I lived in Wyoming for a nearly a decade and then spent 2 winters in North Dakota before I retired. I had my share of blizzards, wind storms, and minus 50 wind chills, so I feel empathy for those people in the current cold snap. Being outdoors in such extreme temperatures is interesting for a short time, but then it is time to hunker down and cook some good food. I always had special snow day dishes that I could look forward to. For example, for long blizzards with consecutive snow days, I bought a rotisserie chicken and then made various things with the leftovers, including steaming hot chicken soup. I tried to also use things in my freezer that I had grown and preserved the previous summer.

If I were in the super cold now, I would make my new French Toast recipe. It comes to mind because it is so filling and nutritious (it uses mostly egg whites). Also, having the stove on heats up the kitchen. I liked to close off the kitchen, heat it up by cooking, and then hang out in there during bitter cold spells.  Now, of course, turning on the oven heats up my entire RV space and I am again cozy and comfy. Not that this area if frigid; winter has been chilly but never really cold. That is why I am here!

Anyway, I developed this healthy Blueberry French Toast Recipe this winter and it is perfect for a cold snap because it lasts for days. You can prepare it the night before and bake in the morning if you want. Don’t be afraid to increase the amounts for a larger group.

Arctic Blast Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients

super wonderful bread: 4 large ciabatta rolls, 10 slices super seed bread, or something else magnificent and           healthy. Brioche rolls are great but not so healthy.

9 eggs

1/3 cup milk (Almond, coconut, etc)

1 teas vanilla

1/2 teas cinnamon

1 small bag frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries

Optional: walnuts or other nuts and seeds

Directions:

1. Tear up bread into chunks (bigger than croutons) and place about 2/3 of the chunks in a large bowl.
2. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, separating out the yolks from 6 of the eggs as you go. You should have three whole eggs and 6 egg whites in the bowl. Add cinnamon, vanilla, and milk. Whisk well to evenly mix the egg yolks.
3. Stir into the bread chunks. Add more bread, stopping when you have sopped up all the egg mix. You don’t want this too dry. Mix up and add more eggs if you need to.
4. Allow the mixture to sit at least 10 mins or overnight in the fridge.
5. Place egg/bread mixture in square baking dish. Add blueberries and nuts
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 -35 minutes or longer if needed. It will be done when the egg has set.

Happy cold snap! Stay warm.