french bulldogs

Spring!!! Spring!!! Spring!!!

I can barely contain my excitement with Spring’s arrival.

It’s beautiful in the mornings and the late afternoon is great when I leave work. The nights are warmer now so we have been driving to the next town to go to the beach. It’s great to be out in the fresh salt air getting a bit of exercise right next to the waves. Autumn usually sleeps in the carrier Price wears and I have Kemper, who gets slobbery and sandy. I like to ask Price where the people are coming from when the planes fly low overhead on their approach to Logan Airport. He makes it up on the spot but it’s fun to imagine going there and taking the same trip over the beach looking down at other people walking their dogs. Moments like that are why I love Spring so much.

Oh, and the flowers. We can’t forget the flowers!

I’m really hoping that the bulbs I had in the front yard (technically our neighbor’s yard but she let’s me plant there) survived this horrible winter. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the lilies I planted. Thankfully the Pieris japonica (Lily-of-the-valley bush) and mini rose-bush I planted last year appear to have made it.

It will still be awhile until things bloom outside, but in the meantime I can enjoy the beautiful roses that Musselman’s & FTD sent me. Earlier this week a The Color Your Day with Laughter™ Mini Rose Plant arrived and ever since it has been brightening up our dining table.

The rose buds are still pretty tightly closed but some are opening up. While that be disappointed to get a green bush without any roses in bloom, I think that is the best! It means that I get to see each one open up and the flowers last longer. More time to enjoy the bright pink flowers. Love.

Now is the best time to treat someone you love (or even yourself!) with a flower arrangment. FTD is giving my readers $10 off select flower arrangements. Check out the flowers here!

Anyway, let’s get to the yummy stuff featured in this post…

French Toast Roll-Ups!

These are wonderful, yummy breakfast treats. Quick to assemble, packed for flavor, and easy to eat. You can dip them into the usual maple syrup but the cream cheese based dipping sauce is so good.

I know Autumn is a long, long ways away form helping me in the kitchen but I think this would be a great kid’s recipe. They can help you roll out the bread, spread some apple butter on the bread and roll it up. I’m sure dunking them in the french toast batter would be fun for them too. Plus, I’m sure kids woul dhave fun dunking the french toast roll-ups into the dipping sauce. yum!

At work, we take turns bringing in breakfast on Friday’s. My turn is coming up in a few weeks and I am planning on making these guys because the recipe is super easy to multiply (or even halve), they are easy prepare so a large batch will be a synch, and easy to transport. I am planning on preparing them really early that morning, but I think they will be just as good to make the night before and then they can be reheated in the microwave at work.

Grab a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and make a batch of these. They are just so good!

French Toast Roll-Ups

Makes 16 roll-ups

Ingredients

• 16 slices of white sandwich bread
• 1 Cup of Musselman’s Apple Butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 Cup milk
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon water

For the dipping sauce

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 Cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
• 1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk

Process

To prepare the roll-ups

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease well to prevent the rolls ups from sticking to the pan.
2. Using a rolling-pin, flatten a slice of bread to about half of its’ original thickness.
3. Spread roughly 1 Tablespoon of apple butter evenly on the bread. Roll up with the apple butter side inward. Set aside, with the seam side down. Repeat with the remaining bread.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dip each roll-up into the egg mixture to complete coat it, then shake off the excess batter. Place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven, brush the top side with melted butter, flip each roll, then brush the bottoms with butter. (If they stick, gently use a spatula to loosen them.) Leave the bottom side up and bake another 10 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, add the sugar and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon. When the roll-ups are done baking, roll each one in the mixture. Serve warm with dipping sauce (below).

To prepare the dipping sauce

1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together cream cheese and apple butter until there is a smooth consistency.
2. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth and then beat in the milk. Set aside to use later.

Sourced from Musselman’s

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 And now the good stuff… the GIVEAWAY!

You can win a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter and some recipe cards.

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite things about spring is.

Contest Ends Sunday, April 13th at Midnight EST.

Good luck but if you don’t win be sure to go to your jam/jelly aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter!

And don’t forget to order flowers from FTD!! Save $10!!

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*This blog contains sponsored content. While I did receive complimentary products from Musselman’s and FTD, these opinions are entirely my own.

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