Wow. Has this fall ever sped by! Was it the same for you? Since our three kids are grown and grandkids aren’t nearby, I no longer decorate for Halloween beyond a big pumpkin or two at the front door. And thus, it seems as if the holiday comes and goes in a flash. And then we are on to Thanksgiving!
I love Thanksgiving. The familiar recipes from my childhood, the new ones that we’ve added over the years, and oh, how lovely it is to welcome lots of company for that meal! The company–friends and relatives–are truly what makes that day special.
Do you have a particular recipe that is essential for your Thanksgiving celebration? I imagine our menu is the same as most everyone else–the big meal followed by all of the yummy homemade pies, but where we tend to vary is at breakfast.
With dinner served late afternoon to accommodate everyone’s schedules, we usually make a big breakfast including homemade caramel pecan rolls, or something equally fun. Here is one of the recipes we love. Enjoy!
French Toast with Warmed Praline Syrup
3 eggs slightly beaten
2/3 cup whole or 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (real!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 one-inch thick slices of French Bread, sliced on the diagonal (a slant, for longer pieces)
5 Tbsp butter, melted –for the 9×13 pan
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg in a bowl, pour into a 9×13, then lay the bread out onto this milk mixture in a single layer for several minutes. Flip the slices and let soak until all liquid is absorbed. Note: some folks may want to reduce or eliminate the sugar.
Pour butter (NOT margarine) in a second 9×13 pan sprayed with Pam, spread it evenly. Now, put the slices single layer into this buttered pan. Bake 13-15 minutes, turn slices over and bake 10-12 minutes or until the tops are nicely golden. Serve immediately with the warm syrup.
Praline syrup
Make this while the bread slices are baking.
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp butter (not margarine)
1/3 cup pecans, chopped fine
Blend first four ingredients in large glass bowl. Microwave until it starts to boil. Stir well. Microwave 1-2 minutes longer. Add butter and pecans, mix well, then cover with foil to keep warm. Reheat gently if needed.
What are some of your holiday favorites? I would love to hear about them!
For those who comment, there will be a drawing of your choice: an e-copy of the new Sweet Christmas Kisses III anthology, or an e-copy of my December 2016 Love Inspired novel, An Aspen Creek Christmas.
Blessings,
Roanne Rustand
USA Today bestselling author Roxanne Rustand is the author of over thirty-five traditionally published novels, and four indie novels. Prior to 2007 she wrote for the secular market, but since then has been happily focused on inspirational fiction and sweet romance. A Golden Heart winner in 1995, she has received two RT Bookclub Magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, and has been nominated for an RT Bookclub Magazine Career Achievement Award. She is currently writing for Harlequin's Love Inspired line, and is continuing with self publishing. She and her husband live in the country with three horses, two goofy rescue dogs, and a half-dozen barn cats.
Hi Roxanne, interesting recipes- corn syrup is not something I am familiar with. Here “down under”, we have Golden Syrup, a less refined product than glucose syrup, which my kids LOVE on pancakes of breakfast!
We are in Spring, so getting lovely fruit- blueberries, cherries, apricots etc. For us, holiday favourites are based around salads and the barbecue as it is Spring/Summer. We love a good mixed berry crumble (like a berry crisp I believe), where the fruit is on the bottom with streusel on top. Still, on a hot summer day, it is hard to go past a good trifle:)
Hi Roxanne! Since my sons and their families live in town, I no longer make breakfast for holiday. A favorite breakfast was yeast waffles – the batter is started the night before. Served with Michigan maple syrup or fresh fruit and whipped cream. My husband and sons are meat and potato guys, so for Thanksgiving we serve turkey with our family giblet stuffing. They fight over the stuffing. Being German Americans we are not fond of sweet potato dishes. Last year for Christmas, I made a family cook book with all the sons and grandkids favorite recipes and included the history behind the recipes and some favorite family stories. Happy Writing and Happy Thanksgiving.
I love homemade meals and spending time with family this time of the year. My mom’s cakes and sweets are just to die for and I can never have enough.
A Christmas favorite in our house is cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning. My kids are still young (9, 7, 3), so having a fun breakfast like that is almost as exciting to them as opening presents.
We have a dressing recipe passed down from my great grandmother. It was even featured in a cookbook.
My grandkids live right across the street so we have to decorate for everything!
I don’t remember where it came from originally, but most holidays my family requests that I make a jello salad that has orange jello, cottage cheese, Cool Whip, and crushed pineapple in it. YUM!
I enjoy pecan pie and pumpkin pie, too, at the holidays. But, I enjoy those pies all year long, haha!
Everybody’s food sounds good! Along with all the traditional foods, my family always has homemade chicken and noodles (I personally could skip the turkey) and cranberry jello salad for Thanksgiving. On Christmas we always have creamed eggs on biscuits for breakfast. This year we’re celebrating Christmas with my parents the day after Thanksgiving after we visit other family in the morning/afternoon, so we are having creamed eggs for supper instead.
Growing up we had the big meals and special recipes but I am not much for cooking so I generally go simple. Although I found a recipe for the special cheesecake my grams used to make. It is not the typical cheese cake it is softer and creamier, so I may make it this year.
Yummy recipes. Yes, this fall has sped by. I can’t believe the US Thanksgiving is less than a week away. On a good note. My older daughter and her hubby are coming tomorrow!
I can’t believe how the WHOLE year went by almost in the blink of an eye! It seems to happen faster every year.
Since we go up to visit my sister-in-law in WA (4 hour drive), I don’t cook. The only thing I do bring up is my homemade pumpkin pies made from fresh cooked and prepared pie pumpkins…no canned for me :-) If I don’t bring them, I’m not allowed in the house…haha! We’ll go out to the buffet place near her house to eat, no fuss, muss or clean-up involved.
I do the big cooking on Christmas since we stay home. Either ham or turkey depending on my mood with all the trimmings. I’ll make candied yams for my husband and son (none for me thanks), from fresh yams, mashed potatoes & gravy, scalloped corn, stuffing if I’m having turkey, homemade dinner rolls and cranberry sauce. I love cooking from scratch as much as I am able to and go all out since I only do it once a year.
Your recipe for French Toast sounds divine! That’s one of my favorite to make, and I like to use Texas Toast bread (thick slices). Sometimes I’ll even make that for dinner :-) I’m not sure my guys would like the Praline sauce, but I know I would.
An Aspen Creek Christmas looks like a fun holiday read, thanks for the chance Roxanne!
Favorites at our house are homemade yeast rolls and brocolli corn bake or corn pudding. Blessings
Gayle, you won my drawing. Can you contact me please through my FB profile at facebook.com/roxanne.rustand ? Thanks!
Thank you Roxanne! I’ve replied to your email and sent you a private message through Facebook.
Just wondering when I will be hearing from you about my win….thank you!