Blueberries on a Winter’s Day

This weekend I’m faced with a project I’d been looking forward to, and also dreading, for 20 years….my oldest son is bringing his girlfriend home to “meet the family.” My oldest is a level-headed kind of man….he was old and wise beyond his years when he was 4, and I’m so proud of him now. If he’s found someone he wants us to meet, she must be very special.

I knew something was up a couple weekends ago when he said he wouldn’t be home that weekend because he was going with his girlfriend to meet her parents….suddenly I’m frozen in time wondering where my “little 9 lb. 4 oz.” baby went. I’m sure you mothers out there can relate to this feeling. You’re so proud of the son you raised, but you’re not quite ready for the next phase in his adulthood….him starting his own family. You want to hang on to that little man just a little bit longer, but you know you can’t. You move from his mother, who was the source of comfort and information in the beginning, to the person who must stand by on the sidelines and watch as your child begins that walk of life that you’ve prepared him for. I’m actually looking forward to meeting her. Anyone who has captivated my son’s attention like this must be someone special, so I’m looking forward to accepting her into our family.

So….for this momentous occasion, I’m planning to (hopefully!) knock it out of the park with my supper and Sunday brunch menus, because if she’s going to hang with my son, she better know how to keep his stomach happy!! (And I will supply her the recipes to do just that  lol)  For supper, I’m planning a traditional lasagna only made with turkey burger (as requested) and lots of spinach. That’s how I got my boys to eat some veggies when they were little….just stuff those veggies into every dish you make, and most of the time they won’t even know the veggies are there! For breakfast/brunch on Sunday morning, I’m going to use a recipe that I got from my oldest stepdaughter. We had visited her and her family one weekend, and she made this most amazing breakfast French toast. My boys refused to leave until I had the recipe so that I could make it for them at home!! I’ve seen various similar recipes for this out on the web, and I have no idea where she got this particular recipe. All I know is that it is a homerun for a breakfast casserole…..and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

 


INGREDIENTS:
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch
cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut
into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast