Orange and Raisin French Toast

Yesterday was a busy day. We had a birthday in the house. So starting with a great breakfast and ending with a fun evening in downtown Delray Beach, with probably the most perfect weather day we've had in months, it was an all around great day.  Here's the recipe that I whipped up using Pepperidge Farms Raisin Swirl Bread.  It was buy one get one at the store a couple of weeks ago, so there was a surplus of raisin bread around.  It came in handy this morning. I usually recommend a thicker sliced bread, like a challah (or egg bread) for making french toast, but the thinner sliced raisin bread was delicious. You gotta try it!

ORANGE AND RAISIN FRENCH TOAST

Whisk Together:

4 eggs

2/3 cup of milk

3 Tbs. orange juice

Grated peel of half an orange

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Place your slices of bread in a baking dish (13x9). Eight slices fit pretty okay but will overlap slightly. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, turn once, and allow them to soak up the mixture for a good few minutes, turning occasionally.

My tip for turning and getting them out of your baking dish in one piece is to use a spatula. If you use your hands, they're going to tear and fall apart. Use a spatula and save yourself the aggravation!

In a skillet, heat equal amounts of butter and vegetable oil, a spoonful or so of each. Fry four at a time if it's a large pan on medium to medium high heat until golden brown, a few minutes each side. Remove to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Add extra butter and oil for the next batch. This makes eight slices. 

Now I know I've made jokes about using a good old jar of Spice Islands orange peel or lemon peel in some of my recipes, but I gotta say that when you've got the real thing around it's so much better, and pretty easy to do.  That's what I did here. Tammi and Marvin were right, "Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing Baby...." 

Enjoy, and let me know how it turned out.

P.S.  This recipe and more than a hundred pages of other great recipes, stories and pictures can be found in my book Singingirl Cooks! If you don't own a copy and would like to, let me know.  Thanks!