Stuffed French Toast with Banana Syrup

Hey friends! 

You know what time it is!

Secret Recipe Club time!!!























This month I was assigned to Julie's blog, Little Bit of Everything. She has a cool list of 50 things she wants to cook like me. I bet we'd get along very well. Plus she has so many delicious recipes, from desserts like Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars to savory dishes like her Caramel Glazed Scallops. Yum! But ultimately I went with her World's Best French Toast. I mean, who can resist stuffed French toast topped with a banana syrup?!?! Not I!

We decided to stuff ours with peanut butter because peanut butter and banana go together so well! So.good. I love plain French toast as it is, and this was just over the top! Definitely a keeper.






















Stuffed French Toast with Banana Syrup
from Little Bit of Everything

*1 serving

Stuffed French Toast

• 2 slices white bread
• Peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon butter

Spread peanut butter on one side of bread slices. Make a sandwich out of the bread.

Whisk egg, milk and vanilla together in a small bowl..Dip the bread in the egg mixture, coating well.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the bread and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side.

Banana Syrup

• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 banana, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; stir in honey. Once combined, add cinnamon. Once the sauce is bubbling, add the banana and cook an additional minute or two.

Pour over French Toast. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.


Printable Recipe




Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts!   

An InLinkz Link-up

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Peace, and bacon grease!

Pumpkin Donut Mini Muffins

It's fall, yall! But quickly approaching winter so that means time to get in all the pumpkin we can!

 























































 

Fall, to me, means caramel apples and Thanksgiving turkey and sweet potatoes. But most of all, fall to me is all about pumpkin!

I gotta say, I love being a grown up (well, sometimes). Do you know how many times I would have gagged at the thought of pumpkin when I was a picky kid and teenager? Now, I know better. I'm so glad I'm willing to try more foods these days because if not, I wouldn't have discovered my love of pumpkin. 

Not all pumpkin flavored-things, let's be clear. But whether it's sweet or savory, I'm definitely on the pumpkin bandwagon.

While we enjoyed these, they didn't scream pumpkin flavor to me. Still good either way!




Pumpkin Donut Mini Muffins
adapted from Martha Stewart

For the Batter:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 and 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 and 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs

For the Sugar Coating:   

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour mini muffin cups. 

To make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

Spoon batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, checking at 12 minutes. It may take up to 17 minutes to cook through.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with melted butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: May need to use 2 mini muffin pans.


Printable Recipe

So how about you guys? How do you feel about pumpkin? Do you guys stock up on canned pumpkin like I do?

Linking up here. 

Peace, and bacon grease!

Strawberries and Cream Pancakes

Hello there, long lost friends!

I'm back and I've brought you breakfast.

Well, if you want to call this breakfast. 

Maybe dessert is more fitting?

Whatever you call it, you'll call it YUM.








































You can easily make homemade pancakes, or go the Bisquick route like I did. 

The strawberries are a nice sweetness from soaking in the sugars, and the whipped cream isn't sweet since no sugar was added to it. So it does make it more appropriate for breakfast. Feel free to add a little sugar to your whipping cream if you're used to sweeter whipped cream.


Strawberries and Cream Pancakes
from Betty Crocker

• 3 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar and set aside. Heat skillet over medium heat and grease with cooking spray.

Stir Bisquick, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, and eggs until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot skillet. 

Cook until edges are dry. Flip and cook until golden. To serve, layer pancakes, strawberries, and cream. 

Printable recipe

What have you all been doing this summer? I've been grilling lots, drinking milkshakes, eating ice cream cones, and gaining weight I'm sure. 

Now I need to incorporate some summer salads and refreshing fruits into my diet. And when I say diet, I don't mean that kinda diet. Because me and diets just don't get along. They try to tell me not to eat all kinds of glorious foods. Foods that I live for. Psssshhh, I do what I want. 

I'm hoping to get back to blogging more often. Not as often as I used to, but more than I have been. Stay tuned! I'll definitely be posting an SRC recipe on Monday  :) You won't wanna miss that.....

Linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

Classic Banana Bread

Banana bread!!!!!!









































We made this delicious banana bread for PJ's mom on mother's day. It turned out super delicious, though a bit dense. I think I may have over-stirred the batter. So the results were a flatter, heavier, more dense banana bread that was still so good. I approved, PJ approved, family approved, and mama-in-law approved! 

Classic Banana Bread  
from Inspired Taste

* Yields: 1 loaf

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 medium bananas (overripe and brown)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped, optional (we didn't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5-inch (or 9 x 5 inch) loaf pan. Place the loaf pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other.

For the batter, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together, set aside.

Mash bananas in a medium bowl. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla into the bananas until blended. With a large rubber spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in nuts, if using.
  
Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake 55 to 75 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean (if you use a 9x5 inch loaf pan, begin checking for doneness 5-10 minutes earlier). After 30 minutes in the oven, check the bread for color. If it looks like it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil. 

When the bread is done, transfer it to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place right side up on the rack. Cool completely.

For Storing: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.



Printable Recipe

Pictures were taken on my camera phone, hence the blurriness in them. This banana bread was still the bomb.com (do people still say that? apparently I do). 

Morale of the story. Banana bread makes all things better. Dare I even venture to say it's good for you? It has bananas in it, I mean come on! Ok Ok I'm pushing it. It is, however, good for the soul. True story.

Linking up here.
Peace, and bacon grease!

Mushroom and Leek Migas #CookbookSpotlight

Hi guys!

 

















































I'm kind of a cookbook hoarder. Shelves and shelves and shelves of cookbooks. You wanna know the sad thing though? With the internet and food blogs and smart phones, it's so easy to find recipes without actually picking up a cookbook. 

Which makes me sad. Because I really like the feel of a cookbook in my hands.

I'm the same way with books. I refuse to convert to the e-readers because I just love the feel of a book in my hand. I love turning the pages. I love the smell of books. Same goes for cookbooks. Only, I have so bought into the whole electronic world of recipes and food blogs and cooking sites that I don't use my cookbooks nearly enough. So when Heather reached out to me to participate in The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight, I didn't hesitate. This cookbook is written by the amazing Meagan Micozzi of Scarletta Bakes. She's kind of a big deal. And by kind of, I mean majorly.

For the first week, all 15 of us bloggers made her Mushroom & Leek Migas, which I've learned are like fancy scrambled eggs. 

The idea behind them is to serve a crowd from one pot/skillet. Though there's only two of us in my household, I still love the concept of this. Perfect for making for your family on weekends.

 
Mushroom and Leek Migas
from The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi of Scarletta Bakes

*Yields: approximately 4-6 servings

• 4 (5-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 and 1/4 cups vegetable oil, divided
• 10 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 oz brown baby bella crimini mushrooms, brushed clean, sliced
• 1 leek, ends removed, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
• 1 cup Manchego cheese, shredded

To prepare the corn strips, cut the tortillas in half and then slice them into thin strips (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide). Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips for 1-2 minutes, flipping the pieces as they fry and removing the crispy, browned strips to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. 

Whisk the eggs and heavy cream together in a large bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Rinse out the pan used for the tortilla strips and warm the remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Saute the mushroom slices for approximately 3 minutes or until tender and fragrant. Add the leek and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Pour in the egg mixture and cook, stirring constantly in a circular motion until eggs solidify, stir in the fried tortilla strips. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until eggs are light, fluffy, and cooked through.

Remove from heat, top with the cheese, and serve immediately.


Printable Recipe

Manchego cheese is a bit expensive, I get it. But if you can, use it. I had never tried it before and both the man and I liked it. I couldn't find any at my regular grocery store, I had to go to a bigger marketplace where they have all kinds of fancy cheeses. 

And I really liked the crispy tortilla strips. And they're so easy to make! Just tortillas cut into strips, vegetable oil, and fry those suckers for a minute or so, and you've got crisp tortilla strips. 
































































I think next time I'll serve mine with some avocado, because, well just because. I'm always looking for an opportunity to add avocado to my meals. And maybe a little sour cream on top.

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. - See more at: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/10/MushroomLeekMigas.html#more

Also linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. - See more at: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/10/MushroomLeekMigas.html#more

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. - See more at: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/10/MushroomLeekMigas.html#more

Nutella French Toast Rolls with Cinnamon Sugar

It's been way too long since I've posted a recipe on the ole blog. I've missssssssssssssed you!

Well what's the best way to get back into the blogging world? With a Secret Recipe Club post, that's what!

This month I was assigned to Louise's blog, Lick the Spoon. Louise is from Australia! So cool! Welp, I've got a new blog to follow. Love her recipes AND her photos. I had to narrow it down from 15 recipes. Yes 15. Like her Raspberry Lemonade Slice, Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Walnuts and Brown Butter Icing, and her Boston Banoffee Pie. But ultimately her Nutella French Toast Rolls won out. Cuz I love breakfast and french toast and nutella. No brainer.

Nutella French Toast Rolls with Cinnamon Sugar
from Lick That Spoon

• 10 slices of white bread (we used Private Selection Sugarhouse Maple Streusel bread - yum!)
• 10 teaspoons of nutella
• 1 large egg
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• butter, for frying

Remove the crusts from the slices of bread. Discard the crusts. Or eat them because that Maple Streusel bread is delish).

Roll each slice of bread with a rolling pin. Spread each slice of flattened bread with one teaspoon of nutella, spreading on one side of the bread to the length of the bread. Roll the bread up tightly, sealing shut with a dab of nutella.

In a bowl, whisk the egg and milk until combined. 

In a shallow dish, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well.

Heat some butter in a skillet. Dip each roll in the egg mixture until coated, then placing in the hot skillet. Lightly fry until golden brown all over, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve immediately.


Printable Recipe

I loved this twist on the traditional french toast. Next time I'll try it with regular white bread because it was a bit hard to roll up the bread I used and they weren't so perfect and smooth like hers. But they were still tasty.

Plus I'll take any recipe that calls for nutella and sugar for breakfast!

Here's the other Secret Recipe Club posts I've written in the past, check em out.


Linking up here.  
 
Peace, and bacon grease!