Mother's Day

We had a wonderful mother's day celebration with at least 4 mothers in attendance. The matriarch, Aunt L, S, R (sister of my second cousin's sister) and me. We had a wonderful brunch with enough food to feed many families. P and daughter D road motorcycles down, and the others came in 2 cars. R was heading to LA from here. Since there were so many drivers, most drank non-alcoholic mimosas. We had cheeses, nachos with salsa, French toast casserole - recipe from parishioner MW at St. James's (see below), eggs benedict (on Canadian bacon or smoked salmon), asparagus, crab cakes, Chinese spare ribs, salad, lemon squares and apple pie. All very yummy!
Here's the recipe for the French Toast Casserole:

1. In a 9"x13" (buttered on the bottom) pan, place 1" thick slices of French bread. Pack them together tightly, but laying flat. If you use a 12"x15" pan you might be able to get the whole long loaf of French bread in. It doesn't all fit in a 9"x13" pan.
2. Wisk together in a bowl: 8 large eggs, 2 cups milk, 2 cups half and half, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3. Pour mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Push bread down into mixture so that it all gets covered by liquid.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the following: 1 stick butter (softened), 1 3/4 cups brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark corn syrup, 1/1/2 cups chopped pecans. Cover and leave out overnight.
5. In the morning spread topping over bread (it's more like dotting). Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until bread puffs and is golden brown and liquid has been absorbed. WARNING: CASSEROLE WILL BE EXTREMELY HOT!!! Serves 8 to 10 people. You can serve this with maple syrup but most ate it as is.

Recipe can be halved. Be sure the pan has depth or the topping will bubble over. I put it on a pan to prevent dripping on the floor of the oven.