Breakfast Casserole - YUM!

I have decided that my absolute favorite thing for breakfast is a breakfast casserole. Besides being tasty there are some other great advantages to this kind of dish including that you can prep it the night before (I am not a morning person so being able to do the "hard" part of the cooking the night before is key for me) then just pop it in the oven in the morning and it's great for feeding a crowd. My favorite breakfast casserole is one that I got from my friend Anne and I have made many many times and it's always a hit. If I get her permission I'll post that recipe too but she's got to give me the go ahead :)

I found a French Toast Casserole recipe before this trip and decided to bring it along for a second morning of breakfast casserole. We made it last night and had it this morning - the pan was cleaned out entirely so I am inferring that it was a big hit :) In case you're in need of some easy breakfast recipes for a group here ya go!

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
2 tsp butter softened
8 slices of white bread cut into 1-in cubes
7 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 Tbsp sugar (divided into half)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup chopped pecans
maple syrup for serving

Night Before
Grease a 9x13 dish with butter. Fill the dish with the bread cubes - distributing evenly.

Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and press down over the surface of the casserole with a spatula to help the bread soak up all the liquid. Sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Morning Of
Preheat oven to 350F. Place casserole covered in foil in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove the casserole and remove the foil. Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until the casserole is puffy and brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before covering with warmed maple syrup and chopped pecans. Cut and serve!

Notes of Note from Me
We didn't have cardamom so we omitted it and it tasted just fine. Also we had a few drinks prior to prepping the casserole so we missed that we were supposed to put half the sugar into the mix and sprinkle the other half on top. Again it tasted just fine that way too :)