Praline French Toast Casserole / reposted

This is another Best of the Best Recipes!

What a great aroma to wake up to on Christmas morning, Easter morning...... or tomorrow morning!

8 Eggs

1 1/2 C Heavy Cream

1/3 C Maple Syrup ( the good stuff)

1/3 C Packed Brown Sugar

10 - 12  1/2" slices of French Country Bread

Topping:

1 Stick of Butter

1/2 C Packed Brown Sugar

2/3 C Maple Syrup

2 C Chopped Pecans

(I never said it was healthy)

Generously butter a 9"X13" Casserole Dish

In a bowl, whisk together:

Eggs

Heavy Cream

Maple Syrup

Sugar

Place Bread slices in the Casserole dish and cover with the Egg mixture

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator

Remove and let it reach room temperature

Topping:

Melt the Butter in a saucepan

Add Sugar and Maple Syrup and cook for 1-2 minutes

Stir in the Pecans

Pour over the Bread

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving

In my book, I wrote WOW!

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Herbed Shortbread Wafers

These would be great as an appetizer, served with a Cabernet Sauvignon Wine.

This recipe is an adaptation of an adaptation of a recipe from Ina Garten....... Oh well! It looks good enough for me. We have an extensive herb garden and I will make these.

1 stick (8 TBS), butter, softened
1/4 C grated fresh parmesan cheese (grate fresh parmesan cheese yourself for maximum flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 1/4 C flour
1 TBS water

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment:
Butter
Mix medium low until creamy
Add cheese, salt, pepper, herbs, flour ( incorporate each ingredient separately and mix until incorporated).
Add water
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4" - 1/2" thick. Use a 2" - 3" round cookie cutter. You can also form the dough into a log and refrigerate it for 30 minutes and then slice it into rounds.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the wafers 1" apart and bake for 22 - 25 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Translate into your own language!

This is a reminder that for a recipe in your language, there is a Translate search for other languages. All recipes can be translated to any language in the world!

Welsh Cakes / to celebrate St. David's Day on March 1st.

Saint David's Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi, Welsh pronunciation: [dɨːð ɡʊɨl ˈdɛui]) is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint ofWales, and falls on 1 March each year. The first day of March was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David. Tradition holds that he died on that day in 569.^[1] The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century.

We have a very good friend that is Welsh. We worked together for many years and we both retired from Macy's. She asked me to post this recipe in celebration of St. David's Day.
Thank you Joan for sharing your heritage , and all things British with us! 
I look forward to making these.


Welsh Cakes are a traditional tea-time treat that are easy to make. Eat them warm from the stove with butter, or store them in an airtight container for up to a week.



1 1/3 C self rising flour
1/2 C (1 Stick) butter, cut into pieces + a additional for the griddle
1/4 C of sugar + additional
1/4 C raisins
1 egg, beaten
milk, if needed

In a mixing bowl:
Sift the flour
Add the pieces of butter, rub with your fingertips, create a mixture resembling breadcrumbs.

Add sugar, raisins and egg. Mix well to form a dough ball. Add a splash of milk , if needed.
Roll the dough to 1/2" thickness on a floured surface.
Use a 3" or 4" round biscuit cutter to cut the cakes.

Rub a cast iron griddle or a cast iron skillet with butter on medium heat.
Cook the cakes a few at a time about 2 - 3 minutes on each side. They'll be golden brown.
Remove from the griddle and sprinkle with sugar while they're still warm.



Here's another version:

2 C self rising flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, cubed + additional for the griddle
1/2 C sugar + additional
1/2 C currants
1 egg. beaten
2 TBS milk

Sift flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.
Add butter and rub with your fingertips or a pastry blender to create a mixture like breadcrumbs.
Add sugar, currants and stir to mix.
Add egg and just enough milk to form a dough.
Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4" thick
Use a 3 - 4" round biscuit cutter to cut the cakes.

Rub a cast iron griddle or a cast iron skillet with butter on medium heat.

Cook the cakes a few at a time about 2 - 3 minutes on each side. They'll be golden brown.

Remove from the griddle and sprinkle with sugar while they're still warm.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tex-Mex Rice Casserole / reposted

I've spent the morning playing around with a new recipe.

My Mother always made what she called Spanish Rice, remember we lived in Michigan. Maybe it was a food trend when I was young. It just seems out of place on the menu as I look back at my childhood. But then we also ate a lot of Chinese Food too, maybe because of the movie, A Christmas Story!

        

Food trends have always fascinated me. Julia Child created the French food trend in America. The 60's loved Fondue and Health Food. I don't think Tex-Mex is a trend in Texas. It seems to be a staple in every kitchen here. We love our Tex-Mex cuisine! I've lived in Texas for 35 years, I still refer to Michigan as home, I'm not sure why, but I'm glad I had the opportunity in my lifetime to get to know Tex-Mex! I hope some of you reading this outside of Texas will embrace some of my Texas recipes............!

I don't remember my mother's Spanish Rice to be as spicy as I have grown to love Tex-Mex food.

This recipe is quite spicy and very.......  Tex-Mex!

Tex-Mex Rice Casserole:

This recipe could easily be cut in half, it makes enough for a family gathering or a block party!

4 TBS vegetable oil ( I always say, cook with Vegetable oil, eat Olive Oil)

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 C long grain white rice

2 C long grain brown rice

2- 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juice

1- 10 oz. can Rotel Tomatoes with Chiles, with juice

1- 4oz. can diced green chile peppers.

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Adobo Seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 C vegetarian Chicken Broth ( the real stuff for the non Vegetarians) 2C water added just before covering with cheese and baking.

2C freshly grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2C Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Fresh Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Pickled Jalapenos for garnish

Heat oil in a large ( 6 or 7 quart Cast Iron Casserole or Cast Iron Dutch Oven)

Saute onion, celery and garlic about 5 minutes, stirring constantly

Reduce heat to simmer, add rice, stir constantly for 5 minutes

Add Tomatoes, Rotel and Green Chiles

Add all spices and seasoning and stir to combine well

Add broth and bring to a boil

Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

At this stage, I added an additional 2 C of water, stir well and then continue....

Top with Cheddar Cheese and bake at 375 for 15 minutes

After baking, remove from oven, top with Mexican Blend Cheese, cover

and allow the cheese to melt.

Serve in bowls topped with freshly chopped cilantro and pickled jalapenos.

I serve my Black Peppered Cheese Bread with it.

After tasting it, I think that it could easily be turned into a soup by adding water to individual servings, microwave it and serve topped with Tortilla Strips.

This is a large recipe. I just created a soup with the leftovers ( about 1/3 of it)

I added a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, a 14.75 oz. can of creamed corn, water and milk.

I diced half of an onion and added that too.

It's very forgiving, you can make according to your own personal taste.

That's the way we do it in Texas!

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

My wife made homemade Cinnamon Rolls today. It reminded me of this Cinnamon Cake Recipe. 

• 3 C flour 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 C sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 C (1 stick) butter, melted 
•  
•  TOPPING 
• 1 C butter, soft
• 1 C brown sugar
• 2 TBS flour 
• 1 TBS cinnamon
•  
• GLAZE 
• 2 C powdered sugar
• 5 TBS milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with a cooking spray, or grease it with my Pan Release Mix. (equal parts of Crisco, Flour and Vegetable Oil, brush the pan using a pastry brush. Set aside.
2. In a mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into pan.
3. For the topping, mix the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy. Drop evenly over the batter by the Tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble / swirl it through the cake.
4. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle evenly over the warm cake.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Apple Crepe Pancake from Comfy Cuisine

I wish I had the authority to post the picture of this recipe. It's what sold me on the recipe. The only thing I would suggest to alter the recipe would be to double it and make it in a 10" Cast Iron Skillet. I believe it's a more common sized skillet and I would certainly make this for a family breakfast or if I were hosting a Brunch. Other than that it looks and sounds perfect. I simply re posted their recipe here. This recipe reminds me of Dutch Babies that I used to make in the 70's. I reposted the recipe at the end of this one that includes my photographs.

1/4 C  (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/4 C milk 1 apple (I used Granny Smith) 2 TBS sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 large egg 1/4 C all-purpose flour Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Melt butter in a 5-inch cast iron skillet over low heat.  While the butter melts, pour the milk into a 2-cup measuring cup.  Peel, core and thinly slice the apple.  In a small bowl, toss the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon until well coated.
Pour half of the melted butter into the milk and whisk well.  Add the apple and any loose sugar from the bowl, into the skillet.  Cook the apple slices over medium-low heat, turning them a few times, until softened; the sugar and butter will get nicely browned and bubbly.
Remove the skillet from the heat.  Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.  Add the flour and salt and whisk until smooth.  Pour the batter over the apples in the skillet.
Bake until the pancake puffs up and gets lightly golden on top, about 10 minutes.  Enjoy straight from the skillet or invert onto a serving plate.

I love any recipe using Cast Iron cookware. Here's a great example:

I just received a version of this recipe from Bisquick. I've made a few changes and adapted it.

I have other recipes for Dutch Babies with Ham and Miniature Dutch Babies in a Muffin Tin that can be found on the blog. I always loved serving Dutch Babies for a family Holiday Breakfast, or a Brunch with friends. I've had the Dutch Babies with Ham recipe since 1979. Since I've been a Vegetarian for 20 years, I had put that recipe in the back of my files. I resurrected it for my non Vegetarian friends.

I've posted a home made recipe for Bisquick because I have many followers around the world that may not have access to the product. You can make a recipe for it and keep it in the refrigerator up to 4 months. You would use it in any recipe asking for Bisquick.

3 TBS butter

4 Apples, peel, core and slice thin. (I use Jonagold, you can also use GrannySmith or Rome) There are many other varieties of Apples that are great for baking.

1/4 C Brown Sugar

2 TBS Cinnamon

1 1/2 C Bisquick Mix

1/4 C Granulated Sugar

1 C Buttermilk

1 TBS Lemon Juice

1 tsp Almond Extract

2 Eggs

1 TBS Cinnamon/Sugar mixture

Warm Maple Syrup

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the butter in the oven  in a 10" Cast Iron Skillet and melt it, about 2 minutes.

Add:

Apples

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Toss to coat well.

Bake for 2 minutes

Stir and bake an additional 2 minutes.

Stir again and bake an additional 3 minutes.

Stir for the last time.

Reduce heat to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

Bisquick

Granulated Sugar

Buttermilk

Lemon Juice

Almond Extract

Eggs

Whisk Well

Pour Batter evenly over the Apples.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with Cinnamon/Sugar

Serve with Warm Maple Syrup.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen

Homemade Bisquick Mix: (use this mixture whenever a recipe calls for Bisquick)

6 C flour

3 TBS Baking Powder

1 TBS salt

1 C Vegetable Shortening

In a large bowl, sift together:

Flour

Baking Powder

Salt

Sift this mixture 3 times ( don't skip this process)

Cut in Shortening with a Pastry Blender or 2 Forks until the mixture is crumbly!

Store this in an airtight container for up to 4 months in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Enjoy! Peace in the Kitchen!