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Welcome to Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. This is a place for me to post recipes of all kinds...along with other miscellaneous fodder from my so-called life here in the south. Who knows what you will find here. Could be anything from my husband...known as IT Guy...to my kids and beautiful grandbabies that are growing up way too fast right before my eyes. But...mostly this will be a place for food. I hope you'll see something you like and if you decide to try something from the list...leave me a comment and let me know!



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Strawberry Vanilla Bean Stuffed French Toast

Breakfast is always welcome around the SFFS house. It's too bad that the majority of the time we have it is for dinner. I'm not a breakfast food kinda girl and I'm certainly not an early-morning-fix-breakfast kinda girl. Poor IT Guy. He loves a hearty breakfast and I just can't do it. I'm so thankful he's understanding about me and my little quirks! (Okay....BIG quirks.) Anyway, I was given a loaf of fresh homemade bread and I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. This little recipe started formulating and a few hours later....we had a winner!! This is so easy to throw together and makes enough to feed 6 - 8 people easy! Double that if you cut each piece in half! And good? Oh yeah!!

Strawberry Vanilla Bean 
Stuffed French Toast



16 slices french bread ~ about 1 inch thick
2 - 3 cups fresh sliced strawberries ~ about 1/4 inch thick
1 8-ounce container Strawberry Cream Cheese
2 1/2 cups half & half
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar ~ optional
1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean paste (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Spread strawberry cream cheese onto 8 slices of the bread and arrange in the prepared pan.

Arrange strawberries on top. 

Spread remaining bread with remaining cream cheese and place cream cheese side down on top of berries.

In a large bowl, combine half & half, eggs, vanilla and sugar, if using. Beat until combined. Pour over bread in pan.

Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap over bread and press down lightly to ensure bread soaks up the liquid.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight. 

Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top and set.

Cut between bread slices. Serve with maple syrup and garnish with more berries, if desired.

The line up.
The line up.


Spread cream cheese on half the bread then arrange it in the pan. Top with berry slices.
Spread cream cheese on half the 
bread then arrange it in the pan. 
Top with berry slices.


Spread the remaining cream cheese on the remaining bread and lay on top of the berries.
Spread the remaining cream cheese 
on the remaining bread and lay on top of the berries.


Mix the milk. eggs, vanilla (and sugar if using) and pour over the bread.
Mix the milk. eggs, vanilla 
(and sugar if using) and pour over the bread.


Cover with parchment paper and press down to ensure that the bread soaks up the liquid. Chill several hours or overnight.
Cover with parchment paper and 
press down to ensure that the bread 
soaks up the liquid. Chill several 
hours or overnight.


Bake!!!
Bake!!!


Serve it up with some maple syrup!
Serve it up with some maple syrup!