Christmas Morning French Toast Casserole

Christmas morning is one of those incredible events in which the excitement can’t be contained and thus  bubbles over to the surrounding hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with effervescent glee. With anticipation at its peak and children waking at ungodly hours of the morning, the least I can do is provide a few suggestions for getting your day off to a smooth start breakfast-wise. In our  house, I’ve settled into a few routines to keep things on track so I can focus on those exuberant smiles and sparkling eyes as gifts are joyously unwrapped. Here goes.

1 – Christmas Eve is your moment. Once the cookies have been set out for Santa and the carrots chopped for the reindeer (you didn’t think they ate them WHOLE, did you?), turn your attention to setting the stage for Christmas morning.

Set up the coffeepot so it will brew at the push of a button when you awake. Set the table with Christmas dishes and napkins. Cut up a bowl of fruit and put it in the fridge along with glasses of juice. You want to be MINUTES away from a set breakfast table when you are ready to eat.

2 – Try a make-ahead breakfast casserole that you simply pop in the oven on Christmas morning. There are hundreds of good ones out there. I’m including a French Toast Casserole here that I’ve adapted from an old Cooking Light recipe. If you’d prefer something savory, try an egg casserole instead.The key is to pick one you can make the night before so you’re not scrambling eggs and cutting melon while everyone else is playing with the new iPad!

3 – Be flexible on the timing. Breakfast is clearly not the top priority on Christmas morning, so stay flexible about when you actually sit down to eat. When it’s finally time, you’ll be able to enjoy it with everyone else thanks to the prep work you did in advance!

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas morning!

 

Christmas Morning French Toast Casserole

serves 12

adapted from Cooking Light

 

Ingredients:

10 cups (1-inch) cubed sturdy white bread (I like Pepperidge Farm Hearty White for this)

1 (8 oz.) block neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)

8 large eggs

1.5  cups skim or 2% milk

2/3 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (BIG flavor difference vs. artificial maple syrup)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 9X13 inch baking dish. With a mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time.. Add milk, half-and-half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over bread; cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Remove casserole from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Top with chopped pecans if desired.

3. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the souffle with sifted powdered sugar if desired.

 

 

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Enough is Enough

A special note for today brought to you by The Brave Girls’ Club, run by a fabulous duo of women whose daily email is a must read. Subscribe today and each morning you’ll find a dose of inspiration and goodness and love in your inbox. And who among us couldn’t use a little more of THAT?

 

Dear Spectacular Girl,

In a world that keeps telling us that there must always be more, it is hard to ever feel like WE are enough, like we have enough, like we do enough, like there will be enough when all is said and done, especially at this time of year when MORE MORE MORE seems to be the constant screaming message, trying to drown out the simple beauty of what the season is all about.

Just rest in the truth, sweet friend, that you are enough right now.

You have done enough today, and you did enough yesterday. You have enough today and you had enough yesterday. There is enough love to go around and there is enough success to go around and there are enough dreams to go around. There are enough ideas to go around. There is enough for everyone, including you.

This is a stressful [time] for many people because they need to be reminded that enough is enough. You know the truth, beautiful girl. So don’t let the lie of NEVER ENOUGH destroy what should be a beautiful season for you.

And since you know the truth, you can let others around you know that they are enough, too. Rest in the truth. Breathe it in. Pass it on. Spread the kindness message of ENOUGH, everywhere you go. But most of all, let it penetrate into your heart.

Give yourself some grace, and give all the grace you can to those around you. Receive the grace, too, and always seek out and go where the peace is. You are so full of goodness, and you are SO LOVED.

Thanks for being you.xoxo

A message from your friends at the Brave Girls Club – www.bravegirlsclub.com

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Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach

With the holiday season in full swing, here’s one last healthy hors d’oeuvre suggestion for you and yours! Stuffed mushrooms are a cocktail party favorite but they are often loaded with high fat sausage and tons of cheese – they can tip the scales at more than 300 calories per mushroom! This vegetarian version swaps the sausage for fresh spinach and uses the big flavors of shallots, garlic, and a bit of Gruyere to keep the fat down but the flavor worthy of a celebration.

I love that you can make these up to two days in advance and simply heat them when it’s party time…anything to take a bit of stress out of this season!

 

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach

makes 24

 

adapted from Real Simple

 

Ingredients:

24 medium mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (2 ounces)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Wipe mushrooms clean. Remove the stems and finely chop and set aside.

3. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake the mushroom caps, stem-side down until just tender, 10-12 minutes.

4. While mushrooms are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2-3 minutes more.

5. Combine the spinach mixture with the bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Spoon into the mushroom caps. (You can prepare these to this point two days in advance. Just refrigerate covered.)

6. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

 

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