Since I've been in a new relationship this year, I've gone out to breakfast more in the past year than probably all the previous years put together. One of my favorite things to order is french toast. I've become particularly obsessed with french toast made with unusual types of bread. I've had french toast made with banana bread, blueberry muffins, zucchini bread and cinnamon rolls. In honor of the Christmas season, I decided to make my own french toast using Italian panettone.
Panettone is a sweet bread that's usually around at Christmas time. There are lots of different variations, but they usually include some sort of candied citrus peel and raisins.
For my french toast I used the whole panettone and that made enough for 4-6 people.
Slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices. Then prepare the french toast batter. You can use your favorite or I used 6 eggs, about 3/4 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla and a heavy pinch of salt.
Butter or grease a griddle and cook the slices until golden brown on the outside. I like to pull my french toast slices off the heat before they are fully set and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve. Since the batter is basically a custard it will continue to set up even after it is removed from the pan.
Serve with powdered sugar, maple syrup or like my family does it with lots of butter and white sugar.
Okay, so this post has absolutely nothing to do with gardening, but I just had to share. This is life changing people!
See this storage bin?
Well it isn't just a regular storage bin...
Its a cat box!
The best cat box in the world in fact. I got this idea from a friend of mine at work who got it from her friend. And now I'm sharing it with you. So its kind of like Pay it Forward, but for cat litter.
The reason this litter box is so awesome if that it keeps the litter (and the smell) much more contained than a regular cat box. The cats jump in through the hole in the top and all the excess litter collects in the lid where you can just brush it back in.
And its super easy to make. Just buy a regular storage bin and cut a hole in the lid. I used a utility knife. Make sure the bin is deep enough for the height of your cat plus a few inches of litter. I splurged and bought a slightly nicer bin with the locking handles just to be extra secure.
I've seen fancy cat boxes like this online for $100 or more, but mine just cost $13.99!
And yes, the cats really do go in the hole to use the box. When I told my family and boyfriend about this idea they were extremely skeptical and might have teased me far more than was warranted. But I persevered and now I'm sure they will all be jealous of the awesomeness.
