This yummy recipe is sure to make your Christmas morning even better! Enjoy!

Mascarpone-Stuffed French Toast with Salted Caramel-Banana Sauce

Makes:

6 servings

Prep:

20 mins

Chill:

2 hrs to 24 hrs

Bake:

1 hr at 375°F

Ingredients 

12 slices of Texas toast

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

½ cup of mascarpone cheese

½ cup of chopped pecans or macadamia nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons of  packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of salt

6 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups of milk

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 serving of salted caramel-banana sauce (recipe below)

Directions

1. Arrange half of the bread slices in a single layer in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bread in baking dish. Top with the remaining bread slices to make six stacks.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread stacks, covering all of the tops. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange bread stacks in the prepared pan. Bake about 1 hour or until golden, turning stacks every 15 minutes. Serve warm with salted caramel-banana sauce.

Salted Caramel-Banana Sauce

Ingredients 

¾ cup of packed brown sugar

½ cup of whipping cream

½ cup of butter

2 tablespoons of light-color corn syrup

1 teaspoon of vanilla

½ teaspoon of sea salt

1 banana

Directions

1. In a heavy medium saucepan stir together brown sugar, whipping cream, butter and light-color corn syrup. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally; reduce heat to medium. Boil gently for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and sea salt. Pour into a small bowl. Cool to room temperature. If desired, cover and chill for up to 24 hours. (If chilled, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.) Stir in banana, thinly sliced.

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Happy Holidays! Get ready to celebrate the season with new homes from Ponderosa! Enjoy this joyous time of year with family and friends in a dream place to call your very own.

Cameron Place and Ivy Lane in Pleasanton and Vinsanto II and Coventry in Livermore offer everything your growing family wants and needs in a new home – so what are you waiting for?

Visit PonderosaHomes.com for more details on these gorgeous new residences.

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Get out and about and enjoy some holiday festivities this weekend in the Bay Area!

Grab some great reads and yummy treats with Santa this weekend in San Jose! Celebrate the season at a Winter Holiday Party this Saturday at the Bascom Branch Library from 11AM to 1PM. Make a craft, receive a free book and snap a pic with jolly Old St. Nick. For more info, click here.

Sugar plums will dance through your head this weekend in Livermore! Experience the music of Tchaikovsky and the magic and wonderment of The Nutcracker, this Sunday at the Bankhead Theater at 2PM. Get tickets here.

Santa Claus is making his way to Dublin this weekend! Enjoy a scrumptious pancake breakfast and take photos with Santa at the Shannon Community Center from 8:30AM to 12PM. Register here.

Hey, superstars – groove to the tunes of a legendary band this weekend in Pleasanton! CLOSE TO YOU: A Christmas Tribute to The Carpenters is happening this Sunday, December 14 at 2PM. For tickets, click here.

To make sure you’re always in the loop and up to date with everything happening in your community, be sure to LIKE the Ponderosa Facebook page. 

The holiday season is officially here, NorCal! Come out for these festive events happening on Saturday and Sunday in the Bay Area.

See downtown San Jose turned into a whimsical holiday fantasy this weekend! Christmas in the Park at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez is an annual event featuring glittering lights, a 60-foot-tall Community Giving Tree, musical and animated exhibits, winter wonderland of lights and entertainment – now through January 1, 2015. For more info, click here. 

Lights, lights and more lights this weekend in San Jose! Festival of Lights is happening this Saturday, December 6 at Evergreen Village Square from 2PM to 5PM. Head over for holiday entertainment, cultural performances, photos with Santa and face painting. Click here to learn more. 

Sip, sip, hooray! Enjoy an assortment of tea, delectable treats and Santa this weekend in Dublin! Holiday Tea is taking place this Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7 at the Sunday School Barn. Seating is available between 11AM and 2PM. Make reservations here.

A snow day is coming to downtown Livermore this weekend! The Lizzie Fountain will be transformed into a snowy winter wonderland for your little ones during Home for the Holidays, this Saturday from 10AM to 4PM. Get the details here.

Parades are definitely one of the best parts of the holiday season. Come out for the annual Hometown Holiday Parade in Pleasanton this weekend! Be a part of this festive community-based event this Saturday, December 6, starting at 5PM. Get more info here.

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Here’s a cute and crafty way to get your kids involved with your Thanksgiving festivities!

Turkey Bowl 

Age: preschool and up

Time: 3 hours, plus overnight

Type of activity: holiday arts and crafts

This turkey will look great as a centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table! Fill it with fruit, napkins or other items for your guests.

Materials:

·         Plastic bowl

·         Mixing bowl

·         Vaseline® or petroleum jelly

·         Lots of Newspaper

·         Scissors

·         Brown tempera paint

·         Paintbrush

·         Orange, yellow, red, black and brown construction paper

Directions:

First you’re going to make the papier-mâché bowl.

1.       This project is messy, so place newspaper over your entire work area.

2.       Cut more newspaper into 1-inch wide strips. You’ll need at least 50 strips for this project.

3.       To make the paste, combine an even amount of flour and water in the mixing bowl until it becomes the consistency of pancake batter. Start with one cup of each and add more if necessary.

4.       Cover the outside of the plastic bowl with Vaseline®. This will make it easier to remove the mold from the bowl.

5.       One at a time, dip a strip of newspaper into the mixture and lay it smoothly over the bowl. Keep adding strips until the bowl is completely covered with one layer of newspaper. To give the bowl more strength, add the first layer in a horizontal pattern, then add a second layer in a vertical pattern. Add a third layer of newspaper strips in a horizontal pattern.

6.       Place the bowl on top of a layer of newspaper in a cool, dry place. Let the bowl sit for several hours. You may even want to let it sit it overnight.

7.       When the bowl is completely dry, gently pull the newspaper mold away from the bowl.

Now it’s time to make the turkey.

8.       Paint the bowl brown and set it aside to dry.

9.       Draw and cut out all the shapes you’ll need from the construction paper.

·         1 brown circle 4 inches in diameter for the turkey’s head

·         10 rocket-shaped tail feathers about 8″ x 1″ in yellow, red and orange paper

·         1 small yellow triangle for the beak

·         2 tiny black circles for eyes

10.   Now, you’ll make the turkey’s wings. To do this, trace your child’s hands on a sheet of brown construction paper and cut out the shapes.

11.   Make sure the bowl is dry before you glue the construction paper parts to the turkey’s base. First, glue the tail feathers in a fan shape along the inside edge of the back of the bowl (the feathers should be pointing up).

12.   Next, glue one of your child’s handprints to each side of the turkey to make its wings.

13.   Glue the turkey’s beak and eyes in place on its head.

14.   Glue the turkey’s head to the top edge of the front of the bowl.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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It’s cooling down in the Bay Area! Get out with you family this Saturday and Sunday for fun events near you.

It’s time to lace up your skates! Come out for Downtown Ice this weekend in San Jose and twirl and glide on the ice rink beneath beautiful palm trees. For more info, click here. 

Games, games and more games this weekend in Dublin! International Games Day is happening this Saturday at the Dublin Family Library, and you’ll have the chance to drop in and experience exotic and brand-new board and card games from 11AM to 1PM. No registration is required. To learn more, click here. 

This event is perfect for book aficionados. Get ready to meet Bay Area authors this weekend in San Jose! Mingle with more than 20 writers and hear the inspiration behind their books from 1PM to 5PM at Kings Library this Sunday. Click here for more info. 

Grammy-award winners are hitting the stage this weekend in Livermore! The Manhattan Transfer, one of the most popular vocal groups of all time, is coming to the Bankhead Theater this Sunday, November 16 at 7PM. For tickets, go here.

To make sure you’re always in the loop and up to date with everything happening in your community, be sure to LIKE the Ponderosa Facebook page. 

There’s plenty to do with your family this weekend in the Bay Area! Get ready for music, dance, artistry and more on Saturday and Sunday.

Puppet shows are always sure to delight! This Saturday at the Martin Luther King Library in San Jose, your little ones can experience “The North Pole Review” by Fratello Marionettes, featuring an ice skating snowman and a juggling penguin. The show starts at 3PM. For more info, click here.

Stride is the name of the game this weekend in San Jose! The Purple Stride Silicon Valley 2014 event is a timed 5K and untimed family-friendly walk taking place this Saturday to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Registration begins at 9AM, with the run/walk beginning at 10:30AM. To register, go here. 

Take part in an artistic cultural experience this weekend in Livermore! Dancer and artist Patricia Bulitt presents A Gift Exchange of Dance: A California Dancer’s Exchange with the Eskimo in Alaska (1977 – 2013) at the Civic Center Library Storytime Room on Sunday at 2PM. This interpretive dance performance includes a slideshow of life in Hooper Bay, Alaska. Click here for more info.

This classic show will surely get you tapping your feet this weekend! Singin’ in the Rain is coming to the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. The Pacific Coast Repertory Theater presents this lighthearted romantic comedy on Saturday at 8PM. For tickets, click here. 

To make sure you’re always in the loop and up to date with everything happening in your community, be sure to LIKE the Ponderosa Facebook page.

Get out and about in the Bay Area this weekend and enjoy the beginning of November with your family!

Experience the culture of the Pacific Islands this weekend in Pleasanton! Kuma Hula Association of Northern California presents la ‘Oe E Ka La Hula Festival at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday from 9AM to 6PM to celebrates Hawaiian culture and traditions through dance, arts and food. For tickets, click here. 

Get ready for Thanksgiving a few weeks early in San Jose!  Head over to Color Me Mine pottery studio for Family Gobble Platter Day on Saturday at 11AM to create your favorite holiday designs to display your recipes at the end of the month. For reservations, click here. 

Come grab the season’s freshest fruits and vegetables this weekend at the Pleasanton Farmers’ Market! Open rain or shine, this market features all California-grown produce sold directly by the farmers themselves from 9AM to 1PM on Saturday. For more info, go here.

Books, books, and morebooks this weekend in Livermore! The Friends of the Livermore Library are hosting their monthly book sale this Sunday from 12PM to 4PM at the outdoor plaza of the former library location. Click here for more info. 

Don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend for Daylight Savings!

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This warm, gooey and yummy treat is sure to get everyone in your family excited about Halloween!

Vanilla Coffee Roasted Pumpkin Seed Snack Clusters…Dipped in Chocolate. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yield: 25-35 pumpkin seed clusters

Ingredients

3 cups raw pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried

1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds minus the shells)

1 cup pistachios

2 tablespoons ground or whole flax seeds

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons fresh coffee grounds

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon all-spice

6 ounces semi-sweet, or dark chocolate, melted (use milk chocolate if you prefer)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Spread the raw pumpkin seeds (not the pepitas) on a greased baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes to dry them out. Remove from the oven. Leave on            the pan.

3. To the pan with the pumpkin seeds, add the pepitas, pistachios, flax, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, coffee grounds (2 tablespoons), salt, cinnamon, nutmeg      and all-spice. Toss well, making sure all the seeds are evenly coated. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times during cooking until the pumpkin seeds are golden          in color. Remove from the oven and using the back of a rubber spatula push the seeds into an even layer about 1/2 inch thick. Allow the seeds to cool completely. As           they cool they will harden. Break up into clusters.

4. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or on the stove. Carefully dip the clusters into the melted chocolate. Place on the prepared              baking sheet and if desired sprinkle with coffee grounds and sea salt. Repeat with the remaining clusters.

5. Place the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, or in the fridge, for up to two weeks.

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It’s a weekend of wonders this Saturday and Sunday in the Bay Area! Have fun with your family enjoying nature, arts and more.

Discover the magic of music this weekend in San Jose! A classical and modern music concert comes to the Le Petit Trianon Theater this Saturday at 2PM. For tickets, click here. 

A fantastic afternoon of African happens in Livermore this weekend! Taste of Africa 2014 is at the Bothwell Arts Center on Sunday at 2:30PM. This year’s event features an African market, a children’s interactive room, musical performances, drumming, dance, face painting and more. For additional info, go here.

It’s an evening of hoots this weekend in Livermore! Come out for Owl Moon Walk on Saturday at Redwood Regional Park to hear stories and explore the moonlit trails with your family. Click here to learn more.

If you’re looking for fun and healthy alternatives for Halloween, this event is just for you! Come learn ideas for healthier treats for your little ones on Saturday from 4PM to 7PM at New Leaf Community Markets in Pleasanton. Find out more about the event, here.

To make sure you’re always in the loop and up to date with everything happening in your community, be sure to LIKE the Ponderosa Facebook page.