French Toast Bake

With Mothers Day right around the corner I'm sure a lot of you will be making breakfast or attending a brunch and I wanted to post a super easy crowd pleaser. Mmmm. ENJOY! French Toast Bake
1/4	cup Butter, melted
2	cans (12.4 oz each) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
6	Eggs
1/2	cup heavy whipping cream
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
2	teaspoons vanilla
1	cup Chopped Pecans
1	cup maple syrup
Garnish
	Icing from cinnamon rolls
	Powdered sugar
1/2	cup maple syrup, if desired

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.
	In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.
	Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
	Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches

My Husband is sometimes a picky eater, particularly courses made mainly with vegetables. Eggplant Parmesan is one of my favs, so I made this one night. It was a smash hit! Very easy, pretty healthy, and super-tasty! The roasted red peppers give it a unique flavor twist, it was my first time roasting peppers and I fell in love with them :D.

Ingredients:
4 thick slices eggplant (3/4 inch thick)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated fat-free (or regular) Parmesan cheese
4 ounces sliced fat-free (or regular) Mozzeralla cheese
4 French rolls or hoagie buns, toasted
2 roasted red peppers, halved
Pizza Sauce (Store-bought or homemade)

Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish or bowl

Dip the eggplant slices in egg and coat with the bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mixture

Cook in a lightly greased (I used olive oil) large skillet over medium heat until tender and browned, about five minutes on each side. Really watch the heat, these can brown quicker than expected if it is a bit too high!

Top each eggplant slice with 1 ounce of Mozzeralla, cook covered until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes

Serve in buns with roasted red peppers and Pizza Sauce.

Peach Salsa

Cant wait to try this one!

Tools:
large bowl
wooden spoon

Ingredients:
4 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T lemon juice
½ to 1 fresh chile, seeded and minced OR ¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t salt
black pepper

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients, and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Jalapeno Hummus

For those of you who like hummus, Trader Joe's has a wonderful Jalapeno Hummus. I know it doesn't sound very good, but believe me, its really delicious!

Tzatiki Sauce

This is one of my favorite dipping sauces. It is great with carrots, or some pita bread!
So here's the recipe:

2 (8 ounce) containers plain yogurt
2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and diced (I like to use persian cucumbers)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, peeled

In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

Very yummy!

Tiramisu Classico

Heather insisted that I should post my recipe for Tiramisu so here it goes. This recipe will make about 4 servings.

Ingredients

200g Mascarpone

2 eggs

25g of Sugar (Organic brown sugar recommended)

2 Cups of espresso coffee (I personally use Medaglia D'oro)

½ Cup of Marsalla Wine (Sweet)

1 Pack of Biscotti Savoiardi (also known as Lady Fingers)

Cocoa Powder

Equipment

9x5x5 Dish

Mixer or Whisk

2 Medium Size mixing bowls

Directions

- Make two cups of Espresso coffee and let it cool down.

- Take the eggs and split the egg yolk and whites. Put the whites on one mixing bowl and the yolks on the other bowl. Use the whisk to whip the egg whites until you get a cream with stiff peaks (You should be able to flip the bowl upside down the cream should not move).

- Then add sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix until you have an uniform cream. Add the Mascarpone and mix again until the mixture is creamy and uniform.

- Combine both mixtures into a bowl and use a fork to mix them together (DO NOT use the whisk on this step, we want to keep the bubbles on the whipped cream). Once again, This mix should be uniform and very creamy.

- Add Marsalla wine to the coffee and dip each lady finger for 2 or 3 seconds and place on the dish. (Make sure the coffee not hot). Fill a layer of lady fingers to the dish, then add the cream on top, then add another layer of fingers and finish with another layer of cream.

- Finish by sprinking some cocoa powder on top. Then place dish on the fridge for about 5 hours and voila..

Hehe so much for my first post, Hope it was clear enough. I'm open to suggestions, questions or whatev..

Enjoy ;)

A million dollar desert!

Yesterday Sue Compton was announced on Oprah as Pillsbury's bake off ONE MILLION DOLLAR winner for her Mini Ice cream cookie cups recipe! I haven't tried it yet but its next on my list. If it was worthy of winning a million dollars then I've got to try this one!!

INGREDIENTS

1	package (16 oz) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies (24 cookies)
4	teaspoons sugar
1/3	cup Fisher® Chef’s Naturals® Chopped Walnuts, finely chopped
1/2	cup Hershey’s® semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
1/4	cup Smucker’s® Seedless Red Raspberry Jam
1 1/2	cups vanilla bean ice cream, softened
24	fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Place 1 cookie dough round in each muffin cup. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
.	Place 2 teaspoons of the sugar in small bowl. Dip end of wooden spoon handle in sugar; carefully press into center of each cookie to make 1-inch-wide indentation. Cool completely in pan, about 20 minutes.
.	Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix walnuts and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until smooth.
.	Run knife around edges of cups to loosen; gently remove from pan. Dip rim of each cup into melted chocolate, then into walnut mixture. Place walnut side up on cookie sheet with sides.
.	In another small microwavable bowl, microwave jam uncovered on High about 15 seconds until melted. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon jam into each cup. Freeze cups about 5 minutes or until chocolate is set.
.	Spoon ice cream into cups, using small cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon. Top each cup with fresh raspberry. Store in freezer; let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.

Tequilla Lime Shrimp

The absolute perfect dish for Cinco De Mayo (which is right around the corner) So easy, super tasty and will compliment your margaritas perfectly! Besos!!
Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh or frozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry. Set aside.

In large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat; add onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes or until tender. Add shrimp and tequila; bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque, stirring occasionally.

Transfer shrimp mixture to a bowl. Add lime juice, cilantro, and salt; toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain before serving. .

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare as above. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain before serving.

Create a pretty party decoration

I am hosting a spring garden party Bridal Brunch and I found this great idea on oneprettything.com that I thought Id share. Such a cute, easy and best of all inexpensive way to decorate! I'm making mine in different sizes and a little more full so they are more like balls or poms. Hope this is inspiration to host a cute outdoor garden or tea party this spring!

Tissue-paper flowers make striking decorations for a Spring/summer party.

Use a sheet of paper for each flower. Fold it in half then half again, then fold it concertinawise in 5cm-wide folds to measure 25cm x 5cm.

Fold it in half again and cut into petal shapes (as shown below). Cut just
inside the folded edges to give separate petals.

Take the petals in pairs and scrunch up the centres. Lay on top of one another at slight angles to form a good flower shape.

Tie securely around the centre with strong thread, (waxed dental floss will even work!) leaving a long length for hanging up. Rearrange the petals, if necessary.

In Season

I thought I'd post a little list of a few veggies and fruits that are In Season right now for spring to make your trips to the store a little easier. Look for a few recipes and have fun!
Artichokes
Buying Tips: Buy artichokes that have a tight leaf formation, a deep green color and are heavy for their size. The rounder the artichoke, the bigger the tender heart. Avoid artichokes that are drying, wilting or moldy.
Asparagus
Buying tips: The tenderest stalks are apple green with purple tips. Choose firm, bright green stalks with tight tips.
Blueberries
Buying tips: Choose blueberries that are firm, uniform in size and indigo blue with a silvery tin
Strawberries
Buying tips: Choose brightly colored, plump berries that still have their green caps and are uniform in size.
Rhubarb
Buying tips: Choose crisp stalks that are brightly colored. If the leaves are attached, they should be fresh-looking and blemish free.
Carrots
Buying Tips: The best carrots are young, slender, firm and smooth. Avoid carrots with cracks or any that are soft of withered. If buying with the greens, make sure the leaves are moist and green.

Comfort in a Pan

We all have one. One of Mom's signature dishes that brings you comfort at just the thought, sight or smell of it. For me, it is my moms "Dump Cake." Just to clarify, "dump" is used as a verb, as in "dump the ingredients into the pan." :) This is, for me, the quintessential feeling of comfort and memories in a slice, and thank goodness it is so quick and easy to make. If your looking for something that smells so good your neighbors will be sneaking over for a slice then this is it! Its super sweet and filled with buttery amazingness! Enjoy
Ingredients:

1 can crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 to 2 sticks butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open and dump the can of pineapple into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Use a spoon to even it out in the pan. Open the can of cherry pie filling and gently use the spoon to dump it evenly on top of the pineapple. Open the box of cake mix and gently distribute the dry mix evenly on top of the fruit. Do not stir.

Cut the butter into little chunks and place the little chunks of butter evenly on top of the cake mix. (I use about 1 1/2 sticks of butter).

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to one hour or until the cake is bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm (not hot) with or without a scoop of ice cream on top.

DIY of the week: Bird Feeders

Nothing says spring like the sound of birds chirping outside your window, so this week take a moment to craft a homemade bird feeder. You can use so many recyclable materials. A coffee can, a milk carton, A mayo jar, a 2 liter bottle, a peanut butter jar(you see where I am going with this) Make one as simple or as pretty as you would like and then hang it on your balcony or in the backyard to reap the rewards all spring and summer long.

Create Your Own Pizza Night

So about once a week Jeff and I have been doing "create your own pizza" nights. We either just get dough from the bakery at the grocery store and roll it out ourselves (super inexpensive!) or we buy the Pillsbury dough if that's unavailable. This has been so much fun and in a weird way has become a hobby and something we really enjoy doing together. We have fun experimenting each week with different toppings and sauces (Jeff even got crazy and made his own marinara from scratch!) and it has just been so fun! Give it a try, be creative and have fun, it is sure to become a lasting tradition!
My new favorite pizza topping: ZUCCHINI! (Don't knock it till you try it!) soooo good!

Cream Cheese Frosting

So I make cupcakes all the time, probably once a week, and I still have never took the jump of trying to make my own frosting...until today. I made a great Carrot Cake cupcake and I decided to take the dive and give a frosting from scratch a try. MAN, HAVE I BEEN MISSING OUT! It is soo ridiculously easy to make your own frosting and it tastes a million times better than the store bought varieties. Give it a try and indulge....

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.
( I added 3 sifted cups)
I also finally got a frosting tip so I tried out a few designs that will need to be perfected of course :)