Merry Christmas.....

My son is going to his father's for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...I believe the last time he was not with me on Christmas Eve and Morning was when he was 5 years old and he flew out to Arkansas with his father to spend it out there with his father's family - and came home with an arm in a cast.  Hopefully he and his father will stay away from trampolines this Christmas.

I will be spending Christmas Eve making my "Christmas" Banana Walnut Stuffed French Toast for tomorrow's "Adopted" Family Christmas Breakfast Gathering.  When I went out to my car this morning to leave for work, I found two loaves of French Bread hanging on my car door... I'd have to say that someone (my BFF) is definitely looking forward to my breakfast contribution!!!  The knowing I'm going to make something everyone will enjoy, as well as, be with a group of crazy, fun people and lots of screaming children (OY VEY) on Christmas morning, will hopefully bring in the Christmas Spirit ... because I kind of seriously lost it the day before yesterday.  

The best gift I could get for Christmas right now is pictures texted to me on Christmas morning from my brother of my nephew opening the boxes that contain my gifts to him and his amazement and joy!!!  That would make the world right for me....

So... what is my "Christmas" Banana Walnut Stuffed French Toast, you ask?

A Buttered Casserole Dish

Day Old French Bread cut in cubes 

3 Ripe Bananas sliced/diced and tossed around on the bread cubes

Topped with a custard made of:

8 Eggs

1 cup Half n Half

1/2 cup of milk

cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla

Then drizzle Real Maple Syrup over that....

Then, a crumble like topping made of:

Brown Sugar, Vanilla, 1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts, and butter to make a crumble

that you dollop here and there

Cover the casserole dish with tin foil - put in fridge overnight - when you wake up - you pop it in the oven at 375 - and cook for an hour, or until you pass the clean knife test.... if it starts to brown too much when cooking, you cover it with tin foil... when it is done... cut it in squares and serve - it's really a bread pudding... but some people really have an aversion to the name "Bread Pudding" - so if you call it stuffed french toast - they all eat it....

It's way too rich to eat a lot of.... just a tiny little square will do....

Winter Wonderland - Thanksgiving Vacation with Family

It was lovely and warm when we arrived in New England... Upstate New York/Massachusetts border... welcomed by Mom.... and then Brother, Sis-in-Law, and Baby arrived the next day... and we woke up the day before Thanksgiving with flurries, and my Brother swearing we were in for some real snow... We went and visited Martin Van Buren's home but I did not have clothes/boots to travel in the snow to go up to it... so I was only able to see just the outside of it through the trees.....

We had a nice time visiting, but the time flew by and we were back to driving home..... 

Now we are back in Florida where the sun is shining... it's not that warm at the moment (highs 65 - lows 40)... but it's beautiful - my favorite time of year and what keeps me here in Florida - the incredible and wonderful winter weather!  No Shoveling.....

November 21-23rd - The Beginning of the Quest for Fun

Friday Night, November 21st– our quest for fun went smashingly well.  First night off the highway spent in North Carolina, outside of Fayetteville, and we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.  They were  pretty full and the only Non-Smoking room was a King room – the bed was incredibly comfortable, and I never even knew the kid was sharing it with me… we seemed miles apart.  The shower was spanking clean, had great water pressure, and I left that hotel feeling that it was a sign of things even better to come.

We made it to Antietam National Battlefield late Saturday afternoon, with enough sunlight and time to allow us to see most of it.  We drove down Bloody Lane and saw all the monuments to each of the battalions that fought… the sun was just starting to lower/set and it gave off that gloomy light, so we left with a sad and heavy heart knowing that more than 20,000 men died on that exact site on one day – brothers fighting brothers – terribly sad indeed.

Well, sadness did not fit into our plan, so we got back into the quest for fun, and hit the road to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  We took these tiny country highways that felt like you were riding on a roller coaster, past farms, up and down hills and dales, it was incredibly beautiful!!!  When we stopped in the small towns for a “pit stop”, we were greeted with nothing but friendliness and warmth of that American charm we take for granted most of the time.  By the time it was very dark, we arrived at the hotel.  It was everything and more than what was expected.

Our room was in the old part, 4 floors up, facing the roundabout, with a fireplace, a nice big chair and ottoman to sit in front of the fire… the room was clean, very spacious, and there was a huge spa tub (no time for trying out a jacuzzi).  A beautiful restaurant and bar downstairs in the lobby, though it was packed because of a wedding and the hotel was full of wedding guests.  But – no disturbances, no problems, I’d recommend staying here...

We ate at the Pub across the street… I wish we had taken the advice of people on websites regarding the Pub – it said to skip eating in the restaurant area and stay in the bar area – the bartenders were phenomenal – but the restaurant was lacking that same warmth and service of the bar.  I did have delicious crab soup!!!!

Gettysburg National Battlefield – we picked up our tour guide at 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 23^rd, and spent 2 hours with him behind the wheel of my car – where he drove us through the battlefields, the town, he pointed out houses that are still standing and riddled in gunshots/bullet holes, and even one large mansion with a canon ball stuck in it… he told us of the battles in a way that we could just sit there and imagine exactly what was happening… it was definitely phenomenal and worth spending your money on!!!!  My son was thrilled – this was his birthday gift – his very own private guide.