Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

This recipe comes from one of our church recipe exchanges. It's delicious and easy to prepare. A definite hit with our family!

-Cristy Clayton

1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4-1" slices

1 (8 oz) container cream cheese
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 quart fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

Spray a 9x13" glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread about 1 Tbsp. cream cheese on half of the bread slices. Top each with remaining slices to form 2 sandwiches per serving. Place sandwiches in baking dish, covering bottom. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Beat well. Pour over bread in baking dish. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Turn bread sandwiches over. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Chop 1 cup of the strawberries; refrigerate remaining berries. In glass or plastic bowl, combine chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover baking dish. Drizzle bread slices with melted butter. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile slice remaining strawberries and add to chilled strawberry mixture. Serve French toast with strawberry topping. Can also top with other berries, or syrup.

Almond Joys

I really felt like an Almond Joy yesterday, and it was way too hot to make a special trip all the way to the store, so I looked up my Mom's recipe and I happened to have just enough coconut I still had some Ghiradelli dipping chocolate left from Valentine's Day (it lasts forever) and some almonds in the freezer - yippee! I've seen lots of different recipes for homemade Almond Joys, but none are like this one from my Mom. Delicious!

*Some notes: You might need to reduce the temperature based on your elevation (reduce 1 degree for every 500 feet above sea level). I've never had much success making candy in a non-stick pan - try to use a heavy, straight-sided pan. Once you mix the sugars and water, leave it alone and don't stir until you add the other ingredients. For best flavor, toast almonds at 400 for about 5 minutes, turn them over and toast another 5 minutes. Remember you'll be dipping in chocolate, so try not to make the coconut balls too big - mine were probably about a scant Tbsp. each.

*Wait til the mixture cools a little before trying to roll, it will help. Don't be concerned if it completely falls apart and looks like a disaster - this is normal. Just roll quickly in-between your palms and it should come together.

- Mom Pulsipher

1 1/3 cups Karo
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix and cook to 240 degrees. Take off heat.

Add:

2 Tbsp. flour

Then add:

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

Add enough coconut to shape and hold ( 1 1/2 - 2 large pkgs.). Shape around almonds, freeze and dip in chocolate. Coconut works into syrup better if you use a silver-stone pan.