Inspired

I am not a cook. Let me reiterate. I am NOT a cook.... BUT, every once & awhile I get inspired. Not by a fantastic meal at a restaurant. Not by a mouth-watering recipe in the 22 cookbooks I own. And certainly not by my family. Nope, this girl is inspired by the Food Network. My new favorite channel.

I discovered it by accident actually. Because of sweet baby Ian, while at the lake, I hang back at the house while the family & friends go out on the boat. Shhhhh...don't tell anyone that I LOVE it. I get peace & quiet and 2 hours of incredible cooking shows. In food tv land, they make everything look sooooooo easy and I become inspired.

Pork tacos, chicken parmesan, strawberry & basil salad, cheesecake...if only my family would eat any of these amazing recipes that I watched all these wonderful chefs whip together. Oh, did I mention that I have a pretty picky family? Yeah, I do. Maybe that's why I hate to cook for them.

Well, a few weeks ago I watched a great show called Down Home with the Neeley's. They are an adorable husband & wife team that cook the most amazing "down-home" food. This particular show was for Banana-Stuffed French Toast. They made it look so easy and so tasty that I knew I had to try it. Thus, came the idea to host all the ladies in my neighborhood for the "Back to School Brunch". I knew they would like it...I hoped.

Banana Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large unsliced loaf French bread, bread cut into 8 slices
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
• Maple syrup, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted add the brown sugar and pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts into the butter and becomes a sauce. Add bananas and toss together. Let cook until the bananas are soft and incorporated into the sauce. Remove to a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, add cream cheese and mash with a wooden spoon.

Using a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slits in 1 side of each bread slice, cutting 3/4 of way through bread and creating pocket that leaves 3 sides of bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the bread pockets.

In a large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, cinnamon and rum and whisk to combine. Pour mixture into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the egg mixture and let soak for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread from egg mixture, using a spatula, letting the excess drain off.

Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray and put the rack on a baking sheet. Put the bread on the rack and transfer to the oven.

Bake the French toast until it is golden brown and filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Transfer the toast on a serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

While the recipe called for 30 mins of prep and 25 minutes of cooking...it actually took around 2 hours to get it all done because you have to cool the banana stuffing. It was incredibly easy to assemble the French toast and then cooking it in the oven on the wire racks was a piece of cake! Everyone loved them...so I guess it was a hit. Even if they were just being polite, I thought that it was delish and will definitely make it again.

We head to the lake again this weekend. I can't wait to see what inspires me this week!