    1. Thanks Slu. The next time you make breakfast for dinner, try this one and let me know what you think!

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  8. Oh my goodness - that looks so delicious!!!! I can't wait until my little ones will appreciate a delicacy like that. Mine prefer boring plain waffles so they can dip it in ketchup while I gag.

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    1. You poor thing. That makes me gag just thinking about it. My son used to put peanut butter on chocolate chip waffles, but it least that sort of makes sense. Ketchup, yikes.

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  9. Yes! I seriously love breakfast for dinner. Probably a bit too much. But that's okay because it's still awesome :)

    Reese

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  10. This looks so yummy! I love breakfast for dinner--my mother used to make us buttermilk waffles for dinner, which I loved. But I am also known for eating dinner for breakfast---nothing tastes better than cold pizza at 7:00 am!!!! Can't believe how giant that spread is in the picture! You must have been cooking for days!!!

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    1. Although I don't eat dinner for breakfast, I do have to admit that cold pizza in the morning is a taste I acquired in college, didn't everyone?

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  11. Sounds great! I have done breakfast for dinner too! Hope you have a wonderful and happy New Years!

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  12. Breakfast for dinner was always one of my favorite things, as a kid!!!

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    Replies
    1. I think every time people hear "breakfast for dinner" they smile.

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  13. Awwww that is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your recipe and your wonderful memory! I wish I had my old pictures of my family. =*(

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    Replies
    1. It's so bittersweet looking at old pictures. My kids seemed to have grown up in a minute.

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  14. I LOVE breakfast at dinnertime - we were brought up on English fry-ups and they pretty much work at ANY time of the day! Not great for your arteries though unfortunately. Your open house all day brunch celebration of old times sounds fabulous - I wish I had someplace like that to go tomorrow:) Happy New Year!

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    1. Those brunches were a lot of work, but so much fun. Sometimes I wish I still did them.

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  15. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love your post and it looks soooo delicious! Don't know why I always end up at food blogs when I'm starving! :)

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  16. Well, before being a mum, on the 1st day of each year I had dinner for breakfast :-) Happy New Year!

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  17. I live for breakfast for dinner! JOY! Eggs make delicious meals. Any time of day.

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    Replies
    1. Totally agree. I've been thinking I have to start planning this dinner on a regular basis.

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  18. Usually just the word casserole kind of turns me off...but this still looks and sounds amazing! I'll have to give it a try! :)

    Chloe
    http://rainbowsandhoneysuckle.blogspot.com/

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  19. Oh my goodness!! That looks amazing. I love french toast. I'm so glad you included the recipe!! I am making this soon. It doesn't look too difficult. I'm stopping by from the crafty link up.

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  20. WOW it is 1:30 and I want these right now!! Maybe for dinner? LOL Thanks so much for sharing them on Manic Monday! @BobbisKozyKtchn

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  21. Breakfast for dinner? YES, PLEASE! Oh my gosh, what a spread you created...go go party girl! It makes me tired to look at it ;)

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    Replies
    1. It was such a fun and lazy day. Perfect day for an open house.

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  22. oh girl that looks and sounds great. We love breakfast for dinner. We used to eat omelets on Sunday night. Think we need to revisit that tradition :)
    Dawn
    Spatulas On Parade

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    1. I agree. My husband works late a couple of nights a week and my son and I always have breakfast for dinner on one of them.

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  23. What a fun, truly fabulous idea! And I'm definitely trying that Berry French toast recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, take a pic for me. Hope you love it as much as we do.

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  24. This looks and sounds delicious. Now I am hungry for breakfast!

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