Gourmet French Toast & Cinnamon Syrup

Fluffy, thick and delicious french toast that sure beats the cheap wheat bread and eggs that I usually use to make french toast.  A friend from college made this for our dance team (Spring Performing Arts Co.) and I copied her recipe down at the time. I found it in my cookbook last week and was excited to try it again.

Gourmet French Toast

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Mix and apply to sliced french bread. The batter will seem really thick, but trust me - it makes a yummy coating for your bread.

Cinnamon Sauce 

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 3/4 Tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2/3 cups water

Put the above ingredients into a pot and boil until thick.

My family was pretty excited about this switch-up from the usual maple syrup.  My daughter asked me to make it every time we have pancakes. It's easy and yummy enough that I just might oblige.

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

We love this delicious Pasta Salad.  It's a great way to use some of your leftover Easter ham.
Hawaiian Pasta Salad
8 ounces pasta (we like bow ties), cooked el dente and rinsed
2 cups diced ham
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained- save juice
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1-3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup reserved pineapple juice
1- 2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix together cooled pasta, ham, pineapple, pepper and green onion.  In a small bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the pasta.  Mix well and chill for at least two hours.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

 This time of year, we always have egg salad sandwiches made with all of those Easter eggs.  I tried this recipe from one of those cooking videos on Facebook.  It is delicious!  So, here it is, just in time for Easter.  Try it; you'll like it!
Egg Salad Sandwiches
6 large eggs, hard boiled
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
2 T. dried chives
1/3 cup shredded cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (you may want to add a bit more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mash together with a potato masher: Cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, mash the cooled, boiled eggs.  Add the bacon, cheese, and cream cheese mixture.  Mash all together.  Serve on bread, roll, or croissant. 

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are delicious and they're healthy too! I got it from ambitiouskitchen.com and have changed a couple of things but they're so good for you she recommends them as a breakfast muffin. I don't want to lose this recipe so I'm posting it on my blog-yum!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas
• 1/4 cup honey or sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt (I used regular plain)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (I used 2% milk)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or use a silicone muffin pan and do not spray it. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Add bananas, honey, vanilla, oil, egg, milk and yogurt to a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute or until well combined, smooth and creamy. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Divide batter evenly into muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Cool muffins for 5 minutes then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Muffins are best served warm and even better the next day.

Thanks ambitious kitchen.com!

Brown Butter Banana Bread Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:

-2 eggs

-3 bananas, mashed

-1 cup sugar

-1 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup butter, softened

-2 tsps vanilla extract

-2 cups white flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-3/4 tsp salt

Frosting:

-1/4 cup butter, softened 

-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

-1 1/2 TBSP milk

-3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13x9 inch pan.

For the brownie part:

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.

3. Blend in bananas & vanilla.

4. Add flour, baking soda, salt and blend for 1 minutes. 

5. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 23-25 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Cool slightly (warm but not hot) and frost with frosting.

For the frosting part:

7. Heat butter while stirring in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.

8. Watch it carefully when it reaches a medium brown color turn off heat, whisk in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, adding milk as it thickens, then add in vanilla.

9. Pour over the warm banana bread brownies immediately and smooth with a spatula.

10. Cool completely before cutting.

I got the original recipe from sugarapron.com, and I have made a few changes.

Breakfast quiches

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2-3 tablespoons onion, diced
• 1 cup cooked ham, diced (could also use cooked bacon or cooked sausage)
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Roma tomato, diced small
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh mushrooms, diced 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1/2 cup baby spinach, finely shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray (the better you spray, the less it will stick!) or use thick muffin liners or silicone muffin tin.
3. Saute onion & pepper, then add in seasoned salt & garlic powder, mushrooms & ham, and finally spinach until spinach is wilted and it's all hot.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add in hot onion mixture & remaining ingredients and mix together.
5. Scoop 1/3 cup of mixture into each muffin liner. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the muffin is completely cooked.
6. Serve with toast.

I got the original recipe from sixsistersstuff.com.

Japan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These really aren't a Japanese recipe.  I just make them a lot in Japan, so that's what I wanted to title it.  I need a recipe that works here.  I need one that just uses butter and that I can figure out the flour.  So I found this one online and have made it many, many times- so many I can't even tell you.   We provide refreshments for English class and we take treats to people we visit, so we churn out the cookies.  These are so easy and always turn out great.

Japan Chocolate Chip Cookies

¾ cup (170 grams) butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup white granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup hard flour

1 cup soft flour ( In Japan, they have many different flours.  It took experimenting to figure out what kinds to use and how much.  You can just substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour for the 1 cup hard and 1 cup soft.)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bar)

Mix melted butter and sugars well.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Turn off mixer and add flours, salt, and soda.  Mix in with mixer.  Add chocolate chips and stir.  Put dough in fridge for about an hour (or more.)  You can keep the dough in the fridge for several days in an airtight container.  I do it ALL THE TIME. 

When ready to bake, heat oven to 325 F or 165 C.  Line pan with baking paper.  Drop spoonfuls of dough onto sheet.  Bake until set and slightly browned- about 7 ½ minutes for small cookies.  Let cool and store in airtight container.