Pumpkin Doughnut French Toast Casserole with Salted Caramel Sauce

So, when I made those Buttermilk-Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts a couple days ago, we had some left over. The recipe made a lot, and the two of us couldn't possibly eat them all. So I figured why not turn them into a french toast casserole for the next morning. I have made a lot of french toast casseroles, but none of them had featured doughnuts. This is just a win-win in my book. And even if you don't use my pumpkin doughnuts, you can always go buy any doughnuts you like to substitute! But, I especially loved the golden orange color of the casserole, it just screams fall. And always make sure to drizzle some delicious salted caramel sauce on top! Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Doughnut French Toast Casserole with Salted Caramel Sauce

For the Baked Fresh Toast Casserole:

4 Large Eggs

1C Half & Half

½C Whole Milk

¼C Pure Pumpkin Puree

1t Brown Sugar

½t Vanilla

½t Cinnamon

¼t Salt

10 Leftover Buttermilk-Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts, Cut into Cubes & Dried

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or Maple Syrup

Directions:

1. For the bread, you need to cut the doughnuts into bite size cubes and place them onto a baking sheet. Let the cubes become stale for 4-6 hours. Once the cubes are stale, spray a baking dish (we did individual ramekins) and stuff them into the dish and press down, so that it is fully packed.
2. To Make the Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until completely incorporated & creamy. Pour the batter over the bread cubes and press down so that the batter soaks into all of the cubes.
3. Cover the dish with tinfoil and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
4. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your baking dish.
6. Serve hot with Salted Caramel Sauce or Maple Syrup.

Buttermilk-Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts

I haven't been posting many desserts lately, and that's about to change. Today, I'm going to share Buttermilk-Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts. They really don't need an introduction, I mean what's better than a doughnut? Nothing. And add pumpkin to the mix... delicious! I also loved the sweet dough that balances with the tangy buttermilk glaze. They had a dense, cakey texture, but they weren't too heavy. Enjoy :)

Buttermilk-Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts 

For the Pumpkin Doughnuts:

1 ¾C AP Flour 

2t Baking Powder

1t Salt

1t Pumpkin Pie Spice

½C Sugar

1T Butter

1 Egg

1t Vanilla

¼C Buttermilk

½C Pumpkin Puree

½-1C AP Flour, For Rolling

Canola Oil, For Frying

For the Buttermilk Glaze:

2C Confectioners’ Sugar

¼C Buttermilk

1t Vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and sugar. Whisk together the remaining wet ingredients (except for the oil) in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir them around the bowl until the mixture is well combined.

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, rolling the dough to about ½inch thick, and then cut with a doughnut cutter.

3. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, gently slide the doughnuts into the oil and fry them until one side is lightly browned. Gently flip the doughnuts and allow the other side to cook until lightly browned. Remove from the oil to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

4. To Make the Buttermilk Glaze: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Dip the hot doughnuts into the glaze, making sure they are completely covered. Remove from the glaze to dry on a cooling rack.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

To go along with our Shrimp-Corn Chowder, I decided to serve it with homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits. As most of you know these biscuits are the popular bread served at Red Lobster, so I figured that they would be a perfect side for our soup. I made a few changes to the recipe I found, and they were great! They would be awesome with any main dish to be honest, and guess what... they are super easy to make. So whip these babies up next time your in a bind for time and I guarantee you that everyone will be satisfied! Enjoy :)

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

For the Biscuits:

2 ½C Bisquick Baking Mix

¾C Milk

4T Cold Butter

¼t Garlic Powder & Old Bay Seasoning

3T Chives, Thinly Sliced

1C Cheddar Cheese, Grated

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Garlic Butter:

4T Butter, Melted

½t Fresh Parsley, Minced  

1t Garlic Powder

Salt, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a mixing bowl, using a pastry cutter. Don’t mix too much & leave small chunks of butter throughout. Add in the chives, cheddar cheese, milk, garlic powder, old bay, salt, and pepper. Mix by hand until combined (don’t over mix).
3. Drop roughly ¼C size balls of dough onto a cookie sheet (I used an ice cream scoop).
4. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, parsley, garlic powder, & salt. Set aside.
5. Bake for 10 minutes and brush some of the butter on top of the biscuits, and return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Once they are cooked through & golden brown, brush them with more garlic butter.
6. Serve immediately. 

source: cheddar bay biscuits.

Soup Sunday: Shrimp-Corn Chowder

We're finally back from our trip to the mountains. It was super cold, but a lot of fun! We went hiking, shopping, fishing, and ate a whole bunch (duh). But I'm glad to be back. So, it's back to posting recipes! Well, obviously it is Soup Sunday again, and this is by far my favorite soup recipe (like ever). If you have ever been to Atlanta (or plan on going in the future), then you have probably eaten at Taqueria del Sol. It is possibly the busiest taco stand downtown. Sometimes you'll have to wait 1-2 hours just to eat. It's absolutely delicious... I always order two fried chicken tacos with a shrimp-corn chowder on the side. And lemme tell you, this soup is heavenly. It is so thick and creamy that you just instantly melt as you sip it in. It's sweet, but spicy, which is my one achilles heal. And then you have chunks of sweet corn, fresh shrimp, and poblano peppers. The soup is just divine. So, I knew that I had to recreate it. And I actually succeeded. This soup was seriously amazing, and just like Taqueria's. I beg you to make this, just do it, please. It's just that good! Enjoy :)

Shrimp-Corn-Poblano Chowder with Cheddar-Bay Biscuits

For the Chowder:

4T Unsalted Butter

1-2 Poblano Peppers, Seeded & Diced
1-2 Jalapeno Peppers (leave whole if you want it more spicy)
1 Bell Pepper, Diced (red of yellow preferably)
3 Cloves of Garlic

1 Small Sweet Onion, Diced

3 Stalks of Celery, Chopped

1T Lobster Base

½t Chili Powder & Old Bay

¼t Cayenne, Paprika, & White Pepper
Freshly Grated Nutmeg (around 1/8t or a healthy pinch)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1/3C Sugar (you can use a little more if you want it sweeter)

1 15oz Creamed Corn

2C Sweet Corn, Charred in a Skillet (we love corn, so we started doubling it to 4C of corn)

2lbs Shrimp, Diced

8-16oz Lump Crab Meat (this is completely optional, but crab makes everything better)

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

½C AP Flour (sometimes you might need 2-4T more to make it thicker)         

1Q Heavy Cream

1Q Half & Half
Seafood Stock, For Thinning (if needed, completely optional)
Handful of Chives, Minced

Directions:

1. Preparing the Vegetables: Puree the poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, cloves of garlic, diced onion, & celery in a food processor. Process until the veggies are finely chopped or minced (it should look like confetti). Drain out the excess liquid. Melt the 4T of butter in a large soup pot, and add in the vegetable puree. Saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until they become tender and slightly translucent. When the vegetables have softened... add in the shrimp, crab, cream, half & half, seasonings, sugar, and lobster base. Let it simmer until the roux is ready. 
2. To Make the Roux: Begin making the roux by melting the one stick of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Once the butter is hot enough and at a liquid state, add a pinch of flour to see if it is hot enough to start making the roux. If the flour bubbles, then it is ready. Whisk the flour into the melted butter until a thick, rough paste forms. Make sure to whisk constantly until no lumps of flour remain. It becomes smooth and thinned out some. Cook the roux until it reaches the white stage, it takes about 3-5 minutes. At this point, the roux should lose its raw, uncooked smell. Set it aside until you are ready to add it into your soup.
2. Making the Chowder: Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the roux. Whisk vigorously until the roux is completely incorporated and no large roux lumps remain. Simmer until your desired thickness, roughly 15-20 minutes. Add in the creamed corn and charred/grilled/fresh corn (whatever your preference is, we like to grill our corn because it gives the soup a mild smoky flavor). Adjust the soup with salt, pepper, and sugar to your liking. If the soup has gotten too thick for your tastes, just add in some seafood stock to thin it out a bit. 
3. Serve the soup hot with a garnish of minced chives and have some warm Cheddar-Bay Biscuits on the side!

Out of Town!!

I will not be posting until Sunday because my boyfriend & I are going out of town to our mountain house up in Cashiers, NC with one my friends from highschool and her boyfriend! But, I will post a soup recipe on Sunday! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Chicken Fried Steak with Bacon-Chive Gravy

Even though my Mountain Man is from Alabama, he really doesn't ever crave Southern food. Shocking, I know. And even worse, he doesn't like classic gravy. I mean, what Southerner doesn't like gravy? I kept insisting to him that this was just a misunderstanding. He had never had homemade gravy, which is just a crime in my mind. I really love Southern food, it's my absolute favorite. So, I insisted that I make him a true meal that he would fall in love with. The ultimate Southern dish to me is Chicken Fried Steak (and well fried chicken). The steak is spicy & perfectly crispy, and the gravy is so creamy. I also topped it with bacon lardons and fresh chopped chives to brighten up the dish. Luckily, the meal was a success because now he is a firm believer in all things Southern (including gravy). This Chicken Fried Steak & Bacon-Chive Gravy really has become one of his favorite meals that I have made. So you should definitely make it for someone you love! Enjoy :)

Chicken Fried Steak with Bacon-Chive Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

For the Chicken Fried Steak:

4 Pieces of Cube Steaks

1 ½C AP Flour

½C Cornstarch

Cajun Seasoning, Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, & Cayenne

3 Large Eggs

½C Buttermilk

2T Hot Sauce

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Bacon-Chive Gravy:

5 Slices of Thick-Cut Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Cut into Lardons

4T Leftover Bacon Grease

3T Flour

2-3C Milk

¼t Paprika

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Fresh Chives, Minced

Directions:

1. To Make the Chicken Fried Steak: Place the flour and cornstarch in a large bowl and season heavily with all the seasonings listed above (I put a great deal of seasonings into my flour, so that it is spicy, I call it my "demon flour"). Mix the eggs in another large bowl with the buttermilk and hot sauce. Take a piece of cube steak and coat it in the seasoned flour. Dip the coated beef into the egg mixture, and then dip back into the flour again. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and fill up with oil halfway up. Take the coated beef and place it into the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes and turn over and cook another 4-5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate & sprinkle with salt, and repeat with the other pieces of meat. Keep the cooked steaks in the oven while the others are frying.

2. To Make the Bacon-Chive Gravy: Fry the bacon lardons in a hot, deep skillet. Once crispy, remove the bacon, but still leaving the fat. Combine the fat with the flour in a skillet, continuously whisking, cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes until a roux is formed. Add the milk slowly to the skillet and mix the roux using a whisk. Turn the heat down to low and continue stirring until he mixture is thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add in salt and a lot of pepper to taste (and any other seasonings you would like to add). If the gravy is too thick for your taste, you can thin it by adding more milk, a tablespoon at a time. Add in the fresh chopped chives and crispy bacon lardons. 

3. Pour the gravy over the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Soup Sunday: Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

I wasn't feeling so well last week, so I knew that for the next week of Soup Sunday's, that I wanted to make Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup. Whenever I was sick as a child, my mom always made me homemade soup to make me feel better. And it always worked. This soup is simple, but so tasty. It really can't get any better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold day! Next week, I will be posting my amazing shrimp-corn chowder, inspired from one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants! Enjoy :)

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

For the Soup:

6 Chicken Thighs, Bone-in & Skin-on

6 Chicken Drumsticks, Bone-in & Skin-on

2 Whole Carrots, Diced

2 Stalks Celery, Diced

1 Sweet Onion, Diced

1-2T Chicken Base

½t Turmeric

½t Ground Thyme

2t Parsley Flakes

16oz Egg Noodles

3T AP Flour

Water

Salt & White Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Cover the chicken in 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding the meat. Return the bones to the broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove bones and strain the broth to remove any other small pieces. Return the broth by to the pot.
2. Add the carrots, celery, onions, and chicken base to the pot, followed by the herbs & spices. Stir to combine and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Increase the heat and add the egg noodles and chicken, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the flour with a little water, stirring until smooth, and pour it into the soup. Stir it to combine and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the soup thickens.
5. Add more seasonings if needed. Serve hot.

source: homemade chicken noodle soup.

Autumn S'mores

S'mores are great pretty much any time. So why only make them in the summer? Well here's my solution... autumn-flavor inspired s'mores. I have already posted my recipes for Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers & Homemade Maple Marshmallows. Well, all you have to do is put them all together and add in some white chocolate. There's just something so satisfying about an ooey-gooey toasted marshmallow, melted chocolate, and the spicy-sweet graham crackers. Just go make these right now, you can thank me later! Enjoy :)

Autumn S'mores

For the Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers:

2 ½C + 2T AP Flour

1C Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly Packed

1t Baking Soda

1t Pumpkin Pie Spice

¾t Sea Salt

7T Unsalted Butter, Cut into 1inch Cubes & Frozen

1/3C Honey

5T Milk

2T Vanilla

For the Graham Cracker Topping:

2T Granulated Sugar

2t Pumpkin Pie Spice  

For the Homemade Maple Marshmallows:

3 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin

½C Water, Ice Cold

2C Pure Maple Syrup

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

Confectioners’ Sugar, For Dusting

For the Autumn S’mores:

Prepared Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers

Prepared Maple Marshmallows

Gourmet White Chocolate Squares

Directions:

1. To Make the Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix on low until the ingredients are incorporated, or you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender (just make sure they are very well incorporated).  Add in the butter and mix on low until a consistency of a coarse meal is obtained. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add this to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, and then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1inch thick. Wrap it, and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Prepare the topping by combining the sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and set it aside. Once the dough has chilled, now you have to roll it out. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8inch thick. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Cut the strip every 4 ½inches to make 4 crackers. Place the crackers on parchment-lined baking sheets and chill until firm for about 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator. Repeat the same process with the second batch of dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the dough chills. To decorate the cookies, mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker (being careful not to cut through the dough).  Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch (rotating the baking sheets halfway through). Let the cookies cool before making the Autumn S’mores.

2. To Make the Homemade Maple Marshmallows: Oil bottom and sides of a 13x9 rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar. In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over ½C cold water, and let stand to soften. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook maple syrup and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat until a candy or digital thermometer registers 225°F, about 5-10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour the maple syrup over the gelatin mixture and a pinch of cream of tartar. With standing or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for about 12-15 minutes, starting at a low speed and working up to a high speed. Pour the maple marshmallow mixture into the prepared baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift ¼C confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day. Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly cubes roughly a little smaller than the size of your graham cracker. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

3. To Make the Autumn S’mores: Toast the maple marshmallow and stack it onto the pumpkin spice graham crackers with a block of white chocolate. Enjoy immediately.

Homemade Maple Marshmallows

These Homemade Maple Marshmallows go along with the Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers that I posted on Tuesday. They have such a subtle maple flavor that is so distinct and goes amazingly with the pumpkin pie spice. I think I want to use this recipe to try and make Salted Caramel Marshmallows because I think that would be delicious! Anyway, these maple marshmallows go great in a latte, hot chocolate, or even better... on top of sweet potato casserole! Their flavor is just the essence of fall! Enjoy :)

Homemade Maple Marshmallows

For the Marshmallows:

3 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin

½C Water, Ice Cold

2C Pure Maple Syrup

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

Confectioners’ Sugar, For Dusting

Directions:

1. Oil bottom and sides of a 13x9 rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.
2. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over ½C cold water, and let stand to soften. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook maple syrup and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat until a candy or digital thermometer registers 225°F, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and pour the maple syrup over the gelatin mixture and a pinch of cream of tartar. With standing or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for about 12-15 minutes, starting at a low speed and working up to a high speed. Pour the maple marshmallow mixture into the prepared baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round).
4. Sift ¼C confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.
5. Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board.
6. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly cubes roughly a little smaller than the size of your graham cracker (an oiled pizza cutter works well here too).
7. Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

source: homemade maple marshmallows.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers

I came across a recipe for homemade graham crackers and I was just itchin' to make them this summer, but somehow it escaped me. So I thought to myself how can I make homemade graham crackers a little bit more "fall". Well, graham crackers are already a spiced, molasses-y, crunchy cookie... so why not exaggerate that flavor and make it over-the-top?! That's when I decided that I wanted to make Autumn S'mores. These autumn s'mores would consist of Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers, Gourmet White Chocolate, & Homemade Maple Marshmallows (which I'll post the recipe to later this week). I absolutely loved these flavorful pumpkin pie spice graham crackers and their warm flavor. I especially loved the pumpkin pie spice-sugar topping (normally graham crackers are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar). And honestly, I can't wait to make them into a graham cracker crust for a pumpkin cheesecake (um yum)! I really urge you to make these, not just for s'mores, but for anything & everything. We just really loved them! Enjoy :)

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers

For the Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers:

2 ½C + 2T AP Flour

1C Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly Packed

1t Baking Soda

1t Pumpkin Pie Spice

¾t Sea Salt

7T Unsalted Butter, Cut into 1inch Cubes & Frozen

1/3C Honey

5T Milk

2T Vanilla

For the Graham Cracker Topping:

2T Granulated Sugar

2t Pumpkin Pie Spice  

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix on low until the ingredients are incorporated, or you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender (just make sure they are very well incorporated).  Add in the butter and mix on low until a consistency of a coarse meal is obtained. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add this to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, and then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1inch thick. Wrap it, and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

2. Prepare the topping by combining the sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and set it aside.

3. Once the dough has chilled, now you have to roll it out. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8inch thick. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Cut the strip every 4 ½inches to make 4 crackers. Place the crackers on parchment-lined baking sheets and chill until firm for about 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator. Repeat the same process with the second batch of dough.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the dough chills.

5. To decorate the cookies, mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker (being careful not to cut through the dough). Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows.

6. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch (rotating the baking sheets halfway through).

7. Let the cookies cool before eating to let them crisp up.

source: homemade graham crackers.