Another recipe from the "What's Cooking" with Ruthie blog. This syrup is so delicious that everyone was eating it directly from the pan! We were also dipping strawberries in it!
2 sticks butter, cut into tablespoon-sized slices
1-1/2 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
3/4 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix butter, sugar, corn syrup, and buttermilk in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and baking soda (baking soda will make the syrup frothy). Remove syrup from heat and serve. Syrup may be made ahead and reheated.
Note: When I made the syrup, it was a beautiful buttery color. However, I left the syrup over low heat to keep it warm and the syrup turned a caramel color. It didn't affect the flavor, but I recommend not leaving the syrup on heat.
Decadent French Toast
The local newspaper recently featured the "What's Cooking" with Ruthie blog. After browsing through a few recipes, I bookmarked her site. The recipes look so delicious and I love her step-by-step picture instructions. It's so much easier (and reassuring!) to see what something is supposed to look like when you're making it for the first time. When I saw her post for this French toast, I knew what would be on the menu for Christmas morning...and I don't even like French toast. The best part is that you make it the night beforehand so there's no prep work in the morning.
12 slices of soft white bread (I used Dunford's)
4 oz. whipped cream cheese
1 stick butter, sliced
1/4 C. pancake syrup
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (I used a heaping teaspoon)
6 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 C. milk (I used whole milk)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large casserole dish add sliced butter, syrup, and brown sugar. Place dish in oven and melt together for 5-7 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring once. Spread cream cheese on half of the bread slices. Place additional slice of bread on top of cream cheese to form a "cream cheese sandwich." Set aside. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with a wire whisk. Whisk in vanilla and milk.
When butter mixture is caramelized, remove casserole dish from oven. Put sandwiches in the dish. Sprinkle tops of sandwiches with cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour egg mixture over sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve caramel side up. Top with berries, syrup, and sour cream.
12 slices of soft white bread (I used Dunford's)
4 oz. whipped cream cheese
1 stick butter, sliced
1/4 C. pancake syrup
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (I used a heaping teaspoon)
6 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 C. milk (I used whole milk)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large casserole dish add sliced butter, syrup, and brown sugar. Place dish in oven and melt together for 5-7 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring once. Spread cream cheese on half of the bread slices. Place additional slice of bread on top of cream cheese to form a "cream cheese sandwich." Set aside. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with a wire whisk. Whisk in vanilla and milk.
When butter mixture is caramelized, remove casserole dish from oven. Put sandwiches in the dish. Sprinkle tops of sandwiches with cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour egg mixture over sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve caramel side up. Top with berries, syrup, and sour cream.
Taco Pasta
Life as a Lofthouse is one of my favorite food blogs. The recipes are easy to make, and I usually have everything on hand! This recipe was a recent post. It was tasty!
1 lb. lean ground beef
8-12 oz. small pasta shells
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning (regular or low sodium)
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C. sour cream (regular or light)
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions (the pasta should be al dente). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain any grease, then add minced garlic. Cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted and sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced a bit. Serve warm.
Notes: I used 93% lean ground beef and there was no grease to drain. I love tomatoes, so the next time I make this recipe I will probably use two cans of diced tomatoes. Elbow macaroni can be substituted for the small pasta shells. I tried the large pasta shells, but I think I would prefer the small pasta shells or the macaroni. One package of taco seasoning is equivalent to 4 Tbsp.
1 lb. lean ground beef
8-12 oz. small pasta shells
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning (regular or low sodium)
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C. sour cream (regular or light)
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions (the pasta should be al dente). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain any grease, then add minced garlic. Cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted and sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced a bit. Serve warm.
Notes: I used 93% lean ground beef and there was no grease to drain. I love tomatoes, so the next time I make this recipe I will probably use two cans of diced tomatoes. Elbow macaroni can be substituted for the small pasta shells. I tried the large pasta shells, but I think I would prefer the small pasta shells or the macaroni. One package of taco seasoning is equivalent to 4 Tbsp.
Bacon
Bacon seems to be a big fad right now. It's even in cookies of all places. I don't mind bacon in salads, soups, or on baked potatoes, but I rarely eat it for breakfast. Bacon is typically too salty for me and I hate it when it is undercooked (i.e., slimy or wiggly). I like my bacon crispy! But the real thing I dislike is cooking bacon. Grease splatters all over your kitchen and you can only fit a few pieces in the skillet until they shrink down--it's a big time commitment.
For a while now I've seen instructions for cooking bacon in the oven rather than on the stovetop. Today, for Christmas breakfast, I finally tried cooking bacon in the oven, and it was perfect! The process was very low maintenance: the whole slab of bacon fit on one baking sheet, I ended up with no second-degree burns from grease splatters, and the smell of cooked pork didn't linger in the air or in my hair. And, as my dad, said: "Doesn't it make sense to cook bacon that way? After all, BACON contains the word BAKE!"
I'm sure there are different variations for "baking" bacon, but here's what I did:
1 pkg. thick-cut bacon (regular or low sodium)
Lay strips of bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue cooking for about 15 minutes longer, or until the bacon is at the desired crispiness. WATCH CAREFULLY so that the bacon does not burn (oven temperatures may differ). There is no need to flip the bacon during the cooking process. Remove pan from oven and transfer bacon to a towel-lined plate. Serve or wait until cool and crumble.
Notes: Using two temperatures is probably not necessary. For this particular breakfast, French toast was already baking so I just stuck the bacon in the oven at the same time. However, it seems like the lower temperature renders the fat and then the higher temperature crisps up the pork. I just put the bacon directly on the pan, but it seems you could line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil to minimize the cleanup process.
For a while now I've seen instructions for cooking bacon in the oven rather than on the stovetop. Today, for Christmas breakfast, I finally tried cooking bacon in the oven, and it was perfect! The process was very low maintenance: the whole slab of bacon fit on one baking sheet, I ended up with no second-degree burns from grease splatters, and the smell of cooked pork didn't linger in the air or in my hair. And, as my dad, said: "Doesn't it make sense to cook bacon that way? After all, BACON contains the word BAKE!"
I'm sure there are different variations for "baking" bacon, but here's what I did:
1 pkg. thick-cut bacon (regular or low sodium)
Lay strips of bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue cooking for about 15 minutes longer, or until the bacon is at the desired crispiness. WATCH CAREFULLY so that the bacon does not burn (oven temperatures may differ). There is no need to flip the bacon during the cooking process. Remove pan from oven and transfer bacon to a towel-lined plate. Serve or wait until cool and crumble.
Notes: Using two temperatures is probably not necessary. For this particular breakfast, French toast was already baking so I just stuck the bacon in the oven at the same time. However, it seems like the lower temperature renders the fat and then the higher temperature crisps up the pork. I just put the bacon directly on the pan, but it seems you could line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil to minimize the cleanup process.