The Magazine Recipe That Almost Wasn't...

THE Picture.

It's always with the best of intentions, that I try to pick an occasional dessert or breakfast recipe to make my family.  Sort of like a "thank you" for being my human guinea pigs, because let's be honest, who doesn't like breakfast or sweets?  The only problem with that is, I never feel like taking all the pictures or stumbling through a recipe first thing in the morning or for something that seems optional.

My five year old (Mark Henry) has been on a french toast kick lately (this is entirely my husband's fault...he got him hooked) and I thought it was serendipitous that there was a french toast recipe in my April/May Cook's Country magazine.  So, I put the ingredients on the grocery list (most of which you will probably have on hand) and away I went.

School days are tough to make a magazine breakfast.  And unless struck with insomnia, this was probably not going to happen during the week.  So, I stuck the challah bread in the freezer (it was a $4 breakfast ingredient...I wasn't about to risk it in the pantry) and waited for the weekend.  As I was collecting the ingredients together for the my weekend treat for the kiddos, I reached for the box of Cap'n Crunch and it almost flew out of my hands.  I say it almost flew out of my hands because there was maybe a cup of cereal left in the box.  I guess I just assumed no one would touch it durning the week because somehow they would just know it was for a recipe.  So, I put the bread back into the freezer and opened up a can of cinnamon rolls.

A whole other week went by before I made it to the grocery store again (I really try to avoid it at all costs unless absolutely necessary).  My husband was in Switzerland this weekend and since he doesn't prefer sweets I figured this was as good a time as any to make my cereal coated french toast.  I had just pulled the toast out of the oven when my phone rang (the phone I also take my magazine recipes pictures with).  Of course it was my husband.  And it wasn't like I could say, "hey, I know you are busy with work and have a 6 hour time difference to contend with, but I'm trying to take a picture of some food, can you call me back in 10 minutes?"

I'm sure I sounded distracted.  All I could think was that I needed to just get one picture of the toast for the blog.  Just one.  I guess this was about the same time the amazing smell wafted upstairs to the kids' rooms because suddenly I was surrounded with kids holding plates.  I'm trying to fend them off with my tongs, but they are just not getting the picture.  I hold up one finger, which is clearly the universal sign for 'back the hell up and give me a minute'.  The universal sign for everyone except my kids.  They seem to think my crazy eyes, tongs in one hand, and holding up one finger meant, 'just get one piece of toast'.  They ascended on me all at once and I could not tell you what my husband was talking about.  I'm not sure what happened next...I must have mentally blocked this part out to protect myself, but for some reason the movie the Exorcist comes to mind.  The next thing I know the kids all had taken a step back and were just sort of staring at me.  I somehow managed to get ONE picture while my husband was still talking (without hanging up on him) and stepped away from the toast and somehow finished my call.

All this to say....they all really loved the crunchy french toast.  That or they were really scared not to love it.  But either way, they ate it all and we all survived another magazine recipe.

The Ingredients (finally)

The Process

Cook's Country April/May 2013