Breakfast

Overnight French Toast

, , , , , , 1 Comment

Breakfast.  The most important meal of the day.  It also happens to be the most boring meal of the day for me most of the time.  I am not organized enough, and I don’t get up early enough to fix anything more exciting than a bowl of cereal and some fruit.  Every now and then I have enough time to scramble a few eggs, but that is rare.  So, when I have an opportunity to make something good for breakfast I make the most of it.

This weekend our great friends Carrie and Jason came up to visit.  We had such a nice and relaxing time together.  Sunday morning we had French toast casserole and migas for breakfast.  It was quite a delicious feast and something I plan to make again when we have guests.

The French toast is prepared the night before and allowed to sit in the fridge overnight to let the bread soak up the sugar, butter, eggs and milk.  I was pretty exhausted the night I was supposed to make the French toast and I almost felt like skipping it and just going to bed, but it took me less than 15 minutes to put it all together and pop it in the fridge so don’t let time be your excuse not to make this.

This breakfast is so very simple and easy.  In the bottom of a 9×13 pan goes a mixture of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup that has been melted together on the stove. The thick slices of French bread are placed atop this sugary sticky goodness, and the mixture of eggs, milk and vanilla is poured on top of everything.  Cover this in foil and go to bed.  When you wake up bake the dish for 45 minutes and voilà.  Breakfast.

The tops of the bread slices are golden brown as they come out of the oven.  The inside of each slice is creamy and delicious.  The bottom of each slice is covered in the rich buttery sugar sauce that has caramelized and become something very special thanks to its time in the oven.  So delicious.  Next time I will add some ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the milk mixture.  I served it with butter and syrup, and my husband had the ingenious idea of putting the sliced strawberries we had at the table on his slice.  Any kind of fruit or berry would be a good complement to this sweet, rich and crazy good French toast.  Make this some Saturday morning and make your breakfast guests very, very happy.

Overnight French Toast

Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, sliced
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Combine the corn syrup , butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has melted. Pour this mixture over the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch casserole dish.
  2. Place the bread slices over the sugar-butter mixture in the dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt; pour this mixture over the bread. Cover the dish and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight.
  3. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Uncover the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Serve while hot or warm or the French toast will harden in the pan. It can be reheated.
Print This

Cherry, Almond and Coconut Bread

, , , , , 0 Comments

A fellow 6th grade math teacher gave me a bag of Amish friendship bread starter about a 6 weeks ago and I have been going strong giving away starter and baking bread every ten days since then.  The problem now is that I’m running out of friends to give it to!  Nothing like realizing you only have 12 friends to really boost the self esteem.  Sad day.  Anyone in Amarillo need some starter?  Let me know.  I will even drive it to your house.  There is one caveat, you have to then become my friend…

I’ve tried a few variations on the basic cinnamon bread.

  1. butterscotch pudding with toffee bits
  2. butterscotch pudding with toffee bits and vanilla chips
  3. vanilla pudding with pecans
  4. chocolate pudding with white chocolate chips

These cookies I made last week inspired my latest bread experiment.  Seeing as how I had dried cherries, almonds and coconut on hand it only seemed natural to give these ingredients a chance in the bread.  I made one loaf plain with vanilla pudding and cinnamon, and to the remaining batter I added the cherries, almonds and coconut; about a handful of each.  What am I doing?  No measuring?  I think I’m turning in to Rachel Ray!  Before you know it I am going to be writing EVOO in my posts and giving all my posts super cutesy names!  OK, OK.  I will not turn in to Rachel Ray.  I will tell you that the amounts were about 3/4 cup each.  Give or take…

If you have friendship bread starter, then just add 3/4 cup each cherries, sliced almonds and sweetened shredded coconut.  If you do NOT have starter, then you can try to make your own using the following recipe from allrecipes.com.  After you make the starter you can make the bread!  The recipe I have been using is at the bottom of this post.  One of the best parts about this bread is the cinnamon sugar coated pans.  It gives such a wonderful, crunchy exterior.  I used some Sugar in the Raw on top of my loaves and it was incredibly good.  Perfect crunchy sweetness.

(more…)

Print This

Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts

, , , , , , 0 Comments

There are times in my life, for reasons unknown, that I just crave something.  There isn’t always a good or rational reason for the craving.  It just happens.  Last weekend I was craving cake donuts.  I was really craving blueberry cake donuts from Lone Star Bakery in Round Rock, Texas.  But seeing as how I live about 500 miles from there now I would have to settle for these homemade donuts.  Maybe settle is not the right word.  To “settle” implies that I was accepting something less.  These were no bakery donut, but I would not classify them in the “settling” category.  These were some yummy donuts.

I found these donuts to be very simple and delicious.  The texture was delicate and sweet.  I liked the coating of cinnamon sugar and the contrast of soft donut to crunchy sugar.  The slight nutmeg flavor is perfect.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com and I followed it word for word.  Well, I guess I refrigerated the dough for more than an hour.  It was more like 2 hours.  But I don’t consider that a modification.  I consider it more like bad planning.  With the good results I got with the increased chilling, you could probably make the dough the night before and use it in the morning.  I love things you can make ahead of time.

Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 quarts oil for deep frying
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup white sugar
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg.
  2. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370 degrees F (185 degrees C).
  4. On a floured board, roll chilled dough out to ½  inch thickness. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out doughnuts. Use a smaller cutter to cut holes from center.
  5. Fry doughnuts in hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil to drain on paper plates.
  6. Combine the remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ cup sugar in a large re-sealable bag. Place a few warm donuts into the bag at a time, seal and shake to coat.  Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee.
Print This

Dining at Starbucks and McDonalds

, , , , , 1 Comment

This past weekend we went to Boerne, Texas to attend the wedding of a good friend from our days at Baylor Law.  The wedding was beautiful and we had such an incredible time with friends.  I was more sore after a night of dancing in some hot 2 1/2 inch heels than I was after a day of skiing the weekend before.  Is there something wrong with that?

Having so much fun with our friends made me sad to live so far away from those people, but also so very happy that we still enjoy each others company and keep in touch despite the distance.

When you travel, you are often required to eat what is quick and convenient.  Our day of travel on Sunday found us having breakfast at Starbucks, and lunch at the McDonalds in the DFW airport.  Here are my reviews of both of these fine food establishments.

Starbucks:  On Sunday morning we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Amarillo.  We decided to pick up coffee and breakfast at Starbucks on the way to San Antonio.  I was just going to get a cappuccino and a muffin, but then I noticed that they also offered breakfast sandwiches and wraps.  I’ve seen these before, but never at a time when I needed breakfast so I had never thought to try them.

There are about 5 different options, including the Huevos Ranchero wrap that Ben ordered and said was “OK”.  I had the Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich which is an egg white, white cheddar cheese, and turkey bacon on a whole grain english muffin.  It wasn’t bad, but not great either.  The bacon was kinda crispy, the egg wasn’t too rubbery, the cheese was warm and melty, and the muffin was pretty tasty with nice crunchy egdes.  It wasn’t the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t the worst.  It didn’t leave me feeling overly full , but it didn’t leave me unsatisfied either.  I think it is the perfect size for pre-travel breakfast, and it wasn’t too greasy.  No one wants to get on a plane after having scarfed down a short stack, eggs and sausage.  And no one wants to be the person sitting next to that person either.

McDonalds (@ DFW):  When we arrived in Dallas it was 2 o’clock.  We were hungry, and since our plane left in 30 minutes, we were not about to stand in line at the Chili’s and miss our flight.  McDonald’s it is!

I was more than a little disappointed in the situation here.  NO salad.  NO grilled chicken.  NOT well stocked in the kitchen, I see.  So, I ordered a cheeseburger Happy Meal…and I didn’t even get a toy. Come on!  That is why you get the Happy Meal.  Toys make people happy.  No toy = no happy.

The burger was what you’d expect from a simple McDonald’s cheeseburger.  Plain bun, small patty, yellow cheese that is only partially melted, a splat of ketchup and mustard in the center of everything with 3 pickles (without seeds…interesting).  It was, however, comforting.  It brought me back to being a kid except that I actually liked the mustard on this burger.

Print This

My Favorite Banana Bread Part II: Hawaiian Banana Bread

, , , , , 0 Comments

Banana Bread Part I was posted almost 8 months ago.  I get these ideas in my head about how I’ll post a series of recipes in a row devoted to one thing or another.  I get very excited about it, but after my first post in a series…I usually fail to continue.  This was the case with the banana bread and with my Seinfeld recipes.  I did succeed in a series of pumpkin recipes and a rolled food series.  OK, so I guess I’m 2-2 in my attempts at a series of posts.  This (if I can get one more banana bread recipe completed) will make my record 3-2!  Not too bad.

There is a freezer bag with 18 bananas in my freezer.  I was about to place 6 more soft, blackened beauties in there today when I thought, “This is silly.  Why don’t I just bake some crazy delicious banana bread?”  My favorite banana bread has coconut and pecans.  It is so very decadent.  Almost dessert like.  You should definitely try it.  Seriously.

This banana bread also contains coconut, but with the addition of buttery macadamia nuts and sweet pineapple this banana bread becomes…Hawaiian banana bread!  I love the way that it has made my house smell during its hour long baking time.  I adapted a recipe from epicurean.com to create this bread.  The amounts of the ingredients are the same, I just made some substitutions: walnuts replaced by macadamias, a cup of all purpose flour traded in for a cup of whole wheat, and I added a cup of shredded coconut.

I love banana bread sliced and eaten plain, but banana bread sliced, buttered and broiled is tremendously delicious.  The contrast of the crunchy top and soft interior is lovely.  Try it both ways and let me know what you think.

I found a great way to mash my bananas when I made this bread.  Turns out that a potato masher is a great way to mash your bananas to a perfect smooth consistency.  I love finding new ways to use things in my kitchen!

The combination of flavors in this bread is great.  Sweet pineapple, mellow coconut, buttery macadamias all mixing with delicious banana.  Feel free to change the macadamias to any nut you like, but I think they make this bread a bit different than other banana breads.

Hawaiian Banana Bread

Adapted from epicurean.com

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts – chopped
  • 3 eggs – beaten
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups mashed bananas – (about 5)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 can crushed pineapple – (8 oz)—drained
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and pineapple; mix well.
  3. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in macadamias and coconut.
  4. Spoon batter into 2 greased and sugared 8×4″ loaf pans.
  5. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pans.
Print This

Candied Ginger Scones

, , , , 0 Comments

These are lovely and delicious.  Fresh flavors with just enough sweetness.  Fall apart goodness with pieces of spicy, sweet ginger.

I found the recipe on Epicurious.  It is a basic scone recipe consisting of simple and pure ingredients: chilled butter, flour, cream, salt, sugar and baking powder.  They stray from the basic scone with the addition of lemon zest and chopped candied ginger.  The only problem I had with these was that the dough seemed a little too crumbly, so I added a bit more cream.  Be careful not to over-mix the dough, or the scones will end up a little tough.  Other than that, this is an easy recipe that produces great results.

scone3

Candied Ginger Scones

(courtesy of epicurious.com)

Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)
  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
  • 4 1/2 ounces candied ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces to equal 2/3 cup
  • ¾ – 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing the tops of the scones
Directions
  1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
  4. Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it into a ball. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the circles, cutting as closely together as possible and keeping the trimmings intact.
  5. Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together, and cut out the remaining dough. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  6. Brush the tops with the remaining cream.
  7. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned.
Print This

Monster Zucchini Part I: Zucchini Bread

, , , 0 Comments

Last week I was greeted at 8am with a bag of fresh vegetables from one of my co-workers.  There were beautiful red cherry tomatoes, a couple of bright green jalapeños and the biggest zucchini I had ever seen!  My first thought was zucchini bread.  I love how moist and wonderful zucchini bread is, and I like that it has vegetables in it…even if none of the original nutritional value remains after it’s been mixed with sugar, oil and eggs.

zucchini7

Back to the huge zucchini.  I really wish I’d weighed this monster before using it yesterday.  Just use this picture as proof…it was a big vegetable.

zucchini5

(more…)

Print This

Cinnamon Rolls in Durango

, , , 0 Comments

cinnrolls1These cinnamon rolls began their life in Amarillo, Texas and will see the end of their days in Durango, Colorado.  My family,all 13 of us, are spending the week in Durango.  My brother-in-law’s family has about 80 acres of land just outside of the city that backs up to National Forest which means that we are completely isolated in peaceful, beautiful, glorious nature…well, I still have internet access and cell phone service.  It is incredible out here and I am going to really enjoy the next 7 days of vacation.

My parents, my sister, her husband and my nephew all drove up to Amarillo on Friday evening to stay the night.  I decided to make cinnamon rolls for Saturday morning before we left for Durango.  I found this recipe for “Overnight Cinnamon Rolls” on the Food Network website, from Alton Brown.

I started the rolls on Friday night.  The dough was nice and soft after mixing it up, and so I set it aside to double in size which, according to the recipe, should have taken between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.  Not so, Alton!  I let the dough sit, covered, in my kitchen for almost 3 hours and it increased a little, but not near double.  I was ready to admit defeat and I was prepared to make a trip to Donut Stop on Saturday morning.  I decided to keep going with the rolls and see what would happen.  Maybe there was still some hope.  I rolled out the dough, brushed on some melted butter, sprinkled the cinnamon sugar filling, rolled the dough into a cylinder and cut the rolls into 11 pieces (it should have been 12, but 11 would have to do).  I placed the rolls into a 9×13 pan, covered the pan in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for the night.

In the morning, there was no change in the size of the rolls.  Ok, so now I was REALLY thinking we’d have store bought donuts for breakfast.  But I continued with the recipe, letting the rolls sit in the oven with a tray of boiling water for 30 minutes.  No rising occurred in this time either.  But I was determined to finish this recipe to the bitter end, so I baked the rolls for 30 minutes…a miracle!  They finally spread out, rose nicely, turned a golden brown, filled my house with a warm cinnamon aroma and were practically begging for some cream cheese icing.  I spread the icing on the warm rolls, and they were ready to be eaten.  We did not finish the pan, so we brought them in the car up to Durango and just finished them off.

(more…)

Print This

Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach Breakfast Strata

, , , , , 0 Comments

Breakfast is always a bowl of cereal for Ben.  Not only that, he uses the same bowl and sits in the same spot to eat it every morning.  I love that about him.  I usually eat some fruit and yogurt.  Sometimes I make banana bread and we’ll eat that for a few days, and if we’re really getting crazy, scrambled eggs.  Needless to say, breakfast is not too thrilling around here.

When company comes I tend to get a little excited about breakfast.  This breakfast strata is very adaptable to anyone’s personal taste.  I used bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and a combination of swiss and cheddar cheese.  Ham would be delicious, or spicy breakfast sausage…mmmm.  It would even be great with just vegetables.

strata2

There are easier overnight breakfast casseroles.  I made one once that used a box of croutons instead of fresh bread and I’ve seen recipes that use frozen hash browns.  I liked that this one was completely from scratch.  It didn’t take too long to put it together on Friday night.  The hard part was getting out of bed early to pre-heat the oven and bake it for an hour and a half.  But it was worth it.

(more…)

Print This

Blueberry Focaccia

, , 0 Comments

I never would have tried this recipe had it not been for one of the partners at Bens firm.  During a recent flight (with an apparent lack of reading material) he saw the recipe in this months Woman’s Day and the recipe found its way to my email inbox.  Thanks, Sam!

blue2

I love blueberries.  I like them cool from the fridge, but there is something about them after they’ve cooked that is spectacular.  They pop in your mouth and release all the warm sweet juices in a completely different way than a raw berry.

(more…)

Print This
«< 3 4 5 6 7 >