By New year, different work. January is the planning month — equipment needs, herd management decisions, the farrier account calendar for the next six months, the writing schedule. I approach January the way I approach the elk notebook before season: with intention, laying out the sequence of what matters, identifying the adjustments that need making.
The therapeutic accounts are going well. Added one more referral from Valley Equine in December — a horse with severe white line disease, similar to the case Cole and I worked on together in the fall. I'm the specialist for this kind of case now, which is what I wanted when I started the certification. The work has become exactly what I hoped: technically demanding, varied, connected to the larger equine medicine community in a way that routine shoeing isn't.
Started a new essay about the apprenticeship. Not the skill transmission — I've written about that. About the other part: what it's like to watch someone become competent at a thing you taught them. The pride in it that isn't the same as pride in your own work. The feeling when Cole handles a difficult case correctly and I had nothing to do with it except teach him three years ago to look for the thing he's looking for. I don't have the language for that feeling yet. I'm writing toward it.
Made a proper French onion soup again — the three-hour version, same as every January. The onions going brown and brown and darker over low heat, the patience required, the broth added in stages, the Gruyere broiled until it bubbles and pulls from the bowl in strings. The right January food. Every year this soup arrives at the right moment and I'm glad every year that I learned to make the version that takes three hours instead of thirty minutes.
The French onion soup is the anchor of my January — the long patience of it, the way the hours of low heat produce something that a shortcut version never could. That same instinct toward the slow and intentional version of a thing carried into the next morning, when I found myself making this Nutella Stuffed Churro French Toast: not the quick weekday version, but the one worth doing right, with thick-cut bread and a filling that melts into something richer than the sum of its parts. After a month of planning notebooks and new essays and cases that demand precision, there is something clarifying about a breakfast that asks you to pay attention.
Nutella Stuffed Churro French Toast
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 thick slices brioche or Texas toast (about 1-inch thick)
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for coating)
- Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Make the sandwiches. Spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella evenly on one side of four bread slices. Top each with a second slice to form four stuffed sandwiches. Press gently to seal the edges.
- Prepare the egg mixture. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg until fully combined.
- Prepare the churro coating. In a separate shallow dish, stir together the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- Soak the sandwiches. Dip each stuffed sandwich into the egg mixture, letting it soak for about 20–30 seconds per side so the bread absorbs the custard without becoming soggy.
- Cook the French toast. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook two sandwiches at a time for 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches.
- Apply the churro coating. While still warm, press each cooked French toast sandwich lightly into the cinnamon-sugar mixture on both sides, coating evenly.
- Serve. Slice each sandwich in half diagonally, dust with powdered sugar, and serve immediately with maple syrup on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 340mg