You counted down the seconds until 2009. Now wake up and have a delicious breakfast to start the day and New Year off right! Instead of reaching for a bowl of cereal or popping some bread in the toaster, make your breakfast a mouthwatering experience.

Here are two tasty treats to try!

Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast

All we can say is “Delicious!”

What you need:

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 ½ cups of packed brown sugar

5 large ripe bananas (cut diagonally into ½-inch thick slices)

1 (12 ounce) long loaf of French or Italian bread (cut crosswise into 1-inch thick slices)

6 large eggs

2 cups of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

½ cup of sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans 

Get Cookin’!

In a microwave-safe small bowl, heat the butter in the microwave on high for one minute or until melted. Stir sugar into butter until moistened. With your fingertips, press sugar mixture onto the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish (don’t worry if the mixture does not cover the bottom). Spread the bananas or other fresh or dried fruit over the sugar mixture; top with bread slices.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Slowly pour the milk mixture over bread and press bread down to absorb the egg mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F and remove plastic wrap from baking dish. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: If you don’t have bananas, substitute three or four very ripe pears or peaches sliced (about 1 ½ pounds) or one cup of dried cherries, strawberries or raisins.

Classic Coffee Cake

Who doesn’t like the traditional breakfast favorite?

What you need:

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

¾ teaspoons of salt

3 cups plus 1 tablespoon of flour

¾ cup of chopped pecans

⅓ cup of packed brown sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

¾ cup (1.5 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 (16 ounce) container of sour cream

1 cup of confectioner’s sugar

4 to 6 teaspoons of milk

Get Cookin’!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup fluted baking pan; dust with flour.

Combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and three cups of flour in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining one tablespoon of flour.

Using a mixer at medium speed, beat granulated sugar, butter and two teaspoons of vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in flour mixture and sour cream alternately just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture and occasionally scraping bowl.

Spread two cups of batter evenly in prepared pan; sprinkle with half of nut mixture. Top with two cups of batter. Sprinkle remaining nut mixture and spread remaining batter over top.

Bake cake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then loosen from pan with a small metal spatula and invert onto rack to cool completely.

For the glaze: stir confectioner’s sugar, milk and ½ teaspoon of vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer cake to serving plate. Drizzle glaze over cake with a spoon and leave to set.

Here’s to a delicious New Year!