an AMAZING breakfast recipe

truly it is! i don't typically share recipes - b/c, frankly, i don't cook - but i did try this one this wknd and it is SOOOOO yummy! so here it is. don't let the length of the recipe intimidate you - it is really easy - if it wasn't i wouldn't have tried it, believe me. (this is from http://www.endlesssimmer.com/)

deep dish blueberry maple french toast

have at room temp:
4 oz cream cheese
2 T butter
3 T maple syrup or maple butter
1/4 t cinnamon

8 slices of italian bread, about 1/2 inch thick
1 c blueberries

200ml light cream (i only had heavy whipping cream and it was just fine)
4 eggs
2 T maple syrup
pinch of salt

grease a stoneware baking dish with butter (i used a large oval baking dish, deep)

in a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese, butter and maple syrup until they are completely combined and creamy like a frosting. add cinnamon and mix well.

lay out the slices of bread on your workspace and divide the cream cheese among four pieces. spread it around evenly and top with the four remaining slices of bread.

using a sharp serrated knife, cut the sandwiches into three 'fingers', and each one of those fingers into three. you should have roughly nine bite-sized chunks per sandwich (the loaf i used was pretty large so they were good size pieces).

transfer all the bread to the buttered baking dish and spread out evenly. top with blueberries, tucking them in here and there, and pressing them down between the cubes of bread. (like i said, my pieces were larger so i ended up having to layer them but it was still fine)

using the same bowl as your former cream cheese mixture, crack the eggs and beat slightly. add cream, maple syrup and salt; mix well.

pour batter over bread. using a well-washed hand, place your palm in the center of the dish and gently press all the bread down until the egg mixture seeps up through the cracks (since it was a double layer i just made sure everything was saturated with the egg mixture)

cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight

in the morning, preheat oven to 350. cook for 35-45 minutes until puffy and golden. cover with foil if bread is browning before eggs are set.

serve warm with more maple syrup and fresh blueberries - and i added powdered sugar!!! (not so good for the high blood sugar levels i'm fighting right now, but it's not like i eat this every day - i'm entitled to a little sweet treat here and there, right??) :)

seriously, easy to make and a bonus that you make it the day before. we invited marsha over to try it with us (nothing like asking a friend to be a guinea pig for a new recipe) - i'm just glad it turned out ok or we would have been on our way to mcdonalds for breakfast that morning!

ENJOY!!!!!!