baked french toast with praline glaze

In true Paula Deen fashion, this recipe (her recipe) is extremely decadent with its two sticks of butter and generous use of brown sugar. It is amazing. And I have my Aunt Meg to thank for sharing it with us at her house in June. It can be made the night before and quickly popped into the oven in the morning. There is so much flavor, especially with the crispy candied pecans on top! Most importantly this recipe is as easy as can be :) All we need now is some house-guests to enjoy it with!!

Ingredients
1 to 2 loaves French bread
8 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
a dash of salt

Praline Glaze:
2 sticks butter (room temperature)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

In a greased 9x13 glass pan, line 1” slices of French bread into two rows (I used 20 slices).

Whisk eggs with half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon,  nutmeg, and salt until they are well-blended.


Pour over the bread slices, making sure that each slice gets sufficiently wet. Cover the pan with foil, put it into the fridge and let soak for at least four hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sticks of butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make the praline glaze.

Spoon it on top of your bread slices, and then spread it as if you were frosting a cake. Bake for 40 minutes, or until it looks nicely browned on the top.
 

Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup, or just as is :)

county fair

Friday was one of those perfectly sunny, mid-70s summer days, and I couldn’t wait to take Nolan to the county fair! Now that he’s almost three, he has a much better appreciation for seeing all of the farm animals—the two week old baby cows, the towering horses, bunnies, chickens, and lambs.  We filled our mouths with funnel cake, extra-sweet lemonade, and a decadent treat called a fudge puppy (apparently a Belgian waffle on a stick dipped in chocolate.) Baby Ephraim was content to chill in mom’s pouch and take a long nap. We watched a horse-haul from the grandstand, breezed past the award-winning foods and flowers, and caught a set from an Elvis impersonator! You know you’ve had a good adventure when your kid doesn’t want to leave at the end of the day. :)

Yesterday we were happy to celebrate our friend Camilla’s second birthday! The party was held at a local camp-ground and all the kids loved  playing on the playground and feasting on pizza and cupcakes.

Oh, summer, please don’t end too quickly!  :)

august pinspired & what’s on my wishlist

I am all about color in my wardrobe, so my Pinterest boards reflect that love of color. This month I focused mostly on my colorful shorts and making them work with neutral colored tops. Take a look :)
 
August is my birthday month, so this is the perfect time for me to participate in the “What’s On . . . My Wishlist” link up with Andrea.

I have been frequenting J Crew Factory’s website to find a good deal on my favorite shorts. Even though it’s August already, I can save them to wear next summer. They are finally on sale right now, but unfortunately I only have the choice between black or white—and I’m looking for that color!   :)

So they are item #1 on my wishlist:

 
J Crew Factory 4 inch Chinos

Wishlist #2:

We’re invited to four weddings this fall, which is a great excuse for a new dress. EShakti always has quality dresses for good deals—you can even get $25 off of your  first purchase.

1: Graphic Embellished Babydoll Dress in White
2: Draped-front Melange Knit Dress in Heather Gray
3: Chelsea Dress in Whisper Pink


Wishlist #3:

I am new to GroopDealz.com, but I can already see how addicting it can be—especially since you can see the huge percentage off you’re getting! These are a couple of the deals I love that are on sale in the next few days:

Watercolor Crochet Maxi Dress ($18.99)

Embroidery Linen Shorts ($15.99)


Two-Tone Maxi Dress  ($13.99)

 Crystal Feather Necklace ($8.99)

 Gold Cuff Bracelets with Stones ($9.95)

Wishlist #4: Tastefully-done Graphic Tees :)

Be Still Floral Tank inspired by Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." and Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Proverbs 31 Wifey Tee

Wishlist #5: Sweet, end-of-summer pieces

Fancy Free Lace Shorts

  
Fancy Free Aztec Print Summer Tank


Wishlist #6: Leather Jewelry

Leather Wrap Cuff
Coral Leather Earrings 

Were you paying attention Steve? ;) I can only hope the husband finds his way onto this post!

Linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer!

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friday favorites

Eek! How is it Friday again already? And August 1st?!
I do love August though—it’s still summery and warm, and it’s my birthday month :)

Favorite #1:
Nolan’s excitement to read to Ephraim.

Every night, we read Nolan the book, Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site—which is adorable and boyish, and it’s perfect for bedtime! Recently, he has wanted to share this time with Ephraim—and he loves when E is hanging out in his big boy bed with him. :)

And when Nolan’s new “Highlights High Five” magazine came the other day, the first thing he said was, “I’m going to read it to Ephraim.” His plan was slightly thwarted by Ephraim trying to eat the magazine, but it touched this mama’s heart :)

Favorite #2: Raspberry Jelly Tarts

I found this recipe in my Hello, Darling magazine. Preheat the oven to 400. Lay out a store-bought refrigerated pie crust. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Spoon 1 teaspoon of raspberry preserves (or other flavor jelly) onto half of the shapes. Use your fingers to wet the edges with water. Then place empty shapes on top and crimp the edges with a fork. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 18 minutes or until golden. So simple to do with kids! And they tasted really yummy too :)
 
Favorite #3: Hello, zucchini!

Before this week, the only crop we’d harvested so far had been tons of raspberries. I have never grown zucchini, but I’ve now picked TEN from our garden! This is just the beginning, I have a feeling. And those big ones above are about the size of my forearms. I made chocolate chip zucchini bread and I sliced a couple to make chips in the oven. There will be more zucchini recipes in my future, I’m sure.
 

Favorite #4:

I love chocolate chip pancakes for dinner. I could eat them every night. That’s all.

Favorite #5: Ephraim started solids!

. . . And promptly spit that cereal out. :) I’m excited to try new foods with him, and I hope he learns to love his fruits & veggies! I just can’t believe he’s 18 pounds on milk and milk alone.

Be sure to enter my Enough book giveaway (from Tuesday) which ends tonight at midnight!

What are your plans for the weekend? I’m excited to visit the county fair, get some cleaning and painting done around the house, and just enjoy time with the boys!

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Linking up with Andrea, Erika, Narci. And Lauren too. :)