French Toast Casserole

This is the french toast casserole I made for Christmas morning. I assembled it the night before and in the morning it baked while the kids opened presents. It was served with some maple syrup on top and fresh sliced strawberries on the side.

The recipe is listed below but I'll be honest, I didn't measure out the ingredients, just eyeballed them. I also started with about 3/4 of challah (due to some earlier snacking by hubby and the kids).


I was a little nervous when I pulled it out the oven because it looked a little dry to me. It tasted perfect though and this is a terrific, simple recipe for any special breakfast or weekend morning.

Ingredients:

4 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 loaf challah or brioche (I used challah) cut into 1″ slices
8 eggs
1 c. whole milk
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of nutmeg and ginger
1 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
Pour butter into bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange bread in baking pan, ripping pieces in half as necessary to cram everything in there in a semi-even way. Mix remaining ingredients, whisking until eggs are broken up and well combined. Pour over bread. Let stand 3-12 hours (I made mine the night before.)

When ready to cook, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Mine was done at 35, and the top was a little bit crunchy. Serve with maple syrup.


Source: Erin'sEasyEats

Whipped Honey Poppy Seed Butter

It's Monday...let's talk butter!

Here is a super simple way to jazz up plain old butter. This recipe is inspired by the wonderful whipped honey poppy seed butter served at a local favorite restaurant, Coastal Flats. It goes great with any type of bread and is super simple to make. I made this to go along with the bread we served for Thanksgiving and think it would be perfect for the Christmas lunch, dinner or any other special meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softened
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/8-1/4 tsp poppy seeds
1/8-1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Cream softened butter with an electric mixer. Add honey, poppy seeds and salt (if using) to the butter and mix until well combined. Taste and add additional honey or salt if needed. Transfer or pipe to a serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to firm up butter. Serve butter slightly softened.

Source: Inspired by Coastal Flats, recipe Chef Mommy original

Turkey Day Wrap-Up

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We normally travel up to New Jersey to celebrate this holiday with family. It is always a lot of fun...a house filled with a lot of people, a lot of food and a lot of love. My kids have an especially good time. They get showered with attention from their grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins. This year however, we decided to stay here in Virginia and had a more low key celebration with some friends.

One great thing about staying here is that I actually got to do some of the cooking this year. So, I thought I would share with you what I made....because of course you know I had to photograph it :) Yes, I *heart* food porn!

My friend Anne and I planned a pretty traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, green beans, corn and apple pie. I made the mashed potatoes and the following yums:

Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce

Honey Poppyseed Butter served with an assortment of breads and rolls

Fruit Platter

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust

I had planned on only piping one ring of fresh whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, however my cake developed some big crack while rest on the counter after baking. The funny thing was when my son looked at the cake and the cracks he said to me "Cool Mom! You made a star shape on top!"....ummm, yeah just like I had planned :)

English Muffins

Having this blog has really helped me grow as a home cook and these english muffins are a perfect example of that. Before I started the blog, I would have never thought of making my own english muffins. Why would I when Thomas' are so great...who doesn't love those nooks and crannies?

However, there is something very satisfying about making english muffins from scratch. Unlike Thomas', these have no preservatives, weird additives or high fructose corn syrup (yup, that's in them too). Plus, these taste delicious and your family will love them! English muffins are so versatile too...you can toast them up with some butter or make a PB&J sandwich or egg and cheese, you could make pizza muffins.....see, so versatile!!

The best thing about this particular recipe is that it is totally doable! I've only been baking homemade breads for a few months now. During this time, I have had a lot of hit or miss recipes but this one is really a keeper and much easier than you would think. Just allot yourself enough time (4hrs???) and follow the 6 easy steps...your family will love you for it.

So good with peanut butter...

...and with egg, cheese and bacon!


Ingredients:
Makes 6 muffins

2 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk, room temperature
cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

1.) Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in butter on low speed, then add milk until the dough forms a ball. If there is any flour left in the bottom of the bowl, dribble in more milk until it is all combined.

2.) Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Or, switch the mixer to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for about 8 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not sticky, so add flour as needed to achieve this. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to it, rolling to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 60-90 minutes until dough has doubled in size.

3.) When dough has doubled, transfer to a clean surface and divide the dough into six equal 3-ounce pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on a piece of parchment paper that has been lightly misted with spray oil and dusted with cornmeal. Lightly spray the tops with oil, dust with cornmeal, and cover with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes until pieces have doubled in size.

4.) Heat a skillet or griddle to and lightly brush or spray with oil. Preheat oven to 350F with the rack in the middle.

5.) Gently transfer the muffins to the pan using a spatula to assist. Space the muffins at least one inch apart, not touching. Keep the other pieces of dough covered until they are placed in the pan. Cook muffins 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-8 minutes. Muffins will brown before they are done.

6.) After cooking the second side, transfer muffins to a sheet pan and bake in the oven at 350F for another 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the next batch of muffins to the pan. After 5-8 minutes in the oven to finish baking the centers, transfer the muffins to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.

Source: adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice