Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

Pumpkin and French toast, a match made in heaven! Not to mention perfect for a crisp, fall morning. This bake doesn't require maple syrup, but I will admit, a small drizzling of syrup does add a nice finishing touch to this dish. Besides, can you really have French toast without syrup?

Oh, and this pumpkin bake is amazing (dare I say, even a little better) as leftovers!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin French Toast
6 slices of sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes

Directions:
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese filling ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy--about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, egg, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

Lightly grease an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of bread cubes in the dish. Pour half of the pumpkin mixure evenly over the bread. Then spread cream cheese mixture on top of that. Create another layer of bread cubes and pour the remaining pumpkin mixture of the bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for a least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss together. Use your finger to work the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly ontop of the French toast bake.

Bake for 35  to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats  
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon

It's pumpkin season again! First up, pumpkin soup! I've been longing to make pumpkin soup for years. I've read through a lot of recipes, and even tried a few--none very good, the one I made last year ended up in the trash. This year I decided to make my own based off a delicious butternut squash soup I made a couple of years ago. It was love at first taste.

Since Eric isn't a big pumpkin fan--at least when it's used in savory dishes--I made him a little tasting bowl. His reaction: If I liked pumpkin, it'd be really good. He did absolutely love the sage croutons though.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Soup
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
2-3 cups chicken stock (I used low sodium)
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
4 bacon slices, cooked
Dried parsley, garnish, optional

Sage Croutons
3 slices of sandwich bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:
Sage Croutons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut bread into 1-inch squares. Toss bread with olive oil and spices. Spread the bread into a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until croutons are brown and crisp. Flip half way through baking.

Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Soup
In a saucepan, saute garlic and onions in the butter until they are translucent.  Remove from heat.

Place pumpkin and cream cheese into a food processor. Pour in sauteed garlic and onions. Blend until well combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer back into saucepan. (If you don't mind little pieces of garlic and onion floating in your soup, you can skip this step). Add 2 cups chicken stock, sage, and pumpkin pie spice to saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk ingredients together until well combined. If soup is thicker than you desire, add more chicken stock (I like my soup a little on the thick side). Season with salt and pepper but remember, you are going to add bacon so that will add a lot of sodium to your soup.

Once soup is thoroughly heated, remove from heat. Divide soup between four bowls. Garnish with parsley if desired. Add croutons and crumble 1 slice of bacon over each bowl.

Eric's tasting bowl

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 

Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwiches

I so wished I had made more of the lemon pepper chicken so I could have made more of these sandwiches. I didn't know I could love lemon pepper chicken any more than I already did. The key to these sandwiches, other than the mouth-watering chicken, is the Italian seasoned canned tomatoes. Normally I'd used fresh tomatoes on a sandwich, but I didn't have any, and there were some leftover canned tomatoes in the fridge so I just went with it. Oh so good.

Ingredients:
3 lemon pepper chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (recipe 1, recipe 2--I used recipe 2)
8 pieces of sandwich bread
1 14.5-ounce can Italian seasoned canned tomatoes, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Mayo, optional
Onion, optional
Cucumber, optional

Directions:
Set oven to broil. Lightly grease baking sheet with cooking spray.

Shred the chicken breasts. Divide chicken, tomatoes, and cheese evenly among 4 slices of bread. Places the sandwiches open-faced on the baking sheet. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on the baking sheet as well and broil until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from oven and add mayo, onions, or cucumber as desired.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Captain Morgan Chicken with Ginger Rice
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Chicken Patties
Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Pesto, and Sun-dried Tomatoes 
Chicken with a Honey Mustard Sauce 

Grandma Betty's Banana Bread and The Creaking Tree

This recipe comes from Eric's grandmother and made an appearance in my novel, The Creaking Tree. A grownup fairy tale, the book tells the story of Louisa, a food-writer, and her trip to the Other Side of the Creaking Tree (read synposis below the recipe). The book is peppered with recipes, including this one. I couldn't think of a more perfect banana bread recipe for the book than the one that belonged to Eric's grandma. Eric's mom added the chocolate chips and I've enjoyed it more than once. In fact, I may have eaten the majority of the last loaf . . . it's just so good!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together; set aside.

In a small bowl, mash bananas and combine with the eggs; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream shortening with brown sugar. Mix the banana mixture into the shortening mixture. Gradually add the flour mixture into the third bowl while mixing. Combine well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into loaf pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center of the loaf sets.

Enjoy!

The Creaking Tree

Nestled in a little riverside cabin in northern Michigan, food-writer and newlywed Louisa is working on her first cookbook, a collection of delectable recipes inspired by the foods found in fairy tales. The only nuisance to disrupt her work is a creaking tree across the river. All summer long it grows louder and more persistent. When Louisa can no longer take it, she splashes across the river to silence the tree once and for all. But little does she know that the creaking tree is more than just a tree; it’s a portal to an ensorcelled forest of kings and queens, witches and huntsmen.

Hopelessly lost in this strange and wonderful sylvan land, Louisa crosses paths with licentious dwarfs, follows a breadcrumb trail, and encounters a rogue huntsman, Roan. Roan explains that the Other Side is ruled by the nefarious King Lyall, who is more concerned with the state of his cock than his kingdom. He has imprisoned the mysterious Queen Anora in the enchanted Apple Grove. In order to return home, Louisa must travel deep into the forest and save the Queen . . . as well as herself.

Click the My Books tab at the top of the page to check out more of my works.

~Krissy

More Bread Recipes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug 
Homemade Bread Sticks 
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Homemade Pita Bread
Parmesan Onion Rolls 
Pull Apart Pizza Bread  
Pull-Apart Spinach and Cheese Bread
Pumpkin Bread!
Sour Cream Dinner Rolls 

Homemade Bread Sticks

So this recipe was billed as copycat Olive Garden bread sticks. Eric and I didn't really taste the similarities. But that doesn't mean they weren't good. In fact, they were fabulous. Over dinner, Eric was coming up with new variations to try. Smeared with garlic butter or sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. We will be making these again, I can tell you that.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 to 3 1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Topping
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix together warm water, yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar unilt yeast has dissolved. Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes.

Add in remaining sugar (1 tablespoon plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and vegetable oil to the yeast. With the paddle attachment on your mixer, combine. Change out the paddle for the dough hook attachment. Add the remaining flour and set mixer to low. If needed add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour (I didn't need to). When dough has been sufficiently kneaded, it will pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still be slightly sticky. It should also be smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the risen dough down then divide it evenly into 12 pieces, keeping them covered as you work. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into a 9-inch rope then place them on greased cookie sheets (I used 2). Once more, cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees then bake the bread sticks for 11 to 13 mintues until the tops are golden. As the bread sticks bake, make topping. In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Stir in salt and garlic powder. Brush the mixture over the tops of the breadsticks.

Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Bread Recipes
 Pumpkin Ale Bread
 Pumpkin Bread!
 Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug