Oh, hello! Yep, I’m still around! Been having a bit too much fun in life! I retired from podcasting and figured I’d have all sorts of time to invest in the blog…it’s coming. 😉
Thursday night – book club.
Friday night – Thunder from Down Under with girlfriends.
Saturday night – a black tie gala.
Throw in 2 soccer games, swimming, exercise, WORK, a microwave and oven (yay combo appliances!) on the fritz, and all else life and whew…the week just blasted past. I’m also in a state of physical shock – 2 days ago, I was HOT walking in a tee shirt and today it’s snowing. Sleeting, whatever. Brrrr!!
Last Sunday, my sister-in-law and her wife came to town and after thinking 1) yay! 2) what the heck can we do with them!?, it was on to 3) yay! I get to feed them! They’re foodies and I love it! I also have mad envy over Kelsey’s organized spice drawer. #foodiegoals. I’m just glad I have somewhere to put the excess of spices I own. The whole pull-out spice cabinet was a necessity when we remodeled our kitchen and while ample, it’s not organized.
Who doesn’t need a few different cinnamons and a slew of pumpkin pie spice? I got to thinking that I’m really letting my mom down in terms of my production of all things pumpkin this year (she says I am overkill on pumpkin – WHAAAA!?) and so Michelle and Kelsey coming to town was the perfect way to use up some of my seasonal spices and satisfy all the palates at the table. And use the brioche we snagged from Trader Joe’s the week prior. OMG, is there anything better than brioche?
With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, and fall most definitely having arrived for good here in Michigan, I must pass along rave reviews for this French toast casserole. Prepped the day before, it makes for a relaxed, care-free morning of entertaining…or simply enjoying.
The smells this casserole produces are Thanksgiving/holiday morning perfection! This recipe was deeeelish! Thank you Sally’s Baking Addiction for my new pumpkin delight!
Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Pumpkin breakfast PERFECTION right here! Tender cubes of brioche made into a pumpkin delight with the help of sugar and pumpkin pie spice, of course!
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 1 lb loaf brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 8 large eggs
- 2 1/3 cups 2% milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick spray and spread cubes of bread in the dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract until well-combined; pour evenly over bread.
- Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Next, prepare the crumb topping by mixing together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold, cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers, cut the butter into the mixture until a rough crumble forms. Stir in the pecans; cover and refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and remove casserole from fridge.
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the surface of the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Cover and make an additional 35-40 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are beginning to brown. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Notes
Recipe ever so slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1/10 casseroleAmount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 19.7gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 217mgCarbohydrates: 37.3gFiber: 1.6gSugar: 20.9gProtein: 10.6g
Love all the pumpkin things? Same!
- Pumpkin Caramel Bourbon Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Oat Bars with Chocolate Chips
- Pumpkin Alfredo
- Pumpkin-Maple Loaf
- Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Weekly Menu: November 13th – 17th
- Sunday: Honey Mustard Apple Tuna Salad
- Monday: Creamy Italian Quinoa Soup
- Tuesday: Gochujang Shrimp Tacos
- Wednesday: carry out
- Thursday: travel
Be well,
Sorry to hear about the podcast. It’s always fun to listen to you and Gina chat. When’s the last episode? Are you doing a send- off episode of some sort? Take care!
Author
Thanks, Julie – really appreciate your comment! <3 The "last" episode has airs - the snacks one. We wanted to sit on it for a few weeks and make sure it was the right decision, so we haven't planned a final episode just yet! 🙂
Is the podcast on a break? Love it but totally understand how much work goes into it!
Author
A break that may be permanent, yes! It has just been crazy to find time that works for us both and quality content and the prep that goes into it. Podcasting is so much work, ack! 🙂 Super appreciate you tuning in and you just never know…Gina and I were both kind of wanting to leave the possibility of a future of the show out there! We’ll see! 🙂
Totally understand, thanks for all the hard work you and Gina have done over the past few years! I bought a few Clio bars over the weekend for the first time after listening to the snacks episode. They are AMAZING! Thanks for the recommendation!
Author
They are DREAMY, YES!!!!!!
We loved this!! I made it with a big loaf of Italian bread from the grocery store since I couldn’t find challah or brioche last-minute. We made it Thanksgiving morning and loved the leftovers today! Thanks for a great recipe!
Author
So glad you enjoyed, Julie!! Thanks for your comment 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving! <3