Baked French Toast Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes (Plus 2 hours to overnight in fridge)

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Baked French Toast made in muffin cups. These muffins are too cute and a fun breakfast treat!

ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut or torn into 1/2 inch cubes (about 12 cups of bread)
2 1/2 cups milk
6 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Butter and Maple Syrup, for serving, optional

directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

2. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Add about 1 cup of bread cubes to each muffin cup. Carefully pour egg and milk mixture evenly over each muffin tin. You may need to press down on the bread cubes after you pour a little mixture and then pour more. Pour slowly or you will have a mess. Cover the muffins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.

3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the cinnamon streusel, in a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together with your hands, until you have a crumbly mixture. Remove the muffins from the refrigerator and sprinkle the muffins evenly with the streusel topping.

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with butter and maple syrup, if desired.

In My Town

I open the door, not knowing what wonders the morning light would bring…I rub my eyes in disbelief.  Another masterpiece painted by Mother Nature she rolled her brush to make a silken scarf to cover the bareness of the trees with a delicate coat.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake -

Can summer get here any sooner???

12-16 Servings
Prep: 25 min.
Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Ingredients

1 package white cake mix (regular size)
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
4 egg whites
1/2 cup mashed unsweetened strawberries
Frosting
1 cup heavy cream,
1 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced or halved.
Directions

In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, gelatin powder, water and
oil.
Beat on low speed for 1 minute or until moistened; beat on
medium for 4 minutes.
In a small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on high speed
until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites and mash strawberries into
cake batter.
Pour into two greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. Bake at
350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool
completely.
To prepare frosting, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
Place first cake layer on serving tray, top with a layer of whipped cream and strawberries, place second cake layer on top and top with remaining whipped cream and strawberries.

Another Bread Day

At my house, nothing says I love you like homemade baked goods. When I was little, we had homemade baked goods daily.  My grandmother was a natural when it came to baking and as you read in my last post my mom continued the tradition and gave me that wonderful Kitchen Aid machine.  Well, today is another day and yes bread is on the menu.  

My friend Nancy was kind enough to share this wonderful recipe with me and I couldn’t wait for another day to make it.  She served it for a wonderful dinner on Friday night and can I just tell you that I think I ate more than my share of these wonderful little bites.  

Garlic-Parmesan Cheese Pull Apart Bread

16 frozen white dinner rolls (I used Rhodes Texas…had 8 left over and made those into regular rolls)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese (divided)

1 tsp dry parsley flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried basil/Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp onion powder

Allow rolls to sit on the counter (loosely covered with plastic) for 30-45 minutes or so, until the rolls have thawed enough to cut.  Cut each roll into quarters.

Melt butter in microwave. Stir the melted butter and seasonings together until blended.

Add the quartered rolls to the butter, and toss gently to coat.  Bread dough is sticky, so you may need to use your hands to gently pull the pieces apart if necessary.  Do not allow dough to form clumps.

Next, add 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan-Romano cheese reserving the rest for the top.  Toss until each piece is coated.

Allow to rise in a draft free, warm place for 2-2 1/2 hours.  Then, remove the plastic wrap, and place into a 350 degree preheated oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. check the top.  If baking in a loaf, you may need to lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the bread to prevent the cheese and butter on top from over browning while the inside of the loaf fully bakes.  Continue to bake the bread for another 5-7 minutes, until the center is completely done.  Approximately, 23-25 minutes total, depending on your oven.  Test the center of the rolls using a cake tester, or toothpick to be certain the bread is cooked all the way through before removing it from the oven.

Yield – one loaf

Can be baked in a round 9 inch spring form or pie pan.  Follow the same preparation method and bake for around 22-24 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Potica

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. No one who come to me will ever be hungry again.  Those who believe in me will never thirst.’”  John 6:35

Many many years ago my mother gave me a wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook.  I have been in love with this machine since day one.  It is still going strong and yesterday this beautiful loaf of Potica came from my oven.  Kendry is overjoyed when he sees the mixer on the kitchen counter…just like his mother he loves the dough!   He grabs the hook and then runs off to find his own little spot to wait until the bread comes out of the oven. 

It gives the home a heavenly smell while it is baking and it tastes even better.   I am a bread eater and I think I could live on eating this bread alone.  The recipe comes from our La Dolce Vita Buffo recipe book. 

1 package dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm milk – 110 degrees

1/4 cup butter, soft

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

4 1/2 cups unsifted flour

2 eggs

3/4 pound walnuts, ground

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Sprinkle yeast over milk and sugar in small bowl; stir until dissolved, let rest for 10 minutes

2. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat 1/4 cup butter with the butter with 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy.   Add salt, 2 beaten eggs, and then the yeast mixture; beat well.

3. Gradually add flour; stir until smooth.  Turn out on lightly floured surface, knead with hands until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes.  I let my mixer to this for me!

4. Place in lightly greased large bowl; turn to bring up greased side.  Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until double in bulk about 1 hour.

5. Make Filling:  In medium bowl, slightly beat eggs, add ground nuts, honey, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla; stir until well blended.

6. Punch down dough on lightly floured surface, roll out to a 24 (or more) inch square.  Spread with filling.  Rollup like a jelly roll.  Curl dough in a coil , leaving no opening in center.  Place on greased cookie sheet.   Yesterday I put mine in a Bundt pan and it was awesome.

7. Let rise until double in bulk about 1 hour covered.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread 40 to  50 minutes or until it sounds hollow when rapped with knuckle.  Remove from cookie sheet, let cool on wire rack. 

Making Bread is like connecting with our spiritual self.  Jesus was here for us as a spiritual “Bread” and  told us that if we partake of His wonderful bread, we will never hunger again.  I’m so glad I have learned to heed his word and make bread.

Winter Is A Little Chilly

There are 65 days until Spring arrives!   This is the one time that I really like change. 

Although I've lived in Utah all my life, I'm one of those people who turns blue when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. Therefore, from November 1st on, I count down the days until Spring. Four months of waiting for a tolerable climate can be tedious, so I remind myself of all the things I do to make the time pass more quickly.

Read – I love nothing better than curling up with a warm blanket (heated kind of course) and a good book, while the winter winds howl and the snow drifts blow outside.  It is my winter vacation get away to some place near or far!

Cook Soup – I think soup is just one of those comforts that fills the body and soul with warmth. 

Movies – We are starting something new now that Kendry is beginning to understand what is going on in movies, we are going to do a theme dinner and movie once a month.  He is so in love with The Little Mermaid and we have watched it nearly 50 times (I’m counting) since Christmas so our first themed dinner with be around this one.  Can’t wait to see what comes from this new endeavor!

Watch the Weather ----and I just looked at the 10 day forecast….No precipitation 0% chance!  That made my day!

Beef Flank Steak and Noodle Salad

This salad is drizzled with Asian Sweet Chili Sauce which makes it a salad brimming with energy!   It was a quick fix for tonight’s dinner.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound beef flank steak

8 ounces Soba Noodles (Japanese Style Noodle)

1 English cucumber

Fresh Julienned carrots

Asian Sweet Chili Sauce

Water

Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

Marinate the flank steak with a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, minced garlic, few drops of Lime essential oil, a splash of sesame oil.  Let it rest for at least 2 hours.   After it is marinated grill on high for 5 minutes on each side, about 145-150 degrees.  Thinly slice beef across the grain.

While beef is grilling cook noodles according to package directions (boil about 5 minutes) until al dente…Oh sorry that’s Italian!  Drain and rinse with cold water.

Slice cucumber crosswise in three sections.  Using a vegetable peeler, cut lengthwise ribbons from sections.

Sauce:

Equal parts Asians Sweet Chili Sauce and Water 

I place cucumber, carrots, cilantro, and noodles all in serving dishes.  Everyone put the amount they desired in their bowls and drizzled the chili sauce mixture over the top.

Fresh

“Breathing is important. If you aren’t breathing, you’re not going to be doing anything else either.” (anonymous) 

Today’s theme for photo-of-the-day is Fresh

Fresh air is vital to health and provides us with a steady supply of oxygen which is needed by our brain and every single cell of our body. You can go for days - even weeks - without food, but can't go for more than a few minutes without fresh air.  So today when the sky was a brilliant blue, the sun was shining so brightly and a fresh blanket of snow covered the mountain tops I was able to capture this moment with gladness.

A few tips about fresh air and the benefits of finding some each day:

• Step outside and take some slow, deep breaths. This will take away that tired, sluggish feeling and will leave you feeling more energized and focused.
• Open your windows regularly and air out your house as often as you can. We had to do this today because DH has been in the bedroom for 3 days with the gomboo….which is a contagious cold virus spread from one person to another!  The rest of us are using essential oils to keep it away from us.
• Sleeping with a small opening of the window will be very helpful.
• Do some deep breathing exercises every day.
• Get some exercise on a daily basis. When you can, try to exercise outside. Exercise gets your circulation going and floods your body with oxygen.
• Avoid using air fresheners and other artificial fragrances in your home. Use natural alternatives such as essential oils instead. Or you can put some cinnamon and cloves in a pot with water and let it simmer for a few minutes. Doterra has some great diffusers that we love to keep going during these cold winter days.
• Keep a couple of plants in your home to help improve the air quality. Plants produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Some plants can even remove toxic pollutants from the air.

Relax

I love spending time with friends, chasing Kendry, and cheering on Halie & Brevin’s soccer teams…..but I'm really a homebody at heart.  Too much out and about social-butterfly-ness throws me off balance a bit and …Things have been totally hectic around here for a couple of weeks, with Christmas and the New Year there’s an awful lot of planning and shopping, along with a sweet Little Man who doesn’t really care about any of it.  I’m so happy for him … his happy smiles, his quick little feet running through the house, and more energy than I will ever again have!

Fortunately, today I found five (maybe 15 minutes) to relax with my cup of Chai Tea and my book club book for January…Looking forward to 2 more days before everyone goes back to work and the craziness starts again!

Organized

I truly love and believe in essential oils.  I am a very lucky girl to have a good friend who not only introduced me to these oils; she also had her husband build me very nice boxes to hold all of them.  I know have enough oils for 2 boxes, one has single oils and the other is filled with blends.   Love how organized it is in alphabetical order!  Very few things in my life are organized, my spices, my oils, and my shoes…what does that say about my life?

Delicious Food All Day

 

And after all the cooking, eating, and cleaning….The King of the house says,

“I want Chicken Nuggets!”

Off to  McD’s    so much for a healthy beginning!

Veggie Tray 2014

January Photo-a-Day Challenge #1

GOAL

"Eight by eight -- eight 8-ounce glasses a day -- is a good general rule of thumb,"  This is actually a myth.that this is the magic amount for everyone, because there are so many variables. The "right" amount for you depends on factors including your age, your activity level, your health level, medications you're taking, and the weather. So how do you know if you're drinking enough? Follow your thirst, and know that you're on the right track if you have light lemonade colored urine!

Being sure to sip water throughout a stressful day can soothe stress-induced symptoms as diverse as headaches, tense muscles, fuzzy thinking, a pounding heart, and low energy. That's because stress taxes all your basic body systems -- and when you're dehydrated, the effects are magnified.

Given that more than half your body weight is water, just a 2-percent reduction in hydration has a dramatic impact on energy levels and cognitive function.  And dehydration further raises levels of cortisol -- the "stress hormone."

Lots of Memories in 2013

HERE is…..how we spent the last few hours of the year -

The airport has a party which we have attended since Kendry was just 18 months old.  

He danced the night away at 18 months. The same little girl that he danced with back then was in attendance, but she refused to dance this year.  Kendry danced with mommy and twirled her all around the floor.

Grandma made Midnight Kiss Dessert………

Auntie Bri made a great cheese ball that we wish there was still some left!

When we returned home the new train had to be put together …..it was enjoyed until 3:00 AM before Kendry decided he would play with it when Mr. Sun came back up!