French Toast

This is a simple recipe for French toast, probably no different than any you have in your box of good ideas, but I thought I'd post it in case you need it.

I cooked it in an electric skillet; it gave me more work room, heated evenly, and made the whole process go by more quickly.

Although we do pancakes every Sunday morning, occasional changes to the menu, like this, are deemed acceptable by my routine lovin' family. It's delicious! Give it a try.

Preheat an electric skillet to 350 degrees. Melt 3T butter.

In a large bowl, combine 5 eggs, 2C milk, 2t vanilla, 3T orange juice, and 2T sugar. Whisk until foamy.

Slice a loaf of sourdough bread into thick pieces. Place in a single layer in a large baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let soak, flipping once, until bread is full. (You will probably need to do this is batches, so don't pour all the egg mix on the first batch!)

Place bread in a single layer in the skillet. Cook about 3 minutes on the first side and then flip and cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes, or until desired crispy-ness.

Serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

What was I doing making mint chocolate chip ice cream on a day during which the temperature never rose above 27 degrees?

Meh, our house has heat.

And this ice cream is sooooo yummy!

In a large bowl, mix 1C whole milk and 3/4C sugar. Whisk well until the sugar is dissolved. Add 2C heavy cream, 1 1/2t mint extract and place in the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your maker's instructions.

Five minutes before the freezing process is complete, add 4 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or 4oz mini chocolate chips. If desired, add green food coloring until ice cream turns light green.

Place ice cream in a tightly sealed container and freeze for an additional 1 hour. Serve.

Pan Roasted Tilapia with Prosciutto, Lemon and Capers

After being on a big fish kick a while back, I am not really loving fish lately. And it looks delicious, doesn't it? And JC and Griffin loved it, but I was not so enamored. The bits of fish that got a nice helping of the sauce was nice and flavorful, and the fish was flaky, and like I said, others loved it.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place 1/2C flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dredge 3 - 6 tilapia fillets in the flour. Put a medium sized, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 1T olive oil and 1T butter. When the skillet is hot, add the fish and cook until browned on one side, about 3 - 4 minutes. Flip, and then place the skillet in the preheated oven. Roast the fish until it is cooked through, about 10 - 12 minutes, depending on how thick they are.

Remove the fish and place on a platter. Cover to keep warm.

Place the same skillet on a burner heated to medium-high heat. Add 2 - 3 slices of prosciutto that has been cut into thin slices. Cook until crisp, drain and place on a paper towel. Add 1T olive oil and 2T butter. Add 1/2C white wine, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2t capers, and 2T finely chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, stirring frequently.

Pour the sauce over the fish, top with prosciutto and more parsley. Serve.

Asian Style Braised Short Ribs

What luck!

I wanted to cook this meal on a day when I could run home for lunch because I needed to get it in the oven early, but not at 7:10AM when I leave for work.

Low and behold, a two hour snow delay!

So, I put it together and put it in the waiting oven when I left for school two hours later than normal. It cooked a little bit longer than I would have liked (I came home at 4PM), but since I adjusted the suggested temperature to the lower end of the range, it was still sooooo delicious.

JC suggested that it would taste great with sliced cucumbers, so next time, sliced cucumbers!
What a rich flavorful sauce, and meat that fell right off the bone.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, combine 5lbs beef short ribs, 1C coy sauce, 1/4C rice wine vinegar, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1T minced, peeled ginger, 1/2C brown sugar, and 4C water. Toss in some crushed red pepper, 2T orange juice, and some kosher salt. Make sure the ribs are covered with liquid.

Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 4 - 5 hour, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid.

Skim the fat from the cooking liquid. Add 1/4C hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until about 1 1/2C remains (this took me over 30 minutes to do). It will thicken significantly. Strain so that all solids are removed. Stir in 2T orange juice and a splash of lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the short ribs back in the reduced sauce, stirring to coat. Cover and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until meat is reheated.

Serve over rice with a scattering of green onion tops.

Marinated Flank Steak (2)

The picture doesn't do justice to this meat. Not even close. The flavor was nice and rich, the marinade the perfect blend of spicy and sweet. And it wasn't difficult or time consuming at all. Combine a few things in a ziplock baggie, smoosh it around, let the meat come to room temperature while in the marinade and grill.

And it went perfectly with the BLT potatoes!

In a large, ziplock baggie, combine 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1T grill seasoning (I have McCormick Steak Seasoning), 2t hot sauce, 1T Worcestershire sauce, 2T red wine vinegar 1/3C olive oil.

Smoosh all the seasonings together and add the flank steak (about 2lbs). Let rest on the counter for about 15 - 25 minutes to marinate and come to room temperature.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the steak, discarding the remaining marinade, and cook 6 - 7 minutes per side for medium rare.

Slice against the grain and serve.

BLT Potatoes

Yum! I was hesitant to make these, and the final product isn't exactly the prettiest side dish I've ever seen, but they tasted really good. They are kind of like a stuffed baked potato all smashed up!

Cut 1lb. of small red potatoes into halves or quarters. Place them in a large pot, cover with water, and boil until softened, about 15 - 20 minutes. Drain the water from the potatoes, place them in a large bowl, and mash with a little bit of cream. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, cut the green top off one leek. Slice the leek down the center and then cut into thin half-moon slices. Place them in a shallow bowl, fill it with water, and swish around to remove all the sand and dirt. Drain, rinse again, and drain one last time. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Slice 4 pieces of bacon into bite sized pieces and cook in the skillet until they start to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon to drain off the grease and add to the potatoes. Stir to combine.

Chop and seed one red tomato; add to the potatoes. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Grammy's Mac and Cheese

Whenever there is a family event that my mother-in-law will be attending, she is always asked to contribute her macaroni and cheese. It's not a very complex recipe, but I have tried to recreate it time and time again to no avail. I think this might have been the closest I came to success, but it still wasn't right. My kids smiled and offered me a weak "thanks" but we all know it just isn't the same.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil 2C macaroni noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain and pour into a greased casserole dish. Set aside.

Add about 1/2 a pound of Velveeta cheese that has been cut into slices. Pour about 1/2 inch of milk into the bottom of the casserole dish. Add a few tablespoons of margarine and "any cheese Grampy has leftover in the fridge." (You can see the problem here, can't you?)

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, stirring intermittently. Add a thin layer of bread crumbs to the macaroni and cheese and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Above you see the product prior to being folded up into a taco/burrito deal. And it was yummy!

This was different than our normal taco night extravaganza because of the delicious shredded chicken underneath all those yummy toppings. And, while fresh ingredients aren't available this time of year, you can still get a decent avocado, some shredded cheese, and one of those containers of yummy fresh salsa that your grocery store sells.

We really enjoyed this. Middle son even used the little bit of extra meat between two pieces of bread for a taco sandwich!

In a large pot of boiling water, cook 3 - 4 chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from water, cool, and then shred. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook 1/2C diced onions in 1T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1T minced garlic, and 1t oregano. Cook for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop and seed 3 large tomatoes. Also chop and seed 1 poblano chile pepper. Add to the onion mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add 2T lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer sauce to blender and puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning at this step by adding Tabasco or another hot sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine.

Place chicken on tortilla then add toppings. Fold and eat!

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

At dinner, middle son said, "You're really all about stuffing your meats lately, aren't you?"

Meh. Just by chance.

It isn't easy (you try slitting a nice, big, even slit in a slippery, uncooperative chicken breast), and the results are uneven.

Once again, JC enjoyed this one, but I thought the mustard taste was too strong and there simply weren't enough apples in my chicken. Next time, I'd make more of an apple salsa or chutney to serve over the chicken.

In a small bowl combine one Fuji apple that has been cored and cut into small chunks, 1/2C shredded cheese, 2T bread crumbs, 1T lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Place 4 chicken breasts on a cutting board. Hold flat with the palm of your hand and cut a slit into each breast, being sure not to cut through.

Stuff each chicken breast with apple stuffing. Secure the slit with toothpicks.

In a Dutch oven, heat 2T olive oil over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in preheated pan and sear for 3 minutes on each side so that they are nicely browned. Add 1/2C apple cider and 1/3C chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let cook for 5 - 8 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees.

Remove chicken from the pan, slide toothpicks out, and cover with foil to keep warm. Meanwhile, add 1/4C apple juice and 2t Dijon mustard to the sauce. Turn heat to high and cook sauce until thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place chicken breast on plate and top with a few spoonfuls of sauce.

Mini Chocolate Ganache Cakes

Why oh why do I cook dessert when I know I shouldn't be eating so much of it? When I know there is a perfectly good (and delicious) pumpkin pie in the fridge waiting to be finished?

Because I love dessert.

These were tedious, and the cake was too dry, but overall, once you add all of the ganache and the glaze, they tasted fantastic. I developed it from a recipe that called for pomegranate filling --- but we all know my kids aren't going to eat that! So, if I don't want to eat them all myself (see above), I have to make them kid friendly.

Try 'em, you'll like 'em.

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together 2C flour, 1C sugar, 2/3C cocoa powder, 1t baking powder and 1/2t salt.

In a measuring cup, heat 1 1/3C water until it is hot. Add 2/3C vegetable oil, 1t vanilla, and 1T white vinegar. Whisk into dry ingredients until just moist; some lumps may remain. Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan, spreading batter to the edges.

Bake cake in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes (I think mine was dry because I cooked it too long, so err toward the 10 minute side). Remove from oven and cool.

Turn cake out onto another sheet of parchment paper. I placed a new sheet of parchment paper on top of the cooled cake and then put my cutting board on top of that. Then I inverted the entire thing so that the cake was on the new parchment paper on top of the cutting board (whew!). Remove the original parchment paper. Cut the cake into equal thirds, trimming the edges to make a neat rectangle if necessary.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

The key to ganache is quantity of ingredients. I wanted a spreadable ganache for between layers, so I made one from equal parts cream and bittersweet chocolate.

Place 5oz bittersweet chocolate in a microwaveable bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals until melted. Let sit to cool slightly. Add 5oz heavy cream and stir to combine. Ganache should be thick and spreadable.

Glaze

This one I wanted to be slightly thinner so that I could pour it on top and have it drip over the sides. Sadly, I found myself with only unsweetened chocolate; but I worked with what I had.

Melt 2T butter and 2oz unsweetened chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and let sit for another minute. Stir to combine. Then add 1C powdered sugar and mix carefully to remove lumps. Add 1T of cream (or more for desired consistency) to even the texture and make smoother.

Assemble

Spread half of the ganache on one layer of cake. Place second layer on top. Spread the second half of ganache on top of that layer. Top with final layer.

Cut cake into 1 1/2inch cubes. (I cut it in half, and then worked with each half.) Spread on a serving tray. Top each cube with a tablespoon of glaze, encouraging it to drip down the sides.

Sprinkle the top with decorative sugars. Cool before serving to set.