I have a confession to make. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m not reallllly a brunch person. I’m picky about my breakfasts. I don’t really like pancakes. I’m not a huge french toast fan. Waffles? Could do without them. Eggs? Only if they’re very runny, or just the white. Granola? Love it – but I’m used to my mom’s homemade kind so it better be close. Orange juice? Ick. Cereal? Absolutely – as long as I can have 4 to 5 different kinds and can mix them together and eat it dry (without milk). I know – it’s like a crime for a girl in her late 20s to not be a fan of brunch. What can I say – I’m special?

Anyway, I know I’m in the minority. I know most people love brunch and wouldn’t rather be eating a salad, turkey chili  or chicken for breakfast so I compromise. So when B suggested we have some friends from out of town over for brunch I happily obliged. And as you do know, I LOVE baking. So of course I got excited at the prospect of baking for brunch – baking a French Toast Casserole!

This recipe turned out reallly realllly good. It was so easy to prepare (you do most of the work the night before) and made our apartment smell amazing. If you have brunch plans anytime soon, I highly recommend you make this. We served ours with champagne, a fruit salad, scrambled eggs and nitrate free bacon. Cheers!

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Here’s what you need:

• 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup or maple syrup

Here’s what you do:

1. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the bread slices, layered, throughout the dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs (beaten well), milk, half-and-half, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour liquid over bread and refrigerate, covered, overnight.
3. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is preheating, in a small pot over medium-high heat, combine butter, brown sugar and syrup. Stir well and heat until the mixture just starts to boil and bubble. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Enjoy warm. B topped his with syrup, I thought it was sweet enough without it.