Easter Feaster!

Here's the troops! We had a nice Easter Dinner with family and friends. Ira, Heidi and their kids came. Lon's room-mate, Bryce, and the Cook's: Janeece, Hannah, and Sara came over too. We ate homemade pita sandwiches with hummus (recipes are in an earlier post), potato salad, and ham.

I made this delectable dish for breakfast: French Toast Casserole. Does it look delicious?...you're right, it was :)

And for dessert...Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake. It doesn't get much better than this. Booyah grandma.

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread on top of casserole.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients

For the base:

• Butter, for greasing
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 9 graham crackers
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• About 1/2 cup sugar, eyeball it
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For the base:

Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.

For the filling:

Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with powdered sugar.

Hinckley's Potato Salad

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons vinegar or pickle juice

1 Tablespoon mustard

1-2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped pickles

12 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled, and chopped

8-10 potatoes, boiled, cooled, and cubed

*In a large bowl, combine the onions, pickles, eggs, and potatoes. Mix up the dressing (mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper) and pour into the mixture in the large bowl. Mix them together using your hands. Note: you may add less or more of any ingredient to satisfy to your liking.