Baked French Toast

Y'all, we've been eating around here.  A lot. So much, in fact, that I've been too busy eating to blog about it! I'm kind of stuffed.  But I want to tell you about a few recipes I made over Christmas that were extraordinary.  You may not want to cook these just now, since you're probably about ready to start that diet, but Pin them for later. You'll be glad you did! 

We had this Baked French Toast on Christmas morning after opening presents.  Yuumm.  Also, you can make it the night before you want to serve it, which is exactly how I prefer to "cook" breakfast.

 
Baked French Toast
1 loaf crusty sourdough bread
8 whole eggs
2 cups milk
1/2  cup whipping cream 
3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter, cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit (optional)
maple syrup 
soft butter for serving

Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks and put them in the pan.
Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles (use a pastry blender or a fork). Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter, fresh berries, and drizzle with maple syrup.

Perfect Bacon in the Oven

We love our bacon around here.  I only cook 2 pieces per person because we could eat an entire package, easy.  Moderation, right?  And here's the secret to perfect, flat, crunchy (who asks for chewy bacon, anyway??), mess-less bacon every time: the oven.  No splatters, no standing over a hot, greasy skillet flipping bacon, no smokey kitchen.  Perfect.

Tonight we FINALLY put up our Christmas tree, so breakfast for dinner was just right for a rainy night in.  Chocolate chip pancakes with bananas and real maple syrup and Perfect Bacon.  Yum.  Oh, and I truly believe in my heart that Bisquick makes the best pancakes.

 

Perfect Bacon (you'll want to write this down, it's complicated)

Here's what you need: 

Bacon (I like Petit Jean (Arkansas product) but it's kinda $$$, so I usually get Hormel Black Label)

cookie sheet

oven

Place bacon on a cookie sheet. Place in oven and turn it on to 400. Cook 17-20 minutes or until it's as brown and crispy as you like.  Thicker bacon will take longer to cook.  When cooked, remove bacon to paper towels to drain. 

Parmesan Baked Eggs

I got a treat this morning when my friend brought over a dozen fresh eggs laid by their chickens.  We've had fresh eggs before, but never from a chicken-friend.  Ha!  Here is a pic from this summer of my baby with our friend Henry, and Nugget, his chicken.  Is that not the cutest name for a chicken?  And look at that adorable red chicken house!

Parmesan Baked Eggs

12 eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated really does make a difference)
pinch of dried rosemary for each ramekin
pinch of fresh thyme for each ramekin
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
6 ramekins

Heat oven to 400.  Spray 6 ramekins with nonstick spray.  Crack two eggs into a small bowl, and then  pour the two eggs into a ramekin and repeat until all 6 ramekins have eggs.  Add bacon, Parmesan cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper to each ramekin.  Add a dash of heavy cream to each one, too. 

Bake the eggs for 15 minutes or until the eggs have achieved desired doneness: less time for runny yolks, more time for firm yolks. Remember that shallow ramekins will cook faster than deeper ones and that they will continue to cook as they cool.   Note: you can easily remove the eggs from the ramekins to serve them to kids; the ramekins are too hot for them to touch.

PSY-Pumpkin Spice Yogurt with Maple Spice Granola

These days everybody's all runnin' around gettin' their PSLs from Starbucks.  So I had this idea to make PSY (Pumpkin Spice Yogurt).  Healthy and yum. 

I made a lot because I took it to the elementary school for a teachers' brunch.  You can adjust the recipe to make fewer servings or just store leftovers in the fridge. Don't add the granola until the last minute, though, or it might get soggy.

Pumpkin Spice Yogurt

32 oz container plain fat free Greek yogurt

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

2  teaspoons vanilla

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like it, and I'd use Splenda brown sugar if I were making it for myself to cut calories)

Whisk all the ingredients together and serve with granola on top.

Maple Spice Granola 

4 cups oats (not quick cooking)

2 T brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup craisins

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix canola oil and maple syrup with vanilla in a large measuring cup and pour over dry ingredients.  Mix well and spread on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until brown.  Let cool and then add craisins. 

Ham and Cheese Frittata

This post should be subtitled: I was too exhausted to cook dinner because I spent the day at the pumpkin patch with 100 kindergarteners.  Wow, I don't know how teachers do it every day.  They certainly don't make enough for what they do!  

Ham and Cheese Frittata (serves 2)

1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup-1 cup chopped leftover ham
6 eggs (I use 3 whites and 3 whole eggs)
splash of skim milk
2 slices cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat broiler to high.  Saute onion in a drizzle of olive oil in a non stick pan until lightly browned.  Add ham and stir until ham is heated through, less than a minute.  Add eggs beaten with skim milk and stir for about a minute.  Let the frittata cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until eggs begin to set.  Add the cheddar cheese to the top, then put the entire pan under the broiler until browned and fluffy.   Add the chopped basil and Parmesan cheese and cut into wedges to serve. 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Something about a rainy, fall day makes me want something pumpkin.  Since I was still SWEATING profusely from hot yoga this morning, a pumpkin spice coffee sounded pretty awful.  This baked pumpkin oatmeal was perfect.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
sweetener to taste... I used 1 tsp splenda.  You can use truvia, sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, whatever.
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup skim milk
1/8 tsp salt
raisins, walnuts, brown sugar for the top


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine raw oats, spices, pumpkin, and milk. Pour into a ramekin. Cook for 20 minutes.  Turn up the oven to broil, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the top is browned and crusty.  Top with brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, craisins...
Serves one.

Bacon and Egg Sandwich

This sandwich is kind of like breakfast for dinner, so it was excellent.  And John made it, which made it even better.  We left off the cheese and used egg whites to make it a little healthier. Bacon tastes gooood. Name that movie.

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

Everyone loves a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, right?  Everyone except my wallet and my waistline, that is.  Here's a fantastic substitute for you.  And you don't have to wait in line, pay $4.50, or do any extra crunches at the gym! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (recipe follows)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tablespoons Splenda (or sweetener of choice, brown sugar or maple sy)

Blend all the ingredients in your fancy blender.  Hint hint, I want one of these for Christmas! 

Warm the pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave for a few seconds before adding it to your coffee. 

Pour 1 cup of brewed coffee into a mug and pour about half a cup of the pumpkin over the top and stir.  You can add a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you want.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

makes about 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg*

Blend all spices together, working out any lumps that might occur.  Store in an airtight container.

*To grate nutmeg, just run the whole nutmeg over the microplane to grate.

Monkey Bread Muffins

The easy to delicious ratio for these Monkey Bread Muffins is really high.  I made these as a thank you gift for a neighbor, and I had to stop myself from eating them straight out of the oven with a spoon.  The sweetened condensed milk is the key, don't leave it out.  Soo good.

Monkey Bread Muffins
makes about 22 muffins

2 cans Grands Homestyle biscuits
1 1/2 sticks butter
cinnamon
sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to each muffin cup (that's about half a pat, don't bother to measure any of this). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to each muffin cup.
Cut biscuit dough into quarters, and place three into each muffin tin containing butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Top muffins with another 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle about 1/3 teaspoon sugar and a big pinch cinnamon on top to finish.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven and immediately drizzle a big teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to cool completely before serving (if you can).

Since I was making these for a friend, and I had a hunch they were going to be sticky and gooey, I got some disposable muffin tins.  They came with a plastic top and it was the perfect way to give them. I would suggest these disposable muffin cups if you plan to take them anywhere as well....they're kind of messy.

French Breakfast Puffs

You know it's happened to you.  You tell somebody you are going to do something, and then completely forget.  Well, I told my friend I was bringing snacks over for our visit today (I was planning to make mini blueberry muffins) but I completely forgot until late last night.  I didn't have any blueberries; I actually had very few ingredients at all.  Enter: French Breakfast Puffs.  These muffins are made completely with pantry ingredients AND they are delicious.

Warning: don't google French Breakfast Puffs or you might stumble across a calorie count.  You don't want to know.

Like my Real Housewives of Arkansas pose with the muffin?

French Breakfast Puffs
Yield: about 18 muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk

For the coating:
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin pans.
Combine flour, salt, baking power, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
In a mixer cream together sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and beat again.
Alternating between dry ingredients and milk, add 1/3 of each until everything is well combined.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. While baking melt butter in a dish and combine sugar and cinnamon in another.
Remove from the oven and coat each muffin in the melted butter then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I started dinner while I was STARVING.  Can you tell?  Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs.  Cooking dinner while really hungry is never a good idea, just like grocery shopping when hungry.  Like how I tried to make the whole dinner healthier by adding the apples?

I don't have any recipes tonight.  I used Bisquick to make the pancakes; just keepin' it real, y'all.  But I do have a tip.  Toss the chocolate chips with a little extra Bisquick (or flour if you're making them from scratch) and the chips won't all sink to the bottom of the batter.

The World's Best Sandwich

I don't know how many calories are in it.  A lot would be my guess.  But it truly is the world's best sandwich.  I've changed the recipe a little from Thomas Keller's original, only because I don't like mayo and I find the cheese unnecessary. 

4 large eggs
8 thick slices of bacon
8 thick slices of bread, toasted and hot
1/4 cup BLT dressing (recipe follows)
8 tomato slices
8 leaves of butter lettuce

Place bacon on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Toast bread and spread the dressing on each slice of toast, then top with the bacon, tomato and lettuce.

In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 tsp of butter. Add the eggs and fry over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp around the edge, about 4 minutes; the yolk should still be runny. Slide the egg onto the lettuce; close the sandwich and eat right away.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

BLT dressing

3 tablespoons real mayo (Hellmans)
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
one clove of garlic, grated
juice of half a small lemon
salt and pepper to taste

The Best Coffee Cake Ever

This is seriously the best coffee cake.  The recipes says it is so, but I can attest to the fact that it is.  It was even better because my friend brought it over when she came to visit.  Eating coffee cake and visiting all morning was very Mad Men of us....

The Best Coffee Cake
 
FOR THE CAKE:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
2 cups Scant Sugar
3 cups Flour, Sifted
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1-¼ cup Whole Milk
3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
_____
FOR THE TOPPING:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
¾ cups Flour
1-½ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Potato and Mushroom Frittata

Got a bunch of leftovers in the fridge?  Then it's the perfect night for a frittata.  You can put anything in it and it works, and it's really fast.  You can also serve a frittata for breakfast, lunch, or brunch, too. 

I made mine with leftover potatoes from a local restaurant, fresh mushrooms, rosemary, chives, and goat cheese. 

Basic Frittata

Preheat broiler to high.

Using a nonstick skillet, cook on medium high heat whatever raw veggies you have with a little olive oil until almost done.  Add any leftover meats, potatoes, or pasta and cook until warmed through.  Meanwhile, whisk 2 eggs per person (I use one whole egg and one egg white per person) with a little milk, salt and pepper, a dash of hot sauce, and any herbs you are using. Pour egg mixture into pan with meat and vegetables and stir.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set on top. Sprinkle top with any cheese you like.
Place pan under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned and fluffy. Watch it closely!
Serve by cutting like a pie and with a salad.

Fruit Salad and Quick Breakfast Tacos

I got some beautiful blackberries at Sams, but they were so tart! So I made a fruit salad to sweeten them up a bit.

Fruit Salad (I can't see those words without thinking about the Wiggles.  The Blue Wiggle is my favorite. Yep, I have a favorite.)

fruit
Greek yogurt
lemon juice
honey

I used 1/2 cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey, and the juice of half a lemon.  I poured the "dressing" over the strawberries, blackberries, and pineapple.  Excellent.





Breakfast Tacos
When I want to get all complicated with breakfast burritos, I make them like Pioneer Woman.  But on a Sunday night when I have a mountain of laundry, hungry kids, and a bit of a headache, this is how I do it.  It's always a winner, and using only a little bacon it makes them slightly more healthy.  These proportions make 7 tacos in our house.

3 slices of bacon
10 eggs, sometimes I use half whites and half whole eggs
grated cheddar cheese
tortillas

Cut up the bacon (I like to use scissors for this) and cook in a nonstick pan until crispy.  Remove bacon and drain most of the oil from the pan, and scramble the eggs until done.  Toss in a handful of cheese, stir it up.  Serve eggs on warm tortillas and sprinkle with a little bacon. 

Homemade Granola

This granola is not exactly low in calories, but it's so much better than store bought granola.  And you know what's in it....

I like to eat a handful over Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast or a snack, like in this picture.  The kids like it with milk for breakfast and John just grabs handfuls. I've even made it for teacher gifts.  Everybody loves it.

Homemade Granola

4 cups oats (not quick cooking)

2 T brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

everything else is to taste

vanilla

milled flax seed*

wheat germ

salt 

cinnamon

almonds, walnuts, or other nuts 

golden raisins, craisins, other dried fruits

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, flax seed, wheat germ, salt (don't leave out the salt), and cinnamon. Mix canola oil and honey with vanilla and pour over dry ingredients.  Mix well and spread on cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until brown.  Let cool then add dried fruits.  

*The flax and wheat germ are tasteless, but they bump up the vitamins, protein, and fiber.  I use about 1/2 cup of each per batch of granola.

Smoothies

We went out for dinner last night, so I thought I'd tell you about something my kids love for breakfast and snacks: smoothies.  I'm sure you've been making smoothies for years, but I've recently discovered making them at home.  I always thought smoothies were just milkshakes, because they are so darn good, but they don't have to be!  Add a piece of toast and you've got breakfast.

Start with frozen fruit in a blender (go easy on the blackberries because of the seeds; kids don't like seeds), add some yogurt (I use vanilla nonfat because it's sweet), and some skim milk. You can put in a banana or any fresh fruit you've got, too. And I've heard tell of healthy folks putting spinach, kale, broccoli, and things like that in them.  My kids watch me make the smoothies and that would never fly with them.

Just blend it up.  Add more milk if you need to make it thinner.  We like our smoothies to be thin so we can drink out of crazy straws...

Banana Bread (um, cake)

My kids are fickle when it comes to food.  Are yours?  Last week, the baby loved bananas.  Couldn't get enough of them.  Ate a dozen in a week.  This week he hates them.  He won't even look at them.

So I made banana bread with those bananas just lying around getting brown.  I'd actually say it's more of a cake;  I mean, it has a cup of sugar and a stick of butter in it!  It's a Paula Deen recipe, you see, so just know it's not good for you.  Eat a little, not a lot.  But this is my go to recipe for banana bread since you don't have to drag out your mixer.

Banana Bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add the salt, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Breakfast for Dinner

We love breakfast for dinner around here.  Who has time for cooking breakfast in the morning, anyway? I sure don't.  And the best part about breakfast for dinner in our house?  John cooks it! 

No explanation needed here, I'm sure.  Bacon, eggs, toast with jelly, fruit.  Great for Sunday supper.