French Toast Casserole

I think this is a perfect breakfast for a cold Christmas morning. Of course, it can be made anytime, but it just sounds so Christmasy. This works really well for Christmas because you mix it together the night before and all you have to do in the morning is place it in the oven.

French Toast Casserole

1 - 10 oz loaf of French or Italian bread
8 eggs
3 C. milk
4 t. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 T. butter
cinnamon
powdered sugar

Grease a 9x13" baking dish. Cut bread into 1-inch pieces and layer the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste and dot the top of the bread with butter. Beat the eggs with the milk, sugar, and vanilla and pour over the bread. Cover the dish with foil and place in refrigerator the night before.

When ready to bake, place in a 350° f oven for 45-50 minutes or until puffy and light brown. Sprinkle the dish with powdered sugar and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Enjoy,
Carol

"Love, Lies, & Deceit"

The above is the trailer for my e-book, Love, Lies & Deceit available December 17 from Red Rose Publishing.

It's freezing in my neck of the woods this morning, so grab yourself a cup of coffee or hot tea, sit back and enjoy the short trailer above.

Carol

Peanut Butter Fudge

I spent years trying to make peanut butter fudge, or any fudge for that matter, and the result was that we usually had to eat it with a spoon. The times that I didn't have to eat it with a spoon, I had to dump it in the trash because it was burnt. I finally decided the problem was with my candy thermometer. I got a new thermometer, actually my mom gave me an extra one she had, and the texture problem was solved, then I had to deal with the burning. That was the problem with the cook (me).

When you make fudge, it is so important to stay right with it and stir. I have a habit of multi-tasking when in the kitchen. Honestly, who among us doesn't try to do two or three things at once when working in the kitchen? With fudge, it's best to keep your attention to the fudge.

I've tried several recipes for peanut butter fudge and have finally stuck with one that a former co-worker always made. It's easy and delicious. The story to go with this recipe can be found in my Masters & Disasters of Cooking cookbook (shameless plug, sorry). I'll be going grocery shopping tomorrow and will definitely be putting the ingredients on my list.

If you use a candy thermometer for your cooking, it is a good idea to check it to make sure it measures correctly. Put a pot of water on the stove to boil, clip the thermometer to the inside of the pot, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom but is in the water. When the water comes to a rolling boil, check the temperature. At sea level, water boils at 212° f. Also, if you want to check to see what temperatures to use when making candy, here is a web site that has the different temps listed.

Peanut Butter Fudge

3 C. granulated sugar
1 C. evaporated milk (I use Carnation)
1 stick margarine (can substitute real butter)
26 large marshmallows
1 C. creamy peanut butter

In a 2-quart pot on top of the stove, cook the first 3 ingredients to the softball stage, 235° - 240° f. Then, add the marshmallows and stir constantly. When the marshmallows have melted, stir in the peanut butter. After the peanut butter is mixed well, pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan and let cool.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the fudge,
Carol

A Gift for my Readers

The authors of Red Rose Publishing have compiled a free cookbook, Kissin' Don't Last, Cookin' Does, as an appreciation gift to our readers. My new novel, "Love, Lies & Deceit" will be released from Red Rose Publishing on December 17 and I wanted to pass along this gift to all of you. The cookbook is in .PDF format and can be downloaded by clicking here. If it doesn't work, please email me at carolsfoodbites@hotmail.com and let me know and I will make sure you get a copy.

Don't forget that Christmas is coming up and my own cookbook, Master's and Disasters of Cooking, makes a wonderful gift and is still available at Lulu.com and recently on Amazon.com.

Again, remember that my novel will be released on December 17. For more information on any of my books, please visit my web site, http://CarolPre.webs.com

Have a great Thanksgiving, be careful traveling and don't eat too much.
Carol

Thanksgiving Decorations

This is a busy weekend for me, so today I am cheating on here a little. I am going to refer all of you to another site that I found for Thanksgiving Decorations. If you put a little thought into your decorating ideas, it can be pretty inexpensive and easy to decoration for the holidays. For instance, I have a clear glass pumpkin shaped bowl with a lid. At Halloween, I take it to work and crumple up an orange sheet of paper (sometimes it takes 2 sheets) and put it inside. Viola, I have an orange pumpkin decorating my office. I can do the same thing at home for Thanksgiving. My favorite decoration is a ceramic turkey candy dish that I bought at a craft fair years ago. The top half of the turkey lifts off to get to the candy.

Now, for the referral to the other web site. I don't know the person who has this site, but it has pictures of the neatest Thanksgiving decorations on it. I have copied my favorite below. The site is DigsDigs. It's their "60 Cool Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas page.


I think the bowl above is just the coolest idea I've seen in a long time. If you already have some sort of clear glass bowl like this, you halfway there and small pumpkins and gourds are so inexpensive. I think I am going to get some today while I am out. Which reminds me, I am already running late to go buy a new tire for my car.

Okay, so it's not flat yet, but if I don't get a new one today, it will look like the one above real soon.

Until next time,

Carol

Veterans Days - Thank you

I want to give a big thanks to all of our military veterans on your day. They risk their lives for us every day and am very proud to say I come from a family full of veterans. God Bless them all.

Carol

Thanksgiving Turkey Safety

November is a very busy month for me. As always, I am participating in the National Novel Writing Month project. I am having a minor surgery later in the month, I have to work on the marketing and publicity for my novel that will be released in December (more on that later), and of course there's Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I may not be posting as often on here this month as I usually do.

I thought this would be a good time to write about preparing your Thanksgiving turkey. I remember my first attempt at baking a turkey all by myself. Like many people, I forgot to take the giblets out and they baked right along with the turkey. That was almost 26 years ago and in that time, I figure I have baked over fifty turkeys. Now, that is a lot of poultry. I've learn so much from those many years of baking and I would like to pass along a few tips on preparing your turkey safely.

1. Thawing a turkey at room temperature or in warm water promotes the rapid growth of bacteria. It's best to thaw it in the refrigerator. Calculate your thawing time by figuring 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

2. When you're ready to bake it, remove all of the netting and wrapping from the turkey. Remove the giblets and neck bone (check both ends of the turkey) from the body cavity. Discard the giblets, if not using. If you do plan on using the giblets, rinse them in cold water, pat dry and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Thoroughly rinse your turkey in cold water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. After handling a raw turkey, your hands will be contaminated. Do not touch any other food until you have washed your hands with soap and water.

These are just a few tips for making sure your turkey is prepared the safest way possible. If you have any questions about baking your turkey, I would recommend visiting the Butterball web site. I found that they even have a video on there showing how to carve a cooked turkey. That is something I wish I had seen the first time I served a turkey. Butterball also has a tip line that you can call with your questions, 1-800-288-8372 for residents of the U.S. and Canada through November and December.

Good luck with Thanksgiving cooking this year and don't forget to check a few days before to make sure you have all the ingredients that you will need.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Carol