By January 2035. The new year and Kai and Sarah announced they were expecting. They told me over breakfast in the house kitchen on a Saturday morning in January, the snow coming down outside the window that faced the persimmon grove. I put my coffee cup down and sat with it for a moment. Then I said: that's good news. Kai said: yeah. Sarah looked like a person who had been working up to this conversation and was relieved it had landed well. I said: very good news.
The baby would come in the fall—September or October, they thought. That meant an autumn child, which is right for this family, right for this land. The persimmons in season. The sumac full red. The air the way it gets in October in the Cherokee hills. A child arriving into the world when the food forest is at its fullest seemed right.
I made a large breakfast while processing this: eggs from the site hens, cornbread, the last of the venison sausage I'd put up in the fall, a pot of strong coffee. I cooked and they talked about names and logistics and I listened and felt something I've felt before when people who belong to me add themselves to. The table getting bigger. The reason for the food forest getting more specific. The next generation arriving.
Wren, who was eight, was told later and said: am I going to be a cousin? Hannah said: yes. She said: good. She went back to whatever she'd been doing. Seven-year-olds understand additions to the family as practical facts. I thought: that's the right response. Accept the new person, figure out the relationship, continue.
That January morning I cooked by instinct — eggs, cornbread, sausage — because cooking is what I do when something large is happening and I need somewhere to put my hands. If I’d had this recipe on hand, it’s exactly what I would have made: something that holds the sausage and the egg together in one generous thing, something that feels like a celebration without announcing itself as one. Sausage Stuffed French Toast is the right food for a table that is about to get bigger.
Sausage Stuffed French Toast
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 thick slices brioche or Texas toast bread
- 1/2 lb ground breakfast sausage (venison sausage works beautifully)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for the pan
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cook the sausage. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground sausage, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat and let cool slightly.
- Make the filling. In a bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and cooked sausage until combined. Mix in 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. The filling should be thick and spreadable.
- Stuff the bread. Lay out 4 slices of bread. Spread a generous layer of the sausage and cream cheese filling on each slice, going nearly to the edges. Top each with a second slice of bread, pressing gently to seal.
- Make the egg dip. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until smooth and fully combined.
- Dip and cook. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Dip each stuffed sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it soak for about 15 seconds per side. Cook in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Add remaining butter between batches as needed.
- Serve. Transfer to plates and serve immediately with warm maple syrup and, if you like, a dusting of powdered sugar. Strong coffee alongside is not optional.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 31g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 680mg