Fluffy French Toast

I LOVE french toast, and have it for my birthday every year. This year Casey surprised me with taking the day off work, breakfast in bed, buying me flowers, and letting me do whatever I wanted :) It was a lot of fun, we went furniture shopping. Now I know that doesn't sound like a ton o' fun....but it's what I enjoy! So here is a little twist on a classic recipe. Either way though, it's super tough to mess up french toast. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cup milk

1 pinch salt

6 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoon white sugar

12 thick slices bread (I use Texas Toast)

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk.
2. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
4. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated.
5. Cook bread for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
6. Serve hot.

Crazy Chocolate Crunch

The combination of ingredients in this super tasty recipe is amazing, and I keep thinking of new things to add that would make this dish even more delish! The recipe I posted is the original, but I think that adding peanut butter or pretzels would be good, too. Next time I make this, I will experiment with different combinations. I hope you enjoy this as much as Casey did, he couldn't put the bowl down! :)

Ingredients

12 cups popped popcorn (I used movie theater butter popcorn)

3 cups Corn Chex cereal

3 cups Frito's corn chips, slightly crushed

1 package (10-12 ounces) butterscotch chips

1 package (10-12 ounces) dark chocolate chips

     (I used half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate)

1. In a large bowl, combine the popcorn, cereal, and Frito's; set aside.
2. Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.
3. Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and toss to coat. 
4. Either spread into two 15x10 inch baking pans and cut into squares, or eat straight out of the bowl!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

This recipe for taco seasoning mix is delicious, makes the entire kitchen smell amazing, and it's incredibly simple to make! This mixture is equal to one (1/4 ounce) package of store bought taco seasoning, but I love spicy and always double (or triple) the recipe. You can choose to make however much your taste-buds can handle, so enjoy and happy eating! :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. (This is equal to one 1/4 ounce package of store bought taco seasoning)
2. Es muy delicioso! 

Chicken & Bean Burritos

I love chicken, and I love Mexican food....This recipe is simple and combines the two perfectly. I really like how easy this recipe is to cook, and that it mixes all of the ingredients together. Cooking the chicken with the beans really adds an amazing flavor, that you wouldn't necessarily get if you ate everything separate. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Casey and I do!! And make sure to read the next post, I am doing a recipe for homemade taco seasoning. It adds such a great flavor, and I like it way better than store bought taco mix :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup water

1 (1.5 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

8 burrito-size flour tortillas, warmed

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)

1. Cut chicken breast halves into long, thin strips and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink.
3. Stir in water and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for about 4 minutes to let the mixture thicken.
5. Stir in beans; cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
6. Warm the tortillas in the microwave by placing them all between two damp paper towels and heating for about 10-20 seconds.
7. Spread 1/2 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and top each with lettuce, cheese, and onions; fold into burritos.

Fried Egg Croissant

Oh my gosh, I LOVE eggs :) I could eat them every single day, but it makes the house too smelly... I started making egg sandwiches a few years ago, and during the summer I really think I ate them for breakfast and lunch each day. My parents weren't too happy, as you can imagine! Then I made them for Casey this past summer, and he couldn't get enough of them either. Super easy to make, and oh so delicious....Yum yum!


Ingredients
Eggs
Bacon or thinly sliced ham
Cheddar cheese slices
Croissants, Bread, or Bagels
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Mustard

1. Heat a skillet over medium high, or turn on a griddle to 400*
2. Spray with nonstick spray and cook the bacon until it is fully cooked, or the ham until it is heated. Drain the oil off and set aside.
3. Fry the eggs, lightly breaking the yolk with the corner of the spatula so that it stays on top of the egg white and doesn't run all over the pan. 
4. Flip the eggs once almost completely cooked, and top with a cheese slice.
5. While the cheese is melting, toast your bread choice. Spread mayonnaise and mustard on each of the slices.
6. Once the cheese is melting, remove from pan and place onto toast. Top with desired amount of bacon. 
7. Enjoy! I like to buy Hot Mustard from McDonald's and dip my sandwich in that, it tastes just like an Egg McMuffin! Or dip in ketchup :)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is inspired by P.F. Changs....If you haven't eaten there, then you need to!! That restaurant is amazing, and the food is even better. Every time I eat there, I have the same exact thing, lettuce wraps for an appetizer and orange chicken for dinner. My mouth is watering just thinking about it......Ooooh yes. And despite the huge list of ingredients and directions, this is actually easy to make, and oh my gosh it's worth every minute!


Ingredients for Pouring Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced fine OR 1 1/2 tablespoons pre-minced garlic

Ingredients for Stir-Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar


Ingredients for Chicken
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, chopped to the size of corn kernels
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped to the size of corn kernels
1/2 onion, chopped very fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine OR 2 tablespoons pre-minced garlic
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce

1. To make the pouring sauce: In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in the warm water, then add soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil. Mix and refrigerate until you're ready to eat.

2. Just before serving, combine 1 teaspoon hot water with the Dijon mustard and garlic in a small bowl. Add to the refrigerated sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at a time until desired taste.

3. To make the stir-fry sauce: mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Combine the two oils and add to a wok or a large frying pan. Heat on high for 1 minute, until it glistens.
5. Add chicken and saute until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add another tablespoon of olive oil. Wait one minute and then add garlic, onions, chestnuts, mushrooms and stir-fry sauce.
7. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove and place in serving dish.
8. Spoon the chicken into the lettuce "bowls," top with pouring sauce, wrap, and eat up! 
9. I also like to put sprouts and chopped peanuts on my wraps, but that's optional. This dish is perfect with stir-fry vegetables and rice!!

Easy Garlic Bread

I love pasta dishes, and I make them quite often. I usually suggest garlic bread and salad with any pasta, just because they really do work perfectly together. You can't go to an Italian restaurant and NOT eat garlic bread and salad, it's just unheard of! Since I make so many pasta recipes, I figured it'd be a good idea to share my garlic bread recipe as well :) I will show you two ways, one for crunchy bread and one for soft bread. Both awesomely delicious!


Ingredients
1 16-ounce loaf of Italian or French bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced OR 1 1/2 tablespoons pre-minced garlic
1 heaping tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Method One - Crunchy

1. Preheat oven to 350* and cut bread in half horizontally. 
2. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the two halves.
3. Place the halves on a baking pan and heat for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return the pan to oven, and place on the highest rack.
5. Broil on high for 2 minutes, until edges begin to toa. 
6. Remove and cool for just a minute. Cut into 1-inch thick slices and enjoy!

Method Two - Soft

1. Preheat oven to 350* and make 1-inch thick slices into the bread, but do not cut all the way through, just to the bottom crust. 
2. Make the butter mixture the same as above. Spread one or two teaspoons of the mixture between each slice, along with some cheese.
3. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and tear off slices as needed. Yum :)