Pumpkin Pie French Toast

So, who’s seen enough pumpkin this month?

Anyone getting tired of it yet?

Because I could just keep this lovely plate of deliciousness all to myself!

But I’m going to venture to say that there are at least a few of you out there who aren’t already sporting an orangish glowย just yet, so please, allow me to introduce you to…

Your new favorite French toast recipe! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

By: Heather @ย Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: fry breakfast high fiber vegetarian eggs pumpkin puree whole wheat bread maple syrup fall

Ingredients (Serves 1)

  • 2 whole eggs (or 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites for a lighter version)
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tablespoon milk of choice
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter
  • 2-3 slices whole wheat bread (I used this low calorie bread so I had 3 slices)

Instructions

1. Set a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add butter to melt.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, extracts, spices, and milk and whisk well.
3. Transfer mixture to a shallow dish and allow bread slices to soak* (30 secs – 1 minute) before transferring to pan to cook.
4. Cook each side approximately 5 minutes or until brown and crispy.
5. Plate and top with pumpkin butter, nut butter, cranberries, walnuts, and/or maple syrup.

*The trick to making PERFECT French toast is allowing the bread enough time to really soak up your egg mixture…don’t dip…SOAK! You’ll thank me later! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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While in St. Louis, my friend,ย Eric, had mentioned that French toast was the ONE breakfast from his childhood that he always looked forward to the most. Since I’d already blown his mind (his words, not mine) with the Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes, it only made sense to see if I could wow his tastebuds with a French toast version!

And we were BOTH fans! The pumpkin flavor was spot on. The buttery crisp crust was the perfect complement and the addition of the maple extract really took it to a whole new level.

Seriously, you HAVEย got to make this!

And for all my no egg eaters out there…try my VEGAN version!

I topped mine with a big spoonful of pumpkin puree, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans and then added a drizzle of pure maple syrup post photo!

Mmmmmm!

What’s the one breakfast you remember most from your childhood?

What do ya say? Had enough pumpkin?
Because I may still have a few ideas! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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What I Ate in St. Louis

Hey guys!

As I promised in yesterday’s recap post, today is ALL about the eats…

Delicious, St. Louis eats!

Join me in shouting a big THANK YOU to Jenn for hosting our favorite weekly celebration…and once you finish drooling over what I’ve got to show you, head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out all the other delicious link ups! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Like I said, I got in to St. Louis on Friday night…a bit late due to some traffic…so I was grateful that Eric had planned on a quiet night in. Before my trip, he had mentioned the famous St. Louis-style pizza that was a must-try so when he called and asked what I was in the mood for for dinner, there was absolutely no thinking required!

He ordered a deluxe from the must-eat pizza place in St. Louis…Imo’s Pizza!

Sausage, mushroom, onion, green pepper, BACON, and cheese!

Check out that bacon would ya! It’s like a whole strip!

That was my plate…times THREE! ๐Ÿ˜€

Had I known he had plans for dessert, I totally wouldn’t have had that third slice, but hey, there’s ALWAYS room for ice cream, right?

Or should I say frozen custard, or “concrete” as everybody calls them!

Ted Drewesย was just like I expected but I was a bit overwhelmed with all their choices! In the end decided to go with the “Southern Delight” (vanilla custard with pralines and butterscotch) while Eric went with the “Moolicious” (marshmallow custard with Oreos)

His was better! ๐Ÿ˜‰

The next morning, after we had drooled over everything at the farmer’s market, Eric decided to cash in his one request of my visit…

Pancakes!

I’m sorry, make those Pumpkin PECAN Pancakes!

Recipe coming Sunday!…Oh the agony of having to wait SO long!!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

ย After a LONG day of walking around the art museum and the zoo (all I have to say is it’s a good thing I had an emergency stash of bars in my bag), we went to one of Eric’s favorite sushi places,ย Nippon Tei,ย for dinner.

We started out with a FREE edamame appetizer, miso soup,
and this seriously impressive house salad!

With cucumber, zucchini, peppers, carrots, and pickled radish with ginger dressing.

That came in the CUTEST little cup!

Eric ordered two rolls, an eel and a Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, they skimped on the eel…it was mostly rice. ๐Ÿ™

I contemplated my options and decided to go with one BIG roll…the Zen!

Crab, asparagus, and lobster topped with either salmon, tuna, white fish, or avocado, and lemon slices and roe.

The lemon slices were the perfect touch!

It was Heaven on a plate!ย 

Later that night, we went out for a few drinks.

I ordered the chocolate martini and loved it but then saw that they had a
PUMPKIN MARTINIย and I got super excited!
Well, it ended up tasting AWFUL (sad face) so I traded it in for an espresso martini instead which was just ok.

You win some, you waste 8 bucks onย lose some!

After a late night, which involved some SNL and leftover cold pizza noshing (cold pizza is the BEST!), we woke up a bit late on Sunday. While Eric would have been perfectly happy to have another plate of pumpkin pecan pancakes, I felt it was my responsibility to expand his knowledge of pumpkin-flavored breakfasts…

Pumpkin Pie French Toast, anyone?

Recipe coming tomorrow!…Ohhh, I’m killing you aren’t I? ๐Ÿ˜‰

After that we were off for our tour of the brewery and our claustrophobic trip to the top of the arch! We were going to head over to Pappy’s for some real St. Louis BBQ, but sadly, we had JUST missed them. We tried a couple of other places, but out of sheer ridiculousness, most everybody was closed at 4pm on Sunday.

Except for Mom’s Deli!

We both got their most popular, Mom’s Special…turkey, ham, and roast beef with lettuce, pickles, onion, tomato, and their house-made thousand island…on whole wheat French bread.

It may not look like much, but this was a pretty ballin’ sandwich!

And the leftover half tasted even better once I got home, popped it under the broiler, and threw some sauerkraut on it! Hmm, reuben/cold cut mashup? ๐Ÿ˜‰

Whew! I just made myself hungry!

What’s the best thing you ate during your last vacation?

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Restaurant Review, Travel, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Comments

Meet Me in St. Louis!

Hey guys!

I hope you all had a GREAT weekend! I got in late last night from my trip to St. Louis and I have to say, I just NOW felt motivated enough to tackle the 9238658 pictures I took!

And of course, there’s no better way than a MIMM post to recap this weekend because it definitely was a MARVELOUS trip…enough touristy things to really get the feel for the city, along with some down time for relaxing and catching up with a good friend!

Be sure to head on over to Healthy Diva Eats and check out the marvelous Monday’s every one else is having!

We took it easy when I first got in on Friday night with pizza and a movie followed by some frozen custard…but you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow for those deets! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Saturday morning started with an early morning trip to the historic
Soulard Farmer’s Market!

Honestly, when we walked up to it, I didn’t have high expectations.

And then we walked inside…

They had EVERYTHING!

Fruits and veggies I’ve never even heard of (black radish?), mouth-watering baked goods, gelato (the on the right was sweet potato…yes we got a sample…yes it was DELICIOUS!), the cutest little baby donuts, and that would be Eric drooling over the display of like 10 different kinds of bacon!

But it didn’t stop there. Along with all the fresh produce, meat, and pastries, there was a whole other side…

Selling handmade jewelry, tea, homemade pasta and bread, and even a
PET SHOP!

There were also little restaurants at the center of the market, but it was much to crowded to try to get any pictures.

It was hard not to buy half the things I saw, but I ended up walking out with a new pair of sunglasses and these little beauties…

Sweet Carmine peppers and a Kuri squash
(so I can finally see what Sarah makes such a fuss about!)

Later that day, after the sun decided to come out to play, Eric took me to Forest Park.

A beautiful setting to go with even more beautiful weather!

We drove up to the Art Museum and the view from the top was even better!

Once inside the museum, I got trigger happy with Big Bertha…the ADHD child within me was in pure ecstasy!

So many styles of art from so many places and SO many eras!

Eric’s favorite exhibit.

I want that coffee table!

Hey, I did say “child” ๐Ÿ˜‰

We oh-ed and aw-ed at everything…and then we snuck into that wardrobe and traveled to Narnia!

Also known as the zoo! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Even though I JUST went to the Nashville zoo last weekend, I’m glad we went to the one in St. Louis because it totally trumped Nashville! They had so many more animals and most of the exhibits were smaller so your chances of seeing the animal up close was much better. We were actually a little nervous about that camel spitting on us…but that could’ve been because Eric wouldn’t quit singing “my lovely lady lumps” ๐Ÿ˜‰

Plus, there weren’t any random peacock sightings in the concession areas in Nashville!
I think he thinks he’s a chameleon!

The next day, after a late breakfast, we headed out for a beer…

TOUR that is!

The tour guides were great and I really learned a lot during the tour…and let me tell you, it smelled absolutely AMAZING in and around the factory…mmm, hops!

Oh and yeah, we got our beer too!ย 

Then we were off to see the wizard the Gateway Arch! Whew, I swear I only had half a beer! ๐Ÿ˜‰

I’ve always thought the Arch to be a great work of art, but when you’re actually standing next to it, looking up at it’s massiveness, it really does take your breath away!

And even though the ride to the top was a little umm, not what I expected…

FIVE seats in a FOURxFOUR metal bubble…

The ultimate test of claustrophobia…

It was totally worth it to see the view from the top!

Did you know that the Gateway Arch is the tallest monument in the United States? Well, you do now! Just remember me should you ever win big on some trivia game with that one…I’ll take a check! ๐Ÿ˜‰

After that, we grabbed some grub and I hit the road for my FIVE hour journey home…ugh, WHY does it always feel like it takes longer to get home?!

Have you ever been to St. Louis?

Have you ever seen the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis“?
Next to the obvious, BEST Judy Garland movie ever!

Posted in MIMM, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments