The Orange Strainer: The Most Delicious French Toast(s) Ever

Recipe: French Toast
Source: The Pioneer Woman
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/07/french-toast-with-berry-butter/
Time: 20-30 minutes (longer if you make berry butter)
Ease: 1
Taste: 10
Leftover Value: 8
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

Snow days in New Jersey used to be a day you could stay in your pajamas all day and not feel guilty. I think that once you pass the (used to be) two built in snow days staying in pajamas and vegging out is no longer allowed.

At least for me it isn't.

The first snow day or the twenty-first (uhh, please---no!), snow days always put me in the mood for making breakfast. I don't ordinarily get to make a warm breakfast unless I'm serving it for dinner (and it is quite a perfect dinner option, one that should make the dinner calendar* at least every other month).

*More about the dinner calendar to come soon--I promise!

When we were in Baltimore last month, I ordered French toast at this local breakfast joint:

When we discovered that the bakery I wanted to go to didn't open until 11:30 am we scoured Google maps for a decent location for breakfast. 'Simply Marie's' came up highly rated on yelp.com making us hastily choose it in the midst of vicious hunger that was starting to turn me from sweet innocent wife into a frazzle faced Frankenstein.

When we first stepped in, I was a little apprehensive. This place was a hole in the wall. There was enough seating for no more than 12 people, and our order was placed standing at the back counter. Hubby, however, was set on staying, so we ordered our meals and sat down. I don't know what came over me, but I ordered French toast. Ordinarily, I stay away from ordering French toast and here is why: While pancakes, bacon, and eggs are certainly items I can also cook up at home, being that French toast comes from bread already prepared (and typically pre-sliced in a baggie) it seems to be the easiest breakfast item to make and not one for which I should pay.

I don't know what Marie does, perhaps it was the sprinkling of powdered sugar or a special type of homemade bread, but her French toast warmed my soul that day.

It was equally delicious (if not even a tad bit better???) to the French toast that I serve up on a regular basis at home.

Pioneer Woman's French Toast with Berry Butter is out of this world. If you can make peace with the egg yolks and half and half that are used, you'll love it! Berry butter is optional, but if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. This Cranberry butter is also insanely delicious.

We also brought home some raisin bread from Baltimore, and I decided it would go perfectly as the bread for French toast (that, and, the lady who sold it to me said it is delicious as French toast).

I'm not ordinarily too keen on raisins. They get in the way of the good stuff, like swirly cinnamon or melted buttery sugary goodness. For French toast, the raisins brought in so much sweetness, I almost* didn't need to add syrup.

*Note: Almost. Never, ever can I live a day in a world with breakfast sans syrup.

I add a little something extra to my French toast that Pioneer Woman doesn't:

Cinnamon and sugar!

After mixing the egg yolks and half and half together, dipping the bread pieces and tossing them on the frying pan, I sprinkle just a little coating of cinnamon and sugar on top.