Sinfully Delicious French Toast

Good morning 3 Gals and a Kitchen followers. I decided to create a recipe for those of you who love french toast, but are tired of the same old french toast recipe. This is a sinfully delightful recipe and I managed to create it and prepare it in under 30 minutes. The majority of the ingredients you will have in your pantry already or in your stocked bar.
XOXO,
Esra

Sinfully Delicious French Toast

1 cup milk (I used skim milk)
4 eggs
1 pinch of salt
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t white sugar
1 T butter
12 slices of bread (or french bread for thicker slices)
Golden Raisins
Confectioner Sugar

Sinful Topping
2 T rum
2 T brown sugar
2 T butter (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
1 T Maple Syrup

Directions:
Heat 1 T of butter in a non-stick skillet and set on medium-high heat.
Add milk, eggs, salt, ground cinnamon, white sugar into a mixing bowl and beat. Soak each slice of bread and then lay each bread slice onto a non-stick skillet (do not overlap).
Cook each slice of bread until golden brown, and then turn them gently so they do not break apart. You may have to cook them in batches if you do not have a large enough skillet or griddle.
Meanwhile, heat 2 T butter in a small non-stick skillet and set on medium-high heat. Add rum, brown sugar, and maple syrup and bring to a boil (bubbling gently). Stir occasionally as it heats up.
Serve immediately and use the sinful topping instead of maple syrup. Please note that a little bit goes a long way.
Top with golden raisins and sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top of the french toast.

Peach French Toast Bake

I made this recipe a few years ago and remembered loving it. Last night, our friends Meredith and John made the hike out to the boonies to visit Wes and me. Wanting to make something special for breakfast, I remembered this recipe being very easy. The best part is that Ellie Krieger's claim to fame is her ability to create delicious but HEALTHY dishes - how often do those two things go hand and hand? Certainly not often enough!

This dish sits in the fridge over night, and the bread soaks up the sweetened egg mixture. I ventured away from Ellie's recipe a little bit using large slices of whole wheat bread since I wasn't able to find the right kind of french bread at the grocery store. I'm thinking that the french bread is a little bit thicker than regular whole wheat, so each piece soaks up a little bit more of the liquid. I was worried it would end up soupy, but it turned out just fine! Next time, I will let the bread overlap a little bit so that I can fit a few extra pieces in the casserole dish.

The recipe I'm posting below includes some changes to the original. If you want the original recipe, search "Peach French Toast Bake" on Food Network's site.

Ingredients: cooking spray, 6 large/thick slices of whole wheat bread, 4 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 cup low fat milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large bag of frozen peaches (enough to completely cover the top of a large baking dish), 1/2 lemon, juiced (approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons), 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread slices in the baking pan. It's okay if they overlap a little. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. In a medium bowl, toss peaches with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Scatter the peach slices evenly on top of the bread. Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. Serve this with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt and a little bit of maple syrup. - Enjoy! - Allison Y.

Turkish Fiery Omelet

Turkish Fiery Omelet

Serves 2 people

3 eggs
1/4 c chopped onions
1 c chopped tomatoes
1 chopped jalapeno
2 cups of fresh spinach (will equal about 1 c once it is cooked)
1/2 c feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Roasted Red Pepper & Olives for garnish

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms & chopped onions and cook until softened, then add chopped tomatoes, & diced jalapenos. Reduce heat to medium. Add spinach and let it cooked down. Once it has cooked down add feta cheese and let it melt. Meanwhile, whisk 3 eggs until well blended. Spray 10-inch non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray, add 3 eggs to the skillet. Let the uncooked egg mixture run onto the empty portion of the pan and cook until omelet is moist but fully cooked, about 3 minutes. Pour the ingredients from the first skillet over half of the omelet. Using a flat spatula, carefully fold the untopped half over the filling. Let it cook for another minute. Using the spatula slide the omelet onto your cutting board. While you let it stand for a minute or two, chop olives & roast red pepper to garnish the top of the omelet. Add a little bit more feta cheese to the top of your omelet. Cut the omelet in half and serve immediately. You made serve with hot sauce for more spice.

**I would not recommend salting the omelet since the feta cheese has a strong salty flavor already**

If you need an additional pick me up in the early mornings, then I would recommend serving this with Turkish Coffee.

My "Famous" 3-Cheese Spaghetti

Back in the day, my mom used to make a 3-Cheese spaghetti that Alison Joyce and I would die over. When I first started cooking in my post-college days, that was the first dish I had to try on my own! All of my mom's best recipes are the ones she knows by heart - a pinch of this, a pour of that - so it was up to me to come up with an actual recipe. Over the past couple of years, this spaghetti has become something I'm famous for among friends and family. When I called Wes to tell him I was making my spaghetti tonight, he responded with "You must really love me!"...so here it is! I hope you enjoy!

Posted with love by Allison Y.

Ingredients: 1 lb. angel hair spaghetti noodles, 1 T extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup chopped onions, 2 - 3 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 lb. ground beef (or turkey if you prefer), 1 medium-sized jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, 1 - 4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms (drained), 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Saute chopped onions and garlic over medium heat until tender (approx. 3 - 5 minutes). Add ground beef and cook until there is no pink left in the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce over the meat. Add mushrooms and stir until fully combined. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta to package directions. Drain pasta and dump it into a large casserole dish.
4. Toss the cheddar cheese in with the noodles.

5. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the top.

6. Pour spaghetti sauce/meat mixture over top of the noodles. Use a fork or spoon to make sure the sauce seeps throughout the noodles.
7. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese to cover the top of the dish.
8. Place the casserole dish into an unheated oven. Turn the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

*The sauce can be changed to meet your tastes. If you don't like mushrooms, don't use them. If you like a chunkier sauce, add peppers to the onions and garlic. You might also want to try using hot Italian sausage rather than ground turkey or beef. I've used the hot sausage before, and it is really good. Just be sure your group can handle spicy. And - don't be afraid to use a lot of cheese - it's the best part!

Penne with Homemade Vodka Sauce

Yummy…this was the perfect meal to cook up on such a cold and rainy day. I made this meal 30 minutes before my dodgeball game tonight. I reduced some of the calories from this meal by using low fat/reduced fat ingredients. The hardest part about this recipe was peeling and trimming the pearl onions.

xoxo,
Esra

Penne with Homemade Vodka Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 bag fresh red or white pearl onions
• 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup cream (reduced fat)
• 1 box penne rigate (whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup tarragon, chopped
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preparation
Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Add pearl onions and boil 3 minutes. Drain, cool and trim root ends. Pop onions out of the skins.
Place a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta.
Heat a deep saucepan or skillet over medium heat with EVOO and butter. Add onions and garlic to skillet, season with salt and pepper. Add vodka and reduce a minute or 2. Add tomatoes and stir. Heat through then add cream and let reduce at a low, bubbling simmer while pasta cooks.
Cook pasta in boiling, salted water to al dente and drain.
Add herbs to pasta sauce and stir to heat through, 1-2 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and toss 1 minute to combine. Serve pasta with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.

Recipe Adapted from Rachael Ray Show

Ham Biscuits with Cracked Pepper Honey

Clemson Valentine's Day Brunch! Recipe courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

24 bite-sized tea biscuits (Recommended brand: Mary B's Frozen Tea Biscuits)
1 lb. deli sliced Virginia ham
1/2 c. honey
2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
2 drops of hot sauce ( I add a few more than the recipe calls for!)

Bake tea biscuits according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine honey, ground black pepper, and hot sauce with a whisk. When biscuits come out of the oven, stuff them with sliced ham and top with a heavy drizzle of Cracked Pepper Honey. Serve biscuits with honey on the side, because you know you'll want to add more!

Enjoy! xoxo,

Alison J.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Left over chicken, veggies, potatoes, and juice from the Whole Chicken and Potatoes recipe can be used to make chicken noodle soup.

xoxo,

E

Homemade Chicken Soup
Compliments of Crystal Miller

• 1 whole chicken or leg and thigh combination or leftover chicken and bones from last night’s chicken dinner :) If using a whole chicken you could get more soup stock and have extra dinners for the freezer
• 1 onion
• Add more carrots and celery, if desired
• Salt
• Seasoning salt
• Poultry seasonings
• Garlic
• Noodles, egg or fettuccini (I think bow tie noodles are pretty so I used them in the soup)

Put chicken or pieces into soup pot. Cover well with water. Add onion and salt (I use about 1 T. salt for 12 cups of water). Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken falls off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours. I strain out the chicken by pouring the soup into a colander that I set inside of a large pan. I pour the broth back into my soup pot and let the chicken cool to the point I can take the meat off the bone. While the chicken is cooling I add the carrots to the simmering broth. I also put in about 1-teaspoon poultry seasoning and a little bit of seasoning salt. When I finish deboning the cooled chicken I put the meat into my pot. I then add noodles and cook for about 10 minutes or (amount varies, I just put in probably 4 or 5 cups of dry noodles for the 12 cups of water). I then adjust my seasonings according to taste and enjoy with fresh homemade bread. This soup freezes well. The noodles will sometimes fall apart when it has been defrosted and heated up. We are not picky about that, but if you wanted intact noodles you could freeze everything but the noodles and add that after it has defrosted.