Greetings!

It is starting to look a lot like fall here in Freeport! Beautiful red, orange and yellow leaves are starting to pop up on the trees around the inn and throughout Freeport village. ‘Tis the season of pumpkin everything and, of course, hot apple cider! Maine is the place to be during the fall, with pick-your-own pumpkin patches, apple picking, hayrides, sightseeing tours, and delicious homemade food, not to mention non-stop events happening throughout the season.

There’s just something about this time of year. Whether it’s the aroma of comforting food in the oven or the crisp breeze on my cheeks when I go outside, I just love Maine. There’s a lot to do and see in Freeport, especially when the town glows with the natural colors of the foliage. FreeportUSA’s annual Fall Festival is coming up next month, along with a variety of things to do around town, as I mention in this newsletter.

Wrapping up a busy summer, we’re deeply honored by all of the guests that walked through our doors this summer. Full of smiles, and some with fur, all arriving from different walks of life and countries, each guest always enriches my life and makes me very grateful for being an innkeeper. Two summers have gone by now since I’ve owned the inn and I’m blessed with each new memory made here.

Keep in touch with us on social media. We’ve been entering the social world one paw at a time and we keep our Facebook page updated with photos, recipes and events happening at the inn and around Freeport; find us at www.facebook.com/CandlebayInn.

As much as you’re excited to see the fall foliage this year, we’re just as excited to see you here at Candlebay Inn.

Warmest wishes, 

Connie Lay, Innkeeper

Caramel Apple French Toast Casserole

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 (8 oz.) loaf crusty French bread, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups milk
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar, or as needed
1 can of apple pie filling

Directions: 
Grease a 9×12 inch baking dish.

Stir brown sugar and butter together in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves into butter, 2-4 minutes.

Pour into prepared baking dish and spread 1 inch of bread, spread apple pie filling over bread and spread the rest of the bread on top of apple pie filling.

Beat milk, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a bowl; pour milk mixture into the baking dish over bread and move bread as necessary to ensure all bread is absorbing liquid. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Remove and discard plastic wrap from baking dish and sprinkle remaining brown sugar over the top of the bread mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.