I'm Not Done With the Pumpkin!

I know Thanksgiving has passed (and I hope you had a good holiday with lots of delicious food.) But, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the pumpkin stuff. In my defense, I didn't have any pumpkin pie this year. Though, I did have one too many Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes. So last night, I decided to go buy some pumpkin and make a breakfast cake. It was just as good as I hoped it would be even if the cashiers looked at me strangely for buying pumpkin two days AFTER Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel

Ingredients:
Butter
Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Eggs
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can of Pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Walnuts, Chopped

Steps:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 13x9 in. baking pan.

Batter:
Using an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat 3 eggs into the mixture.

Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Mix flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream. Set aside.

Pumpkin part: 
Stir pumpkin with one beaten egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside

Streusel:
Cut brown sugar into 1/3 cup butter and cinnamon. Once blended, stir in walnut pieces.


In greased pan, spread half of the batter.  Layer half of the streusel on top. Next, spread the pumpkin over it evenly. Then, spread the rest of the batter over the top before sprinking on the rest of the stresuel. Bake for 50 minutes.

When Company Knocks On Your Door...

You better be prepared with a hearty breakfast! Luckily, I had the ingredients and enough time to throw together an easy casserole last night. I apologize for the awful pictures. For now, most food pictures will be taken from an iPhone until I get a better camera and lighting!

Breakfast Casserole 

Ingredients: 

4 cups of white bread, cubed
1.5 cups of shredded cheddar
10 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp ground mustard
1 cup of chopped vegetables of your choice
1 lb. pork bulk sausage (you can also substitute bacon or ham)

Steps:
1. Brown meat in saucepan or skillet
2. Grease a 9" x 13" pyrex dish or other baking dish/pan.
3. Place bread cubes along bottom of the pan and spread cheese evenly.
4. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and seasonings.
5. Pour contents evenly over bread and cheese.
6. Next, layer meat and veggies. I like to use portabella mushrooms and tomatoes but other ideas include: bell peppers, onions, broccoli, etc.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
9. Bake for one hour uncovered or until casserole is lightly browned.