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Pumpkin Pie Baked French Toast

November 4, 2010 By Kate 8 Comments

I think I am officially a pumpkin convert. When I shared the recipe for Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, I admitted to not being a huge fan of pumpkin. However, I’ve been using it more and more the past few weeks and I’ve definitely taken a liking to it. I’ve enjoyed it in both sweet and savory preparations. For eating, I’m learning to value it’s earthy, seasonal flavor and for cooking, I’m a huge fan of its versatility.

Also, I think pumpkin is going to have to top my list as my new #1 favorite ingredient to experiment with. Everything I’ve tried it in has been a success. This Pumpkin Pie Baked French Toast is no exception. It would be an awesome addition at a breakfast or brunch this holiday season. (And let me tell you, it is awesome served with those Apple Sausage Balls!)

Pumpkin Pie Baked French Toast

  • 1 loaf French or Italian bread, cubed
  • 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 c. milk
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 2 t. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. allspice
  • 1/2 c. chopped pecans, for garnish, optional
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar, for garnish, optional

1. Grease a 13×9 casserole dish. Place cubed bread in dish.

2. In a bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and seasonings. Whisk until smooth and fully combined. Pour on top of the cubed bread.

3. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes, until lightly browned and set. If  desired, sprinkle pecans and brown sugar on top of the baked French toast 5 minutes before cooking time is finished.

The baked French toast is so full of flavor that it does not need any syrup at all. It’s perfect served as is. Also, I listed the garnish as optional because it’s not needed for that great taste. However, both my husband and I agree that it really enhances the texture, so much so that my husband feels it’s a necessity.

I am not yet ready to give up all this pumpkin eating that’s been going on in our kitchen. So if you have any great pumpkin ideas or recipes to share with me, I’d definitely love to hear them!

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Mini-Blinis

April 19, 2010 By Kate 20 Comments

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been making mini-blinis. Whenever we had overnight company, mini-blinis were always a hit in the morning. And Christmas morning just would NOT be Christmas morning without a plate full of mini-blinis.

I think the recipe for mini-blinis may be the very first recipe re-creation I ever tried. Two of my such-close-family-friends-we-called-them-cousins cousins spent the night and we wanted to make breakfast the next morning. I don’t remember what else we made, but I do remember we tried throwing together a batch of mini-blinis. We missed a few steps and ingredients along the way, but they still turned out okay, at least as far as I remember.

To this day, I love these little breakfast pastries like you would not believe! My husband became an instant convert to their tastiness with the very first one he ever tried. Now he requests them almost as often as I do.

Mini-Blinis

  • 1 lb. thinly sliced, commercial white bread
  • 1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 c. butter, melted
  • 1/2 – 1 c. sugar + 1 T. cinnamon, mixed together

1. Carefully cut the crusts off of each slice of bread and set aside for another use.

2. With a rolling pin, gently flatten each slice of bread until it is paper-thin.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until smooth.

4. Spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread and roll up jelly roll style.

5. Roll each piece in melted butter then in cinnamon-sugar combination.

6. Cut each roll into thirds and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown on the edges.

*Note – Following my mom’s method, I always freeze these before baking by flash freezing on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag. Even if I’m baking some or all of them at the same time I make them, a few minutes in the freezer makes them cut cleaner and hold together a little better in the oven. Just add a few minutes on to your bake time for frozen ones.

While I ordinarily use whole wheat or homemade bread in my kitchen, there really is no substitute for the commercial white bread in this recipe. It bakes up light and fluffy and the only person who will know it’s white bread is you. Otherwise, you’d never guess!

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Bacon, Cheese & Egg Biscuit Cups

February 17, 2009 By Kate 60 Comments

I’ve had the idea for these cups floating around in my head for a long time. I’ve always loved appetizer-type dishes made with canned crescent rolls or biscuits. However, I wanted to be able to make similar dishes with a made-from-scratch dough. So I finally tackled that project this weekend and I am so happy with the way they turned out.

This recipe makes 2 dozen, so there are plenty to stick in the freezer to enjoy later. We reheated a frozen batch for lunch today and they turned out wonderfully! These are definitely versatile enough for breakfast or lunch.

Bacon, Cheese & Egg Biscuit Cups
For Biscuit Dough:

  • 2 1/2 c. flour
  • 2 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 1/2 c. butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten

1. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and egg until dough comes together. Knead a few times by hand and set aside.

For Filling:

  • 6 eggs
  • 3 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • To taste: hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper…or any other seasonings you’d like to add

1. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Stir in cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add other ingredients and stir to combine.

To assemble:

1. Using about 2 T. of biscuit dough at a time, press into the bottom, and 3/4 of the way up the sides, of lightly greased muffin tins. Pre-bake at 400 degrees for 3 minutes.
2. Pour 1/4 c. egg mixture into each pre-baked biscuit cup and bake for 12-15 minutes longer, until eggs are completely set and biscuit cups are slightly browned.
Stop by The Happy Housewife for more Hot Breakfast Challenge.

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