Ladies who Brunch

Every once in a while I feel the need to cook for more than just Mr bus driver man and the boy with braces. And who better to spoil than some of the women in my life! A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do just that. A Sunday morning, an invitation, a yummy recipe and ta da! The Ladies who Brunch! was created.

What would brunch be without something sparkly to drink? And orange juice from a container with ducks on it??

Now, I generally live by the 80/20 rule of eating, which goes something like eating healthy 80% of the time and eating what I really want 20% of the time. Now, that kind of sounds like I don't enjoy eating healthy, which isn't true, but if we're being honest here, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the 20% sense of freedom and joy that still shows up!



Cinnamon baked french toast - a winner with the women!



Oh so happy that fondues are back in style!

That's not to say we didn't share some yummy healthy food because as you can see, we did (and in the world of Ladies who Bruch, it goes without saying that chocolate fondue is healthy)


But it wasn't really about the food. This was an opportunity for us all to feed ourselves on a spiritual level as well, sharing the company of women we love.

So glad to see my good friend Jen, who was in town visiting from San Francisco - impeccable timing on her part!
I was thrilled she could come and join the party.

Oh yes, the party was made complete with the addition of a baby!  

I know, a boy snuck in but he kept his face turned away from the camera so no one could tell he was there!

Now I test-drove a new recipe for the event, and told one of my friends I would never consider posting it on my blog (even though it was SO DELISH!! but not what I call healthy), given that this space is all about eating healthy. I got called out on that by the way. Apparently it fits my 20% criteria perfectly - I hadn't considered that before. So, without further ado, the recipe!

Cinnamon Baked French Toast
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks). This is a make-ahead (like the night before) recipe which makes it incredibly easy to prepare for company, or you know, you!

1 loaf bread (could be french, italian, sour dough, whatever you want)
8 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Topping
½ cup flour
½ cup brown sugar
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, cut into pieces
fresh fruit (optional)

Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan. Mix together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture). Bake for 45 -55 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Serve topped with butter, fresh fruit, plain yogurt and/or maple syrup (or all of the toppings). Or whatever you want - nuts and raisins are good too. My family wolfed down the leftovers plain and cold. Yup, it's that good!