Father's Day French Toast

This is our new favorite recipe for french toast. I made it for my husband who normally doesn't like the "soggy" texture of french toast, but loved this one because it was not soggy at all. I also learned a great tip about french toast from my brother-in-law: use Sweet Hawaiian Bread! It tastes amazing, try it!French Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs



• 1/2 cup milk



• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg



• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon



• 1/4 cup maple syrup



• 1 tsp. vanilla



• 12 pieces bread



• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:

• Mix the milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl. Heat up a frying pan (or grill) on high for 3-4 minutes.



• When heates, turn it down to medium and pour in the oil.



• Let it sit for 2 minutes or until pan sizzles.



• Coat the pieces of bread, one at a time, in the mixture and put in the pan. Grill to your liking.



• Serve with fresh berries or maple syrup on top.

Homemade Croutons

Back in my college days, I worked at cafe in the business building on campus...it was a tedious job and luckily I only worked there a year before I landed my dream job where I got payed to do my homework. However, I did learn a lot of great lessons regarding food prep and some great recipes as well. I use this one most often because I love salads and I don't think you can have a great salad without some great croutons! I never buy croutons because it's just so easy and cheap to make my own!

Brittney's Homemade Croutons:

Ingredients:

• 2-4 slices white bread (depending on the size of the salad)



• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil



• 1-2 tsp. minced garlic



• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

• slice bread into small cubes.



• Mix bread cubes with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper until everything is combined.



• Transfer to a heated sillet. Cook croutons 1-2 minutes on each side until toasted.



• Add to your favorite salad and enjoy!

Focaccia Bread

I love to knead bread by hand, I've always thought it was fun, so I knew I would love this recipe. It's a great bread recipe to accompany any dish: soups, pastas, beef, etc. I even microwaved a few leftover pieces and served them the next day and it still tasted great. My favorite is to serve it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour




• 1 tsp. salt




• 1 tsp. white sugar




• 1 tbsp. active dry yeast




• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil




• 1 cup water




• 1 tsp. garlic powder




• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil




• 1 tsp. dried oregano




• 1 tsp. dried thyme




• 1 tsp. fresh minced basil




• 1 pinch ground black pepper




• 3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese




• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Method:

• In a large bowl, place flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and garlic powder.




• Fold in the vegetable oild and water.




• When the dough has come together, place it on a lightly floured surface, and knead it until resilient but smooth.




• Lightly brush with oil on both sides and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.




• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.




• Press dough down and flatten; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.




• Brush top with olive oil and sprinkle with final ingredients of oregano, thyme, basil, black pepper, Paremsan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.




• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Easy French Bread

This recipe came from a cousin of mine. Last year I made it for some friends and it has since become one my most requested recipes for parties or get-togethers. I love to make it and wrap it in celophane with a ribbon and give it away to the ladies I visit teach because you can easily get 2 big or 3 smaller loaves from one batch of dough. It's also great to accompany any soup dish or with butter, jam, or honey for breakfast.

Easy French Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tbsp. yeast
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Method:

• Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl (I use a Kitchenaid so I just dump all the ingredients in my mixer and let it do all the work).
• Add water and oil.
• Add 2 tablespoons yeast.
• Let dough rise uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Add 7 cups flour and let mixer run on low for 6 minutes.
• Form the dough into 2 big or 3 small loaves on greased cookie sheets. (Dough will be sticky so put some flour on your hands and form the loaves into oval shapes).
• Cover with a towel and let rise until double in size, about 2 hours.
• Make 3 diagonal slits with a knife into center of each loaf to avoid air bubbling on top of the loaf. (and it also looks pretty).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
• Let it cool on racks, slice, and serve.
  

Cindy's Rolls

A friend of mine emailed and asked me to post my favorite bread recipes because her New Year's resolution is to make more homemade bread for her family. I immediately thought of this recipe, which is my absolute FAVORITE roll/cinnamon roll recipe and was given to me by my husband's best friend's mom, Cindy. I remember Steven talking about Cindy's rolls back when we were dating and when we were engaged, he told me that I MUST learn to make them. They really are extemely delicious and I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet! Here you go...
Cindy's Rolls
Method & Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 4 tablespoons yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Mix above ingredients together ( Bosch or Kitchenaid both work great) and wait 5-10 minutes for yeast to bubble.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups flour

Mix these ingredients and add to the first mixture.

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups flour

Add these to the first mixture. Let your mixer run for 10 minutes on medium speed. Divide dough into sections and make into rolls ( I divide the dough into 3 sections, then squeeze each section into a long log, cut each log into about 12 small balls and squeeze each dough ball out into a long rope, then tie it in a knot-like shape so it looks pretty). Place rolls onto greased baking sheets, cover with a towel and let rise approx. 2 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 10 minutes (until just browned on bottom).

*Also, I would love to see who reads this blog, so click on the link to the right and become a follower. Feel free to leave me a comment and request any recipes you'd like me to post!

Three Grain Muffins

My grandparents came and stayed with me for a week over Thanksgiving and every time they visit, my grandpa calls to make sure I have a box of All-Bran in my pantry waiting for him. I didn't want the box to go to waste after they left last week, so I found this recipe for bran muffins and it made enough to feed an army! If you make these, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and just bake a dozen or so every morning and you can have hot muffins for breakfast every day!Three Grain Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 2 cups crushed shredded wheat
• 2 cups All-Bran
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine the oats, Shredded Wheat, and bran. Add the buttermilk, water, oil, and eggs; stir for 1 minute. Stir in the brown sugar. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the oat mixture and stir well.
• Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Hailey Muffins

Although I wouldn't call these muffins "healthy," I thought i'd share this recipe with any pregnant/new/nursing mother. My mom first made these when she was staying with my sister after she had her first baby, thus the name "Hailey muffins." I think my mom and sister pretty much lived off these things for the first week of Hailey's life. The ingredients are staples you always have on hand, they are very simple to make, and they are great to have around for any visiting company or when you need something to eat in the middle of night. They have quickly become a staple in our homes before and after we have babies.

Hailey Muffins

Ingredients:
3 large ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Method:
1. Mash bananas
2. Cream sugar and butter.
3. Beat in egg and bananas.
4. Sift in dry ingredients and stir until moistened.
5. Bake in greased muffin cups at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

*tip: they are also great with the buttercream frosting recipe I posted on the very first post (banana cake).