Baked Orange Almond French Toast….Christmas Brunch……

I like to keep things Easy & Elegant all year long…but it is absolutely a priority during  the Holiday Season! (especially the EASY part!)

One of our traditions, now that my children are grown and out on their own, is to do a Christmas Brunch…..I keep it Easy by keeping the menu simple and preparing as much ahead of time as possible so that on Christmas morning I only need to heat things up and set them out!

Over the next few days I’m going to share my Christmas Day Menus and a few recipes with you. Our menus consist of family favorites both old and new……I hope you will try some of the recipes and be inspired to simplify your holidays a bit, keeping it  Easy & Elegant while you enjoy celebrating with your family & friends this Holiday Season!

CHRISTMAS BRUNCH MENU

Baked Ham

Baked Orange Almond French Toast

Spinach & Egg Casserole

Fresh Fruit & Berries

Coffee, Tea, Orange Juice

Easy & Elegant…..

What makes it easy? Everything can be prepared ahead of time and then baked, heated up and set out that morning!

What makes it Elegant? I create a pretty buffet-scape using candles, silver serving pieces and footed plates, I use pretty paper plates & napkins with real flatware and stemmed glasses. I set this up the night before to eliminate any extra steps in the morning! I also write it all down so I don’t forget anything in the busyness & excitement of the morning!

Baked Orange Almond French Toast Recipe

*8 eggs       *2/3 c. orange juice       *1 c. half & half             *1/8 c. sugar

*1/2 t. ground nutmeg     *1 t. cinnamon       *1 t. vanilla extract        *1 t. almond extract

*1 – 1 1/2 loaves of Italian or French Brioche bread      *1 stick butter, melted   * grated orange peel to taste        

***Whisk together eggs, orange juice, half & half, sugar, spices, orange zest, vanilla & almond extracts. Tear bread into chunks and place evenly in greased 9×13 glass baking dish. Pour melted butter over the bread, letting it soak in for a few minutes and then pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To cook, remove from refrigerator at least a half hour before, preheat oven to 400 and bake  30 to 40 minutes, until egg is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Before serving, sprinkle with additional orange zest, slivered almonds and powdered sugar….ENJOY!

This recipe is so EASY and TASTY you won’t want to save it only for Christmas!

Blessings & Beauty to you today~

xoxo  Kathleen