It's here part 2

If you've been following along you know that 6 months ago we packed up all of our belongings in Singapore for our move to Tunisia. Ok, to be truthful we didn't pack a thing. The school hired a moving company to pack everything, we just sort of watched. For the past several months our stuff has made the long voyage from the Straits of Malacca, through the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea and then I'm not really sure where it went, but eventually it arrived in Tunisia.  Finally, last Wednesday afternoon, we were given the great news that our shipment would be delivered to our house the next morning. That in and of itself is a glorious sentence to write. Witnessing the arrival of our container in front of our house was nothing short of rainbows, unicorns, and Christmas all rolled into one ridiculously happy morning.

The driver of this rig is my hero. 

He moved this giant container down our tiny lane like a boss!

See that large red shrub?

That is our neighbors Poinsettia tree. 

A tree! Gorgeous!

The fastest, nicest, dare I say, BEST movers we've ever worked with!

Part of the 168 boxes that needed to be unpacked.

Not bad for an afternoons work. 

If you've never had the pleasure of having a moving company handle your move, I'm sorry. I hate moving so I am quite happy to have someone do all the packing for me. You do need to be watchful though or you'll end up with some strange things being packed that you really don't want, like your garbage for instance. I had a friend who wasn't watching as her kitchen was being packed and the movers just wrapped up her full garbage can. It sat in a cargo container in the Saudi Arabian heat for months until it was delivered to her new home.

I don't think that was a very fun discovery to make. 

We had a few surprises, nothing smelly thank goodness. Apparently we owned 5 cans of silly string and a slinky which was packed and shipped halfway around the world. Hmmm. I could also tell that I had decision fatigue at a certain point in the move. How else can you explain a box filled with used candles, half full bottles of nail polish, and game pieces that belong to a game we no longer own.

We got a lot done this weekend, nearly every box is empty and we are just now trying to organize the house. This is the part that I love and loathe. I love it because this is when the house really starts to feel like a home. We have art work that we picked out when we were on holiday in Vietnam, the girls Christmas stockings to hang, our own mattresses to sleep on. I loathe it because I put things away in very clever places and then never remember where that might be and, at some point I become overwhelmed and think it would be easier to set the remaining unpacked boxes on fire and give them a Viking funeral. 

Sunday felt like a day to celebrate! I had purchased a gorgeous Brioche at my favorite boulangerie on Saturday with the idea that I would make French Toast for breakfast Sunday morning. I decided to make a baked French Toast, sort of like a bread pudding. Actually, exactly like a bread pudding except not as sweet. Before baking it, I slathered a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over the top. This baked up beautifully, it was souffle like and the brown sugar topping was very crisp in places like the top of a creme brulee with the added bonus of little pools of buttery caramel dotted throughout.

Creme Brulee Baked French Toast

Creme Brulee Baked French Toast

1 large Brioche, approximately 11/2-2 pounds cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

8 eggs

3 cups half and half

pinch of salt

1 cup of butter

1 cup of dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon of corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place all the bread in a large bowl. In a medium size mixing bowl mix together until well blended the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, eggs, half and half and a pinch of salt. Gently stir together and set aside for 2 hours or overnight. This allows the bread to soak up all the custard. When you are ready to bake the French toast, spoon the bread mixture evenly into a greased 9X13 inch baking dish.

In a small saucepan melt the butter, over medium high heat, with the brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Cook this mixture until the butter and sugar are melted together and the sugar is no longer grainy, about 5-8 minutes. Carefully pour this evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Sprinkle with the pecans and bake for 30 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

Serve with maple syrup.