Breakfast for Dinner

One of best aspects of teaching is the relationships that have been built. These are two of my favorite college freshman (as of May 2010!). One is going off to Baylor, so we had a girls night to celebrate the last time we would see her!
We had planned to eat later, so I knew I didn't want to cook something heavy and time consuming. Therefore, I decided on breakfast, at 8:30 at night.

This Apricot Stuffed French Toast is incredible! You could certainly substitute any jam/jelly in place of apricot preserves. I used strawberry jam since I had a brand new jar and served this with boysenberry syrup and a breakfast casserole. In my opinion, breakfast casseroles are just about the best thing. They make great leftovers rolled up in a tortilla, or just reheated. And bonus, you can use just about anything and it will taste great!

Simple Breakfast Casserole

Preheat oven to 350
Spray a 9 x 9 square pan with Pam (If you want to make a 13 x 9, just double the ingredients)

1 cup frozen hash browns
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used skim, but you can use 1%, 2%, half/half)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper
1 onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2-3/4 cup cheese (any kind, I used shredded Parmesan)

Saute onions until tender, add pepper to heat through (about 5-7 minutes)
Whisk together 6 eggs, milk and salt/pepper
Layer hash browns on bottom of pan, top with onions and red pepper, pour egg mixture and sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until set.

Apricot Stuffed French Toast (From Martha Stewart, Everyday Food)

Serves 4

• 1 loaf Italian bread (about 4 inches in diameter), cut into eight 1-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)

1. Using a paring knife, cut a horizontal slit in each bread slice to form a pocket. In a bowl, blend jam and cream cheese. Spoon 1 tablespoon mixture into each pocket.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cinnamon until combined. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Lay half the bread slices in egg mixture, letting them soak 5 seconds on each side.
3. Place slices in skillet; cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining bread, adding more butter to skillet if needed. If desired, serve French toast with syrup and bacon.