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Homemade French Toast Sticks

Growing up, it was such a treat when Mom bought us those frozen french toast sticks. Seriously, they were the best! Now that I'm an adult though, I realize they didn't have any good flavor to them, so I wanted to make my own super cinnamon-y french toast sticks!

These french toast sticks are super duper cinnamony and have a nice crunchy exterior and soft, fluffy inside. They're best covered in maple syrup and enjoyed on a Sunday (or if you're feeling really indulgent, a weekday).

to make cinnamon french toast sticks:
recipe adapted from Just a Taste

8 slices thick-cut white bread (preferrably a day or two old)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Salted butter, for cooking
Maple syrup, optional (but not really)

Slice bread into 1 inch slices (4 sticks per slice).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and heavy cream. Add the cinnamon, sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Heat up a heavy pan over medium heat. Add salted butter because it's yummy. Soak each slice of bread in custard mixture for a few moments until soaked through, but be careful not to tear the bread. Add slices to pan and cook for a 2-4 minutes on each side until cooked through and browned and crispy on the outside. Serve warm with maple syrup & enjoy!

(I froze some leftovers, but have not tried reheating them yet. If anyone knows of a great way, leave some suggestions in the comments below!)

 

p.s. other store-bought foods that are wayyyy better homemade: french vanilla coffee creamer, taco seasoning, thin mints, frozen waffles.

 

 

Pancakes: Three Ways

I am a huge fan of pancakes. Actually, all breakfast foods! Pancakes, however, are my specialty and I delight in making different variations in all of them. I decided to use my favorite pancake recipe and create two different flavors from that basic recipe. Here, I made Nutella and brown sugar pancakes! They were soooo easy and definitely delicious! Without further ado (because I know all you chocolate fans are dying for that Nutella recipe) here are my pancake spin-offs, alongside the original recipe!

Original Super Fluffy Pancakes:
makes 8 pancakes and is easily doubled and tripled!

1 cup all-purpose flour2 Tablespoons white sugar1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk with 1 Tablespoon white vinegar; set aside five minutes before using)1 egg2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for pan1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat griddle or skillet to about medium heat.

In a medium bowl, fluff together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt using a whisk. In a smaller bowl, mix together the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extra. Slowly mix into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix otherwise the pancakes will lose their fluff!

All the batter to sit for two minutes or so. Then, using a basting brush, slather your pan or skillet with melted butter. We want a lot on here so that the edges crisp up nicely. Seriously, don't be afraid. In 1/4 cup measurments, pour the batter on the hot skillet. Once the edges start to look cooked and bubble -- about 2-3 minutes -- flip the pancake (make sure it's golden on the bottom first!) Cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Either serve immdietly, or if making a larger bath, set your oven to the lowest temperature and keep the pancakes warm on a cookie sheet in the oven. OR, if you're real crazy awesome, you can cook the pancakes, let them cool completely on a wire rack, and then store them in plastic bags or freezer-safe containers in the freezer and warm up for a delicious breakfast during the week! I love all options.

 

 mmmm! Brown sugar pancakes! These have an extra nice depth of flavor to them from the brown sugar that I really love. All you need to do to achieve this deliciousness is replace the white sugar in the recipe with brown sugar. I even add an extra pinch of brown sugar when I make this recipe because I adore the flavor so much.

Alright, here you go all you Nutella freaks! To make the Nutella pancakes, all you need to do is add 2 Tablespoons of Nutella in with the wet ingredients before adding to the dry ingredients.

What are some of your favorite recipe spin-offs?

The Secret to the Best Scrambled Eggs

Is that title too long? Oh well, it's the truth. I love eggs, especially scrambled eggs (even more so when those scrambled eggs are put into a burrito with Ortega taco sauce. Yum.). I make them pretty much every day that I'm not working and eat them for lunch. I have a super secret and delicious way to make my scrambled eggs extra creamy and moist even after they've been scrambled.

Here's the quick tip that will give you deliciously creamy eggs every time.

• After whisking your eggs with a tad bit of milk, pour them into a pan that was sprayed with non-stick spray and set at medium heat.
• Once the eggs have slightly cooked on the bottom, take pinches of cream cheese and place them around the eggs. Season the way you want to and add whatever you would like (the perks of scrambled eggs). I use a spatula to not scratch my pans, and then swirl the eggs around to cook them.
• Turn the stovetop off just before the eggs cook all the way (they should just be a little wet) and they will finish cooking because the heat from the pan. The eggs will stay moist and oh-so creamy!

I hope you try this out the next time you make some scrambled eggs! What are some of your tricks that you use while cooking? xoxo

5 Weekend Breakfast Ideas

1. Lemon Pancakes! Add some blueberries to the mix as well because it will make you happy. Unless you don't like blueberries, in which case, ignore that suggestion.

2. Cook up a big batch of waffles for you to eat for breakfast & then freeze the rest for a quick weekday breakfast!

3. I love French toast and this blueberry syrup makes it even better. Don't forget to make a batch of brown sugar bacon to go with it too! You'll thank me later. ;)

4. It might not be autumn yet, but any season is a good season for pumpkin waffles in my eyes.

5. Want a healthier option? Try out these super fluffy whole-wheat, Greek yogurt pancakes. They're so delicious! In fact, make a large batch of these and freeze some for the weekday as well. You can never have too many homemade frozen breakfast foods.

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

french toast + brown sugar bacon

Saturday night, me and our friend, Aubry had a quadruple birthday party for David and his three friends (Mike, Tom, and Ido) who all have birthdays in March as well. It was a blast and I couldn't have asked for a better turn out! We had so much fun eating a lot of food (especially the awesome white chicken chili that Aubrey made us!) and hanging out with a group of people we don't always get to see too often at once. We also had some fun laughing at a bunch of old vidoes of the guys that Tom brought over and, let's just say there were some pretty embarrassing moments on David's part. The next morning, I made everyone breakfast and, even though it ended up only being three of us, I stil tried my best to make a yummy breakfast! I made some blueberry syrup for our french toast and some brown sugar bacon (mmm!).

to make blueberry syrup:way scaled down from this recipe

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen; I used frozen)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
lemon juice, from half a lemon

In a saucepan over medium low heat combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Stir occassionaly and smash the blueberries against the side of the pan. Continue cooking for roughly 20 minutes until thicker and syrupy. Add the lemon juice in the last few minutes and stir thouroughly. Sever warm with french toast.

 

to make brown sugar + pepper bacon:
slighly adapted from here.

1 lb. thick-cut bacon
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

Set the oven to broil. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (it helps with the clean-up) and place a cooling rack on top. Place bacon strips on the rack about a half inch apart. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture and place under the broiler for another 3-5 minutes and DON'T BURN IT! After it's cooked, place on a paper towel-lined plate and let cool slightly until the sugar crystalizes.

Enjoy!

 

 

lemon pancakes + tips for breakfast in bed

For David's birthday on Sunday, I didn't have much planned, but I knew I wanted to make him breakfast in bed. I ended up making him some very delcious lemon buttermilk pancakes and not-so-delicious burnt bacon. I learned a few things along the way about what and what not to do for making breakfast in bed that I thought you might like to hear about!

Do make them something they'll love. Even if you'd much rather have s'more waffles instead. I decided to make him some lemon blueberry pancakes.

Don't forget the blueberries. Because I did and we were both bummed when we realized it part of the way through breakfast. I think David was really looking forward to some blueberries, but they were still delicious! My tip is to make sure you have all of your ingredients out on the counter beforehand so you don't forget anything like I did.

Do make a great morning drink. If I were fancier, I probably would have made some mimosas because...well why not? Instead, I made one of my favorite morning drinks which is half orange juice and half apple juice. A splash of cranberry would probably be great with this too.

Don't burn the bacon. Seriously: it's gross. In my defense, I used a different type of bacon than I normally do so when I broiled it in the oven (my preferred method of cooking bacon) I didn't keep an eye on it like I should have.

Do greet them with a cheerful face. That morning ran very smoothly and I was able to cook everything realtively quick. However, this doesn't always happen and on those occasions, I think it's best not to let them know and just show up with a smile on your face and breakfast in your hands. mmm!

to make lemon buttermilk pancakes:
only slightly adapted from Becky Bakes

1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugarzest of 1 lemon2 Tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled1 cup buttermilk, well shaken1 egg1 cup flour1 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon saltabout 1 cup blueberries (optional)

 

Heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest until pale yellow and fragrant. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, and egg together. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar mixture and stir until just combined. There should be a few lumps in the batter and that's good.

Place a small pat of butter in the pan and swirl until evenly coated or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In 1/4 cup amounts, pour batter into pan about 3 inches apart. If using blueberries, drop several in the pancake batter. This is a much easier method than stirring them into the bater beforehand.

Once the batter starts bubbling on the sides and the bottoms are slightly golden, flip using a spatula. Continue cooking on other side until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter and powdered sugar or maple syrup.

starting with a bang

I wanted to start 2014 the same way I started 2013: with waffles! I didn't have any buttermilk on hand for my favorite waffles, but I did have some cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator. I saw this on pinterest some time ago and I've been dreaming of them ever since. This was halted for a minute yesterday morning when I dropped a champagne glass on the edge of the counter which then shattered, bounced, and sliced my leg open. David and I were convinced (and David still is) that I needed to get stiches, but I was able to get it to stop bleeding, so I refused to go. Plus, I got the okay from my mom and grandma that I was fine and wouldn't need any. I wasn't gonna let anything stop me from these waffles!

These are pretty much self-explanatory, but I'll let you in on the directions anyway.

Spray waffle iron of choice with non-stick cooking spray. Plug in and heat according to your specific waffle iron's instructions. Once heated, open a tube of cinnamon rolls and place 2-3 on the waffle iron. Close and cook all the way through. My waffle iron too 5-6 minutes to cook the rolls. Spread with cream cheese frosting while hot. Enjoy your little piece of Heaven with a glass of milk or orange juice.

Hey, I didn't say I was starting 2014 off fancy; just with waffles. haha.

xoxo

pumpkin waffles

Alas, the final installment of my road trip dishes: pumpkin waffles. Wondering what they tasted like? Imagine waffles. Now imagine pumpkin pie. Now imagine pumpkin pie, but in waffle form. The only thing these were missing was homemade whipped cream. It was certainly the perfect ending to such an awesome weekend trip. I think I've been dragging these posts out so much because I don't wanna forget how much fun I had wth my family that weekend. To recap, I made: whole wheat, Greek yogurt pancakes, tomato + mozzerella panzanella, white bean pasta, and my old favorite, salted caramel brownies.

 

to make pumpkin waffles:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. In a larger bowl, mix together the egg yolks, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter. Whisk in dry ingredients until just combined.

In a seperate small bowl using a handheld mixer, or in a mixing bowl with attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold medium soft peaks. Do not over mix them to make stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into waffle mixture gently.

Spray the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, or brush lightly with oil. Spoon about a 1/4 cup of waffle mix into waffle iron. Close iron and cook according to the waffle iron directions (mine take 5-6 minutes). To serve all the waffles at the same time, put your oven on low and place waffles on pan in oven to keep warm. Serve with whipped cream, or maple syrup.

 

xoxo

homemade frozen waffles

If you haven't already noticed, I have a passion for things that make food and life easier. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I can't start my day without it and I like to vary it up a little bit. I once read a quote that went along the lines of, "If you can't get out of bed in the morning, it's because you don't have a good enough breakfast." This has always been my rule of thumb for breakfast meals since I read that. Some mornings, as long as I know I have a yummy cereal to look forward to, then that will get me out of bed. What really makes me jump up in the morning (if that's really what you wanna call it) are waffles and pancakes. And, I hate to say it, but I'm definitely a pancake and waffle snob. I can't eat boxed mixes and store-bought frozen waffles always taste like a freezer to me.

So, I made some waffles. And then I froze them. Then, I put them in a toaster oven. They tasted just as good as fresh! You can either use this recipe or use the one below. To freeze the waffles, let them cool completely after cooking them. I made a double batch so that I can eat them for breakfast the day of and use the leftovers to freeze them. Once they're at room temperature, put them in zip-top freezer friendly plastic bags. I would suggest either putting them in seperate bags our placing wax paper between each waffle. When you're ready to eat them, preheat your toaster oven on the "toast" temperature and place them in there for about 5-6 minutes, flipping the waffle over half-way through. It'll be nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! Yummmy!

 

to make waffles:

1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix
1 cup frozen blueberries (optional; I was out of them at the time)

In a bowl, beat together buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a whisk. Add the all-purpose baking mix and whisk until there are no traces of flour. If you're adding blueberries, fold them in with a spatula. Let the batter sit for five minutes.

While the batter is sitting, heat up the waffle iron (don't forget to spray with nonstick spray). Scoop the batter in the iron about 1/2 cup at a time. Cook according to your waffle iron's instructions. Mine usually take 5-6 minutes. Enjoy!

 

xoxo

the pancake factory.

The other morning, David and I (accidentally?) woke up early and we decided to head to our favorite breakfast place in celebration of our lack of laziness. So we headed over to the Pancake Factory to eat some of the best breakfast food. They have the best flapjacks I've ever had, which yes, they are different than pancakes. They're almost crepe-thin pancakes with crispy edges and so yummy that I hardly need any syrup. They're great with creamy butter and their homemade whipped cream which is so thick it's almost like butter itself. Oh and should I get started on the bacon? Yes you say? It's the thickest, most crispy and perfectly seasoned bacon I've ever had. David ordered the eggs benedict which he's been craving for quite some time now, and I'm pretty sure it lived up to his hopes. mmmm! My mouth is watering just thinking about it again!

What are your favorite breakfast spots?

xoxo

 

all photos were taken with my iPhone 4 and edited with Afterlight