THE COMFORT OF CREAM!

I am starting the week off with something yummy for you to try.  This would be great for a large family breakfast, or a weekend brunch or a dish to pass (as My beloved Aunt Margaret would say) for a Pot Luck lunch - or if you are like my family and love breakfast for supper - make it for a light supper meal.

In any case  give it a try - I haven't tried it yet, but will some weekend when I have overnight guests.

This was published in our small local newspaper, by Helen Drysdale ( out of Helen's Kitchen)... Enjoy!

CHERRY CHEESE FRENCH TOAST

12 slices of white bread

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1 - 250g pack cream cheese softened.

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c milk or cream

1 can cherry pie filling

Icing sugar for dusting the top if desired.

Lightly grease 9 x 13" pan.  Place 6 slices of bread onto bottom of pan.  Beat cream cheese with 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/4 cup milk.  Spread over bread slices in the pan.  Spread about half can of cherry pie filling on top of the cream cheese on the bread.

You will not need the whole can as it does not need to be too thick.  Top with remaining bread slices.  in a bowl mix the eggs, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

In the morning place in a preheated 325 degree oven if using a glass Pyrex pan, or 350 degrees if using a metal pan.  Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden and set in the center.  

If desired dust with sugar.  Use remaining pie filling for garnish.

I am pretty sure this qualifies as comfort food.  

Just this morning I had a long conversation with my family doctor about comfort food.  We were discussing the fact that in the winter people tend to eat more comfort food and yes perhaps more fattening foods and less of the fresh ingredients such as salads, fruits vegetables.  She and I both agreed that it is okay to indulge in this winter past-time.  Her words"  I allow myself food liberties from Equinox to Equinox, without beating myself up, because I know after that I am outside working hard in the gardens and yards (she is a farmer as well as a doctor) in spring and summer, and will undo all the winter eating."

How refreshing to hear - my city doctors were not of this mindset at all!

Want to know what was even more liberating?  My blood pressure is actually quite low.  She is going to keep close tabs on it over the next couple of months, and if this trend continues, she might pull me off my blood pressure meds completely!  Six months of country living and no stress are already making a huge difference to my health!

So comfort foods?  Well here is one I have been thinking about for the past few days.

When I was a kid my mother made  her chocolate cake from scratch.  It was the best cake I have ever eaten.  What made this cake so darn good was the fresh from the cow cream that she got from the farm.  The cake was made in two round layers.  She put strawberry jam between the layers and then iced it with home made icing that probably had some of that real cream in it as well.

Talk about a delight to the taste buds.

If I could find some real cream, I would try this - funny thing that - my doctor gave me a name of a dairy farm in the area where I could get just such cream.... 

The best of the best, I'd say!