Momma believed everyone should have a hardy breakfast whether you needed or wanted it. There were no local places to purchase breakfast and there certainly was no extra money to have that luxury even if it was available. Schools provided only lunches and Momma made sure we had those coins needed every week for that hot lunch. By the way, in my book, we had an award-winning bunch of cafeteria ladies that made us wonderful homemade lunches.

Momma made breakfast seven days a week. When we visited her folks in north Louisiana, we always stayed with Ethel, my grandmother. Momma made sure she rose early because she said Grandmother was slow as a doodle in the kitchen. And she was. She never got in a hurry about anything. Momma wanted us to eat so we could get started on our visiting rounds of all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. So Momma was slinging the pots and pans and fixing breakfast on most of our visits.

Her regular breakfast that we loved was biscuits and gravy. First, she’d get the biscuits made. There was nothing slow about Momma. Her biscuits were a messy process ( this was prolly due to her speed) and if you were watching too close, you’d be covered with a fine layer of white flour. When the biscuits were formed and added to the aluminum cake pan or large black skillet, (Grandmother wasn’t known for organization and Momma was used to “making do”) you’d hear the clattering of the pan being tossed in the oven.

Bacon grease was never thrown out. It was always kept in a metal container near the stove. Momma would a dip a few scoops of that grease, sling it in the skillet, stir in some flour and then stir until it just turned brown. Then in would go the milk. She’d cook it down into a really good gravy. You’d split open that hot biscuit and spoon over that gravy. I can taste it now.

The point is Momma believed in breakfast- it was part of her trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Breakfast.

And every once in awhile, if we slept late or she wasn’t feeling the Holy Spirit breakfast, we would get French Toast. The way Momma said French Toast made us feel like we were doing some fine dining. We always had bread heels (ends of the bread loaf). She kept those for things like French Toast or Bread Pudding. You could dip a heel in the milky mixture and it would not fall to pieces like that soft white bread we loved so much for sandwiches.

For my French Toast, I love to use some type of homemade bread so I can cut the slices thick. In the milk mixture, I only use the yolk cause it blends in better with the milk and I do not end up with fried egg white looking matter on my toast. It keeps it “french” looking… well, to me anyway.

This recipe is not one of those exact ones, where if you do not have exactly one cup of milk, it’s going to be a failure. It depends on how many pieces you are making and how much liquid is soaked up into the bread. Personally, I like to just make a quick dip into the mixture on both of sides of the bread, then place in a hot skillet that has a couple of spoonsful melted butter in it. Fry a couple minutes on both sides or until brown. Put on a plate and dust with confectioners sugar. Voila!

This is a hit with the grandkids because it is sweet and it is made so fast, it looks like Granny has waved her magic wand and put on the table. Experiment with different types of bread and see what your favorite is! Good Luck and keep me posted.

Yield: 8 slices

FRENCH TOAST

Print

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Half and Half
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Thickly sliced bread (see note)
• Confectioners sugar for dusting
• 2-3 tablespoons margarine

Instructions

Put 2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine in a large skillet and melt.

Add sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

In a small, very shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Dip the bread into the wet mixture and turn over, making sure both sides are wet.

Place in a hot skillet and fry until brown on both sides. (about 2 minutes depending on how thick the bread is and how thoroughly wet the bread is)

Dust with confectioners sugar.

May serve with berries and whipped cream or syrup.

Notes

Regular loaf bread can be used BUT you will have to dip quickly and place in skillet. It is best to use thickly sliced bread.

With my bread, I just quickly dip on both sides.

Regular milk may also be used but I love the thicker cream.

This is a very flexible recipe and nothing needs to be exact . I always have leftover liquid and sometimes I put in a jar if I am going to use it within the week.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.

“What nicer thing can you do for somebody than make them breakfast.”

-Anthony Bourdain