Delicious Vanilla French Toast

Yeah baby!  This is what I call "breakfast" and thanks to my friend, Beth, I've got the recipe to share with you.  Woohoo! 

The Yippie-ay-Yay Yummy Ingredients:

4 eggs
Good Bread (preferably Challah, which is egg bread)
2/3 cup of milk
3 Tbs. of orange juice
1/2 tsp. orange peel (buy a jar of Spice Islands!!)
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt  

Break 4 eggs into a mixing bowl.

Add 2/3 cup of Milk, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of sugar ...

Add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla ...

Add 1/2 teaspoon of orange peel (buy a jar of Spice Islands!!)

Add a dash or so of salt.

Slice your bread into 6 slices.  Any very good, dense bread is fine, just as long as it isn't that 40-calorie stuff!!!

Whisk all of your delicious ingredients together.

Place your slices together in a shallow pan, this one is a 7 x 11 glass pan and seems to fit six slices perfectly.  Notice that wonderful cookbook in the background opened up to this recipe?  You gotta get the book!  For information about Beth's cookbook and how to get yours, email Beth at singin[email protected] or contact Susan at [email protected].

Pour your whisked mixture over the slices of bread.  Is your stomach growling yet?  And start the coffee will ya?!!

Turn the bread over a few times during the soaking to evenly distribute the mixture. As the bread becomes saturated, it will be in jeopardy of falling apart if you don't carefully turn the slices, picking them up with both hands to prevent them from tearing. Okay? Okay. Let them soak for a good 15 minutes or more. Go make your fruit salad, set the table, brew some coffee, read the paper, fry some bacon. Yeah, go fry some bacon!!

Melt equal parts of butter and canola oil, a spoonful of each, over medium to medium-sort of high heat.

This is how much of the mixture should be left in your pan when you remove the slices to fry.  There should not be much of it left at all. I am frying four of the six slices at one time.

Your Vanilla French Toast should be golden brown and smelling totally awesome when you turn them.  Be sure not to overcook them.  When you turn them they should look like this.

And, oh my goodness!  This is what they will look like on your platter.  If you cover these lightly with foil while you are cooking the other slices, they'll stay nice and warm.

Here are all 6 slices on my serving platter.  Is this totally gorgeous or what? (Is it possible to have a gorgeous breakfast?)  Hmmm.  I'll have to think about that - while I'm wolfing down this French Toast.  Now, where's the syrup? ...

Ahhh, there it is. Warm maple syrup.  Yeah, baby ... 

Is that coffee ready yet?  Ol, heck with it, I'm diggin' in.  Enjoy!