So first blog in quite a while, and go figure, it's about French Toast. And not only French Toast, French toast you make in the slow cooker. And not only French Toast you make in the slow cooker, but one based off life saving bread from a young adult novel. Seems random at first, less random upon a second thought if you know me personally.
I now live in Alaska. Our first weeks here the sun stayed high in the sky until well past midnight. However now, the days are getting shorter and it's pitch black by 10pm. This signifies that my first Alaska winter is coming. Yes, folks, 'Winter is Coming' ... for me. I woke up this morning to a blustery grey day, that no amount of sassy Taylor Swift music could brighten. The first thing that came to my mind was, "French Toast". Quickly to be followed by "Peeta Mellark Hunger Games French Toast.... in the slow cooker!" I have actually made every dinner in the slow cooker this week. I am working more and more in the evenings and have found the only way to successfully feed my family is with this magical little device. Why, you may be asking yourself, does your husband not make a few dinners a week. And the answer to that thought provoking question is best illuminated with a short jaunt back in time:
Once upon a time a beautiful princess married a handsome knight. Soon they were overjoyed to find that they would be having their first child. The princess made a serene mother to be, prefect in every way. One night, the princess, quite tired from being pregnant for 12 awake hours that day, begot her husband some Mac and Cheese. To which the handsome knight replied, "My lovely Bride, I do not know how to make this magical dish." Ever the patient, even tempered lady, the princess looked up at her sweet knight and proclaim gently "HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE?!?! IT COMES FROM A BOX... YOU MERELY BOIL WATER!!! THAT'S IT, THIS WILL NEVER WORK... I WANT A DIVORCE!"
To say the least, the sweet docile princess never again asked the knight to cook for her. Ever.
The end.
And so enters the slow cooker. The savior of many a marriage. Back to the present, and Peeta Mellark French Toast.
In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins describes the bread Peeta burns and gives to Katniss, as a "good hearty bread, filled with raisins and nuts" and this is exactly what I wanted my family coming home to tonight. To me food is more than just something we shove in our face through out the day. It can heal us, hug us, make us smile, even cry. It holds memories. When I think of Parmesan cheese in a little china bowl with a tiny silver spoon I smell my grandparents meatballs and I hear the laughing in loud crazy Italian voices. To me, the simple image makes me think of family, warmth and love. And tonight, I wanted all that.... maybe with a little syrup on top. This is How I Made it:
Peeta French Toast
- 6 whole eggs, 3 egg whites
- 2 cups 1% Milk
- 1.5 Small Loaves of Seeded, Multigrain french bread, sliced
- 2 teaspoons Cinnomon
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Orange Zest
- 1 tablespoon light Brown Sugar
- 1/ 1.5 tablespoon dried blueberries
- 1/1.5 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons raw sliced almond
I mixed the first six ingredients in a large measuring cup. I poured enough of the egg mix to cover the bottom of the pot and then began to layer the bread as such: bread, berries and almonds and more egg mix. Cook it on high for at least six hours. I already smell the cinnamon in my kitchen as I type this, making the morning begin to finally feel warm!
The heat of the bread burned into my skin, but I clutched it tighter, clinging to life.
- Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
