Overnight Blueberry French Toast

So, I decided to try yet another new recipe and again, it was a total success.  The whole family loved this dish and it tastes a lot like stuffed french toast at IHOP.  And let me tell you, this is one of the easiest meals I have ever made...

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 9x13 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

Monster Pancakes (a.k.a. Hootenanny Pancakes)

These are really easy to make and only take about 20 minutes start to finish, which makes them a really good breakfast for school days.  Most people call them Hootenanny Pancakes, but my friend from work called them Monster Pancakes because as you cook them, they grow up the side of the pan as you can see in the first picture.  Some of my kids add jam, some add syrup and one even eats them plain.  I sometimes add cinnamon and sometimes add dehydrated apples.  Today I added both.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter

In blender or large bowl mix 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour and salt. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter or margarine in 9 x 13 inch pan. Pour in egg mixture. Bake 18 minutes (no peeking!). Serve immediately. It is like a souffle and will slowly fall. Serve with syrup, jam or fruit.