The Calendar may say it's spring, but in Minnesota there is still snow on the ground. Our farmer's markets don't start until May. There is still snow in our forecast. But the sun is shinning earlier and the days are warmer (slightly above freezing...fairly consistantly). There are even birds singing outside.

With the sun finally being fully risen and the blanket of thinning to give peeks of the lawn underneath, albeit brown still and not green, I find myself being drawn to sit by the window.

We are not breakfast eaters in this house. Years of working overnight schedules and eating supper at 7AM before heading to bed has skewed our craving more towards pizza and burgers than eggs and hashbrowns. But every now and then we want something special. There are two things I make for breakfast if it's something a little different we are craving. "Smurfy" Blueberry Pancakes or Strawberry and Cream (cheese) Stuffed French Toast. Now I'm still working out the recipe for the Pancakes so for this weeks Challenge it'll have to be the french toast.

Strawberry & Cream Stuffed French Toast- serves 6

12 slices of good quality french bread, make sure they're all the same size so you don't have to try and match up slices to make your sandwiches

6 tablespoons Low Sugar (but not artificial sweetener) Strawberry Jam, I use the smuckers if I've run out of the homemade stuff

6 tablespoons of Neufachatel or Cream Cheese

4 Eggs

1/4 cup Milk

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Fresh Grated Nutmeg

Directions:

Allow slices of bread to sit on the counter overnight and dry out. In the morning, spread 6 slices of the bread with a tablespoon of Jam and 6 slices with a tablespoon of cream cheese. (This is easier to do on dry bread) Match the jam and cheese slices together to make sandwiches. Lay sandwiches in a baking dish so none overlap.

Mix the remaining ingredients together to make your french toast dip. It is supposed to be softly flavored and not too sweet. Pour this Mix over the sandwiches and let them sit about 3 minutes, then flip them and allow to sit another 3 minutes. After flipping them, start warming up a griddle pan or large skillet with a little bit of butter.

Gently lift each sandwich out of the remaining egg mixture (if there is any left) and allow the excess to drip off before putting them into the warmed and buttered pan. Cook until golden brown and flip carefully, making sure the sandwiches stay together, about 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with powdered sugar, warm honey, or warm maple syrup.