Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast

I've been kind of obsessed lately with trying to find Breakfast recipes. A few weeks ago I made banana pancakes, because I had a few bananas going bad so I found that recipe. To my surprise Mike asked me to make them again the following weekend. They were good, but I guess better than I thought.

So I was looking around and came a cross a recipe for Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast on Yahoo. I used the recipe more as a guide line because the recipe made enough for 8 servings. It's a basic french toast recipe, but with add flavors.




Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast

6 slices of bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon
peanut butter
crushed corn flakes

1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. In another bowl add crushed corn flakes
2. Spread a 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on one side of one piece of bread and another topping of your choice on the other side. I used Fluff and Nutella.


3. Dip sandwich into egg batter


4. Then roll in corn flakes and cook on a hot griddle pan.


My Review: If you can make french toast you can make this recipe. So easy and the possibilities of flavor combinations are endless. The first picture is of the three varities I made. Just peanut butter on the top, the bottom left is peanut butter and fluff and the one on the right is peanut butter and nutella. So good, but can be on the sweet side. I'll make this again!!

May recipe - Beef Burgers

I couldn't tell you the last time I had a homemade burger. I remember when I was little I use to hate it when my mom would make burgers from scratch. But I found a new respect for the flavors that can enhance the taste and take it to a whole new level. I didn't get crazy with the burgers I made, but I'm willing to practice until I found a recipe I love.



Beef Burger

1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion grated
a few dashes of worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper

Mix ingredients together, shape into burgers and cook.


I got to use one of my new gadgets for the kitchen/grill. A grill press. It flattens the burgers and helps cook them faster.

My Review: Burgers were easy to make and tasty, but I cooked it a little to well done. Not juicy enough. But I'm going to keep I trying. If anyone has a good recipe, please share!!

I tried to be Top Chef...

I have posted about this before but I love reality TV...especially cooking shows. So last week when I saw Top Chef I wanted to try a couple of the winning recipes. I made the Stir Fry Whole Wheat Noodle Tuesday night for dinner and the Rice Salad with Seared Skirt Steak for dinner last night.

Review: The one thing about cooking recipes from Top Chef is that they give you a great list of ingredients. However, the way the directions in the recipe are written it is a little hard to figure out how to cook the dish...at least for me. The stir fry tasted like something I have made before and because of that I wasn't impressed with it. The Rice Salad on the other hand was simple but the flavor was there. Mike didn't like the dressing that I made to go with the salad (it was a tiny bit strong) but I got an idea of how complex but simple their plates are on the show.

I don't think I would make the stir fry again just because it is something I have made before in the past and no added value for me with this recipe. I might make the rice salad again but use a different dressing. It was a nice side dish to our grilled steak but then again I think Mike would like the two of them separate better then together.

Taco Salad Bowl

Since last night was Cinco de Mayo I always like to make something taco like for dinner. I saw in the recent magazine Kraft sends out a Taco Salad Bowl recipe. I was going to make the exact recipe but decided to just make my usual taco meat and a salad to go with it. I did however make the taco bowl like in the recipe.

Taco Bowl Shell
8" inch tortilla shell
cooking spray
chili powder
foil

Preheat the oven to 450.

Take a sheet of foil and make it into a 3" ball. Put on cookie sheet and drape tortilla shell over the ball. Spray outside with cooking spray and sprinkle with chili powder. Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes until browned.


Review: The shells are really easy to make and really couldn't be any easier. I think I bought a larger size shell because it didn't really create a bowl like I thought (I was thinking about the taco bowls you get at restaurants). The other little issue I had was that the bottom was square so it didn't sit well on my plate. I have seen on the Kraft website a another recipe using smaller shells and putting them in muffin tins.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Today at work we had a Cinco De Mayo party. A few people were bringing in dip and chips so I decided to make something different. Churros!

Churros

1 cup water
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup white flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F. In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside. In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a good boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Mix it in until well blended.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in. Fill a pastry bag with the star tip attached, with churro dough.
Check oil to make sure it's hot enough and then squeeze about a 4 inch long dough into the oil. You'll have to release the dough with your finger. Cook about 1 minute and then turn with a slotted spoon. Once golden brown they are done. Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel. While still warm roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon.


My Review: This was easy to make. The only problem was that I made them the night before and by the time I brought them into work the turned soggy. Definitely something to eat the same day you make them. I tasted one after I made it and it was good.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Someone my husband works with is very kind and generous to us. She have been giving us a bunch of clothes and toys for Jacob. This has been going on for a while now and I feel like it is time to repay her in some way. The best way I know how to do this is by making her something homemade. The first time I did this was during the fall and I made her my very yummy pumpkin bread. This time I had something different in mind...a recipe that I have been wanting to find and make Chocolate Chip Cake.

It was like it was meant to be because on our trip to King Arthur Flour we all bought a bunch of stuff from their store. I have been thinking about getting The Baking Sheet which is a bimonthly, full-sized print newsletter. So while I was there I bought an issue to see if it was something I would be interested in subscribing too. I opened it up and what is the very first recipe on the very first page...Chocolate Chip Cake!!

Review: I didn't change the recipe but I decided instead of making it a cake with a filling in the middle of two layers...I would bake it in my mini loaf pan (and I had some batter leftover to make 7 mini cupcakes). The recipe itself was easy to make and the only ingredient I don't normally have on hand is the sour cream which is a good thing because that is what prevents me from making this more often.

The note from KAF is that they were trying to reproduce Entenmann's filled chocolate chip coffeecake. From the mini cupcake that I tried I think it is so good and so what I was hoping this would be. If I wasn't trying to watch my weight a little bit I would be tempted to run to the store and do a taste test.

Like my husband says...add to the list of things I should make again. If I get invited to a brunch I might make the recipe as is with the filling and all.

Update: I just ate a piece of the chocolate chip cake from one of the mini loafs I made...oh my I am in love with this cake. It was way better then the mini cupcake I had yesterday. The chocolate crumbs on top add another layer of sweetness to it which is awesome! I can't wait to try the original recipe with the filling the next time I make it...and YES there will be a next time!

April Recipe Summary

This month's recipe theme was Garlic which I think we all found out is harder to make then we thought. Like Heidi said in her post I cook with garlic all the time so it was hard to find something that was a true garlic recipe.

Heidi: Three Cheese Pizza (using garlic cheddar cheese)
Jenn: Garlicky Green Beans
Michelle: Aioli Sauce

Chicken Enchiladas

I decided to make my Cinco de Mayo recipe early since had all the ingredients in the house. I have another recipe picked out that might try as well (churros) if I have time.

Chicken Enchiladas

4 skinless chicken breast
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pint sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
8 flour tortillas
1 jar taco sauce
3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain excess fat, Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese, oregano and pepper. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in salt, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, green pepper and garlic.



3. Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with taco sauce and 3/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.



My Review: This recipe was easy to make and tasted great. I did a few things different. I first cut the recipe in half since it was just the two of us. I also shredded the chicken instead of dicing it and used garlic salt instead of a clove of garlic. I would definitely make this again.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Cheesecake pops

I was really excited about this month's challenge because it was one of those things that if I was able to pull it off would make a great addition to any party. Cheesecake pops was this month's challenge hosted by Elle – Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah – Taste and Tell .

Unfortunately or fortunately this month (for once in my life) I had every weekend booked up with activities for myself and/or with family. So the only time I had was at the very beginning of the month to complete this challenge. I did complete it but it was a failure...but if failure taste this good bring it on more often.


I was really pressed for time which is why I didn't allow my cheesecake to bake as long as it should have. The recipe (which you can find on either of the challenge host blogs) stated to bake the cheesecake for 35-45 minutes...well I had it in there for at least 1 hour. Since I was doing this late at night and was super tired I took it out of the oven and thought it would set more in the refrigerator.


It did not and I was stuck with some really nice set cheesecake and cheesecake soup for the rest of it. So I put my thinking cap on and figured out a way to "mold" the pops...I used the mini cupcake papers I had and put the cheesecake in that, froze them for the 2 hours, put the sticks in them, and then dipped it in chocolate. The only thing is you have to keep them in the freezer or they turn back to soup if you leave them out.


The only other problem I had with this recipe was the 8" sticks that needed to be inserted into them. I had a really hard time getting myself enough freezer space to accommodate a cookie sheet and on top of that to get enough space for the 8" sticks...it really was a comedy of errors for me on this challenge.

The idea for decorating the pops was to make it like a turtle...chocolate, caramel and nuts.








Review: The recipe for the cheesecake is really easy, fast and delicious which I would make again. Knowing that I will have to bake it for a lot longer then the recipe states. Making them into cheesecake pops I don't think I would make again...and if I do maybe I can buy a pre-made cheesecake and try it that way.

April Recipe (Kind of): Three Cheese Pizza

Ok so Garlic is April's theme. Which turns out harder than I thought to find a recipe I want to try. I think it's because I always cook with garlic. I made something the other night and Mike was like "Oh look, you used garlic....that's right April is cook everything with garlic month"...hehe...no, but I guess I do cook with garlic a lot. It's one of those herbs/spices that when you're cooking and you want to add a little flavor to the dish...just add some garlic.

If you read the post below you'll see that we went to the King Arthur Flour Company to take a class on how to make pasta. Well the day before the class we went shopping in their store. Oh the fun we had. It was like three kids in a candy store. Well at one point I had a the classic pizza crust mix in my basket and Italian Style Flour in my basket...I was like I don't need both. But I was like hey who knows when I'll be back again I'm getting both. Boy am I glad I did!! I've been wanting to make pizza for a while and I figure with either of them I can. So tonight I made pizza with the help from the Classic Pizza Crust Mix.


Three Cheese Pizza With Peppers



1 Classic Pizza Crust Mix
(mixture requires you to add 2 Tbs of oil, 1 1/4 cup warm water and 1 1/4 ts salt)
4 oz of Grafton Village Garlic Cheddar Cheese
6 oz of Mozzarella cheese
2 oz of Parmesan cheese
1 green pepper
Pizza sauce

1. Preheat over to 425
2 .Prepare crust mix according to directions on the package and allow crust to rise for 20-25 minutes.
3. Spread sauce, cheese and peppers onto crust and bake for 17 minutes.


Enjoy!

My Review: Yummy!! Yummy!! Yummy!! This was very easy to make. The one thing the pasta class taught me (besides how to make pasta) was how to tell when dough is supple after kneading. The directions on the package was to mix the dough until supple. So, I used my Kitchen Aid Mixture with the dough hook attachment and first I was like um is this right, but as the mixer continued to "knead" the dough you could see it changing into the supple dough I needed. I then skip one of the steps and just spread it onto an oiled 12x17 baking sheet with sides. Which was easier than I thought it would be. The rest is history. King Arthur definitely makes a quality product. I would definitely buy it again. Oh and the cheese was also bought on our weekend adventure. We had stopped there on our way and sampled about 5-7 types of cheese. Yummm cheese...Mike always asks me if I was a mouse in a former life...you never know!