Protein-packed French toast with a cinnamon nut crunch, served with fresh fruit.
Make enough to freeze for an easy back-to-school breakfast.
Fire safety is something we’ve discussed several times over the years at the family dinner table. In fact, we make it a point to review our emergency plan on average of 2-3 times per year.
Last night at around 2am, my husband and I were roused from our sleep by the panicked voices of a crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk, as well as swirling red and blue lights bouncing off our bedroom walls. We looked outside the window and saw that the crowd was motioning for US to get out (my first thought is that it had to be another home), so my husband and I immediately went to grab all 4 kids, our dog and our 2 cats. It wasn’t a drill. It was the real thing.
In about 90 seconds we had the kids, the dog and 1 of the cats outside — but securing the 2nd cat proved to be a bit more challenging and cost my husband another couple of minutes. Fortunately, the fire was restricted to the roof of the home, and despite the fact that the flames were rampant and estimated to be 8 - 9 feet tall, FDNY was able to extinguish the fire before it spread. We were able to return home within a couple of hours with only water to wade through, a bad stench and soot/debris in our backyard. It was a small price to pay for what could have been.
The rest of the night was a blur of investigators, clean-up crews and other foreign noises. Daylight came way too soon, and when it did our family was ravenous. Enter: comfort food. Not just comfort food, mind you, but comfort food that still offers nutritional value.
Protein-Packed French Toast with Cinnamon Nut Crunch
This recipe is as simple as it gets:
- Slice bread (we used whole wheat Challah from our local bakery)
- Dip both sides of the bread in an egg wash made from scrambled, pastured eggs, allowing the egg wash to seep in (feel free to add a little real vanilla).
- Next coat one side (or both) in the crunchy mixture made with ground pecans, ground almonds and cinnamon (note: we ground the nuts finely using a mortar and pestle)
- cook both sides of French toast in a stove-top pan with a little pastured butter
- serve with real maple syrup and fresh fruit
To freeze for future use:
Arrange slices of French toast in a glass container, separating each slice with parchment paper.
Readers, please take the time to review your own fire safety plan with your family. Be sure to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on a regular schedule and order any additional fire extinguishes needed. Also, keep pet carriers in an easily accessible area and make sure your pets always wear their id tags, even indoors.
