Brunch Recipe - Patt's Stuffed Baked French Toast

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm sure many of you are busy with getting ready for the big day tomorrow. My birthday! Seriously, tomorrow is my birthday. Oh yeah, and a little holiday called Thanksgiving. Didn't you know that the Macy's Parade is really a parade for my birthday? LOL

I am going to my sister's tomorrow, so I don't have to do any cooking. I'm bringing the sodas. She is a great cook and always does a great job. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family. My brother in law will be deploying to Iraq sometime in the next few weeks, so this will be our last holiday with him before he leaves. So, tomorrow we will be thankful for him and the time our family has together.

We also will be thankful for little Logan, the newest member of our family. His first Thanksgiving. I've got a cute little Thanksgiving sleeper for him. I'll try to post a picture of him in it at some point.

So, I guess we will stick some candles for me in the pumpkin pie. I'm glad that my birthday isn't always on Thanksgiving. But, the years it is I certainly don't want birthday cake with turkey. Since we don't eat pumpkin pie year round, it is still cool having candles in that.

I hope all of y'all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

So, on to my recipe post. This is a recipe I got from my friend, Patt. With the cold winter days here, this one sounds like a real winner.

STUFFED BAKED FRENCH TOAST
16-20 slices country potato bread (or can use cinnamon raisin and don't add cinn.)
6 large or extra large eggs
4 cups half & half (do not sub. milk -- it won't set up)
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
dash nutmeg
cinnamon (if using potato bread)
Filling:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large or extra large eggs
grated lemon rind (about 1 tsp. or so)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups fresh fruit (we like blueberries best)
Spray PAM on 9x13 baking dish. Cut crusts off bread and arrange half the slices in dish so the entire bottom is covered. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, half & half, vanilla, sugar. Pour half of this liquid over the bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
In another separate bowl beat cream cheese until well creamed, add vanilla, eggs, lemon rind, and sugar, and mix well. Spread all of it over moistened bread. Put fresh fruit evenly over top of filling.
Arrange the other half of the bread over the top of the filling & fruit. Stir the rest of the egg mixture, in case any undissolved sugar has settled, and pour evenly over bread. Sprinkle with nutmeg and more cinnamon to taste. Cover with foil and let stand overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. Test for doneness with knife in center. Bake 5-10 minutes longer, if needed. (May need even longer for high altitude, especially if you used all extra large eggs). Serve with syrup and powdered sugar.

Brunch Recipes - Country Grits Casserole

Well, I feel bad that I didn't get in a Friday or Monday post. I've been really dragging with this sinus infection and I got a prescription for an antibiotic yesterday so I'm hopeful that it will start to work and I'll be able to enjoy Thanksgiving.

I'm going to try my best to continue with the brunch recipes over the next few days. I wanted to make sure I definitely posted this one so it would be out there before Thanksgiving. If your family is one to eat in the early to late afternoon, this is a great thing to have for breakfast that will keep you full until close to the time you eat. The great thing about it is you can make it the night before and put it in the fridge and just bake it in the morning.

Country Grits and Sausage Casserole
Southern Living Recipe

To punch up flavor, use one pound of mild sausage and one pound of hot sausage in this casserole. If you're really brave, use hot sausage exclusively!
2 pounds mild ground pork sausage
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking grits, uncooked
4 cups (1 pound) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Paprika Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs (I don't usually add this and the recipe is fine)
Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain well, and set aside.Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, and stir in grits. Return to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add cheese and next 3 ingredients, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in sausage and eggs.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish; sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until golden and heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.
Make-Ahead: Prepare grits mixture as directed above, but do not bake. Cover and chill overnight. Remove from refrigerator; let stand, covered 30 minutes. Uncover and bake as directed.
Yield: 10 servings

Brunch Breads - Recipe #3

Well folks, I'm sorry I missed posting yesterday but by the time I was able to do it I had a terrible sinus headache that wouldn't quit. So, the blogging had to take a back seat yesterday. I hate this time of the year because my allergies are always worse this time of the year. So, I've been taking sinus medicine praying it will keep me out of the doctor's office. I usually end up on an antibiotic for a sinus infection at least once a year.

But, as the disco era song goes, "I will survive."

Here is another recipe that I've made that tastes great and is perfect to consider for brunch. This would also make a nice hostess gift for this time of the year. And, since you use canned peaches it is nice that you can make this any time of the year.

Peach Bread

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced canned peaches,
drained 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2.In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3.Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean

Brunch Breads Week Recipe #2

Happy Tuesday everyone. We had a few flurries here early this morning. It didn't amount to anything, but was pretty to see. Unfortunately it is too cold to take the little ones out, so it is going to be a looooong day inside.

Here is the second recipe for you this week. I found this on a website somewhere and made it a few months ago and it was really great. So, the note in the recipe about the frozen berries isn't mine, but sounds like a great tip. Have a great day!

Blueberry Zucchini Bread
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (you can use up to a Tablespoon. It just depends how much cinnamon flavor you want)
1 pint fresh blueberries, coat with some flour before adding to mixture (I use frozen blueberries for this bread, cheaper and works just fine.
Quickly mix in 1 tsp. of flour with the measured out blueberries before you fold them into the batter so they won’t all sink to the bottom)Preheat oven to 350° F.
Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.
Fold in the zucchini.
Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini ­loaf pans. Bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Brunch Ideas Week One - The Bread Edition

Hello everyone. We are hanging in there and still not getting much sleep. I think I'm asking Santa for a good night's sleep this year. LOL

I thought it would be fun to start a running theme of posts for the next two weeks that focus on brunch recipes. In the last few years, I've started making brunch foods for us on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've found having a few things like this is great to make things festive, but also keeps us filled until it is time to eat a later lunch or dinner with our family.

While looking through my recipes, I found that I have a number of different bread recipes. So, every day this week I'll be sharing a bread recipe with you. My first thought was these are great for brunch ideas, but with times being tight for a lot of folks, making something home made as Christmas gifts is something to consider too.

Today's recipe is a Paula Deen recipe I saw her make on her show. I made this month's ago and took it to our MOPS group. It got rave reviews and many folks asked for the recipe.

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I had hoped to get this post up earlier, but with all of the feedings and then we had to get haircuts this morning, it just didn't happen. I am so tired, but fortunately not every night has been bad. I think our little guy is going through a growth spurt. We took him to the pediatrician on Wednesday and he had gained a whole pound in a week.

For today's Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I wanted to share with you these crackers Ritz has out. They are in the shape of snowflakes. How fun would it be to use these with the holidays coming up? I have so many dip recipes and end up either making it when we have the family over, or take it to their house that I love having fun crackers to go with the recipe. I found these when I went to Wal Mart. So, you might want to check these out if you are doing any entertaining soon.

Ok, the other item I wanted to share with you is a product I'm so in love with. It is called the SwaddleMe. I had one of these with our first son, Sawyer, but because he was on a heart monitor and also didn't like his arms swaddled, I really didn't use this a lot. So, I had one that was pretty much brand new. I pulled it out with Mr. Logan and I have loved, loved, loved this product. Even though I can swaddle with a blanket, my two little houdinis have always managed to get out of them. With this product, using the velcro tabs makes it so easy to swaddle and I don't have to worry about the baby wiggling out and having a loose blanket in the crib.

The other feature that I love is that on the bottom of it there is a slit so you can put your baby in their car seat and they can be buckled up. With winter coming, this is such a great way to bundle the baby.

As you can see from the picture above, you can get these at Babies R' Us. I haven't looked recently, but I think you may be able to find these at Target also. They come in two different sizes and a bunch of different colors. The one I bought is fleece, but I did also see them in cotton so if you are having a summer baby, you may want to consider one of those. They run $9.99 and are a great gift. I highly recommend them as a gift. I like mine so much I have bought 2 more. Because my little guy likes to pea through his outfits. LOL

I hope you have a great weekend. Stay warm and have a cup of hot chocolate or cider to keep warm.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day! We thought we'd give a shout out to the boys Uncle Eddie who is currently away from us. We sent him an email this morning so he could get this special message from the boys. We hope this will brighten his day.
Today was Logan's due date. And tomorrow he will be 2 weeks old. We are doing well. It is an adjustment trying to nurse a newborn and get breakfast for a demanding 2 year old. LOL But, we are hanging in there. Logan is such a good baby so far. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

We love that crazy hair he has going on. When I give him a bath, I can brush it straight and once it dries it sticks straight up. It is so soft and smells so good with the Johnson's baby shampoo.

It is tough getting used to not sleeping through the night, but we are making it.

I am hoping to get in a Fabulous Favorite Friday post this Friday and then see if I can post a few more posts next week. These little guys have momma hopping.

We hope you are having a good week! BTW, how do you like the new Thanksgiving look for the blog?