French Toast Casserole

Today, I had 10 kids and 7 moms over for a brunch. It was our little Easer celebration before things get too crazy next week. We ate, we made little Easter Baskets out of recycled soda bottles (I will post pictures this weekend at some point), and we had an Easter Egg Hunt! It was a fun and delicious day! My main course was this delicious, inexpensive,  and very easy to make French Toast Casserole. I love casseroles and bakes that you prepare the night, it makes the mornings so much easier! Give this one a try, your family and friends will thank you for it!!  

 

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
14 slices of white bread or Texas Toast bread
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions

Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar, mix until combined.

Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of a greased  9 x 13 pan and spread evenly.

 Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla until combined. 

 Cut the bread slices in half and lay a single layer of bread in pan over the butter/brown sugar mixture.

Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture evenly on top of the layer of bread.
  Add the second layer of bread on top o the other and spoon remaining egg mixture on top.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and cover & refrigerate overnight.

Remove the casserole from the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and let it bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until bread is puffed and golden.
  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup if desired.

I prefer it without the syrup, this recipe is plenty sweet! Enjoy!

 

 

Trust me, it tastes even better than it looks!

 

 

You'll Go Crazy for these Caramel Bacon Buns-- Super Easy to Make Too!

 

My girlfriend made these for the Bacon Potluck that I hosted last week.

They were absolutely amazing and she said this was one of the easiest things she ever made!

We enjoyed them for dessert, but these would be great for brunch as well!

Caramel Bacon Buns

Ingredients:
1 can of 10 Buttermilk Pillsbury Biscuits
1 lb of Cooked, Crispy, and Crumbled Bacon
1 jar of Caramel Sauce (about 1.5 cups)

Special Equipment:
2 standard Cupcake/Muffin pans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take one Muffin pan and place the other aside.
Fill the bottom of 10 of the cups nicely with caramel sauce.
Layer the Caramel with a good amount of bacon pieces and top it with a biscuit.
Place the second muffin pan on top of the biscuits, this will keep them from puffing up too much.
Bake them for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.
Let them cool.
Place a baking sheet or  plate over the muffin pan and flip it over. For the most part, the buns should easily pop out. If necessary, use a butter knife to give the buns a little push out.
Don't leave any bacon behind! Be sure to scoop out whatever bacon was left behind and add it to the top of the buns.

Enjoy these sweet and salty ooey gooey caramelly bacon buns!

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes-- Can You Say YUM??

 

 

I came across a similar recipe in Pillsbury Pockets Magazine, I edited it quite a bit to suit my needs. These Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes are truly heavenly! They are an amazing breakfast treat, almost like a dessert! I like to make these for my family for special occasions. I'll be real, I could eat these everyday, but my waistline would surely show it! These are a must try-- you won't be sorry that you did!

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese
1 box cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling (4 serving size)
1 cup of milk
2 cups frozen strawberries in syrup
1 1/4 cups pancake mix (I use Bisquick)
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup water

Directions:

Defrost frozen Strawberries in syrup and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add pudding mix and milk. Beat until thick and creamy. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix pancake mix, graham cracker crumbs, and water until blended.

 

Cook pancakes like you usually do, using 1/4 cup of batter. I cook mine on my griddle at 375 degrees. I grease the griddle with butter and cook until the tops of the pancakes bubble and the flip them. I continue to cook until the bottom is golden brown like the top.

Place 1 pancake on a plate ad top with 1/3 cup of the cream cheese filling, 1/4 cup of the strawberry topping, a second pancake, and another 1/4 cup strawberry topping.
Serve and enjoy!
This will make 4 sets of 2 pancakes.

 

Looks good, huh? Wait until you taste them!!

 

 

Heavenly Bacon Nutella Crescent Rolls-- You KNOW You Want One!!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1- 8 oz tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls                        

8 teaspoons of Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled                        

Powdered sugar, if desired                        

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350°F. Separate dough into 8 triangles and spread 1 teaspoon of Nutella on each triangle. Sprinkle with small amount of crumbled bacon.  Roll up each triangle, starting at shortest side, rolling to opposite point. Sprinkle a little bacon on top of each roll. Place rolls point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I love these served warm, but they are pretty good when eaten at room temperature as well.