Blackberry French Toast Casserole

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me. It’s perfect if you’ve got overnight company and want to serve something for breakfast the next day but don’t want to spend all morning in the kitchen. Just make it up the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Pull it out of the fridge an hour or so before baking and voila! You’ve got breakfast without too much trouble.

Blackberry French Toast Casserole

1 Cup Blackberry Jam
1 12-ounce loaf French bread, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 - 2 cups whole fresh blackberries, rinsed and dried (optional)
4 large eggs
2 cups half-&-half
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
Toppings: maple syrup and whipped cream

Cook the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat, 1 – 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring once. Place half the bread cubes in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with cream cheese cubes, blackberries (if using) and drizzle with melted jam. Top with remaining bread cubes. Whisk together the eggs and next three ingredients. Pour over bread mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover tightly and chill overnight.

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Bake covered 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bread is golden brown and mixture is set. Serve with toppings and fresh fruit.

Serve with bacon, if desired. Did you know you can bake bacon in the oven? It’s better than standing over a stovetop. Just lay bacon strips on a lightly greased rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until desired crispness is reached. If you want an extra treat, sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar over the bacon before baking. You can also cook the bacon the night before as well. When the bacon is done and cooled, wrap it in foil and put it in the fridge. The next morning, pop it in the oven with the casserole the last 15 minutes or so.

The yumminess.

Slice the bread in half the split 

it into thirds lengthways.



Slice each third into four strips and cube.

Before it's baked...

Mix up the half&half, eggs, cinnamon 

and vanilla. Pour over the whole she-bang.



Serve with syrup and whipped cream....

Mexican Hot Chocolate

If you enjoy a little kick to your hot chocolate then you might 
want to take a look at this. I whipped this up the other day using my standard hot chocolate recipe. The nice thing about this is 
that you can make it as spicy as you want. If you don't want any spice, you can leave out the cayenne and cinnamon and the grated chocolates and you'll end up with my hot chocolate recipe which 
is also yummy. But this is a fun and different recipe. You should try it! And make sure you read the recipe to see a fun way to give it as a gift. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate



1 15-ounce container box dry milk
1 9-ounce container Coffeemate Creamer (the dry kind; I used French Vanilla)
1 pound container Hot Cocoa (found in the coffee aisle; I used Stevens brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup milk chocolate ~ grated (I used my mini food processor for both chocolates)
1 cup white chocolate ~ grated
2 tablespoons cinnamon (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)


Whisk ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Store in a covered container.

To make a cup of hot chocolate:

Add 3 - 4 heaping spoonfuls per mug of warm milk. Serve with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. 

Here's what you need. I used my 

mini food processor to chop the chocolate.

Put everything in a big bowl.

Whisk it all together. Store in a covered container.

Look at these itty-bitty marshmallows!! 

They taste just like the marshmallows that 

come in Lucky Charm cereal! So cute and fun!

I got some clear ornaments and filled 

them half way with some of the chocolate mix. 

Make sure you use ornaments that aren't too big. 

If you get them too big and fill them, they're too 

heavy for the ornament hanger to stay in. 

Anyway....so cute, huh?

Buttermilk Spice Skillet Cake with Praline Topping

IT Guy loves anything praline-y. I love to use my cast iron skillet. So a praline cake was born. Talk about easy! Holy cow...I could do this blindfolded! With one hand tied behind my back! Okay...not really...but it IS an easy cake. And delicious to boot!

Buttermilk Spice Skillet Cake 
with Praline Topping



2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter ~ melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla.

Combine the dry into the wet and stir until just combined.

Pour into the prepared cast iron skillet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Praline Topping

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
good pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Combine the brown sugar, butter, cream and salt in a medium saucepan. 

Bring to a soft boil and let let boil for 3 minutes...stirring occasionally.

After 3 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and nuts. 

Allow to set for about 20 minutes to thicken up a bit.  Once the cake is out of the oven and while it is still warm pour the praline over the whole thing!

The ingredients.

Grease and flour your skillet.

Mix the dry ingredients.

Then the wet. Does anyone else 

see a freaky face here?

Pour the wet into the dry.

The pour into the prepared skillet.

Bake it up!

For the praline topping, combine 

the butter, brown sugar, cream and salt.

Bring to a boil and cook about 

3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the nuts and vanilla.

Give it a stir.

Then pour over the baked cake!

So good!

Christie's Pie Dough

For those of you who have struggled with pie dough...here's the perfect recipe. I got this from a friend in California a few years ago and I've never found one I like better than this. It turns out perfect for me every time. I figured with the holidays approaching and pie baking time right around the corner, this little gem might come in handy for ya.

Christie's Pie Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
¾ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk

Cut shortening into 1 and 2/3’s cup of flour and the salt until mixture looks crumbly. Mix 1/3 cup milk and remaining 1/3 cup flour into a paste and mix into flour/shortening mixture. Combine until it comes together but do not overmix as the dough will be tough.  Gather into a round and wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll out to desired size and place in pie plate.

This dough makes one large pie shell or can be cut in half to make two small pie shells.

This dough freezes very well and can be doubled easily.

This is all you need to 

make the best pie dough ever.

The shortening and 1 and 2/3's cups 

of flour getting to know each other.

The remaining 1/3 cup flour 

and the milk getting chummy.

Everyone getting to know each other.

Here's everything all combined 

and ready to be chilled.

Our little dough ball. The recipe 

makes 2 about this size.

I roll mine out between sheets of 

plastic wrap. It makes it easier for 

me to put the dough in the pie plate.

Here's the dough almost ready for an apple pie.

And this crust I baked for a coconut cream pie.

Chicken Caesar Salad Sliders

I love Caesar salad. I love chicken, too. These little sandwiches turned out to be so fun and easy! OH! I love easy, too!!! If you're running short on time, you could use the good old rotisserie chicken from the grocery store but cooking your own tastes SO good! Try these for lunch or dinner...or at a party as an appetizer! Just a fun little sammie all around!

Chicken Caesar Salad Sliders



3 - 4 chicken breasts ~ cooked and shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup Caesar salad dressing
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Romaine lettuce leaves
Slider buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken breasts on both sides and place on rimmed cookie sheet.

Bake chicken for 45 minutes or until done. Allow to cool then shred.

In a medium saucepan, warm salad dressing. Add chicken and stir to combine and allow to heat through.

Assemble sandwiches with chicken mixture, lettuce, grated Parmesan on slider buns.

Serve warm. 

Let's go!

Season the chicken.

Bake until done.

Heat up the dressing.

Shred the chicken then mix with the heated dressing.

Assemble the sandwiches!

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Yum, yum, yum!!! What could be better than spaghetti that tastes like pizza? Or pizza that tastes like spaghetti? You just can't go wrong with this casserole! Easy and filling and makes enough to feed about 6 people. We really enjoyed this...and the leftovers were great! You could even eat it cold...because lots of people eat cold pizza and spaghetti, right? Not me...but I hear it's done!

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole



12 ounces uncooked spaghetti (not quite one full 16-ounce box)
1 pound Italian sausage 
salt & pepper to taste
1 - 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 medium onion ~ diced
1 clove garlic ~ minced
1 small green bell pepper ~ diced
50 slices pepperoni, cut in half
1 4-ounce can sliced black olives
1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 8-ounce package shredded Italian 5 cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook spaghetti in salted water according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onion, bell pepper and garlic until soft.

Add sausage, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook until meat is done.

Remove meat mixture from pan. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Pour sausage over spaghetti. Sprinkle with olives.

Pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni on top of pasta sauce.

Sprinkle with cheese and top with remaining pepperoni.

Cover with lightly greased aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Our ingredients.

Cook the spaghetti and place in your dish.

Saute the onion, garlic and 

bell pepper until soft.

Then add the sausage.

Cook and add the salt, pepper 

and red pepper flakes. Remove from the pan.

Add the cut pepperoni and cook until crisp.

Pour the sausage over the spaghetti. 

Then add the olives.

Pour the pasta sauce over the sausage 

then top with half of the pepperoni.

Sprinkle with cheese and remaining pepperoni.

Cover and cook about 30 minutes. 

Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.

Allow to sit for a few minutes then serve it up!!!