Bacon and Cherry Studded French Toast Casserole #CrazyIngredientChallenge #FantasticalFoodFight

I cannot believe there is less than one week left before Christmas.  I still have shopping to do!!!

Frank has gone to get our Little Miss Melody this morning.  Today is going to be shopping day.  Fortunately, we have a Mall about an hour north of us that is relatively quiet, even during the holidays.  We will, hopefully, get the rest of our Christmas shopping finished.  We'll also stop to see Santa and ride the Carousel.

Luckily, it is a couple hour round trip to go and get our Princess, so that gives me time to make a good, hearty breakfast  that will sustain us during our shopping spree.

I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to squeeze in another blogging event this month. Then I "opened my basket" and found some Bacon and Maraschino Cherries from Crazy Ingredient Challenge and some Eggnog from Fantastical Food Fight. I knew that not only would I be able to kick out one more event but I could take care of two in one post.  I love when that happens!

We had our friends, Kim and Kurt over for dinner last night.  When they left we took care of the dishes and I threw together a French Toast Casserole so it would be ready to go into the oven this morning.

I had served Hawaiian King dinner rolls with our soup and salad.  I used 4 of them for this recipe that made enough for 2 hearty servings or 3 servings if one of the diners is a toddler.

I cooked up a package of bacon.  Six slices were cut into large dice and added to this dish.  Four slices were crumbled and added to our salad last night.  Two slices found their way into my belly and the rest are in the refrigerator to be used another time.  My bacon comes in one pound packages so we often have leftovers now that there are only two of us.

Instead of making a custard, I added a couple of cups of eggnog to the mixture, turned it into a pie plate and let it refrigerate overnight.

Frank called to let me know he was on the way back home and into the oven it went.  When they walked into the door it was smelling pretty darn good in this house.

Breakfast was enjoyed by all and now we are heading out for the day.  Keep your fingers crossed that I find the perfect gift for everyone on my list.

More Bacon and Maraschino Cherry Creations

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More Exciting Eggnog Recipes

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Cherry Jelly Roll #BakingBloggers

This is month 2 of Baking Bloggers, a new group hosted by my friend Sue of Palatable Pastime.  We kicked off the group last month with the theme of pies.  I shared a Concord Grape Pie.  It was a great event and we had a lot of fun not too mention a ton of great pie recipes, both sweet and savory.

Each month, Sue posts a poll and we vote for the theme we would like for the following month.  This month the winner was Filled Cakes.  I was excited.  I had planned to do a Buche de Noel.

Then life got in the way and there was no way that I was going to find time to spend learning how to make a new cake.  I guess the Buche de Noel will have to wait until next year. 

I decided to make my life a little easier and make a simple jelly roll.  Our son, Anthony, loves making jellies and jams.  I love that he makes jellies and jams too because that means I always have a great selection in my pantry.

I used his Strawberry Margarita jam to make a Bundt cake.  His Raspberry/Mango jam made a great glaze for a ham steak.

I went into the pantry to see what flavors I had left and spotted a jar of Chocolate Cherry jam.  SCORE!!

I used the same sponge cake recipe that I use for my Strawberry Roll during the summer months, omitting the almond flavoring and doubling up on the vanilla.  Instead of folding strawberries into whipped cream, I added the jam to the cream before whipping.  It is to DIE FOR!!

It is like fluffy Cella Cherries wrapped up in tender, light cake.  I had to force myself not to eat this cream with a spoon.  

I managed to save some so I could add an extra dollop to each plate as I served this to my guests.  Yes, those are actual chunks of cherries in that cream.  No, I don't have the recipe for this am but I will see if he will share it.  In the meanwhile you can use your favorite flavor jam in this recipe.

Should you happen to have a jar of hot fudge sauce in your refrigerator, you can drizzle some onto the plate before adding your cake and an extra dollop of cream.

Chocolate Cherry Jelly Roll

4 eggs, separated

1 c. sugar, divided

3/4 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla

Powdered sugar

1/2 c. chocolate cherry jam (or your favorite jam)

1 c. heavy cream

Spray a cookie sheet with sides with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites on high speed until frothy.  Gradually add 1/2 c. of the sugar beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks with remaining 1/2 c. of sugar until thick and lemon colored.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt over egg yolk mixture and mix at low speed until just combined.

Gently fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites just until blended.  Spread onto the parchment lined pan.  Bake at 375* for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

While cake is baking, place a clean linen towel on the counter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  When cake is baked, remove from oven, turn onto the linen towel and remove the parchment paper.

Place the towel over the edge of the cake lengthwise and begin rolling the cake and the towel together until it becomes one long roll.  Let cool completely.

Whip together the jam and heavy cream until light and fluffy.  Unroll the cooled cake.  Spread the whipped cream mixture over the cake.  You will not use all of the whipped cream.  Roll the cake back into a roll and place, seam side down, onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.  

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Slice and add an extra dollop of whipped cream  to each serving. Print Recipe

More Filled Cake Recipes

• Bûche de Noël by Palatable Pastime
• Chocolate Cherry Jelly Roll by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Mint Torte by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Plum Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Espresso Chocolate Cream Cake Roll by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Triple Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake by Hardly A Goddess

Cherry Tarts ala The Weekend Wife: A Book Review and The Weekly Menu #FoodiesRead

I enjoyed a quick, easy read that I wanted to share with you.  This book was recommended by James Patterson whose work I enjoy.  I decided that if he were endorsing this book then it was probably worth the time to read it.

It is part of his BookShots series, where he recommends fast reads for under $5 and less than 150 pages.  Perfect for when you want a quick read for a lazy afternoon or on an airplane flight. 

This was the first novel I have read written by Ciotta.  It was a fun little romantic love story that held my interest.  I read it in one weekend, picking it up whenever I found myself with some spare time.  It takes place in Tuscany so right there it was a book after my own heart.  It featured a grandmother who loved to cook, another plus.  

It, of course, has the perfect couple who don't realize that they are perfect and obstacles that get in the way but you know, right from the start, that this is going to be a story with a happy ending.

One of my favorite parts was when Megan is getting to know Nick's grandmother who lives in Tuscany and she teaches Megan how to make cherry tarts.  I think being in the kitchen with someone is the perfect way to spend time getting to know each other.

I made these little tarts for our friend, Chris, who is coming to dinner tomorrow evening.  I hope he enjoys them as much as I enjoyed this book.

I will be sharing this recipe and book review over at Foodies Read 2017.  Come check out what everyone else is reading this month.

There is really not much of a recipe for these tarts.  I used store bought crust and canned cherry pie filling as I was out of my Homemade Cherry Pie Filling.  I added a half teaspoon of almond extract to the canned filling before filling the shells.

Cherry Tarts

1  refrigerated pie crust
2 (21 oz) cans cherry pie filling
1/2 t. almond extract

Measure your tart pans and using a cutter or sharp knife cut out rounds from the unrolled pie crusts to fit the tart pans.

Combine the pie filling and almond extract.  Divide between the tarts.  Place tart pans on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425* oven for about 20-30 minutes. Until crusts are golden brown and filling is bubbly. Print Recipe

Weekly Menu 11/11 - 11/17

Sunday is our Choir Concert, I am making a Cranberry Coffee Cake to be served at the reception following the concert and then we will go out for dinner.  Dessert before dinner is allowed every once in a while.

Monday evening we have a meeting at church and Wednesday I have Food Pantry after which we will be going over to Amy's to celebrate Melody's Christening Anniversary. I am bringing dessert.

We are celebrating #CranberryWeek in our Festive  Foodies Event Planning group, so stay tuned for lots of wonderful recipes containing these little powerhouse berries.

So here is my Weekly Menu.  Please stop by each day as I share recipes and photos.

Saturday-Chris for Dinner

Beet Salad with Creamy Coffee Dressing

Surf and Turf 

Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Broccoli

Cherry Tarts

Sunday

Out for Dinner after Concert

Meatless Monday

Beet Shakshuka

Toddler Tuesday

Mac and Cheese

Wednesday-Dinner at Amy's
Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

Thursday

Chicken Teriyaki Subs

Fish Friday
Lime Chili Scallops
Scallion Rice
Stir Fried Veggies

Dark Sweet Cherry Crepes #DarkRecipes #SolarEclipse

Are you in a prime location to view the Eclipse?  I'm not.  Here in Michigan we are going to have a partial solar eclipse but that is pretty exciting too.

To celebrate this rare event, our friend Sue of Palatable Pastime invited us to post some Dark Recipes.  She suggested perhaps using dark chocolate, black beans, dark rum...you get the idea.

One of my friends is making Moon Pies......I am so envious of that kind of creative thinking.  My mind just doesn't work that way.

I decided to share some sweet dark cherries to celebrate the Total Eclipse of the Sun and made up some lovely crepes to bring to the party.

I have been sharing a lot of tart cherry recipes in the past couple of months using cherries from our daughter's prolific tree.  But we like sweet cherries too, so off we went to the cherry orchard while the picking was good.

We ate most of them, hand to mouth and seeds being spit into napkins or at each other depending on who was around and what kind of mood we were in .  I did set some aside for this dish though....it wouldn't be cherry season without enjoying a leisurely brunch featuring Cherry Crepes.

Dark Sweet Cherry Crepes

1 1/2 lbs sweet cherries, pitted

1 (10 oz) bottle cranberry juice

2 T. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 T. almond extract

1 recipe basic crepes (my recipe is here)

Freshly whipped cream for topping, if desired

Brown sugar for sprinkling, if desired

 Place the cherries, cranberry juice, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract into a large sauce pan over med high heat.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir until sauce is thickened and glossy, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool while making crepes.

Divide the filling among the crepes folding or rolling the crepes around the filling.  Place on a plate and top with a little more of the filling.  Garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired. Print Recipe

Dark Recipes for the Solar Eclipse

• Blackberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chinese Mooncakes (Snow Skin Mooncakes) by Caroline's Cooking
• Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies by Palatable Pastime
• Eclipse Pizza by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Homemade Moon Pies by Family Around the Table
• Ramen and a Martini from the Abyss by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Sweet Dark Cherry Crepes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Triple Chocolate Cookies by The Freshman Cook

Cherry Surprise Muffins #MuffinMonday

Surprise!!  It's Muffin Monday.

Well, that's not really a surprise.  Muffin Monday occurs on the last Monday, each and every month. The surprise happens when you bite into these muffins that I am sharing with you today.

These muffins may take a little extra effort but I think you will find it is well worth it.  Once you make the batter, fill your muffin cups 1/2 way.  Add a dollop of cherry pie filling in the center avoiding the edges.  Add a layer of the streusel, fill to the top with more batter and sprinkle with remaining streusel.  Bake until golden brown.

Allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving.  I used some white whole wheat flour along with all purpose flour so these muffins are heartier and have a little more fiber and nutrition in them.

Imagine the delight on your families and friends faces when they bite into these expecting a plain old muffin to find it filled with cherries and streusel.  I love when that happens!!!

Cherry Surprise Muffins

2/3 c. cherry pie filling

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 t. cinnamon

2 T. cold butter, diced

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. canola oil

1 egg

zest of 1 small lemon

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. white whole wheat flour

1/2 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

Place oats, 1/4 c. flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Set aside.

Whisk together the milk, oil, egg and lemon zest in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture all at once and stir just until combined.

Line a 12  hole cupcake tin with paper cups.  Fill each cup half way with the batter.  Place a dollop of cherry pie filling in the center of each, avoiding the edges.  Sprinkle the streusel over the cherries and muffin batter, creating a thin layer.  Top with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

More Marvelous Muffins

• Banana Cookie Butter Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Blueberry-Peach Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Cherry Surprise Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Corned Beef Stuffed Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Country Applesauce Pecan Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sour Cream Muffins with Mixed Berries from Karen's Kitchen Stories

 #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page. The Badge:

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Phew....we finally have a free day.  By that, I mean that there is no place we have to go and nobody is coming over here.  At least, we don't have any plans for anyone to come over....that is always subject to change.  Of course, as soon as I typed this, Amy called and we are now meeting them for dinner tonight.  She and Doug are heading to Ohio for a race on Friday and they wanted to spend time with Larry and Mary before they leave.

We do have our Little Angel Face today so I'm hoping for beautiful weather so we can play in the pool.  Here she was last year.....amazing how quickly they grow.  We are going for Italian with Aunt Amy and Uncle Doug tonight so she can still have her spaghetti fix.

I have a busy blogging week coming up and am trying to get everything done and scheduled before we leave for our Alaskan Cruise......CANNOT WAIT!

Two of the recipes I will be sharing use cherry pie filling.  You can always use canned but if you are lucky enough to have a daughter and son in law with a cherry tree, as we do, then I am going to show you how to make your own cherry pie filling.

Place the cherries, sugar and cornstarch in a dutch oven over med high heat.

Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.

Remove to a bowl and let sit until the mixture cools to room temperature.  You can now use it in any recipe calling for cherry pie filling.

This filling can be preserved by canning or freezing.  I chose to freeze mine this year.  Should you choose to freeze it just know that you will have to rewarm it, so that it gets back to the right consistency, prior to using it in your recipe.

Cherry Pie Filling

6 c. tart cherries, pitted
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch

Place the cherries, sugar and cornstarch in a large pot or dutch oven.  Place over med high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Continue to cook and stir at a gentle boil until the sauce thickens and the gel is clear and glossy.  Cool to room temperature before using or packaging for freezing.  Print Recipe

More Recipes using Cherry Pie Filling

Cherry Pie Bars I

Cherry Cheese Braid

Sour Cherry Pie

Sour Cherry Strudel

Sour Cherry Pie #ValentinesDayFood

Our friend, Ellen of Family Around the Table, invited us to join her today and post a Valentine's related recipe to share.  Ellen chose today because it gives you, our readers, plenty of time to plan, shop and prepare that special meal for your Valentine or Valentines as the case may be.

We could share anything Valentine's Day related.  Main dishes, desserts, snacks...whatever speaks of Valentine's to us.  I decided to share a dessert large enough to share with all the Valentine's in your life.

Frank and I spend nearly every day alone together and love doing so but, because of that, we really don't need a "date night".  So on Valentine's Day we are hosting a dinner party for our dear friend's, Bob and Cathy, who are going to be in town.  We have also invited our mutual friend, Chet, who we have not seen in forever and Bob's sister, Barb, and her husband, Eric, who joined us at this wonderful Wine Tasting Dinner.

If you, too are serving guests or celebrating Valentine's with your children this year, think about making this pie.  Heck, if it is just the two of you, think about making this pie.  It will make a great breakfast the next day!

Sour Cherry Pie

6 c. tart cherries

1 1/4 c. sugar

pinch of salt

3 T. corn starch

1 t. lemon juice

1 t. vanilla

2 T. butter, cut into small pieces

2 T. half and half

2 pie crusts

Sugar for sprinkling

Combine cherries, sugar, salt, corn starch, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Roll out on portion of pie dough and lay in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan.  Fill with the cherry mixture and sprinkle with the butter pieces.  

Roll out the top crust and, using different size heart cookie cutters, cut out a large heart in the top center of your dough and then cut out small hearts from the large heart piece. 

Place the top pie crust over the cherries and cut and crimp the edges, joining the top and bottom crusts.  Using a pastry brush, lightly cover the top crust with the half and half.  Place the small hearts on the top crust in desired pattern and brush with the half and half.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a preheated 425* oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375* and bake for another 40-45 minutes, covering edges with foil or pastry shield, if needed.  Print Recipe

• Bacon Lobster Omelette  by Caroline’s Cooking 
• Boozy Bailey’s Milkshakes  by I Say Nomato 
• Chocolate Chip Brownies  by Family Around the Table 
• Chocolate Cake with No Bake Oreo Filling by Jolene's Recipe Journal 
• Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes by Grumpy's Honeybunch 
• Pan Seared Steaks with Homemade Steak Sauce by A Palatable Pastime 
• Red Velvet Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting by The Chef Next Door 
• Sour Cherry Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Strawberry Jell-O Shooters by Amy's Cooking Adventures 
• Surprise Inside Baked Chocolate Pudding by Cooking With Carlee
• Sweetheart Strawberry Galette by Red Cottage Chronicles

Countdown to 2017: Best Desserts

Today would have been my parent's 79th Wedding Anniversary.  I know that they are together celebrating this year after a 5 year hiatus.  Apropos then, that we are celebrating desserts for today's Countdown.  My folks loved desserts....Pop's without apology and Mom saying "oh this is much to sweet" as she finished her second serving.

Memories are sweet and so are these desserts that I am sharing with you today.  As I went through my dessert recipes to decide what to share with you today, each one brought back a delightful memory and made me smile.  I rarely make desserts, unless there is an occasion for it, except for bundt cakes which get made once a month around here for a little group to which I belong called #BundtBakers.  It was a difficult task just picking a few recipes to share.  Heck, besides the recipes for Bundt cakes and special occasions, I shared 13 different cookie recipes from around the world during this month alone!!  So many desserts.....so little time.....to make it easy on myself, I have chosen my favorite dessert recipe from each month.

• January-Spiced Peach Pie
• February-Monkey Bread
• March-Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs
• April-Ooey Gooey Quadruple Fudge Brownies
• May-Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
• June-Sour Cherry Strudel
• July-Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake with Sugared Pansies
• August-I Scream Cake
• September-Apple Pie in a Skillet
• October-Zagnut Coookies
• November-Nutty Caramel Corn
• December-Creme Brulee
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