By Tina Scott
Every day of every year, mothers get up and prepare breakfast for their family. Oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, or even cold cereal and milk—breakfast is thought of in advance and preparations are made for food to be on the table before school starts. On the one traditional day (Mother’s Day) when moms get breakfast made for them, it should be a memorable experience. Moms deserve something nice that’s also simple to make. Strawberry French Toast fits the criteria. I made this for company and got rave reviews.

Strawberry French Toast

14 slices of pre-sliced French bread

1 8-oz pkg Neufchatel cheese, softened (low-cal cream cheese)

1/3 C, plus ¼ C, sugar, divided

1 C. no-sugar-added strawberry spread, divided

6 large eggs

2 C. 2% milk

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ C. coarsely ground pecans

1 quart ripe strawberries, sliced

Frozen, light whipped topping, thawed, optional

♥ Lightly coat a 13×9-inch glass baking dish with
cooking spray.

♥ Arrange half of bread in a single layer in the pan, trim
to fit as needed.

♥ Combine cream cheese, 1/3 C. sugar, ¼ C fruit spread;
beat until smooth. Spread over bread in pan. Top with
remaining bread.

♥ Combine eggs and milk; mix well. Pour over bread.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate
overnight.

♥ Remove pan from refrigerator 30 min. before baking.
Preheat oven to 375.

♥ Combine ¼ C. sugar, cinnamon, and pecans; sprinkle
evenly over top of bread. Cover pan with foil and
bake 45 min. Uncover and bake another 15-20
minutes, until puffy and golden brown on the sides.
Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting.

♥ Heat remaining fruit spread over low heat until
melted. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries.
Serve warm berry mixture with French toast and
garnish with a dollop of whipped topping if desired.
Serves 12.