Sep 7, 2020 | Breakfast, Recipes
What is French Toast and where did it get its name? I’m sure just about everyone has had French Toast sometime or other, it is after all a popular breakfast food and is featured on many restaurants’ breakfast menus. But I everyone knows its origins or how it got its name.
Some version of this popular breakfast fare has been around for centuries. Yes I said centuries. And why not? All French Toast is bread that’s been soaked in a milk and egg mixture and then fried. We know that milk and eggs have been a food staple through out most of civilization.
According to Apicius a collection of recipes from the 5th. Century AD the dish we know as French Toast was around during the Roman Empire. Their version called Pan Dulcis, was bread soaked in a milk mixture then fried in oil or butter. In the court English of Henry V during the 15th. Century “Pain Perdu” was all the rage. The name which was in French literally means “lost bread” because it calls for soaking hard or stale bread in a milk and egg mixture then frying it. The French still call it Pain Perdu to this day.
So how did it come to be called French Toast in America when clearly it didn’t originate in France? Well legend has it that a New York innkeeper named Joseph French created the dish in 1724 and sold it as French Toast. It’s believed he meant to call it French’s Toast but he was grammatically inept and forgot the apostrophe.
Whatever you call it and whatever its origins French Toast is delicious and actually very simple to make. Of course there are now different versions of this simple dish including IHOP’s Stuffed French Toast and Denny’s Fabulous French Toast. I actually make Creme Brulee French toast on Christmas mornings!
I look at French Toast as a blank canvas. You can have it just with syrup and butter, and that’s delicious! Or you can embellish it with fruit, whipped cream, jam, nutella, or whatever else you can think of. But before you can embellish you’ll need the basic recipe. I prefer to use day old french bread, but really you can use whatever bread you have on hand. But do try to avoid using freshly baked bread as it tends to be too soft and will fall apart when soaked in the liquid mixture. Once you’ve got the basics you can add toppings or even add ingredients to the batter. So here’s the basic recipe!
Basic French Toast
Ingredients:
6-8 slices of day old French Bread or whatever bread you have on hand
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
Butter for frying and for topping
Syrup
Fruits, jams, whipped cream, etc. for toppings (optional)
Directions:
Beat Eggs, Milk, and Sugar together until well combined.
Stir in vanilla.
Melt a pat of batter in a skillet.
Dip both sides of bread slice in egg mixture until soaked.
Lift bread out of liquid and let excess liquid drain off.
Place soaked bread in skillet and cook until first side starts to brown.
Flip over and cook other side until brown.
Place in serving dish and serve immediately.
Serve with butter and syrup or whatever topping you like.
Sep 4, 2020 | Breakfast, Corner, Recipes, Sides, Snacks
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for the grill grates and buns
6 slices American or Cheddar cheese
6 seeded hamburger buns, split
Lettuce leaves, tomato slices, red onion slices, ketchup and mustard, for serving
1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Divide the ground beef into 6 even pieces and shape each into a 1-inch-thick patty. Press in the center of each patty so it is slightly thinner than the edges. Sprinkle generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill grates.
2. Grill the burgers, flipping once, until well browned and medium rare, 6 to 7 minutes per side, topping with a slice of cheese in the last few minutes of grilling. Lightly brush the buns with oil and grill until lightly toasted. Put the burgers on the bottom buns and top with the lettuce, tomato, onions and top buns. Serve with ketchup and mustard on the side.
May 19, 2020 | Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes
Waking up to the aroma of freshly baked Cinnamon Rolls is one of life’s simple pleasures. It’s a sure way to get everyone out of bed and onto the breakfast table.
But who has the time to wake up at the crack of dawn to start a batch of dough? Not me that’s for sure! But I do love my cinnamon rolls so I found a way to make them fresh without all the work. Really! These cinnamon rolls are super easy to make, it uses frozen bread dough! Now how cool is that?
You can take them out the night before and let them rise in the fridge. In the morning you just have to put them in a pan, brush them with cinnamon butter (I use the Chef Shamy spread you can buy at Costco) and pop them in the oven. In a very short time your house will smell like cinnamon!
I like to either glaze each roll with a thin glaze or if I have the ingredients make a cream cheese icing for them.
Here’s the recipe!
Ingredients:
24 frozen bread roll dough
Chef Shamy Honey Butter Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Flavor
OR
1 Stick butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed), 1 Tbs. Ground Cinnamon – mixed together to make a paste
Glaze:
1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tbs. Milk
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Directions:
Place frozen dough rolls on a parchment covered tray, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Roll 2 rolls together to form a ball and cut 4 slits from top to bottom, but don’t cut all the way thru.
Place this into a greased muffin tin. Repeat with the rest of the dough. You will have 12 rolls.
Spread the Butter Paste on top of the rolls and also in between the slits. It’s best to do this with clean hands so you can get the paste deep into the slits.
Cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with baking oil.
Let the dough rise until it’s double in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove plastic wrap and place risen rolls in the oven and bake about 15 minutes.
Gently remove from muffin tins and brush the tops with glaze or icing.
The Glaze:
Mix glaze ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Glaze will be slightly thicker but not icing consistency. Spread this on warm rolls before serving.
If you prefer ice with your favorite cream cheese icing.
Serve warm and don’t forget to brew some coffee!
May 6, 2020 | Beverages, Breakfast, Corner, Recipes
You’re probably wondering what in the world Dalgona Coffee is. Basically it’s whipped coffee which you can serve hot or cold. I prefer it cold topped with whipped cream!
I know topping whipped coffee with whipped cream seems, well, over the top. But I love my iced coffee sweet and the whipped cream adds that extra sweetness my sweet tooth craves.
Aside from feeding my caffeine and sugar addiction Dalgona Coffee gives me a good reason to put my handheld immersion blender to good use. I’d gotten one for Christmas a few years ago and seldom get to use it, that’s probably because I forgot I had one.
Anyway if you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a hand mixer or whip it the gold old fashioned way with a whisk. Just be prepared to whisk for about 20 minutes or so to get a really good consistency. Or you could order your immersion blender from amazon by simply clicking here!
By the way this article contains affiliate links. Should you click on a link and decide to make a purchase we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Our team uses these commissions to maintain this website so we can continue to share cool ideas and recipes with you!
In case you’re wondering Dalgona Coffee is a Korean Beverage which is named after a Korean sugar sweet. Most Dalgona Coffee doesn’t contain dalgona its name is derived from.
Dalgona Coffee became an internet sensation due to the Coronavirus Pandemic this year. People worldwide who are locked down (that’s like most of the world) posted videos and pictures of themselves on Social Media making this frothy concoction by hand. It probably also gave them their caffeine fix when running out to the neighborhood Starbucks or cafe isn’t an option due to strict lock down rules.
Anyway here’s the recipe:
Dalgona Coffee
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. Instant Coffee Powder
3 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tbs. Water
Milk
Ice Cubes
Directions:
Place coffee powder and sugar together in a small bowl.
Add water and mix vigorously with a whisk or if you prefer an immersion blender or handheld mixer.
Mix until fluffy .
Add ice cubes to your glass and pour enough milk until the glass is 3/4 full.
Top with the whipped coffee. And if you want sprinkle with cocoa powder, cinnamon, or top with whipped cream.
Serve chilled. Before you drink it mix the whipped coffee into the milk. This is super yummy!
Mar 19, 2020 | Breakfast
My husband recently started a Keto Diet, again! Last time he did this, the summer of 2018, I was in Italy awaiting the birth of my 6th. grandchild; so no one was home to support my husband in his endeavor nor was anyone around to prepare Keto friendly meals and snacks. That’s probably why he did do so well on the diet.
Mind you this diet is not for everyone, in fact you should consult your doctor before trying a Keto Diet. I know for sure this diet is not for me as I have an autoimmune condition that affects my liver, and this diet according to my research is not recommended for folks that have liver and kidney conditions as well as a host of other medical issues. Again consult your doctor before going on a Keto Diet or any other diet.
But this article isn’t about the Keto Diet at all. It’s about a delicious chicken dish that I make for the family. As I’ve already mentioned my husband is on a Keto Diet, but I’m not and neither are my daughter and 2 grandsons who live with us. So really my problem was to find something we all could eat so that I don’t have to play short order cook and make different meals of the family.
This Creamy Butter Garlic Chicken is just the thing. It’s fatty and low carb enough to work in a Keto Diet, it has 8 net carbs for each 1/2 cup of sauce, and it’s yummy enough to serve the rest of the family. Best of all it’s super easy to make!
I serve it with riced cauliflower for my husband and mashed potatoes for the rest of us. Steamed veggies make for a balanced meal we all love it!
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Creamy Butter Garlic Chicken
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Creamy Butter Garlic Chicken
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Instructions
Melt butter in a large pan
Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Fry chicken in melted butter until fully cooked making sure both sides are browned
Remove chicken from pan and set aside
Sauté garlic in pan being careful not to burn it
Add broth and deglaze the pan (scrape stuck on chicken and garlic from pan and mix with the broth)
Cook the broth down to about half then add heavy cream
Stirring constantly to keep sauce from burning cook until slightly thickened
Return cooked chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over it
Serve with your choice of starch and veggies.
Mar 12, 2020 | Breakfast
If you’re looking for ways to up your game when it comes to making breakfast then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to switch up the recipes you’re already making or you’re simply looking to get better at cooking, starting with breakfast is a great idea. Whilst it may be daunting at first, there are lots of ways to make a delicious breakfast with minimal effort and skill. From getting creative with your ideas to looking up recipes online, the more you’re doing to spice things the better. With that in mind, here are 5 top tips for an amazing breakfast:
– Prepare In Advance
One of the best things you can do when it comes to making an amazing breakfast is to ensure you’re preparing everything in advance. Whether that means finding the perfect recipes or buying all of the ingredients that you’re going to need the night before, you need to make the process as simple as you possibly can. Waking up in the morning can be tiring and if making your breakfast isn’t easy, chances are you’re going to want something you can grab and go instead. For grab and go breakfast inspiration, you can visit this site here.
– Look At Recipies Online
If you’re stuck when it comes to inspiration then you might want to consider looking at recipes online. Whether you’re looking for something simple or you want to put on a whole breakfast spread, you’ll be able to find a recipe for absolutely everything on sites like Pinterest and Instagram.
If you’re not using Pinterest and Instagram, there are lots of websites that will also have fun recipes for you to try. From bloggers to national cooking sites, you will be able to find hundreds of recipes to choose from.
– Don’t Be Afraid To Be Creative
Although it can take a little bit of skill, don’t be afraid to be a little bit creative with your recipes. From adding sour cream to scrambled eggs to making savoury pancakes rather than sweet, you never know what you could discover when you’re being adventurous with your cooking.
– Make A Wide Selection Of Foods
If you’re serving breakfast for a large number of people, you might want to think about making a wide selection of food so they can choose their favourites. Although it will take more time, it will make for a nice treat. For tips and tricks when it comes to putting on a breakfast spread, you can visit this site here.
– Get Ideas From Influencers And Bloggers
Finally, you may want to consider following influencers and bloggers that regularly post recipes. Although they are not always posting breakfast content, it’s a great way to get inspiration.
Are you looking for tips and tricks when it comes to making an amazing breakfast? What can you do to switch things up a little? Did we miss anything? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.
