Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I saw this mentioned on A cookie a day... a long time ago. I had planned to make it for the hubs for Father's Day, but then ended up being away on business for Father's Day. I finally got around to making it for Valentine's Day. I could only find a baguette type loaf of French bread, which was totally unsuitable for this! What I could do with it was good and tasty, but it would have been so much better with a larger slice of bread. Maybe next time, I'll make the bread fresh too in the bread machine and see how that comes out (haha, who am I kidding??).

Anyway, this was really good. I just realized, looking at the recipe, that I completely forgot to add sugar, and it was still really tasty. What we had was plenty for the two us, so next time I will probably make no more than half--maybe even bring it down to 1/4 (although who knows how much filling I will use when I have a normal sized slice of bread).

Definite keeper!!

1 (1 pound) loaf sourdough or French bread
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
2 tablesppons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped strawberries
*powdered sugar and real maple syrup to finish
Mix the cream cheese, sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and strawberries together in a bowl, set aside. Slice the bread on a slant, giving each side of the slice a nice surface area. Make a slit in each slice of bread through the crust to form a pocket. Place the cream cheese in a plastic or piping bag and pipe about 2 tbsp of the mixture in each slice of bread.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs,1 tsp vanilla, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg
Melt butter in a griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Briefly dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and place on the griddle. Brown on both sides and serve warm with sliced strawberries, powdered sugar and maple syrup

Tomato Soup with Chicken and Feta Cheese

This recipe appeared in my email on a day that I was cold, tired, and not in the mood to cook dinner. Perfect; we'll have soup and a sandwich for dinner. I went to the store and purchased prepared chicken salad, Perdue shortcuts (grilled chicken), and some feta cheese (sooo much cheaper than the Gorgon), and went on my merry way. I picked an Israeli feta simply because a gentleman at the store told me it was the best of the best but, more importantly, it was the cheapest per pound available.

This was so easy to prepare, and, with the exception of the feta and the chicken, was all stuff I had on hand. It was very tasty too, although not a great compliment to the chicken salad sandwiches. It was something a little bit different than our normal creamy tomato soup, so it was nice!

I was lazy and mixed the feta into the soup rather than crumbling it on top. This was also good leftover; I was a little concerned about reheating the feta, but it was still yummy.

I'll be making this one again for sure. Now, what to do with all the feta I have left over... hmmmm.

Chicken coupon?

Bargain Briana is hosting a giveaway that centers around "Crack Dip." Yep, that's the Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe created by Frank's Hot Sauce (which calls for 8oz of hot sauce, but my husband used a whole 12 oz jar when making... that's a whole nother story).

Go here to enter!

Apron Contest

Mama's Losin it is an awesome blog.

Even better is that she's hosting an apron giveaway! Check out the Marilyn apron... so funny!
Link

Spaghetti Puttanesca

Original recipe

This was pretty tasty and oh so easy to make. BAJ made a version his mom gave him several years ago that was far more complicated than this. This was EASY. The worst part of making this was probably chopping the kalamata olives--not fun around a big ole pit. I used anchovy paste rather than the real stuff, because it was what I had around the house. I used about 1/2" of anchovy paste and it was the perfect amount. I went a little heavy handed with the crushed red pepper, but that was great too. I also used a whole wheat pasta, which was a nice healthy addition.

This wasn't, unfortunately, as good as leftovers as it was fresh.

The best part of this recipe was that it was completely a pantry meal... I didn't have to buy a single thing to make it.

• 1 pound spaghetti
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 rinsed anchovies, (optional)
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, and their juice
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions; drain; return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and anchovies, if desired, mashing them with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 2 minutes.
3. Add whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking up tomatoes with hands. Stir in capers and olives. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Toss with pasta; season with salt and pepper.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Spaghetti Puttanesca - Martha Stewart Recipes

Midterms.

It is midterm week for both of us and all I want to eat is takeout. Stress eating is one of my many downfalls.

Last night, I managed to make premade lobster ravioli with a browned butter sauce. It was easy enough, but not really all that awesome.

I'm at a loss for tonight. I would love some comfort food, but the picky hubs means that's pretty much out. And I haven't had time to go to the grocery store, so it's not like something is already planned. sIGH.

Finger Foods Night

We had some friends over for dinner, and everyone made finger foods/appetizers.

I made:
Smitten Kitchen's Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
Cooking Light's Marinated Shrimp
Cooking Light's Stuffed Mushrooms
Bruschetta
Artichoke Dip

I didn't take a single picture because I was cooking as the guests arrived and didn't want to seem weird.

Cheesecakes
This was my first time making cheesecakes in mini form, and I really enjoyed it. I overbaked them a little bit, but they were still delicious. I bought a mango, and had full intent to use it as the topping, but time constraints made me just go with the (oh so delicious) cream topping. On the whole, these were fantastic. I forget where I did it, but I substituted Splenda for some of the sugar (I think in the cheesecake itself I substituted one cup), and I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese. I dont think these changes impacted the flavor at all, and next time I will try a 100% Splenda mix.

Marinated Shrimp
Ironically, we ended up with two shrimp dishes that were very similar. They were both really good, but the only real differences were that mine were served warm while the others were chilled, and I used much more jalapeno (he said he used one ring while I used about 10). These were really good, although they had a good amount of kick in them. Definitely a nice amount of spice, but I probably won't use so much jalapeno next time.

Stuffed Mushrooms
I was a little disappointed in these. They were easy and very good, but I wouldn't call them outstanding or amazing. These went into the oven as we decided to eat, so perhaps their late arrival to the table explains why they didn't really move, but they weren't a favorite at the table.

Bruschetta
I made my typical version of Ali's Amazing Bruschetta from allrecipes. It was good, although I overbaked a little... too much activity happening at once! They were enjoyable as always!

Artichoke Dip
This recipe came from a friend and was in the book of recipes I received at my bridal shower. I don't know if it's a family secret or something like that, so I won't post it, but it's similar to the one posted here. I had some red onion, so I added that in, and I served with tortilla chips. This, ladies and gentlemen, was outstanding. I've made this dip for this same group before, and they all commented that it was outstanding the first time, but for some reason so much better this time. Strange, right? Anyway, it was really stinking good, and I think I even used Neufchatel in this too. YUM!

So in short, this was a great idea. It allowed everyone to bring something, and although the hors d'ouvres didn't all "go together," we had an excellent meal and a TON of fun!

Grilled Turkey and Ham Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

From Cooking Light's January/February 2009 issue. Also here

Pictures coming soon!

This was pretty easy to put together, and a break from our usual routine. That said, it wasn't anything spectacular. The soup was a little on the bland side, and the sandwich was alright too.

Vegetable Lasagna

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Bridal Cookbook.

I tried this one out last night, having company coming over. Our guests said they really liked it, commenting especially on the "cheese on top." BAJ said it was "Ok," but to try something different next time. I thought it was ok, but nothing really spectacular.
I didn't take pictures because of hte company, but the presentation was terrible anyway--I couldn't get it out of the pan in a nice layered slice.

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Steak with Pineapple

I modified a recipe! Wahoo! I know this, in the grand scheme of cooking blogs, is not at all a big deal. But for me?? BIG DEAL!!

I took this recipe from Rachael Ray, which I found in a random issue of her magazine, and modified it to the ham steak sitting in my fridge.

Here's what I did:

1/4c brown sugar
1/4c maple syrup
1T Dijon mustard (the online recipe calls for 1T as well, but the magazine said 2T)

Heat to boiling in a medium saucepan. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce. Brush this over one side of a ham steak. Broil ham steak four minutes, turn over, brush again, and place pineapple slices over the ham. Broil four more minutes.

Done!

It was pretty good, pretty basic, nothing to really write home about. That said, it was super easy (although I'm very glad I'm not the one who has to clean that saucepan) and pretty tasty. I served it with Betty Crocker's Au Gratin potatoes and some Italian green beans.

Oh, but something important to note about this is that The Boy loved it! He ate all his ham, after gobbling up his pineapple.

Meal Plan

Meals this week:

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Giada's Pasta Primavera
Wednesday: All Day Ham and Vegetables (Crock Pot)
Thursday: Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake
Friday: Pending
Saturday: Pending
Sunday: Pending

Long time, no post!

I have been cooking, just not so much on the posting. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since what I made for Thanksgiving...

Lots of things coming, including my Christmas dinner!!

My first apple pie

My mom's birthday was on Thanksgiving, so I wanted to make her favorite as the dessert. So I ventured into my very first apple pie.

I found this recipe on Gillian's blog, and it was really great. I was a little bit nervous because it looked so ugly, but it came out great. It smelled so good as we drove to Grandma's house, I was very excited to eat it.

I used a premade crust, using the generic brand. It tasted fine, but it also played a role in the ugliness factor because there were lots of tears as I unrolled the crust.

Because we were traveling, I didn't get a chance to take a picture, so you'll just have to use your imagination, but it was a great and easy recipe!

For Messy Cooks (like me)

I have been on the lookout for a nice apron, because I am... well, a messy cook. My friend Kim *check her out here* posted about a contest to win a free apron. You can check out the contest, as well as the great aprons at Epicurean Style, and the contest is at epicureanstyle.typepad.com (scroll down to Up For Grabs)! I love the Molly style!

Italian Confetti Pasta Salad

I found this on allrecipes... you can see the recipe here.

We were going over to friends' for dinner, and were told they would be grilling. Pasta salad seemed a fitting side dish, so we went with it.

This was SO good; everyone loved it! YUM; BAJ even raved that this is a keeper for sure.
I made a few simple modifications... first, I used olive oil mayonnaise, because that's what I had on hand and I figured it would go well. A great choice. I used green bell pepper, instead of yellow, because they were much cheaper. I'm glad I didn't get red, because this added another dimension of color. I also added some red onion into the mix, which added a GREAT tang to the salad. Finally, I didn't have any black olives, so I didn't use em.

This was great, and is a keeper in our house for sure!

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I saw this on Lauren's blog and made it. You can see the recipe here. I didn't read the recipe very carefully and mistook "Cubed chicken" for cooked chicken. So I used those Purdue short cuts thingies, and skipped the cooking it step. It worked pretty well, and surely cut down my prep time. I threw in some garlic for good measure.

This was pretty tasty, but a little bit on the bland side. The Boy ate the pasta and the tomatoes, but wouldn't touch the chicken...big surprise.

I don't know if I'll keep this one or not...

As a side, I had purchased some snow peas to throw into the salad I made. But I decided that wasn't a flavor I wanted in my salad, so I followed the recipe in the container to make basically a stir fry, which included red peppers, mushrooms, and snow peas. It was pretty good, although not a very good choice of side with an Italian pasta entree. Ha!

Turkey Roulade with Cider Apple Gravy.

I found this here. I figured this would be a great Sunday dinner, and in theory it was. It was easy, but very very time consuming. Way too much work, even for Sunday dinner. It was all good, but not so good to make the work levels worth it. The potatoes were very good, so that will be a keeper. BAJ didn't mind the cranberry relish, but I thought it was WAY too tangerine-y and couldn't taste the pear at all.

As you can see from the pics, the stuffing didn't hold together so well despite being tied up.

Chicken Tetrazinni

I got this from my Betty Crocker's Bridal Edition cookbook. I had leftover cooked chicken from the enchiladas, and was looking for a good way to use them. This was pretty tasty, and very easy to make. SCORE!

Free Amazon gift card

WOOO! Go check it out here!

Honey Lime Enchiladas with Tomato Chipotle Rice

I found these mentioned here on Good Eats n Sweet Treats. It looked so good that I had to try, and the combination with the rice sounded perfect. What a great choice! We both loved it, even though it was much too spicy, even with only one pepper. BAJ combined the rice with the enchilada and seemed to like it a lot that way.

I modified the recipe to make enough for two. I started with a store bought rotisserie chicken, and shredded one breast of it. I mixed in some of the marinade, but it started getting sort of gloppy--I kept adding more in the hopes of having leftover marinade as the recipe suggests. This made enough for three full sized tortilla shells, which was the perfect amount for both of us. I couldn't find green enchilada sauce, so used regular. The can was 10 oz, and when I added cream it almost filled the can with what was left after coating the bottom with it... so probably about 1/2 a cup.

As far as the rice, I also made a smaller amount of that too. I used half a small onion, and made enough for 2 servings of brown rice. I just realized that I didn't modify the amount of tomatoes, but that was just fine.

I wasn't sure what to do with the chipotle pepper, so I cut it into smaller pieces in the pan. I did, however, make sure that we didn't get any on our plates, fearing it would be way too spicy for us.

This was fantastic, and I'm so glad I found it!

Pictures coming soon!