Full of thanks… and yummy food
Stuffed. To say the least. This thanksgiving my mom and I wanted to try a plethora of new and fun recipes found online, which turned into two full days of cooking. I couldn’t be happier with the results. In the dorms, I am not able to make many meals for myself besides eggs, and the occasional spaghetti and crab, so this was a nice change of pace to be able to cook for myself again. For this year’s holiday, we started off the day with slow cooker crock pot french toast, followed by many Thanksgiving recipes, my favorite being a delicious cranberry sauce.
Recipe creator unknown - found in the depths of my mom’s recipe books!
This is quite possibly my favorite breakfast dish of all time. If it wasn’t for the length it takes to cook and the inconvenience of the crock pot, I would make this every morning. The top and bottom layers of the bread are hard, giving it a nice crunch, while the inside is the classic density of french toast. It’s full of cinnamon flavor, which happens to be my favorite flavor for breakfast!
RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 loaf of stale french bread, cut into cubes (leave bread out overnight to make stale)
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Topping:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together: eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, salt, and (optional) vanilla extract, until combined. Spray the inside of crock pot/slow cooker insert with non-stick spray. Add the diced bread to the slow cooker and pour over the egg mixture. Cover and let the bread soak at least 4 hours (overnight max) in the fridge.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, salt and nutmeg (optional).
When ready to bake, crumble topping over the top of the soaked bread. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low… or 2 hours on high.
Remove from slow cooker, let cool for 15-20 minutes, and serve warm.
ENJOY
Optional additions/suggestions I love:
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and/or strawberries
Homemade whipped cream
Maple syrup
Above is yet another recipe found in the depths of my mom’s recipe books that became a hit at the family dinner. If you don’t like the “crunch of cranberries” like my brother… maybe stay away from this one. For my family on Thanksgiving, we are used to using canned cranberry sauce, so this year my mom and I put our feet down and found a recipe to spice things up. It turned out amazing. It was beyond flavorful, packed with a refreshing cranberry taste, and a unique texture that I wasn’t used to from my usual source of cranberries.
RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange peel (alternatively - Valencia Orange Peel spice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup canned crushed pineapples packed in juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
DIRECTIONS
Bring orange juice, apple juice, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to a boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat
Add in cranberries. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook (uncovered) for 10-12 minutes.
Add pecans, raisins, and pineapple. Cook for 2 minutes, or until heated completely through. Remove from heat.
Add maple syrup, mix well. Cool before serving.
ENJOY
I don’t usually need an excuse to find new recipes to try, yet a holiday is the perfect excuse to put everything else aside and cook for hours. My dream come true. These are only a few of the recipes we put to use today, but the ones I found the most use and excitement out of, so they are the ones I decided to share. Stay tuned for Christmas, and many new recipes to come!
Happy Thanksgiving:)