18 years – I remember when 9-11 happened. My children were young and in school and my husband was traveling for business. After the children were in bed that night I felt so helpless – so emotionally exhausted yet I knew I was not ready for sleep. Turning on the TV would just be listening to words – seeing images I had repeatedly absorbed throughout the day. I wanted to protect my children from a world that these unspeakable things could happen knowing deep in my heart there are only so many things a mother has control of. So the question came to my mind – “What do you have control over?” “How can you love your children in this time of uncertainty?” For me – it was giving them something they enjoyed – something that had a proven track record of happiness. For me – this would be accomplished in my kitchen. And so I set about pulling the ingredients out on my counter for Blueberry French Toast – a lovely recipe that sits in refrigerator overnight and is baked in the oven. In the past the smell of this baking would bring huge smiles to little faces. I was just hoping that it would remind us that there have been happy times in the past and in faith and hope we could look forward to good times in the future. So I cut the french bread in small pieces and mixed up the eggs and milk. Each task was a balm to my soul. I took each piece of bread and dipped it into the wet mixture and placed it in the greased pan. Perhaps this is how we would heal – one deliberate task of love at a time. That recipe encouraged me to move at a time where it would be so easy to get stuck in front of our tvs, computers, newspapers for the next new tidbit of a horrific event. Our country doesn’t need people who sit – no, our country needs people who will reach out and start moving with loving actions one person at a time.
- 1 Loaf of french bread, sliced in 1/2 inch sliced
- 2 Eggs
- 1 3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or Milk of your Choice
- 2 Tbsp Sugar or sweetener of choice
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cup Frozen Blueberries
- Crumb Mixture
- White Spelt Flour or Flour of your Choice
- Brown Sugar
- Earth Balance or Butter, chilled
- Prepare a 8 X 8 square pan by spraying lighting with PAM
- If using flax "egg" see * and mix accordingly
- In medium bowl mix milk, sugar, vanilla, egg, and fruit spread until combined
- Take each slice of bread and dip both sides into milk mixture. Place in pan until the bottom is covered with a layer of bread.
- Spoon 3 Tbsp of milk mixture over bread
- Place sliced apples on top
- Repeat with another layer of dipped bread
- Using a spatual press down on top to pack down
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 6-8 hours in fridge.
- Mix ingredients for crumb mixture in a small blender or food processor.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove from refrigerator
- Spread blueberries on top
- Spread crumb mixture of top
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Can be eaten out of the oven but it let cool for 15 minutes before trying to cut. It's amazing how much better this cuts if it can cool, sit in refrigerator for several hours and then reheated or served cold as a bread pudding.
- May be topped with powdered sugar, whipped soy or dairy cream.
