A Halloween from years past....

I've been going through some of the old pictures and ran across this one.  Thought it would be appropriate to share again at this time of year!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Overnight Baked Pumpkin Spice French Toast

Oh. My. Goodness.
This was so incredibly yummy!






I got the recipe from Our Best Bites a couple of days ago.  I mixed it up on Sunday afternoon with the intent of having it for breakfast on Monday.  I had neglected to look at the baking time, so instead, we had breakfast for dinner tonight!  I was not getting up any earlier than I needed to.  And I'm so glad I didn't.  I really enjoyed being able to sit and savor it tonight and not have to think about rushing out of the door.  So. Good!  And - we'll have left-overs for the next couple of mornings.  YAY!

It's just my hubby and myself, so I halved the recipe.  And I'm not a fan of eggnog, so I used regular milk and added a bit more pumpkin to it and a little bit more cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

I wish I would have thought to make some buttermilk syrup, but my regular pancake syrup was fabulous.  I found myself rummaging through the freezer looking for some whipped topping also, but didn't have any.

You can pop on over to their website and view the wonderful picture tutorial, or just use the recipe from here.  However you do it - be sure to thank 'Our Best Bites' when you have your first spoonful!  And then head on over to their website and take a look at their other fabulous recipes.  I promise you will be impressed!

Overnight  Pumpkin Spice French Toast
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1lb loaf french bread, diced into 1-inch cubes
8 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups pumpkin spice egg nog
4 tablespoons brown sugar (dark brown if you have it)
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
butter for greasing pan

Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (preferably dark brown sugar)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter

Instructions
Butter sides and bottom of a 9×13 pan and set aside.  Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together and add pumpkin puree.  Whisk until smooth.  Mix in pumpkin spice egg nog.  Add brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and whisk until combined.  Pour mixture over bread cubes and very gently toss until covered.  Let sit for 2-3 minutes and then toss again, making sure all bread cubes get covered in some of the egg mixture. Place entire mixture in prepared 9×13 inch pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon,  Either grate butter with a large-hole cheese grater, or cut it into small chunks, and use fingers to crumble mixture together.  Cover, and place crumb topping  in fridge overnight.

In the morning, take french toast pan out and set at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover pan and sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, until puffed and golden all over.  (Mine usually takes closer to 55 minutes).  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes or so and then cut into squares and serve.

Serve with softened or melted butter, 100% real maple syrup, and sweetened whipped cream sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice.

Halloween Sugar Cookies

They might not be perfect (I would definitely do the jack-o-lanterns a little differently), but these cute Halloween cookies just might be showing up in a couple of mailboxes this week!  Doing cookies this way takes a lot of time, but I love doing it.  Wish I didn't have to work.  Maybe with more practice the jack-o-lanterns would look better.  But hey - they still taste wonderful!

Midwest Neurosuergery Associates

Many, many years ago, while trick-or-treating with our daughters, I walked onto the porch of a hopeful looking house with my daughters.  As they knocked on the door - I leaned back against the rail.  The next thing I knew, the rail and myself were in the bushes below.  It wasn't securely attached to the cement porch.  Since then, I've struggled with my neck and my lower back.  I have a ruptured disc way low and my neck has developed bone spurs and other fun things that I don't know what it means when I read the report!  But.....with symptoms I've been having I had a follow up MRI last week.  The results were sent to my neurosurgeon's office that I had a consult with 2 1/2 years ago.

I was calling to set up an appointment the day I received a call from their office.  It was the head doctor's nurse.  He had reviewed my film and the reports and compared them to what I'd had done 2 1/2 years ago and didn't see that there was a need for surgery at this time.  That was a relief.  The neck surgery especially scares me, more than just a little.

This is not a group that pushes surgery.  They don't do it just because it can be done.  Dr. Chilton and Dr. Blatt have both explained to Don and I: "When we do surgery, you are never the same.  You might feel better and have relief from your symptoms, but you will never be the same because we have to go in and cut muscle, and scrape, and move things around and possibly use metal cages and such.  It's better to keep all of you as it is for as long as you can.  When the surgery is truly needed, or if you want it regardless of what we've just told you - we'll do it."

I appreciate that attitude.  And by the way - this group has done two surgeries on Don.  Both have been extremely successful.  We would recommend them.

So - if you think you might need back or neck or head surgery - and you live in the Kansas City Area, I invite you to check out this practice:  Midwest Neurosurgery Associates

The Mormon Faith & General Conference

This weekend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be holding their semi-annual General Conference.  During these meetings modern-day prophets and apostles will speak.  If you would like to listen or watch, go here: lds.org.

You might also like to know some statistics regarding our faith.

I love belonging to this church.  I feel that because of its teachings, and because I try to live them, that I am a better person than I would be without them.  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not.  Do I try to be better?  Yes.

I invite you to listen to what will be taught this weekend.  There are sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

Have a fabulous weekend no matter what you do!