recipe: french toast casserole

Like most casseroles, this recipe is quite a simple one to make. It is delicious and yields big results. Just make sure that you set aside a lot of resting time for the bread to soak up the ingredients. Feel free to use the recipe for my favourite bread, or you can choose to buy your own loaf!

French Toast Casserole with Berries

Ingredients:

1 loaf Emory’s Favourite Whole Wheat Bread
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk, any kind
1/4 cup syrup, any kind
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen), sliced
1 cup blueberries
4 tbsp unsalted butter
Powdered sugar, to sprinkle

Steps:

1. Grease an oblong casserole dish (approximately 9” x 13”) with butter.

2. Take a loaf of bread and cut it into cubes. Place cubes evenly in casserole dish.

3. In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Whisk or beat with an electric mixer until mixture is homogenous. Then pour onto bread cubes, making sure you get every one. Top with berries and add dollops of butter. Cover with tin foil and put in refrigerator for about 4 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove casserole from fridge and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes with foil on, then remove it and bake for another 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven, and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into pieces and place on plates. Feel free to add as much syrup to your dish as you please!

Emory

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recipe: homemade potato chips

These potato chips are so easy to make and taste ah-mazing. I will say that they are a bit time-consuming (as you can only cook a few chips at a time), but do require so little ingredients and steps. Their smell will bring up happy memories of fair food. Pair with the homemade hot dogs buns and you’ve got yourself a winning dish!

Homemade Potato Chips

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes
2 litres ice water
5 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3 cups oil, any kind

Steps:

1. Using a slicer or a very sharp knife, slice the potatoes into the smallest pieces possible. Put into a large bowl, adding the ice water and 3 tsp of salt. Let soak for 30 minutes-1 hour.

2. Heat a large skillet with oil over medium heat. After soaking the potatoes, pat dry. Very carefully drop the slices into the oil and cover with a lid so as not to burn yourself. They should begin to deep fry. Continue to move them around with a large spoon or spatula. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes on each side or until they are browned. Remove them from the oil, pat them dry, and top with salt and pepper. Serve once they have cooled!

Emory

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6 tips for planning a summer home renovation

A summer renovation is just the thing that a home needs after a long winter. People can fix things outside and inside their home as people enjoy the fresh, clean, summer air. If you are planning a renovation, they are probably looking for some tips on the best way to get things done. 

Here are 5 best tips for planning your summer home renovation. 

Start in the Early summer 

Upgrades and renovations that take place outside are ideal for summer renovations. People can soak in the sun and fresh air while crossing some things off of their to-do list. The earlier in the summer people start, the more motivated people will be to complete their list. 

It is also important to have a comprehensive list of things to do. The best thing to do is to check your home thoroughly to spot any unsatisfactory parts. Before making any additions or improvements, you can even fix the lasting problems you have been procrastinating on. For example, the leaking faucet, noisy fridge or shaking dryer. Simply give a local appliance repair company a call to fix any issue right away.  

Consider the Style 

Making changes to your home is exciting, but you also need to make sure that any new changes are consistent with your current style. Or if you want to completely change your home style, you need to make sure that everything matches it. For example, the color is the one of the most obvious factors you can think of. If you plan to get a custom drape for your living room, you want to make sure it matches your new flooring or ceiling tiles. So does other furniture in your living room.  

Order Materials and Labor in Advance 

Renovations take place across multiple stages and the earlier people start planning, the more prepared they will be. It takes time to pick out a contractor and get materials delivered. To make sure people have everything set up and ready to go by the time they want to start their project, people will want to book these things months in advance. The good part is that there are promotions or deals from all kinds of stores like flooring stores or window companies. You can take advantage of them before they go away.  

This is also important when it comes to permits. For example, if people want to build a fence, they might need a permit from the city. These take time to get approved, so file in advance. 

Research Contractors 

We’ve all heard stories of people hiring contractors that take their money and do an awful job, or completely flake. To avoid this, homeowners will want to spend plenty of time researching the person people are going to hire. Read reviews of other people who have hired them to get a feel of how they work.  

Consider Return on Investment 

When people are thinking about any kind of renovation, it is important to consider the return on investment. Even if selling their home is not on their list at the moment, people should consider how the renovation will increase the value of their home. 

Consider Budget 

Budget is extremely important to consider before people start their renovation. people will need to think about every task that will be completed so people can create an accurate budget for the project. Keep in mind that people might want to paint, replace doorknobs, or resurfacing their cabinets.  

Another point that people may ignore is that the budgeting is only related to the projects itself, and it is more related to the overall expenses of the family. You need to take into account any possible big expenses like family vacations or clear teeth aligners for kids, etc.  

Taking on projects by themselves will save people money, leaving people more room in their budget for the actual renovations. 

** This was a contributed post.

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recipe: strawberry crumb muffins

Strawberry Crumb Muffins
(Makes 1 dozen large muffins, or 1.5 dozen medium muffins)

A three-part recipe that is a little more time consuming than your average muffin, it is the perfect addition to any summer (or fall) outing or get-together. They are moist and sweet (but not overly), and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. That’s a win in my book!

Ingredients: 

For the topping
½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, room temperature

For the muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 cups strawberries, chopped

For the icing
(depending on how thick you would like it- this is quite thin)
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
¾ tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. For the topping- combine all four ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until consistency is very breakable. Set aside.

2. For the muffins- preheat oven to 400°F. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix well.

3. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Then gently fold in the dry flour ingredients. Finally, add the strawberries and stir until just combined.

4. Divide the batter among 12 (or 18) well-greased muffin cups. Then top each one with the crumb topping. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until evenly cooked through. Let cool before transferring to a rack.

5. For the icing- combine all ingredients and mix until the icing is as thick as you would like it. (The runnier the glaze, the easier it is to drizzle!) Then spread over each cooled muffin.

The muffins should be eaten soon after baking. Store them in a fridge in an airtight container up to 5 days. Can be frozen, thawed, and eaten as well!

Emory

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zara haul

With small children, the turn of the season usually means an almost entirely new wardrobe. Remy is nowhere near fitting into last year’s spring and summer clothes. At age 2 and wearing 3T, I didn’t have one item of clothing that she could wear on days that were above 0!

This year, I decided to not only buy a few pieces from Zara, but to buy her entire wardrobe from there. I wasn’t feeling very well when she needed clothes for warmer weather, and really didn’t feel like zipping around the city in search of cute wears. Zara had free expedited shipping (and free returns), so I really couldn’t say no to that!

Here are some of Remy’s new clothes:

1. Embroidered Dungarees

2. Jersey Two Piece Set

3. Anchor Striped Swimsuit

4. Smiley Face Parka

5. Checked Jumpsuit

6. Floral Jumpsuit

7. T-shirt with Ruffles

8. Ruffled Trousers

9. Jacquard Dress

10. Triangle Print Leggings

11. Linen Bermuda Shorts

12. Frilled Sleeve Dress

13. Leather Boots (I also bought a checked shoe- as seen in the photos- but cannot find them on the website! These I purchased later, and Remy likes them a lot more.)

What are your favourite stores to shop at for children’s items?

Emory

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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