Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Stuffed French Toast

This is an 'informal' recipe (a term I use to describe things I just throw together). I've tossed it together on four or five occasions and it is a great hit at the breakfast table everytime. French toast is an easy yet tasty breakfast. It's also great for using up bread that's on the verge of becoming just a little too old. There are many variations of French toast but the key ingredients are always eggs and bread, obviously. This recipe makes 5 or 6 slices.

Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf of unsliced bread (egg bread works very well)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
butter

For the filling:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice the bread into 1 1/2 inch thick slices.

For the custard - mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until combined.

For the filling - mix all of the filling ingredients until combined.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a 1-1/2-inch wide pocket in the side of each bread slice. Fill the pockets with the blueberry mixture, dividing evenly.

Heat a skillet until hot. Grease the skillet with butter.

Dip the slices of french toast in the egg mixture. Carefully place the slices in the hot skillet (it is likely that you will need to do this in two or three batches). When the bottom is browned, flip. If the french toast browns too quickly or appears to be burning you may need to decrease the heat.

When both sides are browned remove to an oven proof baking dish.

When all of the french toast is fried and in the oven proof baking dish, place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and serve with maple syrup.

I will often slice the stuffed french toast on the diagonal to make for a more attractive presentation.

Eggs Benedict on Savory Waffles

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

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This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. In order to start the New Year off with a 'bang' Kalyn is hosting the round up herself.

When I asked Paul what he might like for his Christmas breakfast he immediately declared - Eggs Benedict. I think that this must be Paul's favourite breakfast of all times. I wanted to make something a little special since it was Christmas breakfast; this recipe came to mind. I had been wanting to make it for some time but hadn't found the perfect occasion; it seems that I finally had.

This recipe is from Williams Sonoma, I suspect I first saw it in their breakfast cookbook but it is also available on-line. In a clever (and bloody delicious) twist on eggs Benedict, savory waffles made from mashed potatoes and Gruyere cheese replace the traditional English muffins. It was easy to make and the flavour was incredible.

The recipe made far more waffles than we could eat so I froze them for later use, I figure I can just re-crisp them and we can enjoy this great treat all over again!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup mashed, peeled boiled potato
3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 slices ham
8 poached eggs
1 cup hollandaise sauce
Chopped green onions for garnish

Preheat a waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Preheat an oven to 200°F.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and milk until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the cheese, potato, chives and pepper just until incorporated.

Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions until brown and crisp. Arrange the waffles in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining waffles.

To assemble, place each waffle on a plate. Top with 1 slice ham, 1 poached egg and 2 Tbs. hollandaise sauce. Garnish with green onions or more chives. Serves 8.

Chives

One of the key ingredients here are the chives. Luckily chives are readily available in the stores now because with our winters they are one of the first of the herbs to die off (they are also the first harbringer of spring though so I guess I can't complain too bitterly).

This mild-flavored member of the onion family is often considered more of a herb than a vegetable. The fine-textured foliage is chopped and used in soups, stews, salads, and other recipes. The bulb is small and not usually consumed. Chives are also used as a small ornamental. The plants bear purple flowers early in the year, lately these flowers have started popping up in a variety of recipes. I often use them as a garnish.

When harvesting chives from your garden you should be gentle with them - snip them with scissors rtaher thasn hacking at them with a knife. When chopping chives, again I find it easier to snip them with scissors as knives, no matter how sharp, tend to make a mush of them.

Ham and Asparagus Fritatta

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 16 out of 463 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

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This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up.  The blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. Kalyn is also serving as the host this week.

On Saturday, when we were enjoying dinner at Urban, one of our friends spoke about having breakfast in bed and what a treat it had been. I did my usual 'wow, wouldn't that be wonderful!' with heavy emphasis. Of course it went nowhere.

Paul's response: 'it would be messy.'

What he doesn't get is how nice it would be to be pampered once and awhile. In the ten years we've been together I don't believe I have EVER had breakfast made for me. The dishes get done, laundry washed, and trash taken out, but a nice omelette once and awhile might not be amiss.

Anyway, time to clamber down from my high horse.

So, I didn't get breakfast in bed (or even served to me at the table) on Sunday. Sunday is the one day of the week where we enjoy a more leisurely breakfast (as compared to the ten minutes we have during the week prior to racing for the train). I whip something together, we brew a pot of coffee, and eat, drink, and read the Sunday papers. Heaven!

This week I looked in the fridge and decided to whip together a fritatta made with whatever ingredients we had on hand. The great thing about this dish is it is so flexible - you really can toss in whatever ingredients you have on hand.  I like to mix it up and use diffierent herbs depending upon what I have readily availble in either the garden or the refrigerator.

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cooked ham, cubed
10 asparagus spears, cooked, chopped into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon assorted fresh herbs (I used oregano, thyme, savory, and rosemary), chopped
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large, oven-proof frying pan. Saute the onion in the butter until transparent (about 4 minutes). Add the cooked ham and asparagus and saute until warmed through. Mix in the fresh herbs. Remove from heat.

Cover the onion, herb, ham, and asparagus mixture with the cheese.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Beat until well blended.

Pour the egg mixture over the onion, herb, ham, asparagus, and cheese mixture.

Bake in the oven until cooked through/set (about 30 minutes).

Cut into wedges and served immediately.

We enjoyed our fritatta with fresh fruit and cranberry/walnut toast. It was a quick breakfast and a great way to use up some leftovers! 

Turkey Sausage Patties

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 17 out of 382 photos.

You can vote by clicking here.

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

I've not had something in Weekend Herb Blogging for a few weeks and decided to do something about that today. This is my fifth post for the Weekend Herb Blogging event started by Kalyn of Kalyn Kitchens.  Each week someone takes on the immense task of 'hosting' the event. This involves gathering up all of the information and putting it all into a enormous post!  This week's host is Kalyn.

We wanted a nice leisurely breakfast this morning - even more so because of the additional hour we 'earned' from the clock change. I asked Paul what he would like and he quickly declared 'buttermilk pancakes with raspberries' - he does have a tough life doesn't he?

I decided that I wanted to have some sausage patties to go with the panckes and decided to make these. This recipe features two herbs which happily are still going strongly in the garden - sage and parsley. I was surprised at the amount of parsley actually - 1/2 a cup seemed like a lot, but because I like parsley I decided to go with it.

Parsley is the world's most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (parsley is a relative to celery). It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established. Most people think of it as a garnish, yet it has numerous health benefits.

In fact, the Romans believed that nibbling on parsley springs would enable them to drink more wine without becoming drunk! While that may not be true, parsley has many real benefits for our health.  Raw parsley cleanses the blood, dissolves sticky deposits in veins, maintains elasticity of blood vessels, facilitates removal of moderately sized kidney and gallstones, treats deafness and ear infections, and benefits the sexual system. And chewing parsley prevents bad breath!  Not bad for something which is commonly thrown away as a plate garnish!

Prep: 25 min., Chill: 8 hrs., Cook: 12 min. per batch.

Freshly grated apple adds a tangy flavor to this spicy turkey sausage. We used a Fuji apple, but any other sweet, crisp apple or pear would make a delicious substitute.

I 'lightened' the recipe up a bit by using ground Turkey breast, and an egg white instead of the whole egg. In addition, I baked them in the oven until they were cooked through instead of frying them; this resulted in a paler looking colour than you would get from the frying but the taste made up for it!

1 large Fuji apple
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil

Peel and core apple; coarsely shred apple with a hand grater. Place in a wire-mesh strainer; drain well, pressing gently with paper towels.

Combine apple, garlic, and next 7 ingredients in a bowl; stir until blended. Shape mixture into 16 patties (about 2 tablespoons each). Place patties on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties, in batches, about 6 minutes on each side or until browned and done.

Note: Make patties ahead by wrapping in wax paper and heavy-duty aluminum foil and freezing up to 2 weeks. Thaw frozen patties overnight in the refrigerator, and cook as directed.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

CALORIES 139 (45% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1.6g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 14g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 43.5mg; SODIUM 604mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.5g

Southern Living, JULY 2005

Good Friday Brunch

Happy Easter all!

The Easter weekend is such an enjoyable one for us; a time to relax and sleep in and spend time being with one another. So often because of our work and life schedules we are racing in one direction or another. Not this weekend - this weekend we can just be!

Paul was out for dinner last night with friends and got in late. He took advantage of the holiday to sleep in. My body clock doesn't adjust well so I was up bright and early. GRRR

Today for our Good Friday brunch we had the following:

coffee

prosecco and orange juice

eggs benedict

turkey and apple sausage patties

hash brown casserole

fruit

hot cross buns

The turkey apple sausage patties were particularly tasty. The recipe is easy and low-fat (Unlike the rest of the meal!)

Turkey Apple Breakfast Sausage

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons soft bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded apple
• 1/4 teaspoon leaf sage -- crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Nonstick spray coating

In a large bowl, combine turkey, bread crumbs, apple, sage, pepper, salt, paprika, and nutmeg. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Spray the unheated rack of broiler pan with nonstick spray coating. Arrange patties on rack. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat about 10 minutes or till no pink remains; turn once. Or, spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating.

Cook sausage over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or till no pink remains.)

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries

Today is Shrove Tuesday (AKA Pancake Tuesday or Fat Tuesday). No, we're not giving anything up for Lent.

In honour of the day I decided to make Buttermilk Pancakes with wild blueberries and baked sausage patties. We had some maple syrup that my friend makes on her brother's farm so we were good to go.

Now I have a confession - I really know pancakes; more than most people I suspect. For five years I was the 'pancake guy' working in a pancake restaurant. Every Sunday while I was in high school I spent my Sunday's flipping thousands of pancakes.

Give me a shout of you want lessons!

Just before we were going to get things ready the phone rang. It was mom with some questions about something for Paul. It was all mysterious. If I had a significant birthday coming up I would be suspicious of some sort of planning underway. I don't so I let it go. She asked what we were having for dinner and he told her.

Not long later the phone rang again. She was wondering if there might be a pancake or two for her. *smile*

There was and she came over.

I used the recipe below from Martha Stewart. After the cupcake disaster I had following one of her recipes a few weeks back, I wasn't sure I wanted another go but I thought 'what can you do to pancakes?' I'm glad I gave it a go - they were great. Paul ate 12!

To the basic recipe below I added 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries. Other tasty additions - thinly sliced strawberries, thinly sliced banana, raspberries, nuts, chocolate chips (YUM).

Enjoy

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Makes nine 6-inch pancakes
The key to fluffy pancakes is not to over-mix the batter; it should not be beaten smooth. If serving these pancakes with bacon, reserve half a teaspoon of bacon drippings to grease the griddle instead of butter.

2		cups all-purpose flour
2		teaspoons baking powder
1		teaspoon baking soda
1/2		teaspoon salt
3		tablespoons sugar
2		large eggs, lightly beaten
3		cups buttermilk
4		tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle
		1.  Heat griddle to 375°. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
		2.  Heat oven to 175°. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
		3.  Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
		4.  Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Breakfast Burrito

On Sunday Paul and I often sit down and enjoy a more substantial breakfast than we do the rest of the week(cereal and milk as we rush out the door is the norm). Because I've been watching my weight many of our traditonal high-fat breakfast foods have been set aside for more healthy alternatives.

This is an example of a low fat breakfast I made one Sunday recently.

First up:

Sweet Potato Fries

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch strips or wedges and toss in the oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Place in oven for 30 minutes, turning once.

While these are cooking prepare the burritos.

I turkey sausage - removed from the casing
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup sliced mushroom
1/2 cup diced zucchini
3 eggs
2 whole wheat tortillas (6 inch)
salsa
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Cook the sausage in a frying pan until no longer pink, break it up into small pieces. Drain and set aside. Saute the vegetables until soft. Add the sausage back to the pan. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Pour beaten eggs into the pan with the vegetables and meat. Scramble until cooked.

Lay the tortillas on the counter. On each tortilla spread 1/2 the cheese, spoon on half of the cooked egg mixture, spoon on the desired amount of salsa over the egg mixture (I use about 1 tablespoon of the salsa that we made this fall - hot and spicy - YUM).

Carefully fold the tortilla and secure with a toothpick.

Serve 1 tortilla with fresh fruit and the sweet potato fries for a low-fat breakfast - McDonald's, eat your heart out!

To make this even more low-fat and healthy use egg whites instead of whole eggs.