Stuffed French Toast

"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." - Mary Kay Ash

Sorry I haven't been responding very well online, both blogging and email. I'm just trying to get through one day at a time, hoping one day I'll wake up and the sun will be shining. Until then, I'm on a very long detour to my destination. I'm also open for any motivational quotes because I can never find any when I need them lol

ANYWAY

Almost two months ago, McCormick sent me a toolkit and recipes to try. Easter morning, I tried their stuffed french toast, which is a great recipe when you want something special for breakfast. Pretty much it's a cross between a grilled cheese and french toast when it comes to making it. You spread the filling on bread, put it together like a sandwich, dip it in egg mixture, and cook in the skillet. The original recipe called for apricot preserves or jam, but I used blackberry jam since that's what we had in the fridge.

Stuffed French Toast



8 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
16 slices bread
1/2 cup preserves or jam
5 eggs
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter, divided

1. Mix cream cheese, sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla in small bowl until well-blended. Spread mixture evenly onto half the bread slices. Spread jam on the other slices. Put the halves together and make 8 sandwiches.

2. In another bowl, beat eggs. Stir in milk, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture and drip off any excess.

3. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet. Cook each sandwich a few minutes per side or until golden brown. Use remaining Tbsp butter if you need it.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: McCormick

A Filling Breakfast

Yet another recipe I made back in October with my apples. This breakfast is time consuming because you have to brown the sausage, then shred the apples, then make the syrup and pancakes. I guess you could save time by having already-browned sausage, but you don't want to prepare the apples until you are ready to use them. I was impressed by the syrup. Normally, I don't eat toppings with my pancakes. This syrup, although optional, tastes good.

And today is the last day I register for classes, ever. None of them sound fun except maybe oceanography because we are going to the Bahamas for spring break. No video classes though because I took them all already :(

Yes, I voted. Stop asking me haha

Apple Sausage Pancakes with Cider Syrup



1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
2/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup shredded, peeled apples

Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter

1. In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain grease and set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Beat in egg, milk, and oil until just moistened. Fold in apples and sausage. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls into hot skillet or griddle. When the top bubbles and the bottom is brown, flip and cook until bottom is brown. Repeat until batter is gone.

3. Meanwhile, for syrup: combine sugar, cornstarch, and spices in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in cider and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Serve warm with pancakes.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Source: Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2001 p. 12

When Mother Nature Gives You Snow, Bake Bread

All this cold weather makes me crave warm, comforting foods. Lately I've been craving a quick bread of some sort. I didn't have enough bananas, so banana bread was out. I really didn't want applesauce bread nor did I want to shred carrots for carrot bread. I was looking through Quick Bread Winners from Betty Crocker that Anj had given me when I found Glazed Cinnamon Breakfast Loaf. I didn't want any glaze, but the loaf alone sounded good. Plus it uses basic ingredients. Well, almost basic. It calls for buttermilk baking mix (aka Bisquick), but you can make your own. I honestly think you don't need the extra sugar and calories from the glaze, but I'll attach the recipe for those who have a really sweet tooth. It calls for raisins, but feel free to use nuts. I was going to use walnuts, but I forgot.


Cinnamon Breakfast Loaf



3 cups buttermilk baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or nuts

Glaze (optional)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp hot water

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

2. Beat baking mix, sugar, flour, egg, and milk on low speed of mixer 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in raisins/nuts. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour 1/3 of the batter (2/3 cup) into pan. Sprinkle layer with 3 Tbsp cinnamon mixture. Repeat 2 more times.

3. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before drizzling with glaze.

4. Glaze: Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and water until smooth consistency. Drizzle on bread when cool.

Source: Quick Bread Winners from Betty Crocker, 1985 p.61

A Nice, Warm Breakfast

What better way to start a snowy, weekend morning than with a warm breakfast? I decided these past two weekends, I would make pancakes. I've never made pancakes before *gasp* My family usually buys the frozen kind, and if we were to make them homemade, my dad would make them. Just like I never learned how to make scrambled eggs (I don't like egg yolk, so I would never make them for myself anyway). I used the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box (which I bought on sale with a coupon for $1) and made eight pancakes each time (to last me all weekend). For those of who not familiar with Bisquick, it's pancake and baking mix in a box. It's typically made up of dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, etc.

The first weekend, I made chocolate chip pancakes. So good you don't need to add butter or syrup. Two things I learned - always make sure your burner is level (3 out of 4 are crooked on our stove) and never, EVER put water in the hot skillet right after the last pancake is finished. I always do that everytime I make dinner so it is easier clean up later. Let's just say there was so much steam/smoke I was this close to setting off the smoke alarm *cough* I posted below Bisquick's recipe. When I run out of Bisquick, I'll be looking at pancakes totally from scratch.

The second weekend (yesterday) I made gingerbread pancakes. I've been craving gingerbread ever since the holiday season started. I didn't think these had enough gingerbread flavor, but then again I didn't have cloves to add. If I can find a reasonably-priced bottle of cloves, I'll have to try this recipe again. If you make this with cloves, let me know how it tastes.


Chocolate Chip Pancakes




1 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (feel free to use nuts, raisins, blueberries, etc.)

In a bowl, mix together Bisquick, milk, and egg. Fold in chocolate chips. In a heated skillet, pour 1/4 cup batter in a circular motion. Pancake is ready to flip when bubbles form on the surface. Repeat until batter is gone. Makes 8 pancakes.

Source: Back of Bisquick box


Gingerbread Pancakes




2/3 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup Bisquick
1/8 cup molasses
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
Powdered sugar, for dusting

In a bowl, mix together Bisquick and spices. Add milk, molasses, and egg. Let chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes. In a heated skillet, pour 1/4 cup batter in a circular motion. Pancake is ready to flip when bubbles form on the surface. Repeat until batter is gone. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 8 pancakes.

Source: Recipe Zaar

A Giant Can of Pumpkin Goes a Long Way

When I was home for fall break, I found a 29 oz. can of pumpkin on sale for $1.50. That's a pretty good bargain for so much pumpkin. For the past two weeks I have been trying all those wonderful pumpkin recipes out there.

Before I get to the recipes, I want to thank Megan for doing the cookbook exchange with me.


Pumpkin Nut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting




As a good friend of made said when eating this cupcake, "I'm going to marry this!" She requested a dozen of these as her Christmas present. Glad to know she's easy to shop for. I got lots of compliments on how I decorated, but the idea wasn't mine. But I guess if they don't see the original post and picture, then they'll never know. All I did was cut the recipe in half and added walnuts. I suggest if you cut the cupcake recipe in half, also cut the frosting recipe in half. I didn't and there is leftover frosting in the freezer.

Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

2. In a second bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy; beat in eggs. Mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until the batter is smooth. Add in nuts.

3. Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

4. In a bowl, beat on medium speed the cream cheese and butter until creamy. With mixer on low speed, make 1/2 cup additions of sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Increase the speed of your mixer between each addition.

Source: Cupcakes: Bake Bake Bake; Frosting: Bake and Destroy


Pumpkin Oatmeal




Another oatmeal recipe, yay! This one is a healthier alternative when you crave pumpkin pie. The first time I made it, I had too much milk. The second time I made, I didn't have enough milk LOL Try to find a happy medium between 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup (for one bowl's worth).

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon ginger
1/8 cup brown sugar

Microwave oats and milk for 2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar until blended.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce



Another "what the hell are you making?!" recipe. That's what my one roommate said with disgust when I was in the kitchen. I was being daring and decided to eat pumpkin for dinner. Don't let the pumpkin fool you because this sauce was great! I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream and left out the red bell pepper because I didn't have any.

1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup uncooked pasta

1. In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream cheese, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

2. While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until done.

3. Add pasta to sauce and cook over moderate heat, stirring and thinning with reserved water if needed, until pasta is well coated.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pumpkin Pudding



It tastes better than it looks, I swear!! It tastes just like pumpkin pie without the pie crust. I really wished I had Cool Whip when I was eating it. I didn't make as much as the recipe called for because I had a small box of pudding and 5 oz. evaporated milk, so I used 1 cup pumpkin. If my picture doesn't make you crave it, check out the picture on Nestle's website.

1 pkg (5 1/10 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Whipped topping (optional)

Beat pudding mix and milk according to package directions in large bowl. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; mix well. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Top with whipped topping, if desired.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking.


Pumpkin Raisin Muffins




Since I didn't have much pumpkin left, my choices were pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread. Muffins are easier to share, plus I had Halloween paper liners I needed to use. I was debating on using white chocolate chips and raisins, and since I don't eat as healthy as I should, I went with raisins. I cut the recipe in half and used all-purpose flour entirely.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper cups.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking

Sometimes Being Stubborn Pays Off

Ever had a food that although you enjoy the taste, for whatever reason your stomach rejects it? For the longest time, oatmeal and my stomach have never gotten along. I used to eat those instant oatmeal packs from Quaker Oats, mainly the fruit and cream kind. Shortly afterwards, my stomach churns. All these years later, I buy quick oats to use in cookies. I was looking online for other ways to use oats, and I came across a bunch of homemade oatmeal recipes. One called for peanut butter. I'm a huge fan of peanut butter, and for whatever crazy reason, I decided to give oatmeal one more chance. I made it, ate it, and waited...and waited...and waited. Then I went to work. Still nothing. My stomach seems to like this oatmeal, and what a comfort food it was. Nice, hot peanut butter with a spoonful of brown sugar mixed in with the oats. This makes me wonder if instant oatmeal has some kind of artificial ingredient that shouldn't be in natural oatmeal. I'll need to look at the ingredient list next time I'm at the store. In the meantime, go make some oatmeal and enjoy its warm comfort. The best part? It's the perfect snack for small budgets.


Peanut Butter Oatmeal




1/2 cup water
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter

Microwave oats and water for 1-2 minutes or until oats are soft. Stir in sugar and peanut butter until blended. Makes 1 bowl.

Source: Jif Peanut Butter

What I've Been Up To This Semester

Taking 17 hours of classes plus 12 hours of work gives me limited time to update my blog (although I do work in a computer lab, so when I'm not busy I surf the web. Yay food blogs!) However, that didn't stop me from cooking and baking. I'm going to put it all in one post so I can be caught up.


Chicken Curry




Only once in my life have I had curry, and it wasn't even from a restaurant. While in Ireland, I bought a jar of curry sauce because it was on sale. I mixed it with rice and tuna, and it was absolutely delicious! When I came home, I wanted to buy curry powder, but it isn't the cheapest spice around, so I waited. When I was grocery shopping for college, I decided to give in and buy a jar. I found a recipe for chicken curry online awhile back and saved it into an online recipe box. That makes this dish #3 towards my goal.

1/4 cup flour
2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Chicken breast
1/4 cup onion
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup white rice, cooked
Veggies, such as carrots or peas

If time permitting, bake chicken at 375F for 35 minutes. Otherwise, chop and fry in skillet. In a bowl, mix flour, curry, ginger, and sugar. Sauté onions in butter until tender. Once tender, add flour mixture. Slowly add broth and milk. Cook until thick and bubbly. Add lemon juice, chopped chicken, and veggies; cook a few more minutes. Serve on top of hot rice. Makes 2 servings.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Garlicky Pasta with Basil and Tomatoes




I found this recipe from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen and knew I had to try it!! I'm 50% Italian, so of course the more garlic, the better. I used canned tomatoes and vegetable oil since I'm on a budget. This is a must for garlic lovers.

8 oz uncooked pasta
3 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, seasoning, and cheese, tossing gently to combine.

Source: Laura Rebecca's Kitchen


Carrot Spice Muffins




During the summer, I borrowed Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" from my library after hearing so many posts about the book. I was making a list of recipes to try, but that turned out to be 3/4 of the book!! I had a 3 week limit on it, so I copied about 10 recipes. Last weekend, my parents visited me for the afternoon. I decided to make them French toast and Dorie's carrot spice muffins. Mmmm one of my favorite muffins!! Plus I love carrots. I didn't have any nuts or raisins, so I omitted them. I did have the coconut it called for, so yay.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in brown sugar. In another bowl, whisk oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet into the dry and quickly stir to blend. Add carrots, coconut, raisins, and nuts. Divide evenly among the pan. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins

Source: Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" p.14


Zucchini Casserole




Since my favorite vegetable is squash, I bought 4 of them to eat. One of the 12 cookbooks I got was dedicated completely to zucchini. I decided to make the zucchini casserole. My version is slightly different, so here is my adaptation.

1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used canned but fresh works too)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Enough beef for two servings
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Chop and cook beef until brown; drain grease and set aside. In a small casserole dish, put a layer of zucchini slices. Top with 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup onions, 1/2 clove garlic, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1/2 the amount of beef. Top with squash slices. Top with remaining tomatoes, onions, garlic, cheese, and beef. Top with any remaining squash and zucchini slices. Top with bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until squash slices are tender. Makes 2 servings

Source: "Garden Way's Zucchini Cookbook" 1977, p.104



I also made stuffed squash with oriental stuffing and stuffed pepper with a garlic alfredo rice mixture, but I forgot to take pictures of them! Oops!

Now that I am all caught up, what was the last homemade meal you made for dinner?

Chocolate For Breakfast?

Having early classes means not getting up until the last possible minute. Because I enjoy my sleep, I sacrifice time for eating breakfast. Usually it's just a granola bar to last me until I eat lunch, usually 11 or 12. I wanted to eat something on the go when I don't want a granola bar. Muffins, if prepared with the correct ingredients, can be a healthy alternative. I was getting antsy in my relatively new apartment, so I decided to bake for the first time this semester. I wanted to try out my orange extract I bought but never opened. I love the combination of chocolate and orange, so I searched for an orange chocolate chip muffin. After a few minutes of searching on Recipe Zaar, I found one. Now, these aren't the healthiest because of the chocolate, but it's still better than a Pop Tart or sugar cereals (which I cut out of my diet since I eat enough junk throughout the day). These muffins tasted fantastic, but they could've used a little more volume. Maybe next time I will try adding oats. Or I may have overmixed the batter. If you have an orange available, I would add orange zest and cut back on the extract to 1 Tbsp. I used 1 cup chocolate chips, but there was way too much chocolate in one bite (not that it tasted bad or anything ;) ) so I would go with 1/2 cup. As a side note, I don't buy eggs unless I plan on using alot, so I subbed for it and it turned out fine. I included that in the recipe below.

And if any of you have been paying attention, this is recipe #2 towards my goal.


Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins




2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg (or use 2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder)
2 Tbsp orange extract (or 2 Tbsp orange zest + 1 Tbsp orange extract)

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. In another bowl, whisk milk, oil, egg,and extract. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together for 20 seconds, or until just moist. If you see lumps, it is OK to leave them. Lightly grease muffin pan or use paper liners and fill each 2/3 full with batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Best served warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Source: Recipe Zaar


What do you eat for breakfast?
I eat Quaker chocolate and peanut butter granola bars or Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Occasionally I'll have french toast, waffles, hash browns, sausage, biscuits and gravy (!!!), leftover cake, or a banana.

French Toast Isn't French

Back in February during orientation week at Univerity of Limerick, I met 2 girls from Paris. I learned that French toast did not originate in France. I actually knew that, but in case there were any doubts, you heard it from authentic French girls ;) I didn't realize how much I missed this breakfast item until my housemates made it for brunch one day.


French Toast




4 slices of bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Few shakes of cinnamon
Few shakes of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional - we didn't have any in the house)
Syrup
Butter

1. Whisk egg, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a big bowl until blended.

2. Dip one slice of bread into egg mixture, coating both sides. Don't let the bread soak too long or it'll fall apart. Place into heated skillet. Cook until brown on one side; flip. Cook until brown.

3. Repeat step 2 with each slice.

4. Serve with butter and syrup.

Makes 4 slices of French toast

Recipe Source: I adjusted this recipe, originally from Allrecipes