The Art of Cinnamon Toast Spoon Bread for Valentine's Day

When I was very young my Mom would take the time on cold, snowy mornings to get out a simple loaf of bread, lay several pieces on a cookie sheet, and bake it with butter, sugar and cinnamon.   It was such a simple act, but I am reminded of her toast anytime I smell cinnamon and sugar baking.  Though, she did not have time on school days to cut the bread into heart-shaped Valentine's like I did today, I smiled inside remembering those breakfasts, and so I decided it might be fun to take the cinnamon toast idea and incorporate it into  a spoon bread recipe. 
Here is the result, and below is the recipe.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Cinnamon Toast Spoon Bread

Supplies:  Heart-shaped cookie cutters (large and a small), bowl, wooden spoon, 10x10 glass pan
                    1 loaf of Klosterman White Bread, cooking spray, cinnamon, butter, sugar, vanilla,
                    milk, eggs, walnuts, brown sugar
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cut out 10 pieces of bread with the large heart-shaped cutter and 6 pieces of bread with the small heart-shaped cutter and set aside.  Melt or soften 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), and combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 t. cinnamon.  Take two of the heart pieces and put butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture on both sides and pinch the bread closed as pictured top left.  Spray bottom of 10x10 glass pan with cooking spray and artfully arrange your cute heart-shaped cinnamon sugar sandwiches.  Suggestion: four large hearts on the bottom and one large heart on the top; add in the three small hearts randomly. You will have the remainder bread from your cut outs so you can freeze this for good use later. 
2. In a medium-sized bowl thoroughly combine three eggs, 3/4 c. of milk, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 t. vanilla extract, and 1 t. cinnamon.
3. Pour the liquid mixture over the heart-shaped sandwiches and set aside.  Combine 1/4 - 1/2 c. walnuts with 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, and drizzle on the very top of the bread/liquid mixture.
 4. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.  After you take the cooked bread out, you can add ice cream, or a little bit of milk.  Mmmmmmmmm.