French Toast Breakfast Bowls

I just finished making this and photographed it, so I will get the recipe for this posted later today - I promise!

So my inspiration for this came from the fact that breakfast is my favorite meal to cook, coupled with the fact that I love a good breakfast bake that you can make in advance so all you have to do is pull it out in the morning a little while beforehand to take the chill off and throw it in the oven.  While this is not entirely the same, it does take some of the hassle out of making a great breakfast for the ones you love and provide them with a fantastic start to their day.  Each one of these can be a very, healthy single serving or easily cut in half to serve two along with some bacon or hasbrowns.

The bread bowls are from Panera, and you purchase them already with the whole cut.  I merely tore out most of the center and then allowed them to dry out for a few days.  You can hasten this process by throwing them in a 200 degree oven for a while.  I would check them after 30 minutes, then every 10-15 minutes until you can tell they are dried out.  Allow them to completely cool before you fill them with the custard to soak them.  This recipe is for three bowls, you can easily double this to make six and bake them in a large roasting pan to accommodate them.

French Toast Bowls
3 sourdough bread bowls
3 c. half & half
8 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Using wide, aluminum foil, wrap each bowl bringing the ends up to the center hold and scrunching the foil so the center remains open.  This assures that your custard will soak into the entire bowl while it is in the refrigerator.  Place them into a glass 9X13 pan so they are easily transported, plus you will be covering them to keep the moisture in, so plastic wrap sticks better to a glass pan.  Combine all of the ingredients and pour 1/3 into each bowl.  Place into the refrigerator and allow to soak overnight or a day (or two).

Remove from the refrigerator and set on counter while you prepare the filling ingredients and preheat the oven to 375.

8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
8 oz. country sausage
3 or 4 green onions, sliced
6 eggs
1/3 c. half & half
1 c. shredded cheese

In a medium fry pan, brown sausage.  When sausage begins to turn pink add mushrooms and saute until mushroom have release most of their liquids - drain and place into a medium bowl, then add the sliced green onions.

Cover bowls with foil and place into preheated oven, baking for 20 minutes.  Ten minutes before the bowls are to come oven, heat fry pan up over medium.  Combine eggs and half & half, pour into warm pan and cook, stirring around with spatula until mixture begins to be almost set.  You want the eggs to still be slightly runny.  Place into bowl with sausage, mushrooms and onions, stirring to combine.

Pull bowls out of oven and remove foil.  Add cheese to egg mixture and stir to combine.  Place 1/3 mixture in each well, cover with foil again and place back into oven for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for then more minutes.  Serve.