French Toast Bread Pudding Recipe

With the holidays behind me, I can now get back to posting and sharing all the wonderful recipes I tried over the holiday season.  First, I posted the Christmas Crack recipe, which is absolutely delicious, if you haven't tried it yet.  Now, I can post my favorite breakfast dish of the holiday.  Each year, my sister makes this for our Christmas morning gathering.  This year, we decided to have a brunch, so instead of missing out on the tradition, I finally got the recipe from her.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup brown sugar (not packed)
• 1 box frozen french toast sticks, cut in half (I use Murray's brand)
• 1cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut french toast into pieces while frozen
3. Layer 9x13 pan with brown sugar
4. Lay french toast in sugar in a single layer
5. In a large bowl, whisk cream, eggs, vanilla, salt, and water.
6. Cover french toast with mixture
7. Leave in refrigerator overnight for creamier texture. 
8. When ready to bake, sprinkle top of french toast with white sugar.
9. Bake 30-40 minutes, then broil top of bake for 2-3 minutes to brown the top.
10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!  And don't expect there to be anything left over for the next day!

Crunchy Pork Chop Recipe

I kind of stumbled upon this recipe one day while I was trying to come up with something new.  Pork chops....what to do with them?  I searched crunchy pork chop recipes, but I didn't like any one recipe I saw.   So, as usual, I took the best of each recipe and came up with my own!  This recipe was a hit with my family and so easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 Boneless Pork Chops
• 1 Egg and 1 teaspoon of milk
• 1 Cup Herb Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• Salt, Pepper and whatever spices you like on your chops to taste.  I use Rosemary and Thyme
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the thick white fat off the pork chops, cutting carefully around the outside edge. Lay the chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet beat them until the meaty part of the chop is about half as thick.
3. Beat the egg in a shallow wide bowl with the salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. On a large plate or platter, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan cheese.
4. Press each of the chops into the egg mixture, coating either side. Then dip the egg covered chops into the bread crumbs, covering them evenly.
5. Place in a shallow pan lined with tin foil and drizzle the melted butter over the coated pork chops.
6. Bake in the oven at 400 for 30-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

 

 

Baby's First Circus!

Finally!!!  The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in the Philadelphia area in February.  We are taking Mason to the circus for the first time ever as part of his birthday present.   He is turning 4 in April and thought he is old enough to finally enjoy the show.  Bad news for me, I missed out on this great offer...

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^®  Baby’s First Circus program.  This is for parents of newborns - up to 12 months old and living in the continental United States.

When You Sign Up You'll Receive:

• A ticket voucher, which will arrive by mail, that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any
  Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!
• You'll also be able to print a very special commemorative certificate, that you can personalize with your child's name!

For older kids, you can sign them up and you will be able to print a free personalized Ringling Bros. commemorative certificate for them also.

Although I missed this great offer for Mason, I already signed Amanda up for her first circus!  Head on over and sign up too.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Free Printables!

Who doesn't know Dr. Martin Luther Kings' great "I Have A Dream" speech?  This year, Martin Luther King Day will be celebrated on January 21, 2013. 

Below are some free printables to help teach your children learn about tolerance and Dr. King's struggle for peace and equal rights through non-violent protest.


Click HERE for free printables including word searches, vocabulary sheets, crossword puzzles, coloring pages and more from homeschooling.about.com

Click HERE for free printables including posters, poems and more from activityvillage.com

Click HERE for free coloring pages from coloringpages101.com

Click HERE for free printables from apples4theteacher.com

Click HERE for free printables, lesson plans and activities from theteacherscorner.net

Click HERE for free printables, word searches, quizzes, and more from enchantedlearning.com

Click HERE for free printable worksheets and puzzles from teach-nology.com

Click HERE for free lesson plans, worksheets, activities, clip art and more from teacherplanet.com

Click HERE for free printables from abcteach.com

Puffy Paint

Mason loves to paint, especially with his hands.  I have been looking for new kinds of paint to try with him, something with a different texture than regular paint.  This simple puffy paint recipe seems just right!  It is great too, since most people will have all the ingredients needed for this recipe on hand.

Yields about 1.5 cups of paint

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons poster or tempura paint

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together
2. Paint and have fun!

Merci Chocolate Review and Giveaway #MeaningfulMerci (Closed)

 

Ah, the holidays.  What do you give or have on hand as a nice present if someone unexpectedly drops by the house?  I don't know about you, but we usually have a box or two of chocolates wrapped and ready to go.  How can you go wrong, really?  So, when asked to review a box of Merci chocolates, I could not refuse. (My job is really tough sometimes.) 

I am overly impressed with these delicious chocolates! Merci chocolates are probably the best chocolates I have ever tasted. They are a European chocolate that are made in Germany.  I found these chocolates to be smooth and creamy, not too rich or overly sweet. The assortment of flavors offered was nice, too. There are 7 flavors, each one with a creamy filling inside: Milk Chocolate, Coffee and Cream, Hazelnut-Almond, Hazelnut-Cream, Dark Cream, Dark Mousse, and Praline Cream. 

When choosing a box of chocolates, I usually go with the variety pack.  But, I always find that there are weird nougats or cream filled candies that no one wants to eat.  These usually get hard or melt and wind up in the trash.  I can assure you that none of my Merci chocolates will be trashed.

What did I really like about Merci chocolates?  I like that each stick of chocolate is individually wrapped with the flavor clearly marked on the wrapper.  No more wondering who picked up a chocolate, smooshed in the center, and put it back.  Each stick of chocolate is also divided into two pieces, making it easy to break apart.  I didn't feel cheated when eating these chocolates either.  After eating the first half of chocolate, I was satisfied, When I realized that I still had the other half to eat, I didn't have to feel guilty about going back for seconds!

Merci chocolates also have a guarantee with each box: Merci states that their chocolates are "produced under the strictest quality control and should reach you in perfect condition.  If you are not entirely satisfied with the product, you can return the box and its contents".  There is also an expiration date printed on each box to maintain the best possible taste of the chocolate. 

Merci chocolates would be great for a present this holiday season.  Whether you are looking for a present for someone else, or a little treat for yourself, you won't go wring with picking up a box of Merci chocolates.

We have one box of Merci Chocolate to give to one lucky Mama Cheaps reader!
Enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget HERE.



Thank you to Merci for providing a box of chocolates for review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Softsoap Scentsations Holiday Scented Body Wash Review

Ah, one of my favorite types of reviews to complete....body wash.  If you are a busy parent, you will understand what having 5 minutes to yourself is like.  Besides being almost non-existent, time to yourself to relax is great for your overall well being.  When I do get those rare moments of peace to myself, I like to make sure I can indulge in one way or another.  Whether is be a great new hair product, or in this case, body wash.

I love to use body wash in the shower.  I find that soap alone not only dries my skin out, but leaves me feeling cheated.  I don't know if it is the refreshing scents or the moisturizing I crave but, for me, using body wash is a simple indulgence that will go a long way when facing a long day.

I was so excited to try Softsoap brand Scentsations limited edition body washes.  This was just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit!  Softsoap has created two amazing seasonal scents: Wintermint Wonderland and Enchanting Sugar Plum.

I first tried Wintermint Wonderland.  Wintermint Wonderland is a pure white pearlescent formula that is moisture rich.  I wasn't sure how I felt about using a minty scented body wash, but once the wintermint scent hit my senses, I changed my opinion.  I was immediately relaxed by the minty smell that, for me, was reminiscent of the Christmas nougats I ate as a child.  Plus, this formula left my skin feeling soft and smooth!

I then tried Softsoap's Enchanting Sugar Plum.  This Enchanting Sugar Plum body wash will fill your shower with an amazing scent of festive berries.  This body wash is formulated with suspended moisture beads to help skin stay soft and supple.  I loved the rich lather that left my skin feeling extra soft.  My skin was moisturized, far from that dry feeling that bar soap leaves me. 

Softsoap Wintermint Wonderland and Enchanting Sugar Plum are only available for a limited time at Walmart.  Each bottle retails for about $3.48.


We were provided with a sample of the products reviewed above in order to facilitate the review. All opinions are 100% our own.