French Toast Bread Pudding

Hey friends!  Last week was totally, really crazy for my family.  Mr. A Southern Soul and I celebrated 24 years on Monday, woo hoo, then came the snow.  After that, came more snow, sleet and freezing rain.  My man had to travel, flying west in that intense weather and my sweet, young son celebrated his 13th birthday on Thursday.  There was added stress with computer problems and the possibility of power outages, so can I tell you... I was just about in overload!  The great news is, last week turned out to be full of one blessing after another.  Our anniversary was perfect and my guy's birthday celebration was fun & filled with special friends.  Big Sweetie's travel plans were uneventful and his meetings successful - yes!  Sometimes, life can be crazy intense and "stuff" gets piled on us, but that's ok, with faith, prayer, love, patience and a big dose of humor, we've got the tools to push trough it all.

So, this weekend, when the sun broke through the gray clouds and the snow started melting, I knew we needed something special for Sunday brunch and this french toast bread pudding was the answer.  It takes minutes to prepare and while it bakes, you've got time to cook some bacon and make coffee.  Maybe the best part of this dish is after taking that first delicious bite of warm, sweet, buttery french toast...you won't remember a thing you were stressed about.

French Toast Bread Pudding

8 "day old" dinner rolls or 1/2 loaf of french bread cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 block of cream cheese (4 oz) - cubed
8 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cup half & half or whole milk
4 tablespoon melted butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread half the bread cubes into dish.
• Sprinkle cream cheese over bread and layer with remaining bread cubes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and cinnamon.  
• Add in maple syrup, vanilla, milk, and melted butter, whisking until well incorporated.  
• Gently pour egg mixture over bread.  Use a large spoon to press bread into egg mixture until covered.
• Cover dish with tin foil and place in refrigerator overnight.
• Remove foil and bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until top of bread pudding is golden brown.
• Heat additional maple syrup until warm to serve with bread pudding.