Stuffed French Toast

Before I talk about this dish, I have to say how excited I am for my dear cousin Abby!  She's 28, lives in Maine, and got engaged yesterday.  I just found out and I am sooooo happy and excited for her - she finally found the man of her dreams and they are going to have an amazing life together!  CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE WEDDING!  I love weddings, don't you?  My step-daughter is also getting married this year.  Bring on the weddings - I'm ready!

OK, sorry.....but I'm so excited!  ANYWAY, this recipe came to me as I was looking through my cabinet and trying to think of something different to make my son for breakfast.  I spotted the jar of Nutella and remembered how much he liked the banana Nutella egg rolls I make (click here & scroll down for recipe), so I thought I'd try a variation of that but as stuffed french toast instead.  Sometimes you get an idea but it just doesn't pan out, so I wasn't sure if this would go the way I planned.  Fortunately, the only close call was when I flipped it while cooking....when heated, the bananas and Nutella got a little slippery and I almost had a disaster in the pan! 

I placed the plate in front of my son and eagerly waited for his response.  The first bite got a "Mmmmm", then the second bite got "Oh my god, this is amazing!"  Wooo hooo - he loved it!  It makes me happy when what I imagine to be good actually turns out to be good!  I'll be making this many more times for sure.  I bet substituting some strawberries in there would be yummy too......

Banana Nutella Stuffed French Toast (serves 2)

1egg, beaten
1 tbs milk, 1/2 & 1/2 or water
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
4 slices of bread (French or Italian is best, but regular sandwich bread like I used here works too)
1 large banana 
Nutella
Maple Syrup (VT is best of course)
1 tbsp butter

In a bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, nutmeg & milk (or whichever liquid you prefer).  Spread the Nutella on one side of each piece of bread (all 4 pieces).  Peel and slice the banana, about 1/4" thick and distribute them evenly onto two of the pieces of bread.  Take the other 2 pieces (the 2 without the banana) and place on top (you will have to sandwiches stuffed with the Nutella & bananas).  Heat the butter in a large skillet on medium heat until melted.

Place each "sandwich" into the egg mixture and make sure it's evenly coated before turning it over and doing the same thing on the other side.  Place into hot skillet and cook on each side until it's a nice deep golden brown.  Remove from heat and serve hot with maple syrup (since the Nutella & banana are sweet, just a little drizzle of syrup was enough for us). 

Steak & Cheese Stuffed Peppers

If you are a regular here, you already know that I try on most days to limit my carbs and to eat healthy.  I do not completely deprive myself though.  Once a week (usually on Friday nights) I eat anything I want for one meal AND I also indulge in dessert.  I think it's important to do that, even if you are trying to loose weight.  Deprivation can totally derail your efforts because when you are feeling deprived you tend to "cheat" on your diet.  I've found (at least for me) that the one "bad" meal a week doesn't undo all my hard work from the rest of the week and prevent the number on the scale from decreasing.  

So earlier this week I was craving a steak and cheese sandwich, and then I remembered that I saw somewhere a picture of a steak and cheese stuffed pepper (might have been on Pinterest).  I didn't go seeking to find it though.  Since steak and cheese is pretty self-explanatory, I just did it my way.  This was a great low-carb meal that satisfied my steak and cheese craving.  Both my husband and son liked it too.  I was worried my son would say "I prefer the actual sandwich" but he didn't!  He still may have been thinking that, but what he actually said was that it was good - much better than he thought it would be.  I'll take it ☺ 

Steak & Cheese Stuffed Peppers

4 large green peppers
1.5 lbs of sirloin
1 small onion, sliced
1 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 slices of provolone, more if you want extra cheese
Teriyaki Sauce (optional)

Cut the sirloin as thin as you can into strips.  Place into a ziplock bag and pour a little (about 1/4 cup) teriyaki sauce into bag and let it marinade in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.  You can of course skip marinading the beef in the sauce - I did it because it flavors the beef just a little so it's not bland, but I only use a little because I don't want it to taste like teriyaki beef.  

In a large saucepan, fill it about half full with water and bring it to a boil.  Cut tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from inside.  If your peppers are very large you can cut them lengthwise instead.  Place in boiling water for about 4-6 minutes - you just want to soften them, but don't cook them to the point that they will break apart when you try to remove them from the water.  Meanwhile, in a medium sized saute pan melt about 1 tbsp of butter, then add the sliced onion and mushrooms.  Saute on med-low heat until onions are translucent and soft - about 20 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 350, and spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray,  Add the beef to the onions and mushrooms and cook until no longer pink, but be careful to not overcook the beef (you want it to be tender, not dried and rubbery).  Spoon the beef mixture into each pepper evenly, then top with a piece of provolone cheese and place them into the baking dish.  Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.

Roasted Red Pepper & Mushroom Egg Casserole

We have chickens....seven of them.  In the winter the amount of eggs we get everyday drops off, so right now we get anywhere from 2-5 eggs a day.  For a family of three, that's a lot of eggs.  Whenever I accumulate too many I give them away to my step-daughter, friends, or co-workers.  Needless to say, sometimes I STILL have too many eggs!  That's when I make egg casseroles for breakfast or crust-less quiches for dinner. 

Here is my latest concoction.  I used apple chicken sausage because I love the sweet & savory combination, however if you are at all iffy about it, just use regular sausage.  Easy, filling and hits the spot on a cold winter morning....like today, it was -8 degrees when I left for work!  Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, my car still started.  Brrrr!!!  My husband, who is not the biggest fan when it comes to liking sweet & savory combinations, tried this and surprised me by saying he really liked it!  Go figure....give it a try and maybe it'll surprise you too!

  
Roasted Red Pepper & Mushroom Egg Casserole 
  
1 cup Montery Jack cheese 
1 tbsp flour    
6 links of apple chicken sausage, cut into small bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1 cup Cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Cook sausage, drain and set aside.   Mean-while, in another small pan, saute the onions and mushrooms in 1 tbsp of butter until onions are translucent, about 20 minutes.  In a medium bowl mix eggs with milk until well blended.  Spread Montery Jack cheese in bottom of greased 9 x 11 (or an 8x8 dish) casserole dish.  Sprinkle the flour over cheese.  Layer sausage, onion & mushroom mixture and roasted red peppers, then pour in the egg mixture.  Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.  Cover and let set overnight in the fridge for at least 12 hours, longer is fine.  Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle.

Pizza Bites

My son and his friend spent the day snowboarding the other day.  Honestly, I don't know how they do it....all day outside in the freezing cold - no thank you!!  I totally live in the wrong state.  I would be much better suited to a warmer climate...but alas, here I am in beautiful Vermont.  Funny how things work out in life, huh?

I knew after a long day on the slopes they'd be hungry, so I figured it was a good time to try this recipe for these cute little pizza bites I've been holding onto for a while now.  I love to try out new recipes on my son and his friends.  Teenagers are worthy judges when it comes to food!  

They gobbled these right up in about 5 minutes.  Since I wasn't positive if that meant they loved them or they were just starving, I had to ask how they liked them.  My son said they were really good, but that they needed more pepperoni.  The next day he asked if I made some more.....I'll take that to mean he liked them!  I like this recipe - it's quick, simple and a crowd pleasure....well, a teenage crowd anyway!  Make them for the kids to snack on, or they'd be a perfect appetizer for a potluck.  The possibilities for these are endless when it comes to what "toppings" to add.  The ones I made here are pepperoni and mushroom, but really you could add whatever your heart desires.  

   
Pizza Bites (adapted from www.plainchicken.com)

3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 & 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup pepperoni, cut into fourths (or you could use mini pepperoni pieces)
1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped 1/2 cup pizza sauce
 
Preheat the oven to 375° & spray 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder.  Add the milk and egg, and whisk to combine. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella, the mushrooms & pepperoni and let set for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, divide the batter into the mini-muffin tins. Take the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and sprinkle a little on each one.  Pop in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 20 minutes.

While that's cooking, heat the pizza sauce until warmed through (by microwave or stove-top). Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Hawaiian Lettuce Wraps

Don't you love three day weekends?  Ahhh, I've been in heaven all day.  Both my husband and son are working today, which has given me time to tackle my long "to-do list".  I will admit I haven't gotten much done though....oh well, enjoying the time to myself sometimes has to take priority.  

I have been craving Hawaiian pizza big time for the last couple of days.  However, I am trying not to eat junk food, so I pondered how I could get that Hawaiian pizza flavor in a healthy way.  The best I could come up with were these wraps, and I thought they were pretty darn tasty.  They totally satisfied that urge for Hawaiian pizza I was having, so to me this recipe is a winner.  The pineapple really offset the tang of the Dijon, and all the flavors blended together so nicely.  Perfect healthy lunch...one I will be making more often for sure!

Hawaiian Lettuce Wraps

Romain Lettuce Leaves, rinsed and dried
6 slices of thin deli ham
2 slices of provolone cheese
Dijon mustard
Pineapple, chunks cut in half

Lay out the lettuce so it's nice and flat.  Spread a small amount of Dijon all over the lettuce.  Layer on the ham, cheese and pineapple.  Roll up tight & enjoy!

Braised Cabbage & Apples

Well, the taste of mud season we've had for the last few days has moved out as fast as it moved in.  Back to blistering temps....blah.  For those not familiar with Vermont, we have a fifth season called "Mud Season" up here.  I wasn't born and raised here so I don't know for 100% certainty why, but after living here I tend to think that it's because there are a lot of dirt roads here and when the temperatures rise (which is usually at the start of spring) and the ground begins to thaw, those dirt roads turn into a mess!!!  Your car is covered in it no matter how many times a day you wash it.  You mine as well wear boots all the time because it seems like no matter what you always end up somewhere where you have to walk around in it.  HUGE ruts form in the roads that make driving extremely difficult, especially if you don't have an adequate vehicle and/or tires.  You get used to it though, and for the most part I don't mind it because it usually means spring and summer are on the way.  However, when it happens at an "unseasonal" time it's weird and slightly depressing because you know it won't last, and you will soon be freezing once again....and that's where we are at now.

The spike in temps and then the sudden drop in temps has made me craving fall-like comfort food.  Cabbage always comes to mind in the fall for me.  I love it and it's so healthy for you, which is an added bonus.  This recipe is a wonderful side dish that pairs nicely with pork.  Or, if you are like me, a bowl of it for lunch is yummy and satisfying as well.  Enjoy!

Braised Cabbage (serves 4)


2 tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced
1 apple, cored & sliced
1/2 medium sized cabbage, cored & chopped
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the apples and cook another couple of minutes.  Add the cabbage, stir to combine and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the cider and cider vinegar.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until everything is softened and the liquid is mostly evaporated.  Add the balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper to taste.  Stir and cook for another 5 minutes before serving.

Orange Marmalade Roasted Pork Loin

For some reason fruit just seems to go with pork.  I don't know why, but I know that I myself have cooked pork with apples, figs, cranberry and orange flavors.  All work so nicely with pork.  However, I really enjoy using orange marmalade on pork because it gives it such a lovely light and refreshing flavor.  

This recipe is super simple, yet turns out stunning enough to serve when you have company.  Use a bone-in pork loin for an even more impressive presentation.  Pair this dish with a green veggie and roasted potatoes, or maybe with a salad and good crusty bread (click here for an easy artisan bread recipe).  Or if you are like me and you tend to make a nice big Sunday dinner every week, this recipe is perfect for that as well.  Enjoy!

Orange Marmalade Roasted Pork Loin

4 lb pork loin
Garlic salt & pepper seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed

1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp stone ground mustard

Preheat oven to 375.  In a small bowl add the marmalade and both types of mustard, mix to combine and set aside.  Add the olive oil to a large oven safe cast iron skillet and heat on medium-high.  Rinse and pat dry the pork loin, and seasoning generously with the garlic salt & pepper seasoning on all sides.  Place loin in hot pan and sear on all sides, couple minutes each side, then remove from heat.  Add the garlic and rosemary to the pan, brush a little of the marmalade mixture on the pork, then place pan in oven.  Roast for about an hour, or until a meat thermometer reads 140.  During the last 15 minutes of the roasting time baste the pork with the marmalade mixture every 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, tent the pan with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.