French Toast Strata

This is a great recipe for any morning when you know you've got an early start and you want something filling before you head out. You do have to have some prep time the night before it, though. Many of my Girl Scouts love this recipe at camp, even forgoing syrup as they eat it. They especially like that they wake up to the smell of it baking (I usually just pop it in the oven, then go back to sleep for another 40min or so).

A word about tools: I use my glass 9"x13" baking dish for French Toast Strata to make cleanup easier. I also have a lid to help store any leftovers for future breakfasts. However, I always worry about putting a cold glass dish into a hot oven and having the glass shatter. So...I usually put my glass dish into the cold oven, then preheat it so they warm together...so far no shattered glass dish. On the other hand, an aluminum tray or just metal pan wouldn't have that shattering problem and might not be terrible to clean if properly greased.

If making this dish at camp, do test your oven in advance to see whether it heats properly - they're not as reliable as my oven at home. Might be worth planning some brownies or cupcakes the night before to check oven functionality.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread, sourdough bread, or challah (I've even had rave reviews when I've made this with stale hot dog buns, though)

• 4 ounces (224g) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature (optional - the kids often complain about the cream cheese, but it makes it more filling and I enjoy it)

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 9 large eggs

• 3 cups (540ml) whole milk

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2/3 cup (133g) packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup raisins (optional - again, kids complain about these)

Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup (69g) packed light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

 

Directions

1. Grease a 9×13 inch or any 3-4 quart oven-safe dish with nonstick spray. Slice then cut the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread half of the cubes into the prepared baking pan.

2. Drop random spoonfuls of cream cheese (and raisins) on top of the bread. Layer the remaining bread cubes on top of cream cheese. (I like to make sure some cream cheese is still exposed on top just for looks.) Set aside.

3. Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours and up to 24 hours. Overnight is best.

4. Prepare the crumb topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks.

5. The next day: preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).* Remove pan from the refrigerator.

6. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the soaked bread.

7. Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top. It will puff up as it cooks. I usually bake it for 45 minutes because I like it softer. Drizzle with optional maple syrup or dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

Whole-Wheat Pancakes

Breakfast is one of our favorite dinners. I found this pancake recipe last year and have used it over and over. I have used different ratios of white and wheat flour and it's all delicious - even when it's all whole-wheat flour. We didn't find it too hearty.

I haven't ever tried the Strawberry sauce. Let me know if it's good!

Speaking of sides, we like to have our pancakes with whipped cream, syrup and fresh fruit (like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas). I usually make scrambled eggs and/or bacon. Then we'll have apple or pear cut-up on the side. If we're really getting into it, we'll make orange julius or strawberry smoothies.

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup non-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Strawberry sauce, recipe follows
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, cut them into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Strawberry sauce:

• 16 ounces strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened, thawed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Puree strawberries to a chunky puree. Heat them in a small saucepan over a low flame, until they are just warm. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1/3 cup)

Cowboy Cake

My kids really like this and they eat it up!! Be sure to have lots of milk on hand though because it is very cakey and a big glass of milk goes perfectly.


2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2 cups Brown Sugar

2/3 cups Shortening

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 cup Sour Milk or Buttermilk

2 well beaten eggs



Combine flour, salt, sugar and shortening. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on the top. Mix remaining ingredients and pour into a cake pan, 9x13 baking pan or 2 8x8 pans. Sprinkle reserved topping (can add nuts if you'd like) Bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

Home fries

I make these occasionally for breakfast. Frozen hash browns are easier and faster, but there is nothing like the homemade version. If you have the time, they are worth it.

Cube as many potatoes as you think you will need. For two adults I usually cube about 5 small-to-medium sized potatoes and that may result in some leftover. Depends on potato size.

Cook potatoes in the microwave to soften them up. Five to 10 minutes depending on how many potatoes you have. Could cook longer if you want this process to be faster. Meanwhile, dice an onion. Bell pepper too if you have one.

Throw vegetables in a pan with a little oil to coat. Add generous amounts of season salt (I love Lawry's Season Salt but it is hard to find in Grenada - generic version will do).

Stir occasionally until potatoes brown and are soft. About 20 minutes. Sample potatoes if you are not sure.

Sausage & Egg Casserole

(Picture courtesy of Google Images)

This is a super easy casserole. You can make it for breakfast, for dinner and even for potlucks. I mainly use it when we have brunches for baby showers. Hope you guys like it.

6 Slices of white bread, cubed

1 pound of sausage, crumbled, browned and drained (I found the sausage in the frozen isle of IGA)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 eggs, beaten

2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon of salt

Pepper to taste

Take the cubed bread and place evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle sausage and cheese evenly over cubed bread. In a mixing bowl mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 325 F for 45 mins.

You can also add some green chiles, mushrooms and onion to this recipe. Just play with it and see what works best for you.

Breakfast casserole

I cooked this casserole today and it turned out great. It fed seven people with a little left over so it's perfect for a crowd and was easy to whip up.


INGREDIENTS
1 pound pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
10 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup chopped bell pepper (optional)
Dash of salt and pepepr

DIRECTIONS
Brown sausage and bell pepper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough, and sprinkle with crumbled sausage and peppers. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: After 30 minutes of baking there was liquid on the top of the casserole still so I baked a little longer, almost 40 minutes. Even after 40 minutes there was still some liquid but layer of dough on the bottom was brown so I took it out. A knife came out clean and after sitting a few minutes the liquid dried off. So, I should have taken it out sooner just as the recipe said. Don't be fooled by a little liquid on top.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I am a bit lazy today so I am just going to post the link to the recipe. I made these Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast this morning and they were amazing. They are a bit of work but oh they are worth it! Enjoy!