Blueberry French Toast Breakfast Casserole

From the Kitchen of Melissa

Two words:  yummy and simple!  The only downside to this meal is that it takes time.  You must prepare it the night before you want it and it needs to bake for an hour…but trust me, it’s worth it!  This would be a great breakfast/lunch to wow visiting guests!

*NOTE:  When I make this for just Kevin and I, I cut the ingredients in half…so 1 teaspoon vanilla becomes ½ teaspoon, and 8 eggs become 4 (etc.)   

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut into cubes (about 1 inch in size)
¾ cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons
2 cups of frozen blueberries
2 cups of milk
8 eggs

Directions:

1. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon together.  Don’t worry if the cinnamon seems to clump at the top of the bowl, it’s the thought that counts here.
2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  For the whole recipe, my dish is about 9 x 13 inches, for half, I usually use an 8 x 8.
3. Place a layer of bread in the dish. 
4. Sprinkle brown sugar liberally over the bread.  For added sweetness, feel free to add more than the ¾ cup the recipe calls for…just don’t go too overboard!
5. Add the blueberries next.  Again, the two cups in the ingredients are just an estimate…use as many as you want!
6. Add the egg mixture from step one on top…don’t use all of it as you will now…
7. Repeat steps 3-6 one more time (using up the last of the egg mixture as the last step).
8. Let sit, covered in fridge overnight.
9. In the morning, heat oven to 350⁰F.
10. Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.
11. After 30 minutes, remove tin foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
12. Once done, serve with syrup if desired.

Half-recipe serves 2-3; 15 minutes prep and 1 hour bake