kabocha & maple caramel baked french toast

I’ve been mostly working from home in these last couple of weeks before the home stretch, but went in to the office last week to wrap up loose ends, take home all the heels that I totally forgot about for the last six months, and to do fun things like meet with my pro bono clients, who got all the adoptive funding we requested! It did mean that that hearing didn’t end up happening, but when it’s because we got everything we asked for, that’s okay with me.  To be clear, I think our happy outcome had everything to do with (1) my clients being wonderful parents with the sweetest daughter who really deserved it, (2) the other side really wanting to postpone the hearing, and (3) me really not wanting to postpone the hearing because hey guys, I have a biological baby deadline, and nothing to do with any lawyering I did.  But in a job where most of the time I represent (or, help people senior to me help partners senior to them represent) clients in long, drawn-out matters with things at stake that sometimes feel more abstract than real, helping parents get funding for their sunny, sweet nine-year-old, and getting this thank-you card, was about the best cap on starting maternity leave that I could ask for.

Other than that, I’ve hanging out at home! Technically still “working,” though I think most folks are a little scared to give me work at this point and I find myself spending more time getting distracted by the new waffle maker we didn’t need but I definitely bought than doing anything productive, but, you know, then at least I have waffles.  When not waffling, I’ve also been revisiting some of my favorite things and seeing if I can make them more hands-off, or freezable — or both!  And this baked French toast is, to my endless delight, one of them.  To be honest, I’d take any excuse to come back to this pumpkin French toast after I made a stovetop version last year.  I’m a fan of French toast in any incarnation, sweet or savory, but with a bit of pumpkin (or in this case, my favorite stand-in, kabocha) and some fall spices to turn it into a custardy, pumpkin-pie-French-toast love child, it was one of my favorite things that I’d ever made — and that version, already plenty easy and perfect for when you want an instant hit of pumpkin-y deliciousness, might just be even better baked.  The thing I love about French toast is its ability to revive stale bread into an even more perfect version of its fresh self, and I think a baked casserole is even better for that — snappy on the outside, doughy, chewy, and soft within, with pockets of custard throughout.  You throw it all into a pan the night before, bake it, hands-off, in the morning, and if you have leftovers, they’re ready to be sliced up and frozen for a quick breakfast (or midnight) treat after that.  With a dollop of lightly sweetened Greek yogurt (because you know, then it’s healthy) and the quickest, easiest maple caramel sauce (which might technically be a butterscotch) drizzled on top, it’s pretty much my ideal fall breakfast.  And if you have any more pumpkin puree left on your hands after you’re done, Sara over at Cake Over Steak and Aimee at Twigg Studios organized the most mind-blowing round-up of pumpkin recipes to use all of that (and more) up!  You can find all the links on their lovely  blogs.

I hope you’re all having the coziest start to your fall!