Saturday Morning Memories

When I was a tiny little girl, no more than five, Saturday mornings were my favorite time of the week.  My internal alarm clock woke me up at 6 am, just in time to toddle downstairs to watch “Blue’s Clues” and “Gullah Gullah Island.”  The latter was my favorite.  I sang along to their theme song before lying down on the couch to watch the episode and daydream about dancing with their bright yellow frog friend.

 

But the best part was when Mom brought me breakfast during my Nickelodeon shows.      First I’d get my “crazy drink,” which was a fruity concoction of orange juice, apple juice, and fizz water (a.k.a. Crystal Geyser for you adults out there), and I had to sip it through a crazy straw, one of those reusable colored ones that loops around in loop-the-loops.

 

The drink was to tide me over until Mom whipped up breakfast.  Most days, she’d simply pour a bowl of cereal or maybe mix up pancakes, but the best days were when she made French toast.

 

 

Mom always used French bread for her French toast, but because she wanted us to be healthy and eat whole wheat bread, we didn’t have that special artisan bread very often.  Anytime we did, it was an extra special treat—especially since it meant French toast.

 

 

Sourdough French Toast

serves 1

I decided to go against our tradition and use sourdough bread for a more savory twist.  It’s best to use bread that’s at least a day old because it soaks up the egg mixture better.  The cinnamon hides the lack of sugar in this recipe, but no one will notice because it tastes so good!

2 eggs

3 tbsp milk

¼ tsp vanilla

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

3 thick slices of sourdough bread

1. Whisk the eggs in a pie tin for 1-2 minutes.  (Be careful not to spill!)  Add the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix again.
2. Set the bread slices in the pie tin to let them soak up the egg mixture.  After 30 seconds, flip and let the other side soak.
3. Heat a large frying pan coating with nonstick cooking spray over medium-low heat.  Cook the bread slices until they turn golden brown, then use a spatula to flip.  Let the other side cook until golden.  Top with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or jam and serve hot.