I’ve talked before about how my mom was the QUEEN of delicious, seemingly extravagant big Saturday breakfasts. Oh my goodness does the woman know how to make a mean breakfast spread!

I looked so forward to each and every Saturday to wake and smell the delicious aromas of whatever she came up with that day. I so appreciate her for doing that for our large family. You could see it in her loving eyes that it truly made her happy to make such delicious meals for us that we all loved.

There is one thing we know to be true about all kids—no matter what their hobbies, interests, or strengths are: they love when they get out of school on that last day and it is SUMMER!!!! Not only does this mean endless fun in the sun (also boredom, which can be equally as nice!) but in our home, it also meant big Saturday-type breakfasts ANY morning!!! Wahoooo! Bless my mom’s heart, almost any day we could wake up to the smell of buttermilk biscuits and gravy or waffles and bacon. It was AWESOME! She is awesome.

One of my favorite breakfasts of all time would have to be French toast. There is just nothing quite like it. It sounds so simple and yet it can taste so gourmet at the same time. I want to share 4 delicious ways to make French toast:

You’ve got berry, ‘smores, strawberry cheesecake, and cinnamon bun.

I’m going to list the base recipe and then share how to make each variety. These are all really easy but pack a lot of punch. I think any of these would be a fabulous “gourmet” breakfast to make your family on a lazy summer morning!

Basic Egg Wash for All Recipes

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. Vanilla
1 tbsp. Cinnamon

PREPARATION
1. Wisk all ingredients together in medium-large bowl to create egg wash.

Berry French Toast

INGREDIENTS
4 slices sandwich bread 
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
2 tbsp. lemon juice
⅓ cup granulated sugar
powdered sugar (for garnish)

PREPARATION
1. Mix berries, sugar, and lemon juice in medium pan over low heat crushing and stirring 2. berries until they form a thick sauce
3. Dunk bread in egg wash
4. Melt butter in a skillet on medium-low heat and cook bread for 2-3 minutes 
5. Lay out slices and spread compote in between each slice then on top
6. Garnish with powdered sugar.

S’more French Toast

INGREDIENTS
4 slices bread
3/4 cup half-and-half
4 graham crackers, crushed
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. melted Chocolate, or chocolate-hazelnut spread ;)
2 tbsp. marshmallow fluff
Mini marshmallows, for garnish
Mini chocolate chips, for garnish
Chocolate syrup, for garnish

PREPARATION
1. Crush graham crackers into crumbs
2. Dunk bread in egg wash
3. Cover in crumbs until covered
4. Melt butter in a skillet on medium-low heat and cook bread for 2-3 minutes or until crumbs are crispy and bread is more solid 
5. Once you flip them over once spread fluff on one slice and melted chocolate on the other
6. Press slices together and stack
7. Garnish with mini marshmallows and chocolate syrup

Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast

INGREDIENTS
4 oz cream cheese, warmed up for spreading
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 ½ cups diced strawberries, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
Maple syrup, for serving

PREPARATION
1. In medium bowl mix cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and heavy cream (optional)
2. Take 2 slices of bread and spread mixture on both
3. Press sliced strawberries on both slices & press together
2. Dunk in egg wash
4. Melt butter in a skillet on medium-low heat and cook bread for 2-3 minutes or until crumbs are crispy and bread is more solid 
5. Stack and garnish with strawberries and powdered sugar
6. Add maple syrup to preference

Cinnamon Bun

INGREDIENTS
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. butter
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. Cinnamon
2 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 tbsp. powdered sugar (for garnish)

PREPARATION
1. In medium bowl mix cream cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and heavy cream
2. Dunk 2 slices of bread in egg wash
3. Melt butter in a skillet on medium-low heat and cook bread for 2-3 minutes or until crumbs are crispy and bread is more solid

4. Stack and garnish with cream cheese mixture and powdered sugar.

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