Baked French Toast Casserole

WOW!!! I made this hoping it would be good and it came out even better than I imagined. I actually got the original recipe from Paula Deen, but I tweaked it to make it lower fat. As most of us know, Adriane was a young version of Paula Deen. I can barely watch her cooking shows without thinking of Adriane and how much she adored her and her cooking. Many days I would call Adriane to chat and she was almost always watching Paula cook something with a ton of bacon or butter (or both)!!! Instead of using 1/2 and 1/2, I used fat free 1/2 and 1/2 from Land 'O Lakes. You do not even miss the fat. I will write the original recipe rom www.foodnetwork.com, but I will comment where I adjusted the recipe. I made 2 pans of this recipe and I froze half for Easter breakfast.

1 loaf french bread
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half (I used fat free half and half)
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (grind it fresh!!)
dash salt
praline topping (recipe follows)

Slice bread 1 inch thick
Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 flat baking dish and overlap the slices. In a large bowl combine all of the other ingredients. Beat until blended, but not bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread and spoon some of the mixture between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, spread the praline topping over the bread and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

Praline topping

2 sticks butter
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c chopped pecans
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and mix well. I ended up using my hands to make it easier.

Work

Work and life always catches up with me. I promise to add another recipe soon. I decided I am doing too much on the computer. I work on our company website, my immediate family website, my kids' website, Twitter, Facebook, email at home, email at work, and this blog. In between I am also scanning photos and slides and then I update those websites. Oh yeah, I am also usually struggling with raising my twins during the terrible two's and I work from home. I love/hate technology, but I just can't seem to rip myself away from the computer. For the record, Twitter is not all that exciting. I think Facebook is more fun and interactive :) Have a great day and I promise a recipe soon. I am going to make an (hopefully) awesome baked french toast casserole over the weekend. If I think it is worthy to share, I will post it in time for Easter brunches! Have a great day!

The picture is my hopeful reminder that spring is here and my flowers will bloom soon. Irises are slowly becoming a fascination for me. This was my iris last spring and I look forward to seeing it bloom. I also have 8 new additions I can't wait to see bloom this year. I am hoping my gold and black irises bloom at the same time. My Alma Mater (Hail Purdue!) would be proud of the black and gold display!!

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It is hard to believe it has been 4 years since I last drank with my buddies down in Gainesville! I never could drink very much, but the camraderie could not be beat! I miss you all!! Here is my recipe for Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soft butter

Mix all together and blend the butter in with your hands.

Add 1-3/4 cup buttermilk and blend with a fork until it comes together. Do not overwork the dough!!! Pour bread out of the bowl and press together in a sprayed cast iron skillet or a pie pan. Mark an "X" on the top with a knife.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and butter top with 2 tbsp(or more)of butter. You are supposed to let it cool for 30 minutes, but I can never wait long enough to do that!!

Pirate's Booty

I have no idea if y'all have heard this called by this name or not. I originally tried it when Erin came to visit me in December of 2007. I completely blame her for gaining weight while I was breast-feeding twins! This stuff is so addictive that I would wake up at odd times through the night to eat some. I eventually passed it on to my diabetic parents, who then got addicted. I tried convincing Adriane to try it and she thought I was gross. She really needed to take that up with Erin!! This is the perfect blend of sweet and salty that PMS usually induces :)


Puffcorn Delights
White chocolate chips

Place the bag of puffcorn in a bowl. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or in a double boiler. Once melted, pour over the puffcorn and mix with a large spoon. I usually keep it in the bowl until it cools off and then I put it in a Ziploc bag.

Betty's Pound Cake

My dear, sweet Adriane came to visit me one weekend and brought this delicious pound cake as a hostess gift; it was definitely the BEST pound cake I had ever had! Of course, I immediately had to have this recipe, so she emailed it to me as soon as she made it home. I have included her comments in the recipe below so that you can get the feeling of what a fun person she was all of the time, even when copying recipes. B.B.P.C. (Before Betty's Pound Cake) I thought that you had to put fruit or sauce on pound cake to make it edible, but this cake doesn't need any kind of acoutrement- it is heavnenly all by itself! (But since it was the height of strawberry season when she came to visit, we covered it with strawberries and whipped cream and that made it even more delish!) But there are also some other options for the pound cake at the bottom of the recipe.

Adriane told me that she had absolutely no idea who Betty was, but was pretty sure that the recipe was written in her grandmother's handwriting, so this recipe has made it through at least three generations of Bell women and has now been imparted to other ladies who love to bake/eat. This recipe is meant to be shared with friends, so in true Adriane style, please enjoy a slice (or 5) with people you care about!

Betty's Pound Cake

Ingredients:
3 sticks of butter (only real butter will do)
3 cups white sugar
3 cups plain flour (in parentheses it says Red Band brand, lol... Publix will probably do it)
6 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Cream softened butter and sugar together. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well. Mix evap milk and vanilla, set aside. Sift flour and set aside. Gradually add flour, alternating with milk mixture, beating well as you alternate.

Butter and flour pan(s) really well. Pour batter in pan(s). Place pan(s) on a cookie sheet (sometimes if you don't eat enough of the batter before you put it in the pans, it overflows as it cooks ;-) j/k). Place in a cold oven (not preheated) set a 275 for 1 hour. After 1 hour, turn oven up to 300 for 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 50% before you try to take it out of the pan. Finish cooling on a rack.

If you use a loaf pan, it makes 2 loaves. If you use a tube pan (the same kind you use to make angel food cake), it makes 1 cake.


I love it with almond icing:

1 stick of softened butter
1 box of confectioners sugar, sifted
Almond flavoring to taste (or vanilla)
Evaporated milk or cream or half-and-half if needed

Cream the butter and sugar and add flavoring. If it is too thick, add milk until you get the right consistency. (This is enough icing to frost the entire tube pan cake... might be overkill if you halve the recipe. Or you can just eat the extra as you see fit. ;-) Seeing a theme?)

My cousin pokes holes in it and brushes it with amaretto. Good, but not as good as the icing.

As you know, it is maybe best with strawberries and whipped cream!

Clemson Colors

I changed the blog around to represent Adriane's Clemson Tigers. She had a very long and confusing story about how the colors are really supposed to be orange and blue, but the athletics department uses orange and purple? Something like that. Please correct me if I am wrong!! Anyway, I changed the colors to orange and purple for her favorite team. I always try to use those 2 colors to think of her. I did it before she passed away, so I just continue with it now. I purchased orange and purple sippy cups to remember her. She always got a kick out of what weird things I could buy in orange and purple. I know I am lame, but I have to keep myself amused somehow!

UF Dairy Science Club

I saw this on Facebook and I immediately thought of Adriane. She would be so proud!!

"Congratulations to the UF Dairy Science Club on having the first place display at the recent Southern Regional American Dairy Science Association Student Affiliate Division Meeting in Huntsville, Alabama. Also, congratulations to Stephanie Croyle on being selected as the Outstanding Southern Regional ADSA Student Affiliate Member!"

I miss her everyday :( The flower bulbs I planted the last time I talked to her are starting to come up in my yard. Just another way I will always remember our beautiful friend. She brought me as much joy as seeing the first flowers of spring.

Romanian Chicken Stew

My husband is Romanian, which means I am essentially married to the Romanian mob. Just a joke, but I am not exactly as Eastern-European as they would prefer. I have no idea what that matters since I am German, Yugoslavian and Austrian. Anyway, this is my husband's grandmother's recipe. Everytime I make it I want to shove it in their face and say "See, I can cook!". I am sure his grandmother would be all weepy-eyed knowing I can actually cook as well as her.

This is an easy 1-hour home-cooked meal that is scrumptious! I always cook some rice because the gravy you make needs something to make it a bit lighter. I always take the skin off my chicken so I can reduce the fat content. It helps a ton! You can try it with chicken breasts, but it just does not taste the same. Using chicken legs is dangerous because of all the bones. So, use chicken thighs or a mixture of chicken thighs and breasts. It is amazing what a simple recipe this is! I hope you like it. FYI...in Romanian it is called tocana du pui.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 diced onion
1 lb skinned chicken thighs
paprika
salt
pepper
fresh mushrooms (not necessary, but good addition)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp flour
fresh parsley

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and cook until the onion is clear. Add the chicken to the skillet and place a hefty coating of paprika, salt and pepper on the chicken. Add the fresh mushrooms and about a cup of water. Place a lid on top of the skillet and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. You seriously do not have to do anything that whole time! Just make sure there is enough water in the skillet.

Mix the flour and sour cream together in a bowl until it is smooth. When the chicken is done cooking, add the sour cream mixture to the center of the pan and try to stir it into the pan juices. Let it boil so it gets thick. Add the freshly chopped parsley, mix it in and you are done.

Serve over rice or noodles.