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Baked French Toast

February 12, 2013

 Warm… gooey… sweet…

D  E  L  I  C  I  O  U  S

{Baked French Toast}!

I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love french toast…

How great would this be on a lazy weekend at home?

This recipe

{adapted from the Pioneer Woman},

 is super simple to make.

You can prepare it the night before and bake in the morning,

waking your family to the smells of this decadent dish!

Or perhaps you can make it during the day,

while the kids are at school,

and surprise them with breakfast for dinner

{our personal favorite around here}!

 

{What You Will Need}

* Butter, for greasing

 * 1 loaf of crusty sourdough or french bread

{or a few mini loafs}

* 6 large eggs

* 2 cups of sweetened vanilla almond milk

{or milk of your choice}

* 1/2 cup brown sugar

* 1/2 cup granulated sugar

* 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

{2 tablespoons vanilla if you used regular milk}

 

{Topping}

* 1/2 cup flour

* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

* 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

{or 1 tsp. cinnamon & 1/4 tsp. nutmeg}

* 1 stick of cold butter, cut into pieces

* chopped pecans {optional}

 

{Serve with the Following}

* butter

* warm maple syrup

* fresh berries

 

{Preparation}

For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter.

Cut the bread into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan.

Crack the eggs in a big bowl.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla.

Pour evenly over the bread.

Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed {preferably overnight}.

 

For the Topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice

{or cinnamon & nutmeg}, salt and pecan pieces in a separate bowl.

Stir together using a fork.

Add the cold pieces of sliced butter with a pastry cutter,

and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles.

 

{Note: since I am always looking for ways to make things easier and kid-friendly,

 you can mix the dry ingredients with butter in a zipblock bag.

Use your hands or seal the bag and let the kids mix until topping

is combined and in crumbled pieces}.

Store the topping mixture,

 in the sealed bag,

in the fridge until ready to use.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole,

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle on the topping.

 

Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture,

or for 1 hour + for a firmer, crisper texture.

Scoop out individual portions.

Top with butter, a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh berries!

  

Without a doubt, this dish is one of my family’s favorites!

I seriously think the kids and I licked our plates clean!

You just can’t go wrong when butter, cinnamon, bread & syrup are in the mix!

E  N  J  O  Y  !

 

{Behind the Scenes}

It’s getting harder and harder to sneak a few photos past my older boys these days

and Mr. Amazing just wasn’t cooperating with the camera,

as you will see {he is nearly two, after-all}!

Here is one of Miss Blue, Pixie {one of our two cats}, & my littlest man… Finn.

 

Filed Under: Food

Homemade Lentil Vegetable Soup

January 24, 2013

One of the major hiccups in my quest to prepare and eat healthy meals each day

is that my husby doesn’t come home each night for dinner

{those of you that are also fire wives, have husbands in the military, or that travel can most likely relate}.

I do my best to prepare meals for my children that are balanced and nutritious,

but let’s face it….

there are nights when they’re happiest and most content

with chicken nuggets or wholewheat pasta with parmesan!

I don’t usually eat the same dinner as my kids

{partly because I am vegetarian and the rest of my family is not}.

There are many nights that I make the kids a dish to eat…

and then don’t have the energy to prepare myself a decent meal.

One of the ways I have found to help tackle this issue is by making homemade soups!

I love making soups, because you almost can’t mess up!

Just like my mother,

I add a little bit of this…

and a pinch of that…

and it always turns out to be delicious! 

This recipe for

{Homemade Lentil Vegetable Soup}

is perfect because I can make it at my leisure during the day and then eat it when I am ready.

It keeps extremely well in the refrigerator for days on end.

**************************

Lentils have become a mainstay in my diet and I must admit…

one of my favorite healthy, high-fiber foods.

Lucky for us we have a Trader Joe’s not too far away.

I buy most of our groceries there each week.

I have several go-to items

{which I promise to share with you in a later post},

but the pre-cooked, ready-to-eat, lentils are amongst the best if you are looking for a nourishing,

hearty and easy to prepare food

{you’ll find these in the refrigerated section near the produce}.

These little lentils are packed with nutrients and are the cornerstone of this recipe!

{Ingredients}

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 1 cup chopped onion

* 2 cloves chopped garlic

* 1 cup peeled & chopped carrots

* 3/4 cup chopped celery

* 1 large can diced tomatoes {I use the organic ones from Trader Joe’s}

* 1 tablespoon of 21 Seasoning Salute {also from Trader Joe’s} or your favorite mix of seasonings

* salt & freshly ground pepper {to taste}

* 1 package of Trader Joe’s ready-to-eat lentils {or 1 pound of rinsed lentils}

* 6 cups of fresh water or vegetable broth

* 1/2 cup of quinoa or rice {depending on your preference}

* 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan

{Directions}

 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery.

Saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices.

Simmer until the juices evaporate slightly and the tomatoes break down,

stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add the lentils and the quinoa/rice.

Mix to coat.

Add the water/broth and stir.

Add in ’21 Seasoning Salute’ or seasonings of your choice

{you can be a little creative here}.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 20-30 minutes

{20 minutes if using the pre-cooked lentils, about 30 minutes if using dry lentils}.

 Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls.

Sprinkle with fresh parmesan and serve warm!

I hope you decide to make my favorite soup recipe!

I promise it is quick, easy, and completely tasty!

Each healthful bite is packed with nutrients that your body will love!

**************************

Just in case you were wondering what my silly four were doing while mama was cooking…

{Here is a Behind the Scenes Look}

Finner has a slight obsession with Sophia’s Hello Kitty sunglasses!!

Our weekend pajama morning! Mr. Finn saying, “cheese!!”

An everyday occurrence in our house… a sword fight, with Miss Blue stuck in the middle!

My sweet & sassy little sunshine… stick in hand {probably to protect herself from her three brothers}!!

Filed Under: Food

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About

bioSara and Nicole are sorority sisters that simply “happened” to end up in the same small town. They have many things in common, which have set the tone of their blog. They hope that you will join them in their journey of motherhood, dreams that may be, the daily life, and their passion for cooking, yoga, fashion, and design!

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