French Toast Casserole & I Know and I Don’t–No. 8

     The weekend is not quite over yet, but I wanted to go ahead and share the French toast casserole recipe with you.  Yum. Yum. Yum.
     You make the recipe the night before and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator, so it would be so easy to pop in the oven if you have company or just want a big breakfast without all the early morning work.

You will need:
1/4 c. butter melted
3/4 c. c. packed light brown sugar (we used dark)
1 loaf French bread (cut into 1 1/2 in. slices)
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. whole milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. pecans (chopped)
1/8 tsp. salt
(optional) maple syrup and/or powdered sugar for topping

1.  In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
2.  Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary.
3.  Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices.
4.  Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices.
5.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4 – 12 hours. 
6.  In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least ten minutes as your preheat the oven.
7.  Bake casserole for 30 – 35 minutes.  If top starts browning too quickly, place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last ten minutes or so.  You want to cook it long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked, but don’t dry it out completely.
8.  Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving.  Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Sorry for the not so great cell phone picture – I forgot to bring my camera home!

So so so good!  Y’all are going to have to make it very soon!

Onto the 8th (WOW) I Know and I Don’t!

I know I shouldn’t overanalyze (and that I’ve probably said this already).
I don’t know why I do it aaalllllllll the time.

I know I forget a lot.
I don’t know how Keith forgot to pack shirts for this weekend…

I know I need a spring/summer purse.
I don’t know where else to look!

I know patience is a virtue.
I don’t know how people can do it.

I know prayer is powerful.
I don’t know why I don’t write that across my forehead every morning.
 

Allyson