Meals: Breakfast for Dinner || Stuffed French Toast

Breakfast for dinner, in my opinion, is absolutely delicious, not to mention pretty inexpensive.  I could eat it once every week.

Last night, we had the missionaries from church over.  The problem was... we had an ice storm and I couldn't make it to the store.  I had to rely on what we had in our house and something quick that my husband could pick up on his way home from work.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite recipe books: The Gathering of Friends, Volume 2.  I had to make a few modifications because we don't like some of the ingredients and didn't have some other ingredients.

Sweet Stuffed French Toast
(adapted from The Gathering of Friends, Volume 2)

Feeds 4; 45-50 minutes total time

Ingredients:

• 20 thinly sliced pieces of french bread (slice the loaf into pieces a little less than 1/2 inch; about the size of a regular piece of bread)
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. of butter
• 1/3 c. of syrup
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. whole milk (the recipe calls for 1% but we only have whole in our house)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9"x13" glass pan with cooking spray.

Brown Sugar Glaze

Melt butter in microwave in a medium-sized bowl.  Add brown sugar, maple syrup and mix together well.  Put the other half to the side.

Spread about 1/2 of the brown sugar glaze mixture on the bottom of the pan.  

Add 10 slices of bread on top of the brown sugar glaze. 

Cream Cheese Filling Mixture

In another bowl, whip the cream cheese until creamy.  Add sugar and cinnamon and mix well.  Spread cream cheese mixture onto one side of the remaining 10 slices of bread.  

Place these slices of bread (cream cheese mixture side down) on top of the bread in the pan... like you are making a sandwich.  

Egg Mixture

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg together.  Pour over bread.  Let the bottom pieces of bread soak up the egg mixture.  

Spread the remaining brown sugar glaze on top of the bread.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip each "sandwich" over to allow the egg mixture to soak the opposite side.  Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.  Make sure egg mixture is completely cooked (it shouldn't be runny anymore). 

Broil for 3-5 minutes to reach a golden-brown.  

Top with whipped cream and strawberries... and ENJOY!

Serve with scrambled eggs and hashbrowns for a wonderfully inexpensive meal.  Most of these items can be found in your kitchen already!

Glorified "Leftovers"

Do you often find recipes make too much food for you (and your friends/family) to consume in one sitting?

Or do you find that when you buy certain food (like celery, greens, tomatoes, potatoes, buttermilk, cream, etc.) and they go bad before you have time to use them or you simply have too much for your needs?

Leftovers?? If you are like me, you'll probably make a face at the sound of those words.  I am just not a huge fan of leftovers... especially if it is more than one day old. But, leftovers fit really nicely into my budget. 

So, I am learning to be creative with food and create different recipes using similar ingredients or learning how to spice up leftovers to make them more appealing. 

What Do I Do With Leftover Ingredients?

http://www.bigoven.com/recipes/leftovers

This website is great because you can enter up to three ingredients, it searches its database, and returns recipes that match those ingredients.

How Can I Make Leftovers Better?

Here are some ideas to revamping your leftovers:

1. Create a salad- Use taco meat and other fixings to create a taco salad. Or use your left-over BBQ chicken to create a BBQ chicken salad.

2. Spice it up with rice- I will put all kinds of things over rice: BBQ chicken, meatballs, creamy chicken, veggies, sausage, etc.

3. Make a sandwich or a wrap- Leftover meatloaf... no problem.  It makes a really tasty sandwich the next day.  Leftover turkey or chicken... perfect! Throw it into a tortilla... and make a yummy wrap. 

4. Leftover bread/buns- Use bread or buns to make garlic bread for the next meal.  Or if your bread is a little dry, make some delicious french toast (dry bread works great!)

I love these two websites. They show you just what to do with leftovers like chicken, beef, veggies, steak, etc.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/doggiebagdining.htm

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/fresh-ideas/easy-dinner-ideas/10-meals-to-make-from-leftovers

Gift Idea for Friends and Neighbors

'Tis the season to be jolly... and to be stressed about finding the perfect gift.  Here is my solution for gifts for friends, family, neighbors, teachers, etc.  

Make them goody trays! 

Almost everyone loves goodies (especially during the holidays)... and there are so many great recipes out there with very few ingredients.  They are fairly inexpensive to create as well.  

Be sure to include a wide variety of treats (sweet and savory). 

Here is a list of items I have used for others:

• Chex mix
• Muddy Buddies (Chex)
• Caramel Chex
• Rice Krispy Treats (You can shape them into fun wintery shapes, or add a stick to the middle and make a Rice Krispy Pop)
• Homemade caramels (YUM!)- A little goes a long way with these
• Chocolate dipped prezels
• Homemade peppermint bark
• Assorted winter fruits (pears, oranges, etc)
• Nuts

And I just made two treats to bring to work this morning and they were FANTASTIC.  They both came from the Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies and Candies 2010 Magazine.  Everyone at work was raving about them... so I thought I would share.  They are incredibly simple to make.

Cookie Dough Truffles (adapted from Lanita Dedon)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cookie-Dough-Truffles (I had to make a few minor adjustments from the original)

Makes around 5 dozen

• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 to 1 1/2 pound of chocolate candy coating

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar.  Beat in vanilla.  Slowly, alternate adding condensed milk and flour, beating after each addition.  Sire in chocolate chips.  
2. Chill dough for about 15-20 minutes.  Shape into 1 inch balls; place on waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. 
3. Melt chocolate according to directions on package.  Dip chilled balls in chocolate.  Allow excess to drip off.  Place back on waxed paper.  Refrigerate until firm (about 10-15 minutes).  If desired, drizzle additional chocolate or white chocolate on top.  Store in refrigerator. 

Mint and Chocolate Fudge Candies (adapted from Candy Clarke)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Peppermint-Candy (Recipe changed slightly from original)

Makes about 5 dozen

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, divided
• 1 cup vanilla or white baking chips
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 2-3 drops of green food coloring

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with 3/4 cup of condensed milk.  Stir often.  Line an 8-inch square dish with buttered wax paper.
2. Spread the chocolate mixture over the bottom of the dish.  Chill for 10 minutes.  
3. In another saucepan, melt vanilla chips and remaining cup condensed milk over low heat until smooth.  Remove from heat and add peppermint extract and food coloring. Pour over the layer of chocolate in the dish and smooth out.  Refrigerate until firm.
4. Cut into 1-inch square pieces.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator. 

** Add red food coloring and crushed peppermint candy cane to top layer for a festive look.  

Pumpkin Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

I first tasted these delectable fall treats at a little fall party hosted by friend Megan.  This recipe comes from the Food Network with the exception of a few changes I made. The original recipe is found here.  It's pretty easy to make... and easily makes smiles on all who eat it. 

Ingredients

Waffles:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup melted shortening (transfat-free)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white

Topping:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 crisp apples, peeled and sliced thinly
• a sprinkle of cinnamon

Buttermilk Syrup:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Directions

For the waffles: 

Preheat a waffle iron to medium heat.

Whisk the flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, spice and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat together the milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and melted shortening, egg and egg white, in a large measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk together to make a slightly lumpy batter.

For the topping: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and let cook until slightly browned, but still crisp, about 4 minutes. 

For the buttermilk syrup: Put white sugar, buttermilk, butter, and baking soda in a saucepan.  Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 

Pour and spread about 1 cup batter into the waffle iron. Cover and cook until crisp and a rich golden brown, about 7 minutes.  

Serve hot with the apples and buttermilk syrup.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is my own version of a recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/Detail.aspx  
With a handful of changes, this Chicken Pot Pie is a sure crowd pleaser!!

Chicken Pot Pie

Right out of the oven

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - Shredded
• Vegetables: The recipe calls for 1 cup sliced carrots, 1 cup frozen green peas, 1/2 cup sliced celery but my husband doesn’t really dig vegetables.  I used 1 cup of frozen vegetables and a can of whole potatoes (I would have used fresh potatoes if I had them)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (don’t skip this… great flavor!)
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (I used 1 ¾ cups water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
• a bit of poultry seasoning (I used Montreal Chicken seasoning)
• a bit of garlic powder
• 2/3 cup milk 
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (I used Walmart Great Value – frozen crusts)
• 1 egg white 

Directions

1.  I used a crock pot to cook my chicken and veggies.  It makes for more tender chicken. Cook chicken, chicken broth, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning in crockpot for at least 5 hours on low.

2.  After 5 hours, shred chicken.  Throw veggies in the crockpot with chicken for about 15 minutes on high.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Drain chicken broth from chicken and veggies into a bowl to use later- don’t get rid of broth. 

5.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed to the onions/butter mixture. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

6.  Brush the bottom crust with egg whites and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. 

7.  Place the chicken/veggies mixure in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.  Brush with egg whites.

8.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.