French toast is a favorite food that is often found as an offering on breakfast bars and at restaurants offering Sunday morning buffets. Although making French toast from scratch takes a little more time to make than pouring out a bowl of cereal, the delicious results are certainly worth the effort. Try making this culinary delight for your next family morning meal or part of a traditional Christmas morning breakfast.

Magic of Basil

Basil is one of many herbs that can be added and used in love spells as it is thought that basil helps to promote peace and harmony between lovers. A container full of basil placed outside of your window was once a signal that a woman was ready to be courted.

Grow Your Own

Try growing little pots of basil on either side of your front door. There is nothing like being able to pop outside and harvest a bit of fresh herb whenever a recipe calls for some basil. The containers of herbs can be brought indoors during the colder months and placed on a sunny windowsill so that you can enjoy fresh herbs throughout the year.

Lemon Herbs

Lemon basil is a pleasantly scented herb with a subtle lemon flavor. If you don’t have lemon basil on hand, lemon balm leaves may be substituted in these recipes. Lemon balm leaves tend to get a bit fuzzy so try to use the smaller, younger ones whenever possible. For additional information on herbal substitutes, see the article Common Herbal Substitutes.

French Toast Recipe

Serve this French toast along with the lemon syrup recipe listed below or with your favorite type of maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon basil – chopped fine
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 slices French bread – 1” thick, day old bread

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon basil.
2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan placed over medium heat. You may use non-stick cooking spray in place of the butter to coat the frying pan if desired.
3. Dip each slice of bread into the batter being sure to coat each side evenly.
4. Place the bread into the frying pan and cook until well browned on both sides.
5. Add additional butter to the pan if necessary to prevent the French toast from sticking.

Lemon Syrup Recipe

Use this syrup with French toast, pancakes and waffles.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon basil – chopped fine

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice and sugar until all the sugar has been dissolved.
2. Stir in the lemon basil.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.