Orange Marscapone Cream Baked French Toast

The first time I cooked for Adam, I made pasta....and the pasta was not done....and I struggled, even with clearly written recipes time after time.

12 years later I, too, dream of a summer in the Hamptons, gardening, polishing up my Spanish, and enjoying Ina Garten as a neighbor....

A little creation I enjoyed enough to share...buen apetito!




6 small french bread loaves or 1 large french bread loaf
4 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c half and half or heavy whipping cream
2 tbs cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Cut bread into 4ths for each small loaf or about 16 slices for large loaf. Liberally butter a 9x13 baking pan and place slices into pan (smoosh them together if you need to). Combine other 4 ingredients and pour over bread. Your 9x13 should be almost full and your slices should be about 3/4 submerged. Cover with foil and chill in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, carefully pour or ladle off some of the excess liquid (if it isn't all soaked into the bread).

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

1 stick of butter
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c honey

During the 20 minute cook time, melt 3 ingredients above together in saucepan on cooktop. Bring just to a bubble. Pour over french toast.

Cook all for another 20 minutes.

THIS IS IMPORTANT, depending on how soaked your bread got, it could take an additional 20-40 minutes to bake through good. You may have to drain liquid off during cooking to get your toast to the consistency you want. Ultimtately, you want a golden crunch to your exterior and a soft fluff to your interior (but cooked!)

1/2 c mascarpone cream
grated orange rind
freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 to 1 c powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients using a beater to desired consistency and sweetness. Add more sugar for sweetness and more juice for a thinner drizzle.

Plate your french toast and drizzle with the cream (put some extra cream on the side, you'll want it!) Top with toasted pecans if desired.

If you want this fancy, curl some orange rind to top or sprinle with more cinnamon.....OR candy your pecans ahead of time.

This was my "special breakfast" to end the holiday weekend! Onward to Christmas we go........

Born on the cusp in the month of November.....

They were born together...Ben at 8:04 (roughly on the dot) and Alya about 30-40 seconds later, also, technically at 8:04. She has her own birth time - 8:05.

There is an ultrasound photo floating around in a memoir box that shows Ben head butting Alya in the ass. I like to think it was a moment captured in time that was payback for whatever she was doing to him in utero. If you are in touch with your body at all and have given birth to a child, you had a suspicion about that child's personality before they were born. We nailed ours.

Adam likes to think the children disspell all theories of astrology. I think it is simply stated that Ben is a Sagittarius and Alya is a Scorpio. If you are unsure, look them up....

Ben is a fun kid. He is happy and goofy and always looking for fun. He is sensitive and thoughtful and bright. He loves nothing more than doing math on the calculator and reading books. Ben is easy to please. He is always willing to snuggle and love. He is very expressive and articulate. He is slightly extroverted and motivated to find solutions to problems. I can always count on Ben to do what I ask, to be dependable, and to follow instructions. He is also the supreme goofball. I'd say he is all boy, but he isn't much of a runner or jumper or climber....and aren't those stereotypical "boy" characteristics. Ben is a lover, not a fighter...if anything sums him up, it's that.









Alya is as unique as her name. You never know what you are going to get. Everything in Alya's world occurs on her terms and by her coditions. When she loves, it is deeply and sweetly, and when she is mad, she is explosive. Alya is a beautiful, free-spirited child. She is more relaxed and less structured than her brother. Alya loves to go with the flow of things and just be in the moment. She is very introverted and will cautiously watch a group before joining in (if she joins in). She adores her brother and depends on him for a lot of her social interaction. Alya loves animals and nature and has a true passion for all living things. She is a girly girl, adores dresses and being a princess.












Ben and Alya are a perfect mix. The do have a bond that in unique to anything I have ever seen between siblings. I guess you never truly understand a twin bond until you see it in action every day. They love each other so much. We love them so much. Being blessed with them both, so very unique and different - having those distinct personalities to love and enjoy is such a wonderful, wonderful experience...every.single.day.

5 years have passed...ever so quickly...and we've gotten to know Ben and Alya ever so well, and, I am thankful beyond words for what we've shared and for what lies ahead.

Ben will always make sure the balloons don't fly away...



Alya will always share love on her terms.....




They'll always make each other laugh..



And they'll always be able to get in touch with their inner most goofy selves thanks to having someone objectively, unconditionally love them no matter what...their twin brother and sister (and mommy and daddy)....but sincerely, how nice to have someone their age who loves them ever so much who they can bounce ideas off of, and be themselves with...it just seems like the greatest thing ever....or maybe watching it as a mommy is the greatest thing ever. All I know is I feel a love and a joy when I am with them that nothing can ever touch.



And now we must go, for gifts have been opened and sprinkle doughnuts devoured and they are tiring of their games. Off we go to celebrate....

London

I got this in the mail and felt it was inappropriate. How many people did this get by before they mailed it to everyon in America?


I had to delete the rest of this post. Sorry. It was good.

Severed Hand

There is a miniature Adam Landingham (aka Ben, aka Brown, aka Benja Ninja) standing at the foot of the recliner offering kisses. I took as many as I could get. I asked him if he'd get in my lap and waller and snuggle. He won't.

Ahhh...just.like.his.father.

You know why I think this union has lasted 12 years? I'll give you some theories...just theories...but here we go:

1. We both sort of dislike physical affection. I know....TMI...well, not really, when there is no "I" to offer :) Now, obviously a marriage cannot be great and last without there being chemistry, and, I do not deny the chemistry we have, but, that is private, and not blog worthy, and I'll ask my closest girlfriends not to make any funny remarks here or on Facebook, because, yes, I know we've made some good jokes and nicknames, but that stays in the loop. Capice? Besides, I've almost written enough here to get an agitated look from Adam when he reads this. The thing is, we do not feel compelled to waller about, kiss in public, be touchy feely at all times. Bleh. That is what works for us.

2. We are antisocial. We are antisocial to the point of avoiding one another. Adam has things he enjoys, and I have things I enjoy. This means that when we have time together for us, it is for us. Otherwise you generally will not find us in the same room of the house.

3. We enjoy the same things. We like the same kind of music and movies and outdoor activites. We like to travel and eat nice meals and hang out when we can. Refer to #2. If we are going to "hang out" we generally just enjoy hanging with each other. We do have friends we enjoy a lot, but, generally, we are in our little world.

4. We like to make terrible jokes and say mean things about the world...I am sure everyone does this, but, I often think if someone was a fly on our wall, they'd think we were nuts. We have dry and odd senses of humor...Adam moreso than me...he has definitely marred my thinking over the years.

5. I am convinced Adam is the most handsome, intelligent, interesting, funny, cool, sexy man I have ever met. I have never thought differently. He just keeps improving too.

6. We have wondeful children who enrich our lives every day. We enjoy them, and we enjoy the dynamic of the four of us. I think if we could have a dream day, it'd be spent just the 4 of us in an intersting place, doing things outdoors, going to museums or markets, eating good food, and just hanging out.

RCM

I'm famous.

more

Still not all the best ones...and I have had no time for decent editing, but I will keep them coming as I can.

It's Killing Me

I need a better camera...and lens...and editing software...

But who ISN'T a photographer these days...

These aren't the pick of the bunch, nor are they edited....but these are three pictures in succession. There was an exchange between the kids, a moment of laughter, and then Alya turned to me and smiled while Ben immediately traveled off into thought.







Nikon, Olympus, Canon, Adobe Photoshop, etc....it's all good....ultimately, what counts is that I caught the moment.

Oh there are some dandy pictures in here....dandy indeed.....

Dental Appliance

Ben pronounces "REGULAR" like this: "REGLIAR" and he pronounces the word "BINOCULARS" this way: "BINOCLIARS". He also cannot enunciate the "shhh" sound properly (thanks overbite). Is it wrong of me to think this is funny and cute, and to ask him to say these words just so I can hear him do it? Is it the equivalent of my mother and grandmother taking me to department stores in the 70s, dressing me in ridiculous outfits, and laughing at me? Is it? Because so far, I have avoided antagonizing him about it.

The kids began visiting the dentist at about 10 months old. I was adamant that they go after they each had 2 teeth. They went, and I was told when they were maybe....I don't know...2...that they'd both need work done. Hm...

Alya has a cross bite which will require an appliance in a couple of years. Ben has an excessively noticeable overbite that will require braces at 11 or 12. Ben...I'm sold....Alya...I want more info. Any of you parents out there know anything about this? It seems painful, and I am not sure how necessary it is. I will, of course, ask more questions of the dentist, but, for now, I want other parents' input.

You know, when I was young, I wanted braces so badly...and glasses....but the braces are the thing here. I remember asking if I could get them and being so sad when I was told "no". One day, while I was out for my daily bike ride (sidenote here, how do 8 year old children end up so pudgy, er um, husky, even when they exercise every single day...what was I eating?) I found a piece of metal on the road. It was long and thin and cylindrical.....perfect retainer....Now, for whatever reason, I had a Crown Royal bag hanging off the front of my bicycle. I took that metal and molded it around my top teeth and curled it around the back of my molars and had myself a homemade retainer. I was so proud. I'd put it in that crown royal bag before I went inside so my mother didn't see it, because I knew having that metal in my mouth was wrong, I just did not know why.

I'm surprised the guilt didn't eat me. Maybe she figured it out before my OCD kicked in. Whatever happened, my relationship with the homemade retainer was short lived. I remember getting in trouble and feeling sad that my dental appliance was gone.

Years later I'd be given a small retainer for my front bottom teeth as I have two adult teeth that never came in (thus the huge gap between my bottom teeth).....the plastic container it is in reads: 'dental appliance'...my husband wrote 'luxurious' in front of it because he knew how special it made me feel to finally have a mouthpiece as such. I never stuck with it, though...it just hurt way too bad.

So...I know the braces are inevitable. Can I get away without stretching Alya's entire mouth roof though??? Thoughts.....