Bagel and Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

 We had some bagels that were going stale, along with strawberry cream cheese I wanted to use up, so I combined a few general recipes I found to make the following. Saving it here in case I want to make it again some day!

Ingredients:

• 6 bagels
• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 ounces strawberry cream cheese, room temperature

Instructions:

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the bagels into bite-sized pieces and place half of them in the baking dish.

Take small spoonfuls of the strawberry cream cheese and spread them out over the bagel pieces in the baking dish. Then spread the rest of the bagel pieces over the cream cheese layer.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bagels and press down gently to soak all of the pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes until the custard is set in the middle. 

The two recipes that helped me to come up with this one were 

https://thisdelicioushouse.com/overnight-bagel-french-toast/#recipe

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baked-cream-cheese-french-toast-casserole/

Amy's Coffee Cake

1 c. sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs.  Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream and vanilla.  Put 1/2 batter in 9x13 greased and floured pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 cinnamon mixutre.  Spread remaining batter on top.  Sprinkle remaining topping.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

My favorite sweet potato casserole

This recipe is for a 2 quart dish (8x8 pan), which could serve 6-9 people as a side. For a 9x13, double this recipe.  A 9x13 pan fed 15 people for Thanksgiving with a third of a pan left over. 

FILLING INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or melted
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• optional: 2 tbsp. heavy cream (I will add it if I have it and won't if I don't)
• optional: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• optional: 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• optional: 1 tbsp. sugar (the original recipes call for 1/4 cup-1/2 cup white or brown sugar to the filling. I usually don't add any at all as I don't think it is necessary, but sometimes may add 1 tbsp.)

TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• optional: 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

FOR THE FILLING:

Preheat the oven to 425. Scrub the sweet potatoes, poke multiple holes with a fork on each. Bake them in until they are soft and a fork can easily slide through, which could be between 45 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Remove from the oven once they are fully soft, and let them rest until they are cool enough to handle. Reduce the oven to 350 if you will be baking them same-day. 

Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and put the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher, or mix in the mixer (I use the paddle attachment). Add and mix in the rest of the filling ingredients.  Transfer the sweet potato filling into your 2 quart casserole dish, and spread evenly. 

FOR THE TOPPING:

Soften or melt the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour, and mix well with your fingers or a pastry cutter. It should look a little clumpy. Distribute the clumps evenly over the sweet potato filling. If using pecans, sprinkle them over whatever portion you would like them on (I often do half the pan with and half without so people can choose whichever they prefer). 

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

NOTES: 

This may be assembled and stored in the fridge up to 2 days before baking. You can also assemble it, cover it tightly, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. 

If you want pecans on the entire pan, feel free to mix them into the topping before spreading it over the sweet potato filling.

I made this recipe by tweaking things I liked/didn't like from two different recipes. The two recipes that contributed to the creation of this recipe are below:

Allrecipes: Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic

Once Upon a Chef: Sweet Potato Casserole

Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole

A woman in my ward, Heidi Madsen, made this breakfast casserole for our ward Christmas breakfast. It is possibly my favorite breakfast casserole I have ever eaten! It is vegetarian which could be especially good for some, and so flavorful. 

Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 7 oz. cans whole green chiles (split and seeds cleaned out)
4 cups shredded cheddar
4 cups shredded jack cheese

Lightly grease 9x13" glass baking dish. Beat first 5 ingredients to blend. Arrange chiles from 1 can in prepared dish, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese. Repeat layering twice. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Let casserole stand for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed in center and golden brown on edges, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Garnish with any of the following: diced tomato, avocado, onion, salsa, sour cream, or chives.

Roasted potatoes and green beans with pesto

 My family and my kids friends who came over all loved this side dish, and it was incredibly easy to make. I served it with Trader Joe's pesto chicken breast. I am pretty sure that dinner combination will be a new staple in our household!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (or so) baby potatoes or other potatoes
• 8-12 ounces green beans
• 4 tbsp. pesto
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Wash potatoes and cut into about 1 inch pieces.
3. Put potatoes into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp pesto and a good pinch or two of salt. If your family likes it, add pepper to taste as well. Mix it up until all of the potatoes are coated.
4. Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. While the potatoes are in the oven, trim the green beans. Put them in a bowl and add the other 2 tbsp of pesto, plus the salt and pepper to taste. Mix.
6. Pull the potatoes out after they have been cooking 15 minutes. Flip them all with a spatula. Add the green beans to the pan, and return it to the oven. 
7. Cook for about 15 minutes more, or until the green beans seem to be done. 

Triple Berry Pie

Mom and I made this pie from Tastes Better From Scratch together.  Yum!

Ingredients

• homemade pie crust for a 9'' deep dish pan. This recipe makes 2 crusts: one for the bottom and one for the to
• 7 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries and blackberries about 2 1/3 cups of each type of berry*
• 1 cup granulated sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top of the pie)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg white beaten with a fork

Instructions

• Cook berries: Add berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. 
• Simmer, until warm and juicy, about 5-10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. (You can taste it at this point and see if it's sweet enough for your liking. I don't like to make mine too sweet, but if you want it sweeter you can add 1/4 cup more sugar.)
• Thicken filling: Spoon out about 1/2 cup of the juice from the pan into a bowl. Stir cornstarch into the juice until smooth. 
• Bring pot of berries back to a simmer and slowly pour in the cornstarch. Gently stir mixture (being careful not to mash the berries), until thickened, about 2-5 minutes.
• Cool and add to pie shell. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell (in a 9 in deep dish pan).
• Add lattice top or a whole top with holes pricked on top for steam to escape. (See directions for lattice crust below).
• Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Check it after about 25 minutes and place a piece of tinfoil over it if the top crust is getting too brown. 
• Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely, you can cut into it or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.

Mom's Amazing Pie Crust

 Paula's Pecan Pie

aka: Grandpa Ballou's pie crust!!

1 cup flour

Scant ½ cup Crisco (shortening)

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup COLD water minus 1/2 TB (only use as much as you need, which may be less than this)

1/2 TB chilled white vinegar

 

Put flour and salt in bowl.  Mix with a fork.  Using your fingers “cut” the shortening into the flour by running the flour and shortening together between your thumb and fingers of one hand until the mixture looks like small peas.  You can also do this using a pastry cutter or the Bosch with the wire whisks. Add the water one Tablespoon at a time moving the flour/shortening mixture around with a fork until it sticks together.  Put the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured surface.  Roll out the dough to fit a 8-9” pie tin.  If you are going to bake the pie with a filling in it, pour the filling in and bake.  If you are going to bake the pie crust FIRST and then fill with a pudding filling, bake the pie crust at 425 for exactly 10 minutes.

 This recipe makes one bottom crust.  If you would like a top crust, you need to double it.

THIS IS GRANDPA BALLOU’S PIE CRUST RECIPE!!!!!