The day after a big holiday meal, thoughts of sugar plums leave your head and are promptly replaced by two new thoughts. The first is, "Ugh, I don't want to cook anymore." The second is, "Why didn't my guests eat all of the delicious baguettes I bought for them to enjoy?" Indeed, we all have friends and family who fail to meet our carbohydrated expectations of them. Year after year they break the bread, then break our hearts as they leave half a loaf still sitting on the Yule table.

But, wait! This day-old, stale baguette might be your ticket to a great post-Christmas brunch. Cut up your sad, stale bread, throw it in some whisked eggs, then fry it in butter! Sprinkle sugar over both sides of the toast and watch it caramalize right in front of your eyes. Plop it on a plate and shake powdered sugar over top. Everyone loves powdered sugar. Nice work! As you probably figured out - you just made very basic French Toast with your leftovers!

Not only do you not have to feel bad about throwing away fancy French bread, you can do as the French do and eat your toast with your hands. There is no silverware to clean (which is important to me as someone who lives without a dishwasher). Another fun fact - French toast is more of a snack in France than a breakfast. That means you can legitimately eat this twice in one day and still be doing it right.

Here's the thing, though. You can call it French toast and have the same post-Christmas brunch as everyone else. Or you can call it Pain Perdu and make your brunch classy! It's all how you spin it. Sure, your guests will probably look at their plate of sugar egg bread and think, "This is just French toast made with yesterday's bread," but you should ignore their cynicism and just be excited that you can eat your brunch with your hands.

Don't be afraid to smother your pain perdu with nutella and eat it like a mini-open face sandwich. Much like butter, Nutella is always a good idea.

Merry Christmas everyone!