Caramelized French Toast

I have made MAAAANY different types of French Toast and this is SERIOUSLY the best french toast that I have ever had, let alone made! It is the perfect way to start a lazy weekend morning. I will tell you though, this is NOT figure friendly. To caramelize it, you're heating up a layer of sugar. It is VERY sweet, even more so when you add the banana topping. It is a nice occasional treat and a welcome change to some of the ordinary old french toast that's out there.

• 8 slices of Italian bread (I use the BIG slices and cut them in half)
• 4-5 eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbsp of brown sugar
• a splash of milk 
• 2-3 Tbsp butter

1. Melt butter in pan on med heat. In medium size bowl mix together the eggs, vanilla, brown sugar and milk.
2. Slice bread in half and coat in egg mixture. Place in pan and sprinkle top of each with more brown sugar. Cook 3 minutes or so.
3. Flip your french toast and sprinkle a little more brown sugar on top. Cook another 3-4 minutes. (eyeball it so it doesn't burn but it WILL get a bit dark- that's what you want. its the sugar caramelizing)
4. Flip once more to melt the sugar. about a minute.

You can eat it like this or you can cook up the banana topping from the pic.

Banana Topping:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2-3 bananas

1. Melt butter in pan over med to med high heat.
2. Slice up your bananas and drop into melted butter.
3. Add your brown sugar and toss to combine and coat.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes til nice and bubbly.

Spoon bananas and "sauce" over French Toast. SOOOOO freaking yummy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

     This is ridiculously yummy and very simple. Most cheeseburger casserole recipes that I have come across have noodles and such in them, which honestly didn't appeal much to me. And most of them don't  have mashed potatoes, but I love me some mashed potatoes. LOL I guess you could say it's somewhere between a... cheeseburger casserole and a shepherds pie? I don't know, whatever you want to say it's a cross between, you gotta try it. TOTAL comfort food. :)

     I will say, I have tried using ground sirloin and it just was NOT the same. So I usually use the 80% ground beef and when it's done cooking, I take the grease out of the pan. Suits me juuuuust fine. Also, I use a good 5lbs of meat, but this feeds myself, my two children and my husband who seriously has a bottomless stomach AND we have a really nice amount leftover for lunches the next day. If you are looking for a slightly different version (and less) please check out my slightly revised, and dare I say, even yummier version right here.

You will need:

• around 4lbs of 80% ground beef
• 1/2 of a sleeve of crushed buttery crackers (Ritz or similar)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp season salt
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2-3 cups of prepared mashed potatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• bacon, just a couple slices

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In large bowl, combine crushed crackers with Parmesan cheese, season salt, garlic powder and pepper. Add your milk, stir and let sit for a couple minutes while the milk is absorbed.
3. Mix this wet mixture together with your ground beef. Get in there with your hands and make sure you mix it well.
4. Place meat mixture into a large baking dish and pat into a semi flat loaf almost the same size of the baking dish you are using. You don't want it to be TOO thick though, or it will take forever to cook.
5. Pop in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
6. While it is baking, fry up a couple slices of bacon. Drain on a paper towel and crumble into pieces.
7. Take meat out of the oven and remove as much grease from your pan as you can. (There will probably be a lot!) Your best bet is to use a baster. You can blot the grease from the top with paper towel if you'd like, too, but I don't.
8. Top meat with about 1/3 of the cheese, then evenly with your mashed potatoes, then the remaining cheddar and then the bacon.
9. Place back in the oven and make for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

There you have meat, dairy and potato all in one. A salad would balance this meal out nicely. :)

Not So Caesar Salad

     This is not a typical Caesar Salad but it is really delicious. One of the best salads I have ever had, and in all seriousness, every person that I have made it for raves about it. It's really nothing special, I don't know what makes it so amazing. Maybe it's just all the right ingredients put together. This has been my main pregnancy craving for the last couple months or so. Hell, I've had worse. LOL

 
You will need:

• Romaine lettuce (I just use a bag of pre-washed lettuce)
• grape tomatoes
• a generous sprinkling of shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• a generous sprinkling of Feta cheese crumbles
• croutons (whatever flavor you like)
• Dried Cranberries
• Kraft Classic Caesar Salad Dressing (Ive tried other brands, and they just don't taste the same in this particular salad. Plus, you just don't try and change up a prego craving. LOL)

Directions:

1. Toss lettuce in a large bowl and add your tomatoes.
2. Add the shredded cheese and croutons.
3. Add the salad dressing and toss to evenly coat.
4. Add the feta and dried cranberries and toss again to evenly distribute.

Easy Peasy and so damn delicious. While most people were having late night Thanksgiving snacks of cake or pie or turkey, I was raiding the fridge for the leftover salad! I know, sick, right? But SO worth it. :)

Garlic Cheese Bread

You will need:

• 4-5 french bread rolls, split in half
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 tsp minced garlic (I used the stuff in a jar, no biggie)
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• Shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese (really whatever kind of cheese you prefer)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together your softened butter, garlic and grated Parmesan cheese til well combined. 
2. Spread a generous amount on top of each piece of bread.
3. Top with the shredded cheese of your choice. (I used shredded Parmesan AND Mozzarella- delicious!)
4. Broil for just a few minutes until cheese is nice a bubbly and starting to brown.

That's it. SUPER simple, yes? This goes really well with soup or salad or any kind of pasta dish. Hell, It's good as a snack, too. 

Chicken Parmesan YUM!

 

CHICKEN PARMESAN:

What You Need:

• Chicken Breasts (3 decent sized breasts fed my family of 5 this way but with no leftovers. You may want to use a couple more)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten together with 1 Tbsp water
• olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp to fry the chicken up in)
• spaghetti sauce of your choice
• spaghetti

Directions:

1. Split each chicken breast. (Do this by placing your knife on the far right side of the breast and slicing horizontally inwards towards the left. Open the breast up like a book and make one last slice down the middle to separate into 2 pieces.)
2. Place each piece of chicken in a large ziploc (separate or together if you have a large enough bag) and beat the hell out of it with a meat tenderizer. I used a small frying pan which doesnt work as well. The goal here is just to flatten each breast.
3. Place your egg and water in one bowl, and your flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a separate bowl.
4. Heat your oil in a large pan til hot. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture then back in the flour mixture and carefully place into hot oiled pan.
5. Cook until golden brown on both sides (don't worry about if it's cooked through or not at this point) Remove to paper towel lined plate.
6. If there is oil left in your pan CAREFULLY empty it to your oil receptacle and place back on burner (make sure no oil dripped down the side of your pan before you place it back!!) 
7. Add your spaghetti sauce to the pan and place your chicken in the sauce, turning once to coat. Cover and let simmer on low heat while you get your spaghetti ready. (Boil your pot of water, salt it well and toss your spaghetti in. Cook according to package.)
8. Around when your water starts to boil, sprinkle some mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese on top of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle a little parsley over each piece as well. Cover back up and let simmer until spaghetti is done.
9. Serve the chicken and some sauce on top of the spaghetti and enjoy!

Awesome paired with Garlic Cheese Bread (pictured with the chicken Parmesan above)

Garlic Broccoli Gratin

I wish I could remember what site I originally saw this recipe on, but it looked SO yummy that I just HAD to try it. Of course it's rare that I make a recipe without altering something, whether it be taking stuff out or adding stuff in or both. The result of this was SO seriously delicious. Leaps and bounds above what I thought it would be. My kiddies BOTH actually ate this without ANY argument- and neither one is all that fond of broccoli. (although Brother Bear DOES like it more than Sister Bear.) This generously serves about 4 people.

You Need:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup of milk, warmed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese
• 4 1/2 cups broccoli florets

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 4 cup shallow baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute or two.
3. Whisk in the flour and cook for just a minute or two, stirring constantly. SLOWLY, a little bit at a time, add the warm milk. Whisk this until it is no longer lumpy then add the salt and pepper.
4. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes while constantly stirring. Mixture should get nice and thick and creamy.
5. Take off the heat and add the Parmesan and shredded cheese. Stir well.
6. In a small pot of salted boiling water, cook the broccoli for just a few minutes until slightly soft but still bright green. 
7. Drain and place broccoli in the prepared baking dish. 
8. Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli, top with some extra Parmesan cheese (really, don't skimp.) 
9. Bake for about 30 minutes until slightly browned on the top and then dig in! (well, I mean, wait a few minutes, because that shit is HOT! But then you can dig in.)

We Could All Drop The Weight Too If We Had Your Resources!

     OK, This may get a bit ranty, in which case, I apologize. Wait, no... This is my little space, no apologies for the thoughts that pop into my head. Well, maybe some of them, just not this one. So it seems that two MORE celebrities are now promoting weight loss programs: Mariah Carey for Jenny Craig and Janet Jackson for Nutrisystem. Ya know what? It... PISSES... ME... OFF. Now, I'm not saying that because you are famous you shouldn't be allowed to use programs like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem. By all means go ahead! Do what you gotta do. What I AM saying, is that it should be done quietly and NOT USED to promote these damn programs that everyday people shell out their hard earned money for expecting it to work because it worked for- GASP! a celebrity!-and most will just not see the results. ("results not typical" flashes on every single commercial, whether the person lost 20lbs or 100lbs. How reassuring!) It's not a product like make-up or hair dye... It's more serious than that, ya know?

     I mean, really, awesome job there Mariah, you lost 30lbs on Jenny Craig. Whew! 30lbs, really? How much money did you shell out for it? Or did the company pay you to give it a go and endorse their shit? How many hours did you spend with your very own personal trainer? Now, lets take away all of your money and your personal trainer AND give you 100-150lbs to lose and try this all again. THEN go ahead and celebrate. And Janet Jackson? Really? We've seen you drop a BUNCH of weight before, so we already KNOW you can do it. And you expect me to buy into Nutrisystem because that's the latest and greatest you've used?

      Let me just say, I personally have done Nutrisystem before. The price-tag is astronomical and the food? Well, at least in MY opinion, the food just plain SUCKS. Yeeeeeah, let me jump at the chance to shell out HUNDREDS of dollars on a ONE month supply of food (for just me, I'll still have to prepare separate meals for my family) that tastes like fucking cardboard and doesn't even fill me up because it worked for Janet Jackson. *jumps around all giddy like* Oooooh can I, can I, can I???

     *Climbs up on giant soapbox* Weight Loss Programs need to get more "real" people to promote the programs. Real people who have more than 15 lbs to lose, who DON'T have tons of money to shell out, who DON'T have personal trainers making house visits or belonging to insanely expensive and exclusive gyms, people who have normal everyday stresses like work (not making music videos or sitting on a set on location having people tend to your every need) and kids, and family meals to cook and dishes overflowing out of the sink and onto the counter and husbands that cant seem to find the fucking remote that is RIGHT in front of their faces and kids that want to be 10 feet up your ass when you FINALLY have the (rare) spark of motivation to get off your ass and actually work out!!! It's not like my hubby is going to watch them, not now that he has the remote.

*Falls off giant soapbox* Exhale... I really just had to get that off my chest. I feel better now. That is all.

Spinach and Tomato Rotini

     I was looking for a meal that would be quick and yummy and I didn't have a whole lot to work with. We were pretty low on food and grocery day was still a day or two away. I had seen something on the Food Network but hadn't copied down the recipe, couldn't remember the name of it OR who the hell had made it, so I just set out to see what I could figure out. What I came up with was seriously delicious, pretty healthy and the kiddies stuffed themselves with it! SCOOOOORE!!!

 You will need:

• 1 box of rotini pasta, cooked according to package
•  handful or two of fresh spinach, washed and dried
• handful or two of grape or cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
• olive oil (I didn't measure, just enough to moisten everything up a bit)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use a 6 Italian Blend but any kind works so use whatcha like!)
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, salt your water well, add and cook your pasta per box directions.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the spinach. Cook for a couple minutes til spinach starts to really wilt down.
3. Add your tomatoes and give it a good stir. Cover and let cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. When tomatoes and spinach are cooked to your liking, add the cooked pasta. toss well with the olive oil. Add your shredded cheese of choice and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese and toss it up.

That's it! All there is to it. That was simple enough, yes? Seriously simple but definitely delicious. This would be great served with some nice crusty garlic bread and a salad, too. Hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These are SERIOUSLY my new favorite brownies. I really truly thought it couldn't get any better than my Ooey Gooey Chocolatey Brownies but let me tell you, I was wrong. These brownies may seriously be the holy grail of brownies. Smooth deep chocolate flavor with just the right amount of peanut butter and chocolate chip in every bite. ohhhhh my, I want to bake another batch now. I will say, after they were finished baking, I snuck a piece to try and was NOT too happy with the taste. By the next morning? Holy shiiiiii...... well, you get the idea. WELL worth the wait. I STRONGLY urge you to try these brownies AND to wait til the next day (or at least several hours) before you try them. (BTW this makes a HUGE batch of brownies. Ideally, you should make them in a sheet pan) I got about 26 GOOD size brownies from this AFTER the hubby took a BIG chunk out.

You will need:

• 1 pound UNsalted butter
• 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided into 1 lb and 12 oz
• 6 ounces UNsweetened chocolate
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 3 Tbsp fresh brewed coffee (just go with it!)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided into 1 cup and 1/4 cup
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 to 1 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
2. Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. Stir in the coffee.
3. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. 
5. Toss the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter and stir to just incorporate. 
6. Pour into the prepared sheet pan. Spoon the peanut butter over the top of the chocolate mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate mixture.
7. Bake for 20 minutes,then take out of the oven and drop the pan onto the counter a few times to release any trapped air between the pan and the chocolatey goodness. Return to oven and bake for about another 10 to 15 minutes more until brownies start to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick comes out clean. DO NOT overbake! 
8. Allow to cool and ideally these should sit overnight so the flavors can really gel together, They are MUUUUUCH better the next day. Don't eat them and say I didn't warn you! lol

Before Baking. Mmmmm!!!

Out With The Old, In With The New! Happy New Year!!

 
      Happy 2012, people! While I'm not really one to make New Year resolutions per say (because inevitably I WILL break them. Every last one of them.) I am all for trying to improve my life. That is what I am going to focus on this year: Simplifying my life. (WOW, whatever show this is that my daughter is watching right now is driving me bat shit crazy!! Can I simplify by throwing the damn TV out the window? Think my hubby would mind?)

     *Refocusing*  We have entirely too much stuff and entirely too little room to put it all in. We have crap everywhere and it is seriously teetering on the brink of being ridiculous. (Thankfully it hasn't gotten near Hoarder proportions, but sometimes I watch those shows and think to myself, "they had to start somewhere, ya know?") The house REALLY isn't bad, I mean, the kitchen is cluttered (If you saw our kitchen, you'd understand. Next to no counter or cabinet space. UGH! I smell a remodel coming in the next couple years) but the rest of the house is pretty decent. Now the laundry room? The laundry room is awful. Bags of laundry that are screaming to be either sorted out and washed or put away or donated, shelves that are crammed full of... well... random crap. I have spent countless hours cleaning down there, only to have it trashed again within a week or two. Why? Again, too much stuff. I really need to work on getting it organized once and for all. I'm just not entirely sure where to start. I really need some kind of system. Maybe some new shelves... I don't know. Too bad I'm broke.

     I think I am going to dedicate these next few weeks to getting things in order. Getting rid of our excess and organizing what's left. If I'm REALLY brave, maybe I'll even take (and post) before and after pictures. We'll see...

How could you simplify your life?  What would be the first to go? What could you NOT get rid of?