On the fun foodie site, Forkly (www.forkly.com), I found some really clever ideas for lots of ways to use a baguette.

The article author, Clarissa Vanner, says “French baguettes don’t get enough recognition for their worth. Fresh, soft crusty bread can be so much more than a simple side to a big family meal. If you’re accustomed to eating your baguette with a slab of butter to compliment your roast dinner it’s time you discover what else a single French baguette can do for you.”

Her ideas range from sweet breakfast uses to delightful appetizers to savory dinners. See what you think of drool-worthy meals that would be easy enough to whip up this coming week:

Feta Spinach Stuffed French Bread. Spinach dip is a favorite restaurant. So why not use it to stuff the length of a hollowed-out baguette? This bread boat is hearty and delicious. Just combine (in amounts to your taste) cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, shredded mozzarella cheese, crumbled feta cheese and chopped frozen (and drained) spinach.

Spoon this mixture down your prepped baguette and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the top gets a toasty brown. This is a serious cheese-lovers dream and makes a perfect accompaniment to a robust tossed salad.

And by the way, you can add pepperoni, diced ham, or cooked Italian sausage to this mixture to ramp up the protein factor. Also, this idea works well with any uncut loaf of bread. You don’t necessarily need a baguette.

Easy Overnight Blueberry French Toast. What do you think of when you hear French toast? Did a piece of bread layered in egg, fried then covered in syrup come to mind? Yes, that’s one approach. But there’s no need to stop there.

This is an easy recipe that only takes 10 minutes to prep. It doesn’t use any ordinary bread, however. It calls for soft French bread. Combined with heavenly maple cream cheese and tart blueberries you’ll have a breakfast delight in no time.

EASY OVERNIGHT BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST (serves 8)

FOR THE FRENCH TOAST

2 (12 inch long) French baguettes, cut into 1/2 slices (discard the ends)

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups blueberries

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter a 3 quart casserole dish.

In a medium bowl using a hand mixer or large spoon, combine the cream cheese with the maple syrup, and cinnamon, then fold in the blueberries.

Spread about one Tablespoon of the blueberry cream cheese mixture onto one side of each slice of bread. Place bread slices evenly in a row in the prepared baking dish.

Use a glass measuring cup or medium bowl to whisk together the eggs, cream or milk, and vanilla extract. Pour mixture evenly over bread slices.

Cover pan with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight. (Overnight is best).

Place the French toast in the oven with the foil on and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until top is golden brown.

FOR THE TOPPING:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup and cinnamon. Drizzle over French toast as desired.

NOTE: Fresh or frozen blueberries can be used for this recipe.

Egg Bacon Baguette Breakfast. This is an easy, 4-ingredient breakfast recipe that may become a family favorite. This meal is all made on the stove-top and in one pan which saves even more time and less clean up.

First cook 6 slices of bacon. While bacon is cooking, slice ½ a baguette into 2-inch rounds; create a hole in each round and freeze the removed bread for another recipe another day. Set the rounds aside. When bacon is cooked, drained, and cooled, crumble it all into bits and set aside.

Next, in medium bowl beat 3 eggs. Add bacon crumbles and a little milk (maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons). Then, in the same pan where you cooked your bacon (with most of the fat removed; you want just enough left to coat pan bottom so bread doesn’t stick), place your baguette rounds. Fill each with your egg-bacon bits-milk mixture. Cook egg rounds 1 or 2 minutes on medium-low heat; flip each round and complete cooking, maybe 1 more minute. Watch them closely. You don’t want to overcook your eggs.

And an idea you might want to try if your folks like their food with a little zip. Add a diced jalapeno pepper to the egg and bacon mixture (as the picture above shows). Ole` and yum!

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I’ll close with one more idea from Clarissa. How about French Bread Pizza? These are easy to make and very cost-effective. The best part is that you can have the whole family join in on the pizza making. Just cut a couple baguettes in half, lengthwise and spread each cut top with your favorite pizza sauce. Sprinkle your choice of grated cheeses and add any toppings you desire. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Delicious!