I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with the ones you love!  All I wanted this year was a lazy day at home in my pajamas with my loves.  My mom is usually here visiting this time of year so it's always nice that I get to spend Mother's Day with her.  She lives 8+ hours away so this time of year is extra special.  We spent the afternoon Saturday picking strawberries at a local strawberry patch here in Charlotte.  They have activities for kids plus tractor rides, snacks and music.   It's the cutest and while we were there Joey turned to me and said smiling, "I could see you owning a place like this".  Ummm... YES, LET'S!  A little place like this in Wilmington.  Or a Christmas tree farm in Vermont. (Que Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.)  I'll take either.  For really though, if you're in the area, it's really a fun place to visit!  If not, check you area for strawberry patches near you, it's a definite must-do before they're out of season!







Mother's Day is becoming more and more special to me each year.  I can't begin to describe how blessed I feel to be one of the celebrated... one of the tribe of Motherhood.  I get so caught up in the chaos that is our lives lately that I have to stop myself and remember that her little toes won't be little for much longer, her voice won't be as tiny tomorrow, and one day she'll have better things to do than to follow me to the bathroom.  I'm trying to drink it all in but I'm afraid that I won't know how special these days are until they're a memory.  Life's funny that way.


On a brighter note... one of my favorite things about Mother's Day is the yummy brunch we usually have all together Sunday morning in our pajamas.  This year I decided to try my hand at a french toast bake.  I combined a french toast recipe and a sopapilla recipe together so that I could use up a few strawberries that we had picked the day before and I think I created a winner!  I posted a picture to Instagram and had so many people commenting or DM-ing me for the recipe so I thought I'd share it here.


I used a 4-inch deep round pan that was actually my grandmothers, which made it all the more special on Mother's Day, plus it was perfect for standing the slices of bread up to form a rose shape.  You obviously don't have to do this... You can lay the slices down, roll them up, however.  Just remember that it has to cool in the fridge for several hours so it's best to make it the night before.  Believe me.  It's sooooo worth the time.

OVERNIGHT STRAWBERRY BRIOCHE BAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf of brioche bread
fresh strawberries
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese
5 eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
1 Tbs of honey (best with our North Carolina sourwood honey)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/3 cup of sugar
Powder sugar for topping


INSTRUCTIONS

Spray pan with non-stick spray

If standing bread upright:  Arrange bread standing and sprinkle in chunks of cream cheese and sliced strawberries

If layering bread:  Add half of your loaf to the bottom of pan and sprinkle in cream cheese and strawberries.  Top with remaining loaf and press down.

In a mixing bowl, mix together your eggs, heavy cream, honey, cinnamon, and sugar.

Pour over the top of your bake until covered.

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from your fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place covered bake in and bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Let it cool then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Cracker Barrel syrup.  Devour!

Now, go lay on the couch and don't move for 3-4 hours!

Sincerely,

The Lishias