berry baked french toast

*From Giada on Food Network
*If you don't like the texture of soggyish bread (which I don't except in this and bread and butter custard) this isn't for you. But after it sits out for about 20 min or so and cools, it's not as soggy, but I prefer it warm.

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. Milk (I used half and half becasue it was in my fridge and I needed to use it)
a little over 1/4 c. maple syrup
pinch of salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 lemon zested (I didn't have a lemon, but I did do a few squirts of lemon juice, but this would be great!)

1/2 of loaf of bread cubed (I had half of a loaf of duch crunch bread in the freezer)
frozen or fresh berries (I used the tripple berries from costco)

topping:
1 1/2 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

*Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Then add cubed bread and make sure each cube is covered in mix. Add berries and stir. Dump into a buttered 8x8 pan. sprinkle with sugar cinnamon topping Bake at 375 for 45 min or until custard is set.

yummy with a drizzle of maple syrup, but doesn't need much!!

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg OR 1 flax egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• Granulated sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine peanut butter and butter and mix on medium-high until pale and well-combined.
• Add in sugars, baking soda, baking powder, egg and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
• Add in flours and mix on low until just combined.
• Remove bowl from mixer and add Nutella to the dough. Stir until just distributed throughout dough. You want a “swirl” effect.
• Form the dough into 1-2 inch balls, roll in granulated sugar to coat and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Using a fork dipped in water, press cross-hatch marks on the cookies to flatten.
• Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges are just slightly brown. Let cool on sheet for an additional 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be very soft when warm.
• SERIOSULY these cookies are so so yummy! I found the recipe on food gawker from backtoherroots.com. But do just make sure not to overcook them! They are chewy and yummy but yet a little crispiness to the edges.

Streusel Top Carrot Muffins

This is my new favorite carrot muffin recipe! But then again, everything is good with a Streusel topping.....But really these are DELICIOUS! I am pretty sure fleur de sel is salt...so that is what I did. Also, I only did 1/4 cup of each sugar. I did buttermilk(aka soymilk with lemon juice) becasue I didn't have yogurt. but loved it so that is probably what I would do next time too.

*From "Top With Cinnamon"

For the Streusel Topping
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp oat bran
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
pinch fleur de sel
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (about 2 medium)
1 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup low fat yogurt/ buttermilk

optional add ins : raisins, nuts, shredded coconut etc..

Combine all streusel topping ingredients together in a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse, like cornmeal. Put this into the fridge while you make the muffin batter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease/ line a 12-muffin tin. Combine first 5 muffin ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir the grated carrots into this mixture and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat in the egg and cinnamon. Add the yogurt/ buttermilk then the flour mixture alternately to the sugar mixture in 3 additions each. Don't over mix!

Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. The batter should be nearly at the top of the pan. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over each muffin and press into the batter slightly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops of the muffins are well golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and dry.

whole wheat chocolate chip crasin oatmeal cookies

*I got this from my friend Faith who got it from a friend....thanks so much friend of a friend!!

Cream Together:

1 c. butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla

In another bowl mix:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Mix 2 mixtures together and add 3 cups of oates, chocolate chips and crasins. (I did just under 3 cups oats and eyeblalled chocolate chips and crasins.

Bake at 350 for about 10 min.

skillet lasagna

1/2 lb ground turkey (I never use a whole pkg from costco so I always have a bit left over)
dried onion, italian seasoning
1/2 onion diced
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatos diced (about 9 med tomatoes)
2 carrots, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
about 4 T. pesto
2 big handfuls of spinach chopped
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 cup cottage cheese
3 T. parm cheese
dried parsley
mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
about 5 uncooked lasagna noodles
splash of cream

In a large skillet (that has a lid with it) brown the turkey with 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper, a dash of italian seasoning, dried oinon. Remove the meat. in same skillet add the onion and rest of garlic. Saute until soft. add tomatoes, carrots and zuchini. add 2 T. Pesto, salt and pepper, dried onion italian seasoning. Cook for about 5 min until it becomes sauce like. Pour into bowl.d down to low/ med low.

Combine cottage cheese, parm, parsley, mozzerella, salt, pepper, and 2 T. pesto.
on medium low-low heat, In same skillet, add one cup of the sauce. break up 2 or 3 of the noodles in big pieces and lay over sauce. sprinkle half of the meat over. dollop half of the cottage cheese mix. sprinkle half of the spinach over the cottage. then add some mozerella. layer all over again. with the last cup of sauce, mix a splash of cream. pour over the top, and sprinkle the top with mozerella and parm. Simmer for 25 min with lid on.

tex mex "ranch" dressing

*from food network.com
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced white onions (or I did 2 t. dried onion)
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch chili powder
Pinch red pepper flakes

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I put this on some shredded red cabbage and carrots for a cole slaw!

birthday chiffon shortcake

*from smitten kitchen

Cake layers:
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups superfine or regular sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar


1. Make cake layers: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have two 9-inch round cake pans ready, lined with parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, but otherwise ungreased. (Alternatively, this recipe yields on classic tube chiffon cake. Leave the cake pan ungreased, and use one with a removable bottom.)

2. Sift the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt together twice into a large bowl.

3. In a another bowl, beat the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla on high speed until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture until smooth. In another large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat on high speed until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

4. Use a rubber spatula to fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Do so gently, only until the egg whites are no longer visible. Overdoing it will deflate the egg whites, and yield a denser, shorter cake.

5. Scrape the batter into the two prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake them until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 40 min

6. Let cakes cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour (or, if in a tube pan, upside down over a bottleneck or resting the pan on four glasses for at least 1 1/2 hours). When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release, then flip out onto a plate and then another plate.

7. then cut each cake in half. ( I only did a 3 layer, and I will probably freeze the left over for a trifle sometime. but you could do all 4 too)

I made this whipped cream, but intead of brown sugar, I did powdered sugar and added a bit of lemon zest.

I took a little of the whipped cream mix and added chopped strawberries and added that to the middle of the layers.