I've discovered the secret to french toast: don't use fresh bread. I'm sure there are plenty of people who already knew this secret, but for me it was a bit of an epiphany. Also, vanilla is an amazingly wonderful addition to french toast. Isn't it nice when we are easy to teach?
The amounts listed for this recipe are for feeding two people. Adjust accordingly. I always use one more egg than the number of people I'm feeding.
Ingredients:
5-6 pieces of french bread
3 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 C or less milk
salt & pepper to taste
favorite french toast toppings
Spray and heat your griddle or pan. In a flatish bowl, beat eggs, sugar, spices, and milk.
Coat each piece of bread individually on each side. Be careful to not let it soak in the egg mixture.
Place on hot griddle and cook each side until lightly brown.
Serve hot with your favorite french toast toppings. We like butter, syrup, and powdered sugar.
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Last year, I did lamb with a mustard and rosemary marinade. This year, it's garlic and rosemary. There seems to be a theme when it comes to lamb: rosemary is the key.
Ingredients:
1 6-lb. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
12 large garlic cloves, unpeeled and divided
1 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary leaves
salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbl unsalted butter, melted
4-1/2 lb. small red potatoes, unpeeled
2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
Peel six of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Add rosemary, 1 Tbl salt, pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced.
Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Place in large baggie or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Before baking, allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.
Toss potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
Put in large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes, fat side up.
Roast for 30 minutes and reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Continue roasting until the internal temperature of the lamb is 135 degrees (rare) or 145 degrees (medium).
Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow the lamb to rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
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We eat a lot of salad in our house. We are always looking for ways to make salads tasty and unique. This is a great combination.
Ingredients:
1 2.6-oz. foil pkg of pink salmon
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 pear, cored and sliced
2 clementines, peeled and sectioned
romane lettuce
Parmesan cheese
pepper to taste
fruity vinaigrette
Break up lettuce in the bottom of the serving bowl. Layer on fruit. Break up the salmon with a fork and sprinkle over fruit layer.
Add cheese, pepper, and dressing to taste.
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Tuesdays are a little crazy at our house. My husband picks up the kids from their mom's for dinner, and because Tuesday is my really late night for teaching, starts making dinner around 6:00 or 6:30. The other day, we talked about doing more crock pot meals on Tuesdays to make it easier for everyone. My stepson immediately suggested pulled pork sandwiches. Sounded good to us.
Ingredients:
6 buns
2-3 lb. pork loin roast
16-oz. barbecue sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Put the roast in your crock pot and season with salt and pepper. Cover with barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir with fork to break up meat until it's as chunky or pulled as you want. Cook for additional 2 hours so the flavor gets all through the meat.
Serve on buns.
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