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It's hard to find fault with a slice of cinnamon raisin bread toasted and spread with butter. It was a treat when I was a kid, and I still think of it as a more fun version of that most basic breakfast option, toast. (And if you haven't untwisted a swirl of cinnamon raisin bread lately, piece by piece, you really aren't living life to the fullest.)

Recently, though, people have been telling me about ways to incorporate it into other standbys. They're all classic breakfast, lunch and dessert dishes. But by replacing plain old white bread (or even healthy--but, let's face it, occasionally ho-hum--whole wheat bread) with cinnamon raisin bread, they get a tiny lift. From basic to...yes, a little out-there, here they are:

1. PB&J
2. French Toast
3. Bread Pudding
4. Apple Crisp (tear up pieces and add them to the crumble over the fruit)
5. DIY Danish: Make a sandwich out of two slices of toasted cinnamon raisin bread and fruited cottage cheese.

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