The Art of French Toast: A Holiday Tradition

As we approach the holiday season, there's no better way to warm up and gather with family than by whipping up a batch of classic French toast. And I'm not just talking about any ordinary French toast, folks - I'm talking about the kind that'll make your taste buds do the cha cha slide. My friends and I have been perfecting this recipe for years, and it's become a staple at our holiday gatherings.

The key to making great French toast is to start with fresh ingredients. I like to use high-quality bread, preferably something with some heft to it - you know, that dense stuff that won't fall apart the moment you dip it in egg batter. And let me tell you, there's nothing better than using real butter to grease up your skillet. It adds a richness and depth of flavor that just can't be beat.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "How do I get my French toast crispy on both sides without ending up with a soggy mess?" Well, folks, it's all about the technique. You see, the key is to cook your bread in batches - don't try to cram too many slices into that skillet at once. This will give you room to adjust the heat and get each piece nice and golden brown on both sides.

As I'm cooking up my French toast, I like to add a little something extra to the mix. A sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg can elevate this dish from mere mortal fare to true holiday magic. And let's not forget about the eggnog - oh boy, do I love me some eggnog! Whether you're a fan of sweet and creamy or strong and boozy, there's an eggnog out there for everyone.

But here's the thing: French toast is more than just a tasty breakfast treat. It's a tradition that brings people together, a reminder of the importance of family and togetherness during the holiday season. I remember my grandparents used to make this exact same recipe every year on Christmas morning, and it was always a special occasion. And now, as an adult, I love passing on this tradition to my own friends and family.

Now, let's get back to cooking! With these two slices of French toast in the skillet, I'm thinking maybe we can add another couple of slices to the mix. That'll give us enough for everyone at the table - and don't worry if things get a little chaotic; that's just part of the fun. As we continue to cook up this delicious breakfast treat, let's take a moment to think about the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about presents or trees or even eggnog (although those are all great too!). No, folks - it's about love and kindness and being there for the people who matter most.

So as we sit down to enjoy our French toast, let's take a moment to be grateful for all that we have. Whether you're serving in the military or working hard on the front lines of life, know that your loved ones are thinking of you this holiday season. And don't forget about those who may not be with us physically, but whose memory lives on in our hearts.

And speaking of which, I'm going to go ahead and add a little something special to our French toast - some homemade eggnog, courtesy of my friend Trevor from Canada! It's the perfect complement to this classic breakfast dish, and it'll give us all the extra cheer we need to make it through the holiday season.

As I present this tray of golden-brown French toast, let me tell you that it's truly a game-changer. The combination of crispy edges and fluffy centers is absolute perfection - and don't even get me started on that homemade eggnog! But what really makes this dish special is the love and care that goes into every step of the process.

I mean, think about it: making French toast isn't just about following a recipe or slapping some bread together with some eggs and milk. It's an art form, folks - one that requires patience, practice, and a willingness to experiment and try new things. And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like the feeling of watching your loved ones gather around the table, eager to dig in and enjoy this delicious breakfast treat.

So as we break bread together today, let's take a moment to appreciate the little things - the laughter, the conversation, the warmth and camaraderie that comes from sharing a meal with those you love. It's the holiday spirit, folks, and it's alive and well in every bite of this incredible French toast.

French Toast: A Family Tradition

As I sit here watching my friends and family dig into this delicious breakfast treat, I'm reminded of just how special French toast is. For us, it's a tradition that goes back generations - one that brings people together and creates memories that last a lifetime.

I remember my grandparents used to make this exact same recipe every year on Christmas morning. It was always a special occasion, with the whole family gathered around the table, eager to dig in and enjoy the fruits of their labor. And let me tell you, those were some pretty happy mornings - full of laughter and love and all the fixings.

Now, as an adult, I love passing on this tradition to my own friends and family. There's something truly special about sharing a meal with loved ones, watching them savor every bite and enjoy each other's company. It's a feeling that never gets old, folks - one that I'm so grateful to be able to experience time and time again.

As we continue to cook up this delicious breakfast treat, let's take a moment to think about the importance of tradition in our lives. Whether it's making French toast every year on Christmas morning or having a special dinner with your partner on Valentine's Day, these little rituals help us feel connected to something bigger than ourselves - something that brings us joy and comfort and warmth.

And so, as we gather around this table today, let's take a moment to appreciate the little things. The love and laughter, the warmth and camaraderie - it all comes together in the most incredible way, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

French Toast: A Taste of Tradition

There's something truly special about French toast, folks - something that goes beyond just being a tasty breakfast treat. It's an experience, a ritual that brings people together and creates memories that last a lifetime. And let me tell you, I'm hooked on it!

I remember the first time I had French toast as a kid - it was like nothing I'd ever tasted before! The combination of crispy edges and fluffy centers, paired with that sweet, syrupy goodness... it was love at first bite, folks! And from that day forward, I've been hooked.

As I grew older, I began to appreciate the artistry that goes into making great French toast. It's not just about slapping some bread together with some eggs and milk - no way! There's a science to it, a technique that requires patience, practice, and a willingness to experiment and try new things.

And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like the feeling of watching your loved ones gather around the table, eager to dig in and enjoy this delicious breakfast treat. The laughter, the conversation, the warmth and camaraderie - it all comes together in the most incredible way, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

So as we sit down to enjoy our French toast today, let's take a moment to appreciate the little things. The love and laughter, the warmth and camaraderie - it all comes together in the most incredible way, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to start French toast with homemade eggnog thank y'all for stopping by the barn it reminds me of an old song it does this time of year Christmas Time's coming Christmas Time's coming I'm gonna short enough be running to get me some eggnogs what I don't know that's how it goes yes it is Shannon it is eggnog is sort of like a custard in a way but it's drinkable and when you have eggnog and you're sitting around drinking that and you think what would be really a traditional Christmas morning breakfast for us to have with our eggnog I'm thinking French toast but why dip it in egg batter when we can dip it into what in the egg nog yes and it's going to be oh so good and delicious so we can have double dose eggnog eggnog French toast eggnog in a glass don't get no better net you know to start off with I need you to go to the chicken house and get you six eggs six of them large eggs now it helps also if that I really when you're making eggnog I think if the eggs are at room temp because here they are room temp out here today is like 41 degrees it is so just crack them we want what oh what's happening wrong bow we just want the yolk itself so we're going to separate these pour them back and forth so you can get all that out of there and should I'd like for you to tell me what is your traditional Christmas morning meal Peter sausage casserole and folks we have a video on that that has a little Christmas message right there at the end shout me at my house and we being from the south like we are Shannon I mean we would a lot of times have sausage biscuits and chocolate syrup that goes on top and it is so good discard them whites leave them over unless you're gonna make them a ring for a pie sometime later on that Christmas Day I need you to get a half a cup of sugar dump right in there on top them eggs break out the electric mixer or pull the water and whisk until they are smooth and a little thicker so bear with me oh when you got it on turbo that's why I'm going to need shoulder replacement okay you can see that we have thickened up we have let's set it over here and move on to the next process well I need you to get a non-sticking sauce pot we do because folks milk can Scorch pretty easily but we're going to pay really close attention to this I don't want nobody going off and going ahead and thinking well I'm going to get some of that stuff they spiked the eggnog with you know and uh I'll be seeing y'all after a while no pay attention to this and we're going to start off with what about a half a cup of half and half I'd be really loving me some condensed milkiness instead of just adding sugar to it because it's going to really give you that extra creaminess that it needs we need about a half cup and then to that we're going to add what some heavy cream one cup full three whole cloves because that's going to bring us out some tremendously good flavor on this so let's get this over here and let's stir and bring it to a simmer medium low heat because folks we don't want to Scorch none of this then I want you to add what a pretty good teaspoon of cinnamon a little bit of what nutmeg because we got to have it in there it's going to be some good now I want you to stir that up and I want you to bring it to a simmer to where everything is mixed well pull it off there folks and you can pour it or you can dip it but you just really need to be putting like I would say maybe at the least a fourth of a cup of time into these eggs because we're going to temper them eggs let me get that stirred up it's 41 degrees and the eggs is making ice cream out here shin so it's ready to go now just pour a little and stir well we don't want them eggs to set just make sure you keep stirring all the time if I hold this you can just slowly well I couldn't do it at one-handed well we have got them eggs what you would call tempered that is the correct terminology put your sauce back sauce pan back over there medium low heat get your strainer out just in case there was anything in there that tried to curdle but also we need to sift them cloves out of there okay you can see we caught our little cloves in there we did get that back out of the way now folks if you've got a candy thermometer go ahead and use that but like I say stay on medium low heat this is sort of like a custard base in a way we don't want it to get so thick that we can't drink it but folks you probably want to cook it till it's maybe two to three minutes or the temperature in there is 160 degrees well you see me when we removed it from the heat we did we added a little splash of vanilla and folks this is the adult kind here if you want to add some whiskey about a fourth of a cup or you can use brandy or you can use rum or you can use it Plum out use it Plum out leave it Plum out and I'm going to enjoy hmm do you like it warm or chilled I would rather have it warmed probably a lot of folks are going to drink it chilled and see I like it like it I like it both ways but to me this would go really well with breakfast and speaking of breakfast let's get on with it enough with drinking eggnog and sitting around we better go to making breakfast or they'll run us out of the house now to start out with what we got get you a large casserole dish because we need something that would be able to fit that bread in and we can sop it down in there really good and we're using the whole thing this time we ain't leaving nobody out to that get in there we're going to add three-fourths a cup of this homemade adult version eggnog which is that much right there and I can done gear and told you as Justin Wilson would say this stuff is going to be layer up and good a splash of vanilla now we gotta have a little bit of flour I'd say about yay much and then see if you can get them eggs broke up really good if you can find them in there now you don't try to get this pretty smooth but you got to remember too that flyer is not just going to be this slicker I would just say that slicker than bugs boots Shannon that is pretty slick it is yeah but I didn't have another Bowl this is what you call try not to dirty up too many dishes because me and the big have to do the dishes don't we be vegans always fond of dishwashing but you can see that is pretty smooth let's give it a little shake a cinnamon down through here where it looks like it's snowing cinnamon on Christmas morning which way to wind blowing it's yes it is well everything is ready the cast iron is heating I need you to get a little tablespoon of butter and just chunk her right in there while I'm visiting with you we'll just let that melt and let's talk about what kind of bread we are to be using this is what they would call in my country Texas toast just get you a really good thick piece of bread thick cut now a lot of people use artisan bread or something like that but if you can find you anything that's good and thick because we need that body that texture so it's going to stand up a little more and just not like a regular piece of light bread so things is happening here that sound let's turn the heat down duker just a tad here goes the first contestant dip him down in there get him good on both sides I like to try to get the edges a little if I can you may have to give him a little mashing shake off that excess if it's got some on it lay them right in here and folks we're just going to let them cook till they Brown good on both sides I'm gonna go ahead and see if I can get another one in there now from experience of making quite a bit of French toast I will tell you this if you leave these in here and think well I'm going to put them all in there and just let them sit there for a little bit and then I'll get them out things will get too soggy in a hurry they will let's see if this one will fit right here duker two at a times are we going to get in there folks so we're going to just watch them get a medium low heat get you a good spatula so you can turn them in a minute go ahead and beat the people off the table tell them to get back Wing ready yet okay but it's fixing to be thank you thank you foreign thing it is now you see me just frying them up over to this golden brown on each side don't take long just be sure that you add that butter back every time that you're going to fry some more but don't burn that butter now Shane got these all stacked up there like I'm a Jethro clamp it did I mean gonna just jump all up in there I don't know can I cut through all of them but I am going to have a little more syrup thanks to my good friend Trevor from Canada come all that way you don't have to let up I'm trying I'm going to trash in let me get his tight shot there hang on we'll cut right let me move this one and I'm gonna go right here go for it oh yeah well you oh you're going through all four layers I have to make sure it's right this is the Home Run folks I mean it brings so much flavor to it in a different way than just you'll be adding milk and cinnamon nutmeg something like that I mean oh so good this is going to become a Christmas tradition at our house 364 days a year get them gathered up in their Christmas morning Christmas Eve let the whole family help you because that's what it's about this time of year especially is remembering family and to bring them all together and but remember folks this is a time that we call Christmas now as you think back through the years for so long ago there was a star that shined bright in the night had a tail on it as big as a kite they said what was it shining down on a little manger there where they're lay a baby who we call Jesus folks let's not forget the real reason that we talk about Christmas in the season we're in it is because the greatest gift of all and they give that to all of us they did and it's not about passing out presents it's about passing out thank yous and I love yous and hey I just want to see you and I want you to expressly remember all those folks who are serving our country or somewhere abroad that's not going to be home with their families when you bow that head and pray at Christmas let's pray for all of them and it is with great pride and honor that I tip my hat to all those service men and women and Veterans and those that have kept that old flag of flying back there folks it has been a great year it has everybody has come together and oh how we love you we do me and Shannon are so grateful that you said all the prayers for us in this last year we just asked you to keep it up but folks let's really talk about enjoying Christmas time with family but more than that let's talk about enjoying some eggnog french toast you don't have to spike it if you don't want to but God bless you each and every one and I'll see you down the best eggnog french toast you ever eat in your life Trail it's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to tart tart oh we're doing a homemade eggnog and a french toast it's french toast with homemade eggnog sorry what are we talking about homemade French nope what is it eggnog French toast French toast and what is it French toast with a homemade eggnog homemade French nog tote French knot it's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to start eggnog if we don't get some breakfast to run out of here we're gonna have to start overit's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to start French toast with homemade eggnog thank y'all for stopping by the barn it reminds me of an old song it does this time of year Christmas Time's coming Christmas Time's coming I'm gonna short enough be running to get me some eggnogs what I don't know that's how it goes yes it is Shannon it is eggnog is sort of like a custard in a way but it's drinkable and when you have eggnog and you're sitting around drinking that and you think what would be really a traditional Christmas morning breakfast for us to have with our eggnog I'm thinking French toast but why dip it in egg batter when we can dip it into what in the egg nog yes and it's going to be oh so good and delicious so we can have double dose eggnog eggnog French toast eggnog in a glass don't get no better net you know to start off with I need you to go to the chicken house and get you six eggs six of them large eggs now it helps also if that I really when you're making eggnog I think if the eggs are at room temp because here they are room temp out here today is like 41 degrees it is so just crack them we want what oh what's happening wrong bow we just want the yolk itself so we're going to separate these pour them back and forth so you can get all that out of there and should I'd like for you to tell me what is your traditional Christmas morning meal Peter sausage casserole and folks we have a video on that that has a little Christmas message right there at the end shout me at my house and we being from the south like we are Shannon I mean we would a lot of times have sausage biscuits and chocolate syrup that goes on top and it is so good discard them whites leave them over unless you're gonna make them a ring for a pie sometime later on that Christmas Day I need you to get a half a cup of sugar dump right in there on top them eggs break out the electric mixer or pull the water and whisk until they are smooth and a little thicker so bear with me oh when you got it on turbo that's why I'm going to need shoulder replacement okay you can see that we have thickened up we have let's set it over here and move on to the next process well I need you to get a non-sticking sauce pot we do because folks milk can Scorch pretty easily but we're going to pay really close attention to this I don't want nobody going off and going ahead and thinking well I'm going to get some of that stuff they spiked the eggnog with you know and uh I'll be seeing y'all after a while no pay attention to this and we're going to start off with what about a half a cup of half and half I'd be really loving me some condensed milkiness instead of just adding sugar to it because it's going to really give you that extra creaminess that it needs we need about a half cup and then to that we're going to add what some heavy cream one cup full three whole cloves because that's going to bring us out some tremendously good flavor on this so let's get this over here and let's stir and bring it to a simmer medium low heat because folks we don't want to Scorch none of this then I want you to add what a pretty good teaspoon of cinnamon a little bit of what nutmeg because we got to have it in there it's going to be some good now I want you to stir that up and I want you to bring it to a simmer to where everything is mixed well pull it off there folks and you can pour it or you can dip it but you just really need to be putting like I would say maybe at the least a fourth of a cup of time into these eggs because we're going to temper them eggs let me get that stirred up it's 41 degrees and the eggs is making ice cream out here shin so it's ready to go now just pour a little and stir well we don't want them eggs to set just make sure you keep stirring all the time if I hold this you can just slowly well I couldn't do it at one-handed well we have got them eggs what you would call tempered that is the correct terminology put your sauce back sauce pan back over there medium low heat get your strainer out just in case there was anything in there that tried to curdle but also we need to sift them cloves out of there okay you can see we caught our little cloves in there we did get that back out of the way now folks if you've got a candy thermometer go ahead and use that but like I say stay on medium low heat this is sort of like a custard base in a way we don't want it to get so thick that we can't drink it but folks you probably want to cook it till it's maybe two to three minutes or the temperature in there is 160 degrees well you see me when we removed it from the heat we did we added a little splash of vanilla and folks this is the adult kind here if you want to add some whiskey about a fourth of a cup or you can use brandy or you can use rum or you can use it Plum out use it Plum out leave it Plum out and I'm going to enjoy hmm do you like it warm or chilled I would rather have it warmed probably a lot of folks are going to drink it chilled and see I like it like it I like it both ways but to me this would go really well with breakfast and speaking of breakfast let's get on with it enough with drinking eggnog and sitting around we better go to making breakfast or they'll run us out of the house now to start out with what we got get you a large casserole dish because we need something that would be able to fit that bread in and we can sop it down in there really good and we're using the whole thing this time we ain't leaving nobody out to that get in there we're going to add three-fourths a cup of this homemade adult version eggnog which is that much right there and I can done gear and told you as Justin Wilson would say this stuff is going to be layer up and good a splash of vanilla now we gotta have a little bit of flour I'd say about yay much and then see if you can get them eggs broke up really good if you can find them in there now you don't try to get this pretty smooth but you got to remember too that flyer is not just going to be this slicker I would just say that slicker than bugs boots Shannon that is pretty slick it is yeah but I didn't have another Bowl this is what you call try not to dirty up too many dishes because me and the big have to do the dishes don't we be vegans always fond of dishwashing but you can see that is pretty smooth let's give it a little shake a cinnamon down through here where it looks like it's snowing cinnamon on Christmas morning which way to wind blowing it's yes it is well everything is ready the cast iron is heating I need you to get a little tablespoon of butter and just chunk her right in there while I'm visiting with you we'll just let that melt and let's talk about what kind of bread we are to be using this is what they would call in my country Texas toast just get you a really good thick piece of bread thick cut now a lot of people use artisan bread or something like that but if you can find you anything that's good and thick because we need that body that texture so it's going to stand up a little more and just not like a regular piece of light bread so things is happening here that sound let's turn the heat down duker just a tad here goes the first contestant dip him down in there get him good on both sides I like to try to get the edges a little if I can you may have to give him a little mashing shake off that excess if it's got some on it lay them right in here and folks we're just going to let them cook till they Brown good on both sides I'm gonna go ahead and see if I can get another one in there now from experience of making quite a bit of French toast I will tell you this if you leave these in here and think well I'm going to put them all in there and just let them sit there for a little bit and then I'll get them out things will get too soggy in a hurry they will let's see if this one will fit right here duker two at a times are we going to get in there folks so we're going to just watch them get a medium low heat get you a good spatula so you can turn them in a minute go ahead and beat the people off the table tell them to get back Wing ready yet okay but it's fixing to be thank you thank you foreign thing it is now you see me just frying them up over to this golden brown on each side don't take long just be sure that you add that butter back every time that you're going to fry some more but don't burn that butter now Shane got these all stacked up there like I'm a Jethro clamp it did I mean gonna just jump all up in there I don't know can I cut through all of them but I am going to have a little more syrup thanks to my good friend Trevor from Canada come all that way you don't have to let up I'm trying I'm going to trash in let me get his tight shot there hang on we'll cut right let me move this one and I'm gonna go right here go for it oh yeah well you oh you're going through all four layers I have to make sure it's right this is the Home Run folks I mean it brings so much flavor to it in a different way than just you'll be adding milk and cinnamon nutmeg something like that I mean oh so good this is going to become a Christmas tradition at our house 364 days a year get them gathered up in their Christmas morning Christmas Eve let the whole family help you because that's what it's about this time of year especially is remembering family and to bring them all together and but remember folks this is a time that we call Christmas now as you think back through the years for so long ago there was a star that shined bright in the night had a tail on it as big as a kite they said what was it shining down on a little manger there where they're lay a baby who we call Jesus folks let's not forget the real reason that we talk about Christmas in the season we're in it is because the greatest gift of all and they give that to all of us they did and it's not about passing out presents it's about passing out thank yous and I love yous and hey I just want to see you and I want you to expressly remember all those folks who are serving our country or somewhere abroad that's not going to be home with their families when you bow that head and pray at Christmas let's pray for all of them and it is with great pride and honor that I tip my hat to all those service men and women and Veterans and those that have kept that old flag of flying back there folks it has been a great year it has everybody has come together and oh how we love you we do me and Shannon are so grateful that you said all the prayers for us in this last year we just asked you to keep it up but folks let's really talk about enjoying Christmas time with family but more than that let's talk about enjoying some eggnog french toast you don't have to spike it if you don't want to but God bless you each and every one and I'll see you down the best eggnog french toast you ever eat in your life Trail it's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to tart tart oh we're doing a homemade eggnog and a french toast it's french toast with homemade eggnog sorry what are we talking about homemade French nope what is it eggnog French toast French toast and what is it French toast with a homemade eggnog homemade French nog tote French knot it's time to get festive and breakfast is the best place to start eggnog if we don't get some breakfast to run out of here we're gonna have to start over\n"