Pumpkin Spice and Eggnog French Toast Casserole

One of my favorite brunch items is overnight french toast or a strata. They're so easy to prepare, can be made in advance, can be flavored a million ways, and serve a crowd.



The first french toast casserole I decided to make was Pumpkin Spice. I absolutely love pumpkin, so it was an easy decision. I decided to go food shopping and see what bread was fresh and looked good, and the baker told me the challah was fresh and delicious. It was exactly what I had hoped for! This french toast was fantastic, a little spicy, and creamy in the middle with some crunch on the outside.

Pumpkin Spice Challah French Toast Casserole

1-2 tbsp. softened butter

1 loaf of challah bread, sliced 1" thick

6 eggs

2 cups of 2% milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole dish.

Line the dish with bread, cut to fit nooks and try to make layers even, crossing bread in different directions (you can also cube the bread and scatter it).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Pour evenly over bread, press bread down to saturate.

Cover with saran wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove saran wrap or foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray, re-cover casserole.

Bake for 1 hour, uncover and bake for another 15-30 minutes (to determine how long it needs to bake, jiggle the dish, if the center isn't set, continue to bake. If there is no jiggle, remove and serve).

For the second French Toast Casserole, I decided to use eggnog. It seemed to be a natural choice since french toast is eggy. JJ said his family loves eggnog, so it was a great idea. This one seemed to be a bit more creamy and the favorite among the crowd.

Eggnog Challah French Toast Casserole

1-2 tbsp. butter, softened

1 loaf of challah bread, cut 1" thick

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups lowfat eggnog

1 cup 2% milk

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole dish.

Lay bread in the dish, crossing to create even layers.

Whisk together eggs, eggnog, milk, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pour evenly over bread, press down to soak in as much as possible.

Cover with saran wrap or foil.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove saran wrap, spray foil with nonstick spray, re-cover.

Bake for 1 hour, uncover and bake for 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Christmas Eve Brunch Menu

On Christmas Eve, JJ and I hosted a brunch for some of our family. I made a diversified menu since there were 11 people. Many of the dishes could be made ahead, or prepped heavily ahead of time. Since we ate at 10am, I didn't have to get up any earlier than normal to finish cooking.

Christmas Eve Brunch Menu:

(recipes will be up soon!)

-Eggnog French Toast Casserole

-Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole

-Spinach and Swiss Quiche Tart

-Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche Tart

-Blueberry Almond Muffins

-Cranberry Orange Muffins

-Maple Turkey Sausage (store bought)

-Winter Fruit Salad (pineapple, kiwi, canteloupe and strawberries)

-Mimosas (orange and pineapple juice)

-Coffee Service

Housewarming Wrap-Up

I've been blogging recipes from the Housewarming Party for the past few weeks, so here are the rest of the things I made, click on the recipe name for the link. We had a fantastic time, the food was great, and we made out first fire! Charlotte and Belle are big fans of the fireplace.

Skyline Chili Dip

I thought it would be fun to bring a bit of Cincinnati to the party in Jacksonville by making this dip. Skyline chili is available many places across the country in the freezer section or in cans. I prefer the frozen trays over the cans, but either works just fine!

Brie en Croute

Thanks to Pepperidge Farm's partnership with Foodbuzz, I was able to try this recipe out. I love brie en croute! I topped my brie with red currant jam, then wrapped it in puff pastry and baked it. I served it with pear and apple slices.

Mozzarella Stuffed Mini Meatball Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite appetizers because I love meatballs! I make them extra flavorful by mixing sausage and ground beef to make the meatballs. Also, a little bit of mozzarella inside makes them pop!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This dip is a well-loved classic, so I made a big tray. I like to use reduced-fat cream cheese though, rather than fat free because I think it tastes closest to regular, but still saves some calories and fat.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Surprise 25th Anniversary Dinner Party

Thank you so much to Foodbuzz for giving me the opportunity to blog this event as a December 24,24,24 submission! Be sure to go to foodbuzz.com to see all of the submissions!

My in-laws celebrated their 25th Anniversary on December 8, 2009. My husband and I thought it would be fun to throw a surprise party for them. Since we moved into our new home, I suggested we do a nice sit down dinner rather than spend 4-5 times the price going to a restaurant. He thought it was a great idea! We asked my brother-in-law what he thought and when he would be home from college, and we decided the 19th was the perfect date (though it was also his 22nd birthday, but he was willing to share).

For the menu, I decided to cook an Italian feast. I created three appetizers, a dinner with the choice of beef or chicken, and a 2 tier cake.

I decorated the house in all silver decor and had many personalized items as his parents didn't have a formal reception when they were married.

His parents were completely surprised! We had been planning this party for about 2 months, so we were so happy that no one slipped and mentioned the party. They had a fantastic time, and we are so glad we were able to celebrate their 25 years of marriage.

George & Jenny's 25th Anniversary Menu:

Appetizers:

Caprese Spring Rolls with Pesto Dipping Sauce

Puff Pastry wrapped Blue Cheese stuffed Olives

Rosemary Tuscan Bean Dip with Flatbread Crackers

Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons and Homemade Dressing

Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Bread

Entree:

Prosciutto and Asiago Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Marsala Sauce

or

Salami and Provolne Rolled Beef with Sun-Dried Tomato, Lemon and Butter Sauce

Haricot Verts with Sauteed Shallots

Roasted Garlic Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes

Dessert:

Almond Sour Cream Pound Cake with Raspberry Jam

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Iced Sugar Cookie Favors

I placed a menu at each guest's seat so they would know what was going to be served. I had personalized napkins with Mom and Dad's wedding date.


The appetizers were set out so guests could start eating as soon as they arrived. We asked them to come at 6pm, and planned for JJ's parents to come around 6:30. We also served beer, wine and soda.

The first appetizer selection was Caprese Spring Rolls with Pesto Dipping Sauce. I created this recipe over the summer to win a chance to attend Foodbuzz's Blogger Festival, but I didn't win! I made the spring rolls for my cousin and her husband, and they requested that I make them again, soon! Luckily they lived up to Leah and Jay's hype, and everyone enjoyed them as well.

Caprese Spring Rolls with Pesto Dipping Sauce

by Ashlee Wetherington (click link for recipe)

The second appetizer I chose is another crowd favorite, Puff Pastry wrapped Blue Cheese stuffed Olives. I came up with these after sampling a blue cheese stuffed olives. I thought it would be even better warm, wrapped like a cocktail hotdog. I first made these for a Tea Party my sisters and I hosted for my Mom. They were the first appetizer we ran out of! They're so simple to make, and they have great flavor.

Puff Pastry wrapped Blue Cheese stuffed Olives

by Ashlee Wetherington

The last appetizer I made was this Rosemary Tuscan Bean Dip. I have seen several bean dips lately, so I thought this would be something new to try. I tried to make this extra flavorful by simmering the beans in beef stock with a few fresh rosemary sprigs.

Rosemary Tuscan Bean Dip

by Ashlee Wetherington

Since dinner was going to be fairly elaborate, I decided to make Caesar Salad. My sister's friend, Kelly, was nice enough to give me her secret Caesar salad dressing recipe. I think it tastes very similar to Carrabbas, which is my favorite Caesar Salad. I made fresh croutons to make the salad a little more special, as well.

Caesar Salad with Doug's One of a Kind Caesar and Sourdough Croutons

Dressing by Doug via Kelly, Croutons by Me

Since most dinners are served with some kind of bread, I figured I would make garlic bread since it's Italian. I love when garlic bread is very garlicky, especially with slow roasted, large chunks of garlic. I roasted about 10 bulbs of garlic to use in all of the different recipes! To make this garlic bread, I simply mixed the cloves of 2 heads of roasted garlic, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and 1 stick of softened butter. I split 4 baguettes, spread the mixture on, and baked them at 400 for 10 minutes. These were also great for sopping up the extra sauces from dinner!

I decided to make both a chicken dish and a beef dish so our guests would have a choice. Since JJ's mom isn't a fan of tomato based sauces, I had to think of some non-tomato based Italian sauces. I knew both his parents like marsala, so I chose that. Then I decided to make a lemon butter sauce with sun dried tomatoes, which his mom likes. In the end, everyone was pretty split on their favorite dish.

Mashed potatoes seemed to be a great choice with either chicken or beef. I think Yukon Golds make great mashed potatoes, especially with roasted garlic. The recipe I used is one I made up, but pretty standard for mashed potatoes. I used 10 lbs. of potatoes, and multiplied the recipe.

Roasted Garlic Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes

by Ashlee Wetherington

As the vegetable side, JJ and I both agreed that green beans seem to be a pretty safe vegetable. I originally thought about making asparagus, but some people don't like them. I was happy to see that everyone ate their haricot verts, and my brother in law even said they were his favorite, and he's not a vegetable eater!

To make these haricot verts: Melt 1 stick of butter over low heat. Add 4 cups of sliced shallots of sweet yellow onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stir every 10 minutes or so, cook for 2 hours, until caramelized. Set aside. Steam 5 lbs. of haricot verts, toss in caramelized shallots. Serve.

Besides Spaghetti and Meatballs, my favorite Italian dish is Chicken Marsala. I have worked for a long time to create the perfect marsala sauce, and recently got it just right for my tastes. Since I know JJ's parents love chicken marsala, I had to put it on the menu for the party.

Prosciutto and Asiago Stuffed Chicken Marsala

by Ashlee Wetherington

One of my tried and true beef dishes is my mom's rouladen. I based this beef dish off her rouladen, but simplified it a bit. The lemon, butter and sun-dried tomato sauce I created was a hit, but it's definitely something you probably shouldn't eat often, as it has plenty of butter and cream!

Salami and Provolone Rolled Beef with Lemon, Butter and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

by Ashlee Wetherington

For the cake, I decided to keep it simple. I made a two tier cake using this Paula Deen recipe. I filled it with Raspberry jam, and iced it in Almond Buttercream.

I also made these Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries to go with the cake. Thanks so much to Leah for piping them for me when I was running out of time! I baked off half a recipe of this cheesecake by Dorie Greenspan, stirred it up and get it smooth, and used a piping bag with a star tip.

The last thing I made were these Sugar Cookie Favors using my Famous Sugar Cookie recipe, which can be found here, here, here or here!

And of course, we had to have a birthday Cherry Pie for AJ!

Caesar Salad with Dougs One of a Kind Caesar & Sourdough Croutons

Want to know the details of this recipe? Check out this post!

Caesar Salad with Doug's One of a Kind Caesar

and Sourdough Croutons

2 tbsp. Anchovy Paste

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 drops Worchestershire Sauce

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 drop hot sauce

1 egg

Fresh ground black pepper

Romaine hearts

Fresh grated parmesan

Boil egg for 1 minute to separate the white.

In a large bowl, add anchovy paste and mustard, whisk well.

Add Worchestershire, hot sauce, egg yolk and pepper. Mix well.

Add romaine and grated parmesan, toss well.

Top with Sourdough croutons, recipe follows.

Sourdough Croutons

1 loaf of sourdough bread, cubed in 1" pieces

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 tbsp. dried Italian herb mix

Salt and pepper

In a measuring cup, whisk together butter, EVOO, herbs, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.

Add bread cubes, drizzle with butter mixture.

Toss to coat well.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and slightly crunchy.

Keep in an airtight container and use within 2 days.

Rosemary Tuscan White Bean Dip

For a description of this receipe, check out this post!

Rosemary Tuscan White Bean Dip

1/2 lb. dried Cannelini or Great Northern Beans

8 cups water

4 cups beef stock (or chicken, vegetable)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Flatbread Crackers, for spreading

Add beans and water to a large bowl.

Let beans soak overnight, for at least 12 hours.

Drain beans, place in a stockpot with beef stock, salt, pepper, shallot and rosemary.

Bring to a simmer, turn to low and simmer for 4 hours.

Add more beef stock if beans are too dry, stir every 20 minutes or so.

Just before serving, add beans to a food processor.

Pulse to puree beans, stream in olive oil.

Add enough olive oil to create a smooth dip.

Scoop into a bowl, serve warm with flatbread.

Spinach, Pear and Walnut Pinwheels & Roasted Pepper, Hummus and Feta Pinwheels

The other cold appetizer selections for the housewarming party were these pinwheels. I have made the Spinach, Pear and Walnut variety many times because I love them. I wanted to make another type though, so I decided to pair together some of my favorite Mediterranean ingredients - roasted red peppers, hummus and feta cheese. I used Christmas colored wraps, but you can use any wrap you'd like. I forgot to get toothpicks, but these held together well without the toothpicks.

Pear, Spinach and Walnut Pinwheels (Makes 48)

1 package of 8 sun dried tomato tortillas
1 block reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, crumbled
1 tbsp. butter
1 bag baby spinach, shredded
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced small
Salt and Pepper

Set cream cheese on counter to soften.
Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium heat.
Melt butter and add pears, cook until pears are slightly softened, about 8 minutes.
In another non-stick skillet over high, lighty wilt spinach, then place in a colander over the sink.
Lay out tortillas and smear with cream cheese, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with crushed walnuts, and some of the pears and spinach.
Roll up and put into a food storage container seam side down.
Finish all rolls and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Before serving, stick in toothpicks, slice off edges of tortillas, then cut each roll into 6 pieces.

Roasted Red Pepper, Hummus and Feta Pinwheels

1 pack of 8 spinach tortillas

8 oz. hummus, homemade or store bought
3 roasted red peppers, sliced

1 cup crumbled feta

Smear tortillas with hummus, place red pepper strips on top, sprinkle with feta.

Roll tightly and place into a food storage container seam side down.

Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Before serving, stick in toothpicks, slice off edges and cut each roll into 6 pieces.

Chopped Greek Salad in Phyllo Cups

The first appetizer I'm posting from our Housewarming Party is one of my personal favorites, Chopped Greek Salad in Phyllo Cups. It's not a very innovative recipe, but they're really cute, have great stage presence, are easy to make tons of, and taste wonderful! The great thing about these are you can do any variation of ingredients or ethnicities, like a chopped asian salad, chopped cobb salad, indian salad with tahini dressing, tex mex with black beans, corn and avocado....the list is endless!

Making the cups was actually very easy, and took about an hour to make about 100 cups (which was way more than we needed, but I snacked on them the next few days). If you don't want to mess with the phyllo, you can also use wontons or even tortillas. I personally enjoy phyllo the most, probably because of the golden color and buttery crunch!

I made the phyllo cups the night before the party and loosely wrapped them in saran wrap. I chopped all the veggies and put them in tupperware, then tossed the salad in the dressing right before I spooned them into the cups.

Chopped Greek Salad in Phyllo Cups

cups:

1 package of phyllo, defrosted in the refrigerator

1 stick of butter, melted

salad:

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and minced

1 english cucumber, seeded and minced

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, seeded and minced (or 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes)

1 cup green olives, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

dressing:
1 tsp. minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
(or 1/2 cup prepared greek dressing or a vinaigrette)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out phyllo on counter, cover with a damp towel.
Melt the butter in a small dish.
Place a piece of phyllo on a cutting board, brush with butter, repeat 4 times.
Using a pizza cutter, slice into 3" squares.
Press into a mini muffin tin.
Bake for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown.
Pop out, cool on a wire rack, keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Add all salad ingredients, toss.
Spoon into phyllo cups, garnish with extra herbs.

Yield: 100 cups and enough salad for about 50 cups

Cranberry Bliss Bars

One of my favorite memories of my time working at Starbucks was our annual Christmas party. We'd go to the training center and try all of the new beverages, pastries, and get our red aprons! I am not a huge Starbucks pastry fan (because I see the nutritional information on the boxes), but at Christmas, I find a way to look past that and let myself enjoy a piece of gingerbread loaf, a peppermint brownie, and of course, the cranberry bliss bar.

The cranberry bliss bar has always been one of my favorites, sweet, tart, like a cross between a cookie and a cake, with delicious cream cheese frosting... what's not to love?
For my housewarming party, I decided to use my favorite Starbucks pastries as inspriation. I made gingerbread cookies (rather than a loaf cake), cheesecake swirl (were supposed to be peppermint) brownies, and then these cranberry bliss bars. They're very close to the original, and so cheap to make at home rather than buy a tray for $15 bucks at Starbucks!

I found this recipe on Recipezaar, but changed it a little bit. I thought the ginger seemed to be too high, as I don't taste much in the original at all. For the drizzle, I used white chocolate, which is closer to what Starbucks uses.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

recipe adapted from Recipezaar

Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drizzle:
8 oz. white chocolate

1 tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt; beat well.
Gradually mix in flour until smooth.
Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand.
Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges.
Let cool.

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.
When the cake has cooled, spread frosting over the top of cake.

Sprinkle cranberries over top.

Add white chocolate and cream to a small microwave safe bowl, heat on 10 second intervals until melted and smooth.

Drizzle over the top layer, chill for 4 hours.

Slice into triangles, makes 16-20 triangles.

Cheesecake Swirl Fudge Brownies

One of the desserts I made for our housewarming party were these Cheesecake Swirled Brownies. I had intended to make them peppermint cheesecake swirl brownies, but my peppermint extract vanished! Had I gone the peppermint route, I would have probably tinted the cheesecake swirl green or red, but I stuck with a vanilla and almond flavor and natural color.


To make these, I used my favorite brownie recipe, and then made up a simple cheesecake swirl. I made a 1/2 sheet cake pan of these brownies, which made close to 50.

Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Brownies adapted from Triple Chocolate Brownies (from Gourmet Magazine)

Brownie Layer:

12 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 sticks unsalted butter (3/4 lb)

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake Layer:

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

First, prepare brownie layer:
In a metal bowl, set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the bittersweet chocolate and the unsweetened chocolate with the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth.

Remove the bowl from the heat, and let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm.

Stir in the sugar and the vanilla and add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Stir in the salt and the flour, stirring until the mixture is just combined, and stir in the chocolate chips.

Prepare the cheesecake layer:

In a large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese until smooth.

Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time, until incorporated.

Add extracts and salt, mix until combined.

Line a 1/2 sheet cake pan with foil or parchment, grease liberally.

Pour brownie batter into the pan, spread evenly.

Drop tablespoons full of cheesecake batter on top.

Using a knife, make diagonal swipes and then cross the other way to create a swirl pattern.

Do not let the knife touch the bottom!

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.