French Toast Casserole

When I’m up for rich food, I love a good Paula Deen recipe. I adore her French Toast Casserole recipe, so for this brunch, I modified it just a tad bit and made a lighter version that’s much easier on the waistline!

Ingredients:

6 slices of large wheat bread

4 large eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping (below)

Maple Syrup

Directions:

Generously butter an 8 x 8 square baking dish. Slice bread in half and overlap the slices into three rows until the pan is filled. I cut each slice of bread down by about an inch so it wasn’t so large. Next, mix the next 8 ingredients together with a mixer until well blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over bread slices, making sure mixture gets in between slices and that all bread is covered with mixture.  Refrigerate overnight covered in foil.

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bread lightly with the praline topping. (Praline topping optional.) Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until bubbly on the sides. Serve hot with maple syrup! Delicious!

Praline Topping:

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter or margarine spread

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.