chocolate for breakfast

Nutella is magic. I haven't made anything that tasted bad when Nutella has been involved. This recipe for a french toast bake did not disappoint. Instead of baking a large "caserole," I made individual 8 oz ramekins and prepared it all the night before so the egg mixture could really soak into the bread. I changed a few things from the original recipe: 1. I used Scala bread rather then the called for mulitgrain bread (I've found that denser breads like multigrain make for a tougher outcome). 2. I adjusted the recipe by half and only used two sliced bananas. I'm definitely keeping this recipe in my breakfast repertoire - I might even try it with day old croissants in place of bread.

I highly recommend making a little Nutella sauce as described in the recipe to drizzle over the top before serving. Our guests loved this take on french toast! Ok, I'm getting hungry just typing this post... and also inspired to write a post about all the "make ahead" breakfast/brunch recipes I've tried over the past few years. It's much more fun to just make the coffee and pour the mimosas in the morning rather than have to whip up a full meal, don't you think? Keep an eye out for that upcoming post!

recipe via needful things

a perfect autumn breakfast

Good morning, dear readers, I hope you enjoyed the weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. I am still dwelling on Sunday morning's simple, yet delicious breakfast with my family. The day started out damp and drizzley, but by 8:00 the sun had started to slice through the clouds to reveal a perfect autumn morning. Apple turnovers, I thought and swiftly brought a roll of puff pastry dough out of the freezer to defrost while I prepared the apple filling. Incredibly tasty and with such a fancy appearance, apple turnovers are very easy to make. I like to keep a few rolls of store-bought puff pasty dough in my freezer, but here is a recipe to make the dough from scratch.

APPLE TURNOVERS
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Unfold thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll each sheet into a 12-inch square and cut into four squares.
2. core, peel and slice 2-3 Granny Smith apples
3. place apples in skillet (use a cast iron skillet f you have it) with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt and a few shakes of nutmeg and cook over medium heat until the apples and soft.
4. place about 1/4 cup apple mixture in center of each square. Brush edges with water. Fold over to form triangles, seal edges firmly with a fork. Place on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. 5. sprinkle with sugar and let cool on wire rack.