RECIPE: the BEST French Toast EVER, thank you to Alton Brown

First off, I apologize about a few blurry moments in this post... so now that you know, well you can forgive me whole-heartedly... and just keep reading.

Alton Brown swears this is the only way to make french toast correctly. And my hero-of-a-hubby would completely agree... somehow Alton Brown found the perfect combination of ingredients and cooking techniques to make an outstanding french toast. You want to make this... soon!



Following Alton's recommendation, I started by letting the bread sit out over night. It's amazing what a little bit of oxygen will do to some white bread. The bread dries out and it then becomes the perfect canvas for some amazingness.



What else you'll need: eggs, honey and half + half.



Whisk it all together until it looks pretty and custard-like...



Transfer the custard to a casserole pan and set aside...

Then you can start the process of soaking the bread in the custard, about 30 seconds on each side...







Transfer the soaked bread to cooling rack, with a cookie sheet underneath it (to catch any drips). Continue on in batches, two pieces of bread at a time. Soak and drip, soak and drip.



In the meantime you can cook two pieces of bread in a saute pan with a little bit of butter, 2-3 minutes on each side (until lightly browned).



And while you're cooking go ahead and soak up the next couple pieces of bread...





Once the first step of the cooking process is complete, transfer the french toast to another baking sheet or place directly on an oven rack. At this point they need to cook for another 5 minutes or so...



The second part of this cooking process ensures crisp edges, but tender centers. And the french toast is rich, but not heavy.




Confession time: each of these slices of french toast are layered with butter and maple syrup. Don't judge me... just do me a favor: splurge on this! (You know you want to.)


And be prepared for your loved ones to hug and kiss you and beg for you to make more.



Serve up with your favorite brunch or breakfast items ...

But most importantly a huge shout out to Alton Brown ... thank you for making me look good!




French Toast
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients
1 cup half and half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
¼ teaspoon salt
8 (1/2 inch) slices day-old bread or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

Instructions
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half and half, eggs, honey and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Boysenberry Linzer Torte

So sooo soooooo good... and as with most desserts it can also serve as breakfast, right?!

In fact, that's how I feel about MOST desserts ... don't judge me.


It takes just 3 ingredients. Yes, that's all. Here's where I started... sugar cookie dough, boysenberry jam and almond slices.



Once you get over the guilt of not making your own dough, break open the packages. I used 1 1/2 tubes of cookie dough to make the crust on the bottom.



Press it into the pan firmly. And then top it with some boysenberry jam...







When layering the jam I left an edge of crust around the edge... this isn't a requirement. It's just my creative touch...



Then I tossed some sliced almonds on top... and started some not-so-fancy lattice work on top (made of dough).



I slid it into the oven for about 25 minutes... but I wish I would have left it in there a little longer. I would recommend more like 30 minutes. But each oven is a little different.



Allow it to cool a tad and then cut into 1" squares. But I would advise to enjoy this while it's still a little warm... just trust me on this one.



And when you do enjoy it you might want to have a cup of coffee handy... it's a perfect match.




And of course you can switch out the boysenberry for raspberry or strawberry or blackberry or whatever it is you like. Be creative... there's no rules with this one. Except for this: ENJOY!




Boysenberry Linzer Torte
Recipe courtesy www.epicurious.com

Ingredients
2 tubes of sugar cookie dough
6 tablespoons boysenberry jam
2 tablespoons almond slices

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9” x 13” casserole pan with cooking spray. Spread approximately 1 ¼ tubes of cookie dough over bottom of casserole pan, pressing firmly until dough creates a crust. Spread jam over surface of dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edge.

Using the remaining dough, create lattice work across the top of the jam (criss-crossing dough over the top in both directions).

Bake for 20-30 minutes until dough is golden brown. Bottom crust will bubble a bit. Allow to cool completely and cut into 1” squares.






enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Grape Nuts Peanut Butter Bars

Who likes their Grape Nuts? And how do you like it?

As a snack, all on it's own?
On top of yogurt or ice cream?
As cereal? With honey on top? <--- my fav!


But one morning I spied a recipe on the back of the box ... and it included peanut butter...



And it didn't matter what else was in the recipe. They had me at peanut butter.

Here's what else is included... sugar, light corn syrup and Grape Nuts.



Start with a large bowl (microwave safe)... and warm up the peanut butter, sugar and corn syrup. (Stir it half way through...)





Pour the Grape Nuts into the bowl and mix well.



Transfer the mixture to a greased 13 x 9 inch pan... and set aside to cool.



After the bars cool for several hours, cut them into small squares and wrap them individually in saran wrap for keeping in a cool/dry place.



They can be enjoyed for snacks, breakfast, dessert... whenever you receive a Grape Nut or peanut butter craving.

They are crunchy and sweet and peanut buttery... and a perfect afternoon snack! Good, good stuff here!


Grape Nuts Peanut Butter Bars
Recipe courtesy Post Cereal

Ingredients
¾ reduced fat peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
4 cups Grape Nuts Cereal

Instructions
Microwave peanut butter, corn syrup and sugar in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes, or just until mixture comes to a boil, stirring after each minute. Add cereal; mix well.

Press cereal mixture firmly onto bottom of 13x9 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cool completely.

Cut cereal mixture into bars. Wrap individually with plastic wrap. Store in lightly covered container at room temperature.

Makes 2 - ½ dozen or 30 servings, one bar each.

Fruit bars/optional: prepare as directed, stirring in 1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, cherries or dried fruit bits, along with the cereal. (Or mini chocolate chips.)


enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Perfect for Saturday brunch...

Thank you Pillsbury for making my Saturday morning! A girlfriend was coming over for brunch in about an hour and I opened the refrigerator to pull out the ingredients to make a frittata... and I realized I had forgotten to purchase more eggs when I was at the grocery store. As you may or may not know, you can't make much of a frittata with only 2 eggs... hmm... NOW WHAT?!

Pillsbury to the rescue!!! I went searching online and found the perfect recipe: Hashbrown Egg Cups.

Brunch ended up being a complete success ... we got to choose from fresh fruit, fresh baked banana muffins and my personal favorite... oh yeah, and the piping hot hasbrown egg cups.



So, in this post I'll show you how I made the hashbrown egg cups... it's so easy! And my friend can vouch for how yummy they were... and comforting and filling and cute ... all at the same time!



I started by combining prepared hashbrowns, grated cheese, green onions and salt/pepper.





Then I greased the oven-safe bowl and added the hashbrown/cheese mixture by shaping it and pressing it aganst the walls, to create a cup shape.



I placed the bowls on a baking sheet and slid them into a preheated oven...



Following Pillsbury's instructions, the hashbrowns baked for a while. In the meantime I scrambled the eggs and counted the minutes...

When the time was right I added the scrambled egg and topped it with a tad more grated cheese.







You want to make these... I promise!



And yes, I do believe we'll be having some for dinner this week too... 'cuz we're "breakfast for dinner" kind of people.





enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Because-It-Makes-My-Hubby-Happy Hash

My hero-of-a-hubby woke up and informed me he's taking today off of work... WHAT?! We could've gone out last night and danced until the sun came up?! And you didn't tell me?! (HA!!! YEAH RIGHT!!!)


So, I guess we should do breakfast together... hmmm, what to make?! What to make?! Wait - what's in the pantry?!


Between the fridge, freezer and pantry we had the items for this hash... so it all came together quickly. What a nice surprise!!!



And once again, I'm the hero of the household...



My pantry shortcuts for this? They are the farthest from fancy/culinary cuisine... but I still believe in keeping "ready-serve" bacon and freeze-dried hash browns in the pantry. They always seem to come in handy in a pinch... especially this morning! Yay for pantry power!!!


Now he's jamming on his guitar and I'm in day-off heaven! life is good...



Because-It-Makes-My-Hubby-Happy Hash
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
5 slices bacon, diced
1/4 pound breakfast sausage, cooked/crumbled
5 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup cheddar cheese
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 ½ - 2 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
1 cup cottage cheese
Pinch kosher salt/red pepper flakes

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Warm large cast iron skillet over medium heat.

In cast iron skillet, cook bacon and onion in butter. Add pinch of salt to help draw out onion juices. If using already cooked/crumbled sausage, add to mix at end of cooking. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add cheddar, Monterey jack and cottage cheeses. Stir in hash browns. Add onion/bacon/sausage mixture; mix well. Transfer ingredients back to skillet and place in oven. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool/stand for 10 minutes before serving.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...