Breakfast Treats: French Toast

Weekend breakfasts were always a treat I looked forward to in college and grad school. In fact, it was often the highlight of the weekend. Mo's Diner in Hartford, Eggs N' Things in Honolulu, and Elmo's Diner and Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill - just seeing the names of these places bring a smile to my face. Standing in line for sometimes hours at a time, the wait was part of the fun too. Powered by the free-flowing coffee and giggles over the happenings of the night before, weekend breakfasts were really an integral ritual for me back then.

I've tried to recreate a breakfast ritual here in San Jose too, but I guess times have changed. No one calls me at 10 AM to wake me up to go to breakfast anymore - instead, I am up by 8 AM, either furiously finishing up my work from the night before or heading out for a long run or my pick-up rugby game. In place of the gossip from the night before are talks of what to make for dinner and which grocery store I need to go before the crowd gets there too. But once in a while, I crave that breakfast scent of cinnamon and nutmeg, eggs and batter, and pots after pots of coffee. And when I felt that way this weekend, I opened up the fridge to find all the necessary ingredients for one of my favorites from those days waiting in line for the perfect start of the day...

French Toast:
2 eggs
1/4 cup Vanilla Soy Milk
A healthy amount of nutmeg (fresh ground is sooo much better!)
A generous portion of cinammon

Trader Joe's Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread (this was key for the aboslutely wonderful nutty flavor and chewy texture.)

Beat eggs well and add remaining ingredients. Soak bread in batter thoroughly. Spray heated skillet with canola oil (I tried it without any oil at first and the bread lost its nice egg layer...). Cook on one side until the face-up side starts to look less wet. Flip, cook about the same amount of time (I like my French Toast mostly dry with just a touch of wetness left in the middle).

I ate my French Toast with a kiwi-mango-papaya fruit salad, which was very satisfyingly good, despite my missing the rest of breakfast ritual...