Stuffed French Toast--2 Ways

It is day #1 and recipe #1 of George Forman week here on The Spatularettes!

So who has received a George Forman grill as a gift at some point in their life?  Who caved years ago and purchased one from those ridiculous Sunday morning infomercials that George used to host?  Who has left their George Forman grill stored in the back of the cabinet, not  exactly sure how to use it, for the last few years.  Until recently, that was us!  After challenging ourselves to use the indoor grill in a real and practical way, we found that it really does come in handy for creating some great new recipes!  Where better to start than with breakfast, and this awesome recipe for Stuffed French Toast!

INGREDIENTS:

-Italian Bread, cut into 8 one inch slices
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup milk
-1 Tbs butter (or butter substitute), melted
-1 tsp of vanilla
-Sprinkle of cinnamon

Filling #1:
-1 banana, thinly sliced
-2 Tbs mini chocolate chips

Filling #2:
-1 oz cream cheese, softened
-1 Tbs raspberry preserves

Glaze:
-8 Tbs powdered sugar
-1 Tbs milk
-1 Tbs orange juice

In a bowl prepare the egg batter.  Whisk together 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 Tbs of melted butter, 1 tsp of vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Slice a fresh loaf of Italian bread into 8 one inch slices. Lay 4 slices down and top with the fillings described above.  For the banana-chocolate filling, be sure to slice your banana very thinly, and we think the mini chocolate chips work much nicer than the full sized ones.  For the raspberry-cream cheese filling, marble the preserves and the cream cheese together in a separate bowl before spreading it on the bread.  Top each slice with another slice of bread and press down gently to seal the filling inside.

While firmly holding the "sandwiches," dip them into the egg batter, until they are completely coated.  After dipping place the "sandwiches" onto a hot George Forman grill.  Close the grill firmly and allow the french toast to cook for about 5 minutes.  Check on the toasts occasionally, and removing them once they are nicely browned.

While the french toast cooks, whip up a quick glaze to use in place of syrup.  Use a fork to beat together 4 Tbs of powdered sugar with a Tbs of the liquid of your choice.  We suggest using milk or orange juice if you are looking for an extra kick of flavor!

We think that George would agree--breakfast is defintely the most important meal of the day!

XOXO,
Tall George and Small George