Apple Fritter Cake

I don't like to post a lot of dessert recipes, but it's been bugging me that I haven't been posting ANY recipes lately . . . SO dessert recipe it is.  Well, I guess I could say it's a breakfast recipe.  It was breakfast for the college class this week!  It received rave reviews, so I'll share it.

Since this blogger does such a great job showing and describing the steps, I'll just link you to the recipe.

Apple Fritter Cake

As always, I have a comment or two.  This cake batter is VERY thick and difficult to spread.  I added another 1/2 cup of applesauce to make it a little more spreadable.  (I was in a hurry, so maybe I did something wrong.  You can try as written, and when you get to the "spreading" part, you can make your own decision.)  Also, make the glaze thick or possibly add a layer of glaze, let it set and add another layer.

Hearty Breakfast

First of all, I apologize for not posting recipes for such a long time.  I honestly hadn't realize it had been that long . . .

 

This week, I decided do something special for Valentine's Day.  The kids really enjoyed it, and it wasn't too difficult.  Here's a picture of our breakfast.

 

 

Heart-shaped Bacon

 

Instructions: Fold bacon into a heart shape.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 18 mintues.

 

 

Heart Pancakes

I found this recipe here.  I adapted it a little bit since I didn't have a squeeze bottle.

Instructions:  Make your favorite pancake batter and heat your griddle.  Seperate about 1/3 of the batter and add pink or red food coloring.  Place the colored batter in a squeeze bottle or in a resealable bag and clip off a small corner of the bag. (NOTE: Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.) Pour the non-colored batter onto the griddle to form a pancake as normal.  Fairly quickly "draw" a heart on the top of the poured pancake.  Flip carefully when ready. Serve and enjoy!

 

It was a little tricky to flip the pancake without smearing the heart design.  Next time I might try drawing the heart first and pouring the other batter on top.  My 5 year old was slightly confused.  He asked if I had put icing on the pancakes and then cooked it.  He kept trying to figure out how I made them.  I finally had to show him the bowls I mixed the batter in before he understood.  He was too cute.

This is another idea I found . . . if you follow this link, you'll find some pretty amazing breakfast ideas!

Cream Cheese Danish

In my quest for new breakfast ideas, I came across a recipe a cream cheese danish.  I made it.  Everybody liked it (especially my mother-in-law), and it was yummy.  Seemed like it needed a little tweeking to become even yummier, so I looked around for similar recipes.  I pinned another recipe to make Christmas morning since we were spending it with my inlaws.  Horror of all horrors, Pinterest wasn't working Christmas morning, so I had to make it from memory!  (Always a scary thing with my sketchy memory.)  We LOVED how it turned out.

Here's what I did (since I couldn't remember the recipe exactly) . . . I used one package of cream cheese (on purpose - two is too much) as well as cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup in the filling.  The first recipe I made had a cinnamon sugar topping, so I did that . . . Instead of brushing with the egg white, I melted 1/4 cup (or less) of butter and brushed it on top of the uncooked danish.  Then generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before baking.    I'll also add that I used Pillsbury's Crescent Sheets.  SO much easier than using the rolls and having to pinch all the seams together!  (Photo from Chocolate Therapy.)

Recipe and photo from The Adventures of Kitchen Girl although the plate in the picture is the same plate I have in my kitchen.

 

Ingredients:
2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 350* degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

Kitchen Notes:
I have made this danish using low fat cream cheese and splenda (sugar substitute) and it was delicious! Also, the amount of filling the original recipe calls for makes a VERY heavily filled danish. I have halved the filling using 1 package of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 whole egg, and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and it was still very good. If you use the half filling method, bake for closer to 30-35 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I LOVE PUMPKIN!  I can't wait for this time of year, so I eat all kinds of tasty, pumpkiny things!  Did you know that most stores don't sell canned pumpkin year round?  A few years ago there was a shortage in northwest Pennsylvania, and canned pumpkin was sparse (and has been the last couple years).  I was disappointed to find that out when I went to buy it to make something for my dad, a fellow pumpkin lover.  Now I stock up in the fall.

 

After saying all that, you'll probably be shocked to hear that I don't like this recipe that I'm posting.  I think it's just a preference, and I didn't want anyone to miss out on a fall dish just because of my taste.  I added more spices, sugar and milk to make it palatable for me, but I'd suggest you try as written and then tweak it.

 

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1 3/4 cup water
1 cup dry oats
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Pecans
Maple Syrup, to taste

Cook the oats according to the package directions. Once the oats are almost done, add and mix the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into the oatmeal. Transfer to a bowl and add the maple syrup on top. Sprinkle with the pecans and enjoy.

Recipe and photo from The Compulsive Culinaire.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Long story, short.  I think I'm finally back online after some computer and technical issues.  And to celebrate my return (work with me - it was the only segway I could think of off the top of my head), I have a wonderful fall, must-make recipe for you all!

There's still a love-hate relationship for me with recipes I find on Pinterest.  I'm more of a tried and true kinda gal and prefer allrecipes.com with reviews.  However, I decided to give another recipe I found on Pinterest a try.  Boy, am I glad I did!  This cake is moist and full of pumpkin flavor, and it embodies the true essence of fall!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients

⅓ cups Water
1 can Pureed Pumpkin (15 Oz)
2 whole Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 box Yellow Cake Mix (18 Ounce Box)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Brown Sugar, Divided
½ cups Flour
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
¼ cups Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ cups Heavy Whipping Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl mix together the water, pumpkin, eggs, 1 Tablespoon of vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Add the cake mix and baking soda and mix until just combined.

Grease a 9×13 pan with butter and pour batter into pan.

In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and melted butter. Use your fingers to sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the glaze, combine the other 1/2 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved.

When cake is finished baking, poke holes in the top with a toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake, making sure to cover all surfaces. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Photo and recipe taken from Pretty. Good. Food.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls

Long story short.  Found recipe on Pinterest.  Made for Sunday School Class.  RAVE reviews!  Super simple.  Super easy.  Delish!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls


1 pkg pillsbury crescent rolls
8 tsp strawberry jam
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 tsp water
1 Tbsp sugar (to sprinkle on top, if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. (I used stoneware. No foil.)

2. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until creamy and there are no lumps.

3. Unroll crescent rolls. On fattest part of triangle; spoon on 2 tsp of cream cheese mixture and 1 tsp of strawberry jam. Roll and make sure fattest part of crescent roll is on the bottom of pan so that filling doesn't ooze out.

4. Whisk together egg white and water. Brush over each crescent roll.

5. Bake for 9-10 minutes until crescent rolls are golden brown. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired.
 
Note:  I was able to "fill" 14 crescent rolls with one filling recipe. Also, I didn't let mine get that dark when they baked.
 
Recipe and picture from Just A Pinch.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This is unbelievably good!  The pound cake texture was a welcomed change.  The original recipe calls for yellow cake mix.  My two tips: use white cake mix and shake your blueberries in a resealable bag with a tablespoon of flour to keep them from sinking. ;)  Oh!  Make that three tips.  Sprinkle sugar across the top of the unbaked cake before putting it in the oven.  Mmm, Mmm!  Good!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, cream cheese, oil and vanilla. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Stir in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Easy Platz (Coffee Cake)

Every week we bring in a breakfast food for my husband's College and Career Sunday School Class.  Most of the time we bring in something homemade, so I am constantly looking for new recipes.  This is a recipe I found (on my trusty site, Allrecipes.com) a couple years ago -- it's simple, light and smells wonderful coming out of the oven!  I was recently asked for the recipe, and thought I'd share it on the blog too.

Platz is apparently coffee cake with fruit and crumbs (per my search online).  One of my definition options lead me to this blog, Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I really enjoyed looking through their blog.  I will definitely be trying some new recipes!  For their version of Platz, click here.  Their crumb topping is slightly different than this recipe.

Easy Platz

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine (I like using butter)
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 cup blackberries, raspberry or blueberries

*can be decreased by 1/4 to 1/2 cup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.  (I use a 9x13 jelly roll pan.  The key is to keep the dough about 1/2" thick.  From the reviews, it looks like the original recipe is incorrect.)


2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of crumb mixture, to be used as a topping for the cake. Mix eggs and milk together and then blend into remaining mixture in bowl.

3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle blackberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over fruit.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Sour Cream Pancakes (& A Little July 4th Fun)

I've shared this pancake recipe with a couple friends, and they have never used another pancake recipe since.  I intended to post it a couple weeks ago, but didn't get to it.  God must have had a plan because this week I came across a cute recipe for the 4th of July -- Red, White & Blue pancakes!

The blogger suggests using red food coloring rather than the Red Velvet pancake recipe listed below because it's basically a cake recipe.  I'd suggest blueberry pancakes for the blue rather than finding blueberry syrup (although its a favorite of mine when we go to a breakfast place like IHOP).  Without further ado . . .

Sour Cream Pancakes

2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 c (8 oz) sour cream
1/3 c butter, melted
1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1.  Combine first four pancake ingredients in a bowl.  In another bowl, beat the eggs.  Add milk, sour cream and butter; mix well.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in the blueberries.

2.  Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased, hot griddle; turn when bubbles formon top of pancakes.  Cook until the second side is golden brown.

Yield:  about 20 pancakes


Red Velvet Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/8 tsp red gel food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cocoa powder) in large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, sour cream, food coloring, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix until just combined.

Pour about 1/3 cup onto med. high griddle and lightly brown on both sides.

Mini Pancake Muffins

Quite a few months ago, a friend of mine shared this recipe with me. I made them, took photos and . . . they never made it on the blog. I'll spare you the computer issue details and just give you the information you need to make these tasty delights. This recipe can be found on Bakerella's website. You can choose to make them with or without chocolate chips -- might even add bits of apple or other ingredients to personalize them to your family's taste.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.

In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops. Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.

Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

I experimented with our favorite pancake recipe and we liked how it turned out. I can also say I would eat a lot of these little babies without syrup. They are sweet enough without it. It was nice to pop a few in baggies and have them for a quick breakfast on the go.

Photos taken from Bakerella.com. This is also the source for the cake pops I have previously shared.

Peppermint Biscotti

Wondering what you are going to do with all those leftover candy canes? Here's the solution! A friend of mine requested this recipe, so it was already typed up. I just had to copy / paste, and it was posted to the blog! Enjoy!

Peppermint Biscotti

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp peppermint extract
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup crushed peppermint candies

Drizzle:
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs shortening
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir in the peppermint candy. (NOTE: I only used 1/2 - 3/4 cup.) Gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating until blended (dough will be stiff).

2. Divide dough in half. On an ungreased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 12" x 2-1/2" log. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove to wire racks; cool for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a sharp knife into 1/2" slices. (Cut a thin 1/2" for a yeild closer to stated. Slices pictured only yeilded about 2 dozen.) Place cut side down on ungreased baking shets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over biscotti; sprinkle with candy. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container.

Yeild: about 3 1/2 dozen.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Caramel Apple Strata

Don't know what I had planned to post this week, but this recipe just moved itself to the top of the list. My husband's Sunday School class teases me that they are my guinea pigs. I do often try new things on them, but they haven't complained yet. I was concerned that this recipe would be overly sweet, but it turned out wonderful! I has some sweetness, but not the caramel apple sweetness I had envisioned. This would be great for a holiday brunch!

Caramel Apple Strata

2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup corn syrup
3 large apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice
1 loaf (1 lb) day-old cinnamon bread
1/2 cup chopped pecans
10 eggs
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside. [CAUTION: This heated mixture is extremely hot and because of the sugar content will stick and burn badly.]

In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar and pie spice. Arrange half of the bread slices in a greased 13"x9" baking dish. Spoon apples over bread; drizzle with half of the caramel sauce. Sprinkle with pecans; top with remaining bread.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and vanilla. Pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining caramel sauce.

Remove strata from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. (I cut recipe in half since most of our kids were out for Thanksiving break. I baked it in an 8x8 pan for 30-35 minutes.)

In a small microwave-safe dish, microwave reserved sauce, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle over strata.

Photo and recipe from Taste of Home simple & delicious magazine August/September 2010 edition.

The World's Easiest Breakfast

Do you make breakfast for a large family or a very hungry small family? These few tips may come in handy.

The first "recipe" is for bakin' bacon and can be used by anyone. It takes a little bit of forethought but is real easy and so less-messy than the traditional method.

Baked Bacon

Directions: Lay bacon out on cookie sheet in a single layer. (I recommend covering the cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up. You can also place a rack on the cookie sheet to help drain the grease from the bacon while cooking.) Place in preheated oven at 325 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until reaches desired crispiness.

* Because the baking temperature is low, the gease doesn't pop and splash. I bake a pound of bacon at once and store in a resealable bag in the frig. It's nice pulling out a couple pieces for BLTs, wraps, salads or breakfast without the pain of frying up a little at a time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second "recipe" is for cooked eggs. Again another different but easy method. The original recipe comes from justapinch.com. Click here for the link to the recipe online. These work great for breakfast sandwiches as they are the right size for a biscuit -- just add cheese when they come out of the oven and it melts perfectly. Add your baked bacon -- Mmmm!

Muffin Tin Eggs

Directions: Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a small dab of butter in the bottom of each cup (optional as I forgot because I couldn't access my computer and they turned out fine). Crack egg in each cup. Break up yoke if desired. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until eggs are done how you like them. Serve warm.

Bake until completely set and use for salads. Saves peeling shells! I made mine in a 6 cup muffin tin since we don't need a dozen eggs. You could use a 12 cup muffin tin and make less. Just remember to fill unused cups 1/2 way with water so you don't scorch your pan.

Fun Meal

During the summers growing up, my mom would make the "fun meal". She would give us cubes or slices of cheese, pepperoni, a variety of fruits and vegatables and things like toothpicks or pretzel sticks. We could make 'creations' with our food. Things like boats out of cantelope slices, caterpillers out of banana and pretzel sticks . . .

Who knows how creative your child will be!

Instead of building things with food, you can always offer food to your children in creative ways that will make them want to eat it.

Bologne & Cheese

Use cookie cutters to make fun-shaped sandwiches.

Chili-man

(maybe they'd even eat green beans if they were part of chili-man -- even my girls like to eat the head, arms and legs off of something)

Squid-dogs

This is absolutely BAZZAR, but I thought it might be cool for boys -- insert dry spaghetti noodles into hotdog pieces and boil according to direction.

Use english muffins to make mini pizza. Add toppings to make faces. Kids like personalizing their own pizza.

Apple slices with peanut butter and mini marshmallows

(This one cracked me up -- wouldn't it be hillarous for an 'Over the Hill' bday party?!?)

Link to directions for Rainbow Toast: http://jujubeepreschool.blogspot.com/2010/03/rain-and-rainbows.html

Even salad can be fun!

Pictures taken off internet. I apologize for the spacing issues. Blogspot has a lot of problems with that and I didn't have time to "play around" with it today.

Omelet Biscuit Cups

When I was thinking of what recipe to post today, these little guys came to mind. I like to make a batch or two of these and stick some in the freezer. They keep well and reheat nicely for a nice, warm breakfast with minimal effort.

Omelet Biscuit Cups

1 tube (12 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup diced fully cooked ham, crumbled sausage or bacon peices
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup chopped canned mushrooms or onions
1 tablespoon butter

1. Press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the ham, 1/4 cup cheese and mushrooms.
3. In a skillet, melt butter; add the egg mixture. Cook and stir until eggs are nearly set. Spoon into biscuit cups.
4. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Reheat best if set in refrigerator overnight to thaw. Reheat in microwave at lower power (50-60%) about 20-25 seconds depending on microwave. Overheating will make biscuits tough.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Taste of Home. For printable recipe, click here.

Breakfast Ring

The inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe (Easy Baked Cheese & Veggie Twist) I found in Kraft Foods Food & Family magazine -- Holiday '09. Food & Family is a magazine that used to be free, and I've been getting it for years. I bought it this year because they offered me a huge discount when it changed over to a subscription. I really like the magazine because it uses "normal people" food like ground meat, chicken, cream cheese, box mac & cheese -- you get the picture. You can access all their recipes online at www.kraftfoods.com/foodandfamily if you'd rather not pay for the subscription.

This recipe would be a good brunch item or just kick breakfast up a notch from cold cereal and frozen waffles! It really doesn't take too much time to put together.

(click on picture to enlarge)

Breakfast Ring

2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls

1/4 c diced onion
6-7 eggs, scrambled
1/2 lb cooked bacon, crumbled or
2/3 c cooked sausage or ham
1 wedge The Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese spread or
2 Tbsp cream cheese -- flavored or add garlic powder
1/2 c shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. On a large baking pan or cookie sheet, arrange crescent roll triangles around in an 11-inch circle with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside. There should be a 5-inch diameter opening in the center of the circle. (I love using stoneware for even, golden brown baking.)

3. In a medium skillet, saute onions in a little butter or oil. Set aside. (I scrape the onions into a bowl and use the same skillet for the eggs.) Scramble eggs until almost set or just cooked. Add in onions and bacon. (I buy precooked bacon at Aldi and just break it up. You can microwave it according to directions to crisp it up a bit. HUGE time saver!)

4. Apply cheese spread or cream cheese onto dough near center of the circle.(see 1st picture above). Place egg mixture on top of cheese spread. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

5. Wrap points of triangles up over filling toward the center. Pinch down edges or tuck underneath center.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden brown. Slice and serve warm.

French Toast Casserole

This is a favorite of mine to make and eat! We do a brunch Christmas morning. This dish works well because you put it together the night before and bake it just before you need it.

PS: This recipe isn't for the weak-hearted. It is a Paula Deen recipe which means bring on the the calories!

Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk

2 tbsp grandualted sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Dash salt

1. Slice French bread into 20 slices (1" each). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

Side note: I use a regular loaf of Italian bread and layer the bread like you would assemble a lasagne. When I pulled the picture from the website (see photo on left), I noticed she sets the bread in the pan standing up. I am going to try it that way this next time. May mean I have to use French bread. The way I do it, the edges of the bread stick together and don't allow steam to come out so it 'puffs' up quite a bit while cooking. I usually do two layers. Tried doing three layers once and it spilled out all over my oven!

*UPDATE: DO NOT set them up in the pan like Paula does!! I didn't like it at all -- the "egg mixture" doesn't cook very well because it puddles in between the bread slices and there are sections of cooked egg; it's hard to know how to cut it once cooked; it's hard to spread the topping across the top of the slices. I DO NOT recommend doing the way the recipe says. I do prefer to layer it flat it the pan -- 2 rows.

2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices.

3. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

1 stick butter

1/2 c packed light brown sugar

1/2 c chopped pecans

1 tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. (Note: This is half the original topping recipe, but it is plenty for the above recipe.)