Rainy Day Cooking

It's a cloudy day and cooking is in order. I made Upside French Toast for Breakfast. It's one of those overnight recipes that I love. I prepared it last night around 2 AM....couldn't sleep, put it in the refrigerator and sleeply put it in the oven this morning.

Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
4 Medium Apples, Sliced, Pealed, and Cored (Granny Smith)
12 Slices day old bread (white, wheat, French, it's your choice)
4 eggs
2 Cup milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat cook and stir brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup until slightly thick. Pour mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 11"X9" casserole dish. Arrange apple slices on top of brown sugar mixture. Mix together the eggs milk and vanilla. Arrange 6 slices of the bread on top of apples and pour 1/2 of egg mixture over the bread coating evenly. Arrange the other 6 slices of bread directly on top of the first layer. Pour remaining egg mixture on top of second layer of bread slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat over to 350. Cook French toast on middle rack in over covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes until toast is lightly brown on top and crispy.
Serve with syrup of your choice, we like pecan syrup.

While the French Toast was baking I made some brownies. I sorta threw some ingredients together and they turned out pretty tastie.
Ingredients
2 Boxes Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
1 Package Hazelnuts
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Water
2/3 Cup Oil
3/4 Teaspoon Coffee Flavoring
1 Jar Amaretto Cheesecake in a Jar
2 Fudge Toppings included in Brownie Mix

Mix Brownie mix, eggs, water, oil, nuts, and coffee flavoring until incorporated very well. Spread in a greased 10"X15" jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from over and spread the jar of Cheesecake thinly over the top of brownies while hot. Place packages of chocolate sauce topping in hot tap water bath for 5 minutes. Cut corner of package and squeeze both packages of chocolate over top of cheesecake. Spread if desired. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.
Yields about 24 brownies.

I found the Amaretto Cheesecake in a Jar this past summer at the outlets in Williamsburg, VA. I used this to top the brownies.

I have cheater's cabbage rolls in the oven slow cooking. I like them much better slow cooked in a dutch oven than the crock pot. We have errands to run and dinner will be ready when I get home.

I made this handbag for the holidays this weekend.