French Toast: Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

So, I'm not one to toot my own horn.

(Well...unless you count starting a blog and posting pics and descriptions of things that I've made...)

But I made something entirely delicious this morning.

The quickest French Toast ever with sloooow food flavor. Everybody has made or makes the typical, simple version that involves bread dipped in eggs that have been beaten with some milk or cream and cinnamon, cooked up in a frying pan. Good basic ingredients but not a ton of flavor, until you add butter and syrup. Then there are the uber fancy but delicious versions that are great for special occasions--lots of ingredients and large batches. See some HERE and HERE.

One day last week I opened the refrigerator to russle up some breakfast for the boys and discovered one egg, no milk, and the heels of a loaf of bread. French toast was in order, but no milk...what to do?

AHHHHH! (accompanied by loud major chord on the pipe organ)

International Delight, almond joy coffee creamer, like something from a dream.

I don't usually use this in my coffee, but my husband loves it. This particular brand does not contain hydrogenated oils, any artifical sweetener or corn syrup. It's pretty delicious. Add it to some French Toast...INCREDIBLE!

It transformed my French toast and I'm imagining all kinds of great variations. Vanilla? Hazelnut? That one that is flavored with Bailey's Irish Cream?! Holiday flavors?! Pumpkin Spice?! Peppermint mocha?! WHAAAT!? This idea truly belongs in Real Simple's "New Uses for Old Things" section, if I do say so myself...not to toot my own horn or anything.

INGREDIENTS:
Bread, leftover or stale is great too
eggs (I have found that one egg is plenty for about 3 pieces of French toast)
1/3 c. of coffee creamer per egg
butter

Optional: cinnamon, nutmeg, etc...

DIRECTIONS: 
Whisk together egg and creamer, sprinkle in any spices you might prefer (not really necessary, the creamer has plenty of flavor).

Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, set aside.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet and cook French toast over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.

You could pose them all pretty and drizzle them with syrup, like this, but let's be real. 

Real life = crookedly framed pictures, no natural light because the babes got up at the crack of dawn, black eyes, bedhead and food cut into unrecognizably small pieces.

Everybody loved it and the fact that it can be whipped up in 5-6 minutes is a big plus in my book! I'm always looking for ways to get the kiddos to eat whole grains and protein. 

By the way...I just searched this idea on Pinterest and there were tons of other recipes for the same thing. So glad I didn't 'toot my own horn.' Go check it out HERE.

Mantel Musings

I'm working on changing up the mantel over our fireplace. I've collected a few mirrors of different shapes and sizes for some kind of 'mirror collage' on the wall and plants on the mantel itself. I love houseplants, am loving the whole terrarium trend and am completely obsessed with succulents--another pop trend right now. Problem is that with two little babes, houseplants within reach take a bit of abuse. My current succulent is missing the bottom row of leaves. I'm thinking that moving all my plants to the mantel is necessary for the survival of my plants and possibly my sanity. 

Here are some inspiration pics. All are pinned HERE so you can get more info and pin them yourself if you're interested!

Ahh, terrariums and cloches! Beautiful, whimsical and fresh. I like the idea of indoor plants in the winter when things get gray and cold. It would also be really fun and easy to change things up for the holidays. This blog lists some ideas of plants that grow well when covered, though, I like a mixture of covered and open. 

These frameless mirrors are from Pottery Barn, I love the distressed wood dresser with delicate glass.

Pretty!

I adore the eclectic mix of different shapes, sizes and finishes in this pic. I also like the idea of collecting mirrors on trips, a small one would be pretty easy to pack and transport.

I like the way these are hung so closely and the configuration isn't quite symmetrical.

I'll post some pics once I make progress!

A Few Little Things...

A little time at the lake...

A little time at the pool...

A little time with my little sister who just moved to France...

A little trip to the beach during which both of our little children were too sick to sleep at night...we look deceptively rested here. Still, it was a treat to spend a little time with family and get the cousins together! They made some good memories.