Ok so it's french toast. But fancy french toast.
2 slices bread, crusts removed
1 banana
1 egg
Nutella
Chocolate syrup
Ice cream
Butter
Spread nutella on each slice of bread. Cut the banana in half, then each half again lengthwise.
Place one piece on each piece of bread and fold over cornerwise.
Crack the egg in a bowl and beat. Dip each triangle in the egg and place in a heated frying pan with butter. Brown on each side and on the folded side that it will stand on. Cook a minute or 2 on each side.
Serve with more sliced banana, the obligatory ice cream (at least in our house) and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
You can serve this for breakfast if you skip the ice cream,
or not ; )
My aversion to making lunches took a backseat today as I had some sort of inspiration which resulted in this.
3 small pitas
1 cup cooked, sliced chicken
some shredded cheese (cheddar here)
arugula
a few paper-thin slices of sweet potato
olive oil
black pepper
Béchamel sauce with garlic:
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
pinch pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 garlic clove, minced
Heat the marg in a saucepan and add the flour, salt and pepper. Whisk in the milk, continuing until slightly thickened. Stir in the minced garlic.
Lay the pitas on a lined baking sheet and spread with béchamel. Add the chicken, cheese and sweet potato slices. Drizzle with some olive oil and add a few grinds of fresh ground pepper.
Pop in a 400 F oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove and immediately top with a handful of arugula.
We don't usually have lunches like this here, more along the lines of a pb sandwich, or grab a tomato from the garden. Or if you're really lucky you'll find some leftovers from last night in the fridge.
These pickles are sweet, tangy and super easy to make!
1 bunch of radishes, sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pickling spice
1 bay leaf
Sterilize jars and pack with thinly sliced radishes.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Pour hot liquid into each jar leaving about 1/2" head space.
Seal and store in fridge for 3-4 months.
Or process in a hot water bath to store longer on the shelf.
This is the method I use to sterilize and process jars.
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/09/sterilize-and-process-jars.html
The red colour comes out of the peel almost immediately,
and you're left with this pretty pink pickle!
I use this method of sterilizing jars for preserving and it has worked very well.
Stand clean jars in the sink with a piece of cutlery in each to absorb the heat keeping the jar from cracking.
Pour boiling water in and let stand a few minutes.
Pour out the water and fill with your pickles, jam or sauces.
Pour boiling water over jar lids, then carefully remove from water with tongs and place on jars. Close fingertip tight.
Place jars in a deep pot and fill water to 1" above lids. Bring to a boil and keep boiling for 15-20 minutes.
Carefully remove jars and let rest for 24 hours. Then check that the center of the lid has popped down to seal. If you have a jar that hasn't sealed properly re-do the process or keep the jar in the fridge.
Tried another breakfast jar. This one took a little more effort than the last.
I started by making up a batch of cooked sliced apples.
2 apples, I used 1 Gala and 1 Granny Smith
some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, whatever you like
1/4 cup water
Cover over medium heat and cook 10 - 15 minutes.
We had these on our pancakes Saturday morning but I reserved about 1/2 cup of apples for the jars.
1 cup oatmeal
1 tbsp flax (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooked apples
1 - 100g individual vanilla yogurt cup (or Greek yogurt)
Mix the oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon and milk together, then spoon some into the bottom of each jar. Layer yogurt, then apples.
And continue to fill the jars with layers in any order you like. Cover and refrigerate.
Tomorrow morning breakfast will be ready!
If you don't have mason jars around you can always use plastic cups.
Instead of dipping my fillets in egg I thought I'd try something different. I used this Cressy Mustard with Chardonnay that was gifted to me by a friend who lives in Prince Edward County Ontario where it's made. Mixed it with mayo and it worked very well.
2 basa fillets (approx 400 g total)
1 tsp grainy mustard or dijon
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/2 cup panko crumbs
pink himalayan salt
lemon pepper
So pat dry the fillets with a paper towel, then mix the mustard and mayo together and spread it all over the fillets.
Have the panko in a bag and drop fillets in, one at a time, and shake gently to coat. Lay them on a lined baking sheet, sprinkle the salt and lemon pepper.
Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes.
And here's a shot of one of the beautiful beaches in Prince Edward County.
This small pork loin went right from the freezer to the slow cooker. It was a last minute decision to make so I didn't have time to defrost it. Worked out fine, but if you use a fresh or defrosted pork loin you might have to adjust the cooking time down a little.
1 1/4 lb boneless pork loin
2 small onions, sliced
a pinch of coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 bay leaf
1 cup apple juice
whole apples
some brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2-3 tbsps cold water
Mix together the coriander, marjoram, sage, smoked (or regular) paprika, nutmeg and celery seed. Reserve 1/4 tsp per apple for later.
Coat the pork loin with the seasonings and sit it in the crock pot on a bed of sliced onions.
Core your apples. I was using my small slow cooker so only had room for two. Sprinkle the inside of the apples with the reserved spice mix then fill the cavity with brown sugar. Sit the apples in the pot and add the bay leaf too.
Pour apple juice in beside the meat not over it. Cover and slow cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.
Remove the pork and apples to a plate and keep warm.
Pour the juices into a saucepan. You can keep the onions in there too or add them back later.
Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small cup, then add a little of the warm juices. Pour it all back into the saucepan, mixing well and heating until your sauce has thickened.
You could add the meat back to the pan à la pulled pork, but I felt a spoonful of the sauce underneath the meat worked for me today.
When you have an early morning coming up, plan ahead. Take a little time in the evening to put these together and in the morning just grab and go!
This is what you'll need to make 2 breakfast jars:
2 tbsps peanut butter
1 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 (100 g) individual container vanilla yogurt
2 tsps chocolate chips
3/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsps wheat germ
2 tsp chia seeds
1 cup milk
Mix together peanut butter, Nutella, brown sugar and 1 tbsp of the vanilla yogurt. It'll be cookie dough consistency. Add the chocolate chips. Spoon it into the bottom of 2 jam jars.
Layer the balance of the yogurt into the jars.
Mix together the oats, nutmeg, wheat germ, chia seeds and milk and pour this evenly over the yogurt layer.
Pop these in the fridge and in the morning, if you have the time, sit down and enjoy.
Or if you're really in a hurry pop the jar lid on and toss it in your bag. Don't forget a spoon!
It's mid-September and our weather is still like mid-July!
Hot and sunny...perfect for tomatoes. The plants just keep producing these juicy lovelies!
Here's another way to use this beautiful bounty of tomatoes!
Take a tomato and cut it into 6 wedges, but do NOT cut all the way through. Spread the wedges out gently then fill with whatever salad goodies you like.
I used chopped iceberg lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot, crumbled croutons and some feta cheese. Here it is before the dressing.
Then I drizzled on a little ranch to finish them off.
Pretty simple eh?
Cobbler is an easy dessert you can make any number of ways.
Use all of one kind of fruit, all of one type of berry, a mix of fruits, a mix of berries. Or in this case...a mix of fruit and berries.
You get the idea : )
2 lbs of mixed fruit, I used:
- 2 apples, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
1 cup sugar
1 cup baking mix (like Bisquik) store bought or homemade
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter or marg
1/2 cup oats
Here's the link to homemade baking mix if you're interested:
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/03/homemade-bisquick-baking-mix.html
You can use any combination of fruit and berries as long as you end up with 2 lbs of fruit to get a good fruit and batter balance. Toss the prepared fruit with sugar.
Grease a deep 8 X 8 X 2 1/2" baking dish and pour in the fruit.
Mix the baking mix, milk , melted butter and oats together and pour over fruit.
Bake in a 375 F oven for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with or without ice cream.
But why would you serve it without ice cream??
Comfort food times two! All the flavour of chicken pot pie that you love. And pasta! Who doesn't love pasta?
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken, about 1/2 lb
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced or sliced carrots
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsps olive oil
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
4 cups chicken broth or Lowneys's chicken bouillon from powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 lb rigatoni
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley and lemon thyme
In a large saucepan sauté onions and carrot in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook just until lightly golden then stir in the chicken.
Make a well in the center, add the flour and celery seed, then quickly whisk in the broth and milk.
Now stir it all together. Bring to boil and add the rigatoni.
Simmer 15 minutes or as your rigatoni is directed.
Add salt and pepper to taste. If you used a dehydrated bouillon powder you won't need more salt.
Top with fresh parsley and lemon thyme.
Serves 4-6
