Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

This Pecan Pie Bread Pudding could also be titled Best.Thing.Ever. I know that’s a strong statement to make, but geez…it was pretty darn tasty. If I do say so myself. And I do. Because I have a blog and that’s sort of my job…to let y’all know when something should be put on your “to make” list ASAP. This would make an excellent breakfast/brunch dish for the holidays too. Just sayin’. Since it’s already NOVEMBER! (Don’t ask me how that happened already!)

pecan pie bread pudding - before

I’m calling this breakfast, but slap some vanilla ice cream on that bad boy and it could become dessert. I think I ate it for every meal until I gave the last two pieces to my parents so they could experience it’s awesomeness. And the fact that I couldn’t button my jeans. Calorie friendly it is not.

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding - after

It’s like pecan pie and French toast casserole got together and had a baby. A sweet, delicious, nutty baby.

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

This is what dreams are made of right here.

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Ingredients

  • 8 cups bread, torn into bite-size pieces (I used Challah, could also use Italian, French, King’s Hawaiian, etc.)
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white (granulated) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon maple or vanilla extract (I used ½ teaspoon of each)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
  3. Pour your bread pieces into the baking dish. It will be very full, gently press it down into pan.
  4. Drizzle melted butter over bread.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugars, extract(s), salt (if using) and cinnamon.
  6. Stir pecans into sugar mixture, then pour over bread. Gently press the bread down into the pan so everything is coated.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
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Once done, you can use the parchment paper to lift the casserole out for easy cutting. Enjoy!

This recipe is featured at  & !

   

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Ideas for Easter Brunch

Looking for ideas for Easter Brunch?
Check out this round-up to make an extra special breakfast or brunch for Easter or anytime! Muffins, scones, breakfast casseroles, and more.

Make Ahead Awesome Breakfast Casserole

Baked Bacon and Eggs


Cinnamon Roll Cake

Warm Fruit Compote

Breakfast Pizza


Sausage and Hashbrown Casserole

Ham and Cheese Biscuit Pull-Apart Casserole

Baked French Toast with Streusel Topping

Sausage, Ham and Cheese Quiche

French Toast Casserole (egg-free)

Copycat King’s Hawaiian Bread

Sausage Balls

Sausage Muffins

Easy Oven Pancakes

Chai Latte Scones

German Pancakes


Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins

Monkey Bread (with Parker House Rolls)

Make Ahead Awesome Breakfast Casserole

I know a lot of people may be planning a Mother’s Day Brunch, and a breakfast casserole is perfect for that. It’s also great for ‘brinner’ a.k.a. breakfast for dinner. Or, you know, you could actually eat a breakfast casserole for….breakfast. This casserole is made ahead of time, and then can be baked when ready, so if you have young kids that really want to make mom breakfast in bed this Mother’s Day, you could actually do all the “real” work the night before, then they could pop this in the oven (maybe with Dad’s help) in the morning and serve it to you in bed! No burnt toast, runny eggs or kitchen mess to deal with. Sounds like a plan to me!

I know breakfast casseroles are pretty basic, and there are a ton of recipes for them online. However, I thought this one was pretty awesome…hence the title, due to some easy changes to the ingredients – starting with the bread. I used a cheese bread (store bought, but of course, homemade would be awesome) instead of regular loaf bread or Italian.  I also think using a cinnamon raisin bread for a sweet and savory combo would be good. I know my kids wouldn’t go for that, but it sounds good to me. I also swapped out my usual cheddar for combo of smoked Gouda and extra sharp white cheddar. Then I added in some spices to my eggs, – sage, salt and pepper, a little dry mustard, to give it some extra flavor. You could also add in veggies – tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. However, that would never fly around here!

Awesome Breakfast Casserole

  • One loaf of day-old bread (approx. 6 cups) {I used a cheese bread}
  • 1 lb. sausage – cooked and crumpled {Use your favorite – pork, turkey, chicken; I used turkey}
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup bacon pieces, cooked {I used the real bacon pieces in a bag – could also use ham}
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
  • 8 eggs (I used 6 extra large eggs)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup half and half
  • salt, pepper, desired spices (too taste)
Spray or butter a 9 x 12 casserole dish.
Cube bread in 1 inch cubes and spread evenly in bottom of casserole dish.
Sprinkle sausage and bacon over bread.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the meat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, seasonings/spices.
Pour egg mixture over top of cheese/meat/bread.
Lightly press bread down into egg mixture.
Add remaining 1/2 cup cheese to top of casserole.
Cover with saran wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
When ready to bake, uncover casserole and place in cold oven.
Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for approx 1 hour or until nicely browned and set.

Recipe adapted from

If you like breakfast casseroles, another favorite is this Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

(Wednesday) , (Thursday) , (Friday) ,,,(Saturday) 

Baked Bacon & Eggs

Are you looking for an easy and delicious Mother’s Day breakfast or brunch idea? This Baked Bacon & Eggs makes a large casserole dish full of cheese-y scrambled eggs, topped with bacon. They are probably the best eggs I’ve ever had!

I’ve never thought about cooking eggs in the oven, except as part of a breakfast casserole (which we are quite fond of as evidenced by this, this and this!) – but these are basically scrambled eggs baked in the oven! Convenience…I love it.  I originally got the idea from when she posted her family’s recipe for ‘Christmas Eggs’.  I decided I would make them for one of our many breakfast suppers. However, as per usual, I didn’t bother to read all of the instructions prior to making the dish.  I realized I was supposed to let the egg mixture sit overnight.  Oops. Time for plan B – I Googled baked eggs and found another recipe at that did not require sitting overnight.  I kind of merged the 2 recipes and came out with a delicious dinner, that did not require sitting overnight!

Baked Bacon & Eggs

1 dozen eggs (I like Eggland’s Best)
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
4 oz. plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 package pre-cooked bacon (or about 10 slices regular or turkey bacon)
1 cup shredded cheese (your preference, I used a blend of cheddar and Monterey)
salt and pepper – to taste
 
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
-Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. (I omitted the salt since I was adding cheese and bacon.)
 
-In a large skillet, cook the eggs until set, but not cooked through (Side note – OR you can place your egg mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and place in oven, stirring occasionally so they cook evenly, until done. Approx. 15-30 mins. I opted to pre-cook mine.)
 
-Remove from the heat and allow eggs to cool. (I stuck mine in the fridge for a few minutes.)
 
-while eggs are cooling, cook bacon in microwave (if using the pre-cooked). Once done, crumble and set aside.
 
-When eggs are cool, stir in the yogurt (or sour cream if using).
 
-Spread the egg mixture into a greased/sprayed 9×13 dish.
 
-Top with crumbled bacon and cheese.
 
-Bake for 15-20 minutes until eggs are fully cooked and cheese is nice and melted.
 
I served ours with grits and biscuits. Delicious! I thought I would have leftovers since it was a dozen eggs for a family of 5 (and Mr. Three will not eat eggs), but nope…that casserole dish was wiped clean!
 
I’m linking this recipe up with  (Wednesday) , , , , , , , ,  (Thursday)  ,, , ,  , , (Friday) ,  , , , , ,, , , , ,,  (Saturday) , ,  ,  (Sunday)  and

This recipe was featured at:

Biscuit Breakfast Casserole {& GIVEAWAY}

I have been using eggs for a good while now, so when they contacted me with this opportunity to host a brunch and offered a fun giveaway for you guys, I jumped on it!  I love brunch. It’s not breakfast, it’s not lunch…you can pretty much get away with anything for the menu. It’s a great time to change up those  (like this Biscuit Breakfast Casserole), combine breakfast and lunch items, such as with breakfast pizzas, just let your imagination go.  Unless your family is like mine…in which foods must be boring basic, non-spicy, and “normal”.  If they found spinach in their breakfast casserole, they would fah-reak.  *sigh*

Thankfully, I was able to come up with a few dishes that were winners all around.  That’s one of the great things about eggs, they are so versatile! I’m so thankful that my son is no longer allergic to eggs as it has opened up a whole new world in the way of menu planning!  Since we eat so many dishes with eggs now (we also LOVE breakfast for dinner…brinner?) it is nice to know that Eggland’s Best eggs offer more than your ‘average egg’.  They have 10 times more vitamin E;  double the amount of omega-3’s; twice the amount of vitamin D; 3 times more vitamin B12; 25% less saturated fat and 38% more lutein. I know, wow!

So what eggs-tremely (haha, couldn’t resist) delicious dishes did I serve? 

This Biscuit Breakfast Casserole with sausage, eggs, and cheese was pretty delicious.  I especially liked mine with a little sausage gravy. We Southerners like gravy on most anything 🙂

Biscuit Breakfast Casserole 

adapted from Sausage, Egg and Biscuit Casserole by  

1 lb breakfast turkey sausage
7 Eggland’s Best eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup fat free half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
8 frozen buttermilk biscuits, slightly thawed, halved (I used Grands)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Lightly spray a 7×11-inch dish with cooking spray.
  • Brown sausage in pan, breaking into chunks. Drain fat if necessary.
  • Whisk together eggs, milk, half and half, cream, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • Slice each biscuit in half with serrated knife. Place biscuit bottoms in baking dish.
  • Sprinkle half of cooked sausage over biscuits and top with half of the cheese.
  • Place remaining biscuits on top of cheese, and sprinkle with remaining sausage.
  • Pour egg mixture over biscuits.
  • Bake 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole and bake until eggs are set, about 10-15 minutes longer.
  • Let casserole stand 10 minutes before serving.
I’m also loving this idea for mini breakfast casseroles! You make it in a muffin pan, which would have been great for brunch.
We also had Breakfast Pizza, similar to this . This  from the  also looks pretty amazing. The site has LOTS of good looking recipes if you want new ideas. (They also have a special going on right now for a free for Facebook fans, click on the link to learn more.) There was also delicious fruit salad, grits, and maybe a mimosa or two.
So…I know I mentioned a giveaway and you have patiently waited to hear the details.  Eggland’s Best is offering a Makin’ it Mo’Betta reader the following prize pack.
(1) coupon for one free dozen Eggland’s Best eggs

(1) ceramic mixing bowl
(1) egg-shaped wooden cutting board
(1) whisk
(1) bowl scraper
(1) ceramic mug

(1) eco bag
It’s a fun and useful gift pack, and I have been using mine a lot! To enter, just follow the directions in the rafflecopter form.



The Eggland’s Best coupon, information, and two gift packs have been provided by Eggland’s Best. Any opinions expressed about the product are my own.

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