French Toast

You've already seen that, thanks to my fabulous mother-in-law, I'm a bit of a fan of the french toast bake.  I mean, what a great way to have all that yummy french toast flavor with hardly any of the mess and fuss, right?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......

But.

Sometimes I just want to go old-school.  And if I'm going to go through the hassle of soaking and frying individual slices of bread, why not really amp this up and make sure I've had a hand in each level of this recipe to ensure fabulous-ness?  Let's start with the bread...

I've discovered that, like sandwiches, the key to a rock star french toast is awesome bread.  Not just the flavor and staleness of it but the thickness of each slice as well.  Think about it...have you ever ordered french toast in a restaurant and gotten skinny, wimpy slices?  Uh-huh, that's right.  You get these big monster slabs of it!  So, put your sandwich bread back in the pantry.  Yes, go on, put it back.  If you're not a baker, make sure to grab a loaf of Texas Toast when you're next at the store.  Or, take 10 minutes and put the following in your bread machine

White Bread
[This recipe makes a 1.5 lb loaf]

1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
4 tsp margarine, butter, or olive oil
3 cups bread flour
4 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

1.  Add ingredients to bread maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Bake at white bread setting.

2.  Pull out and let sit on counter, uncovered, for AT LEAST a day before using.  Two days would be even better.

I love making simple, classic breads

So now we've got the bread for our most fabulous french toast.  How do we turn these lovely slabs into fried pieces loveliness?  Oh, patience my friends.  Patience.  Well, and butter.

French Toast
Recipe from Food Network Magazine

1 loaf of stale white bread, sliced into 1" to slices
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat.

French toast is not the time to cut corners with skinny slices

2.  In a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, and salt.

3.  Melt about a 1/2 tbsp butter on the griddle.  Working in batches, dip the thick slices bread in the egg mixture and cook on the griddle until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more butter as needed.

Oh yeah, that's the color you want

4.  Transfer the fried slices to a baking sheet and bake until puffed, 8 to 10 minutes.

 
This french toast is yummy on it's own.  Most of the time I like to be traditional and drown it in syrup.  Other days I might feel a little more creative.  Coincidentally the creativity usually hits when I happen to be out of syrup.  This toast is good with a little extra butter and spiced sugar sprinkled on top.  It's good slathered in Nutella.  It's good with some simple Hershey syrup and sliced fresh strawberries.  Or, and I haven't tried this myself, brown some slices of banana in butter and brown sugar and pour that on top (with whipped cream of course).  The possibilities are endless!

Lentil Soup

If you didn't already know this, I live in Wisconsin.  I wasn't born and raised here but I've really come to love this state, which is known for several cool things.  Unfortunately, Springtime is not one of them.  It's getting to be a joke between me and my friends who live in warmer climates about how crazy our springs can be.  It's not unusual at all for temps to hit the mid-70's one day and literally the next day it's not even 50, gray, rainy, and cold.

Spicy soup with warm oatmeal bread

This constant up-and-down mood swing of Mother Nature can really drive me bonkers some days.  Other days, I'll have to confess that I secretly like that I can still pull out a few hot, comforting dishes before the oven becomes my enemy.

Like this one...

Lentil Soup
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, 1/2 mild and 1/2 hot
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 (16 ounce) package dry lentils, rinsed
1 cup chopped carrot
8 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper

1.  Place sausage in a large pot. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Add onion and chopped garlic, and saute until tender and translucent. Stir in lentils, carrot, water, chicken broth and tomatoes.

Blending the hot and mild meats means we get a great medium heat throughout

2.  Season with garlic powder, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until lentils are tender.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Yay spices!

This soup is hearty and with just enough spice to it that it will warm you even as the soup itself cools off.  And like any soup lover, I love to sop up the broth with some crusty bread.  This particular recipe makes a TON.  So it's a great option for a get together, or make the full recipe but put half in the freezer for a later dinner.  Gotta love those get-ahead options!

Baby Bean

It might be a few days to get back to more regular posting.  My little bun-in-the-oven, affectionately nicknamed Baby Bean, finally joined the world on Monday.  :)

Little Kieran will eventually join big brother Gavin in helping me experiment in the kitchen!

Get Ahead: Machaca Beef

I'm all about getting ahead these days.  I am due to have this baby on Monday so the more I can pack into my freezer, the better.  God bless my mom and mother-in-law for helping me with this!!!  I've also been trying to contribute to this effort by Cooking Big.  By that I mean in the last few weeks I'm trying to make a recipe or two that make enough to feed probably eight people.  Then I'm guaranteed a few leftovers for lunches plus a healthy freezer offering for a later dinner.

This is a great recipe that makes a ton and is easily frozen for a later date.  Or you can always give in to the glorious smells emitting from your slow cooker and eat all of this in one sitting.  We don't judge here.

Machaca Beef

Recipe from Fix It & Forget It cookbook

1 1/2 lb beef roast
1 large onion, sliced
2 beef boullion cubes
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup salsa

1. In a slow cooker, combine the onion, boullion cubes, and chiles.  Lay the roast on top of this and sprinkle with seasonings.  Add just enough water to cover the roast.

 2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours.

3.  Transfer the roast from the cooking liquid to a large bowl and shred.  Stir in salsa.  Add some of the cooking liquid (and the onions too!) if it is still a little dry.  You want this to be a deliciously juicy shredded meat concoction.

4.  Use shredded beef for:

• Nacho topping
• Tacos
• Burritos
• Quesadillas
• Enchiladas
• Chili
• All around feel-good happiness food

Pesto Pasta Bake

I'm a big fan of recipes.  I like looking over the list of ingredients and imagining how all those flavors will combine and balance each other out.  I like seeing approximately how long it's going to take me to put the dish together.  Recipes are guidelines.  Recipes are safe.

Sometimes .....safe is BORING.

Do you ever just want to open up the fridge, root through the pantry, find a bunch of stuff to throw in a pot and have it magically come out fabulous?  Yeah, me too.  But I know my limitations and I'm not quite at That Level yet.  I'm still baby-stepping my way into making up my own recipes.  I like to keep things simple and use fool-proof ingredients that I already know I L-O-V-E.  Like pesto, pasta, and cheese.  Can't go wrong!

Pesto Pasta Bake

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
3 cubes of frozen pesto, thawed
1 (16oz) container small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1 tbsp Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid before draining pasta.  Set aside.

Every fall I make big batches of pesto to freeze in ice cube trays

2.  While pasta cooks, in a large bowl combine the cottage cheese, pesto, cheddar cheese, and cheese sprinkle.  Add the hot pasta, tossing to combine.  Add some of the hot pasta water if you'd like to thin out the sauce a little bit.

Cheesy, pesto-y goodness

3.  Pour the cheesed pesto pasta into a baking dish, spreading it out into an even layer.  Sprinkle on a little more cheese sprinkle if you like, or Parmasan would be fantastic if you happen to have some lying around (I did not the other day or you'd totally see Parm listed above).

4.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is browned a bit and the cheese is bubbly.

Some notes...

• I think pesto adds Ah-Mazing flavor to just about anything so I love having it on-hand to use however I like.  I prefer to make my own though because it can be REALLY OILY normally.  Don't worry, you'll see my pesto recipe later on this summer...
• I always feel better about the amount of cheese I'm using if I'm combining it with whole wheat pasta instead of regular.  Plus, whole wheat adds this really great, subtle nutty flavor.
• I have a personal preference for cottage cheese over riccota.  If you're a ricotta fan though, totally use that instead.  And toss in some mozzarella too if you have that around!
• Do you have Carnivores watching over your shoulder?  Cook up a chicken breast to shred and add to the mix.  You might need more cheese and/or pasta water though to stretch the cheesiness.
• FYI, I measured NOTHING in this so my measurements above are approximations.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

Another of my childhood classics!  I realize I'm pregnant but I seriously get intense cravings for this one.  I have contemplated just cutting to the chase and drinking the sauce with a straw.  Is that too much?  Probably...but this sauce really is just that good!

Linguine with Clam Sauce
Recipe from my mom

1/2 lb whole wheat linguine
2 tbsp butter
1/8 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup milk
1 can chopped clams, undrained
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 grinds freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper*

1.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2.  While pasta cooks, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add onions.  Saute until translucent.  Whisk in the flour, basil, oregano, and thyme and let that cook a couple minutes.

3.  Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth.  Add the clams and remaining seasonings.  Let sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Ladle over hot pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*Cayenne is HOT STUFF.  This sauce is meant to be mellow, soothing, comforting, so go easy with the cayenne.  If you'd like it spicier, it's a lot easier to add more than to take away.

My mom would make this a lot when we were little.  Not only is it super yummy in it's creamy comfort, but it also comes together in under 20 minutes.  Bonus!!

Banana Breakfast Shake

So I had this recipe all picked out to share with you today...it's one of my favorites with some neat tidy pictures in it.  Totally the norm.

And then I made something new for breakfast.  Something I just totally HAD to share with you RIGHT NOW because it was so yummy.

Of course no pictures for this one but you can use your imagination right?

Banana Breakfast Shake
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 bananas
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tsp honey
Pinch cinnamon
1 cup ice

1.  Put everything in blender and puree.

2.  Pour shake into your preferred to-go cup and run out the door.  Smiling because you totally just made breakfast in under 3 minutes.

Some notes/tips:

• If you like an extra thick shake, use frozen bananas.  Just be careful that you'll need to wait a few minutes to let the bananas and ice chips thaw a smidge before you can start drinking this.  I suppose if you're starving you could try scooping this with a spoon but I don't recommend doing that while operating heavy machinery.
• Did you notice I didn't tell you what flavor or what kind of yogurt to use?  Yeah, that was deliberate. Use what you like!  I used plain this morning because that's what I have and that's what I like.  Use vanilla, strawberry, banana, pineapple, Greek yogurt with honey....whatever floats your boat and makes you feel all creative and happy!
• I love cinnamon.  So my idea of a pinch is probably somewhere between 1/8 to 1/4 tsp.  I was generous this morning and got this lovely cinnamon-y background flavor that wasn't too overwhelming at all.  If you like cinnamon, be generous with your pinch.