Month: June 2006

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French Toast

1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

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Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

1 (24-inch) baguette
6 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pecans (about 3 ounces)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups blueberries (1 cup of which will make the syrup)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cut 20 (1-inch) slices from baguette and arrange in 1 layer in the baking dish. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla and 3/4 cup brown sugar and pour evenly over bread. Chill mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours, and up to 1 day.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow baking pan, spread pecans evenly and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Toss pecans in pan with 1 teaspoon butter and salt.

Increase temperature to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture. Cut 1/2 stick butter into pieces and in a small saucepan heat with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, stirring until butter is melted. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake for 20 minutes, or until any liquid from the blueberries is bubbling.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook blueberries and maple syrup over moderate heat until berries have burst, about 3 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on solids, and stir in lemon juice. Syrup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat syrup before serving. Serve French toast with syrup.

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Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans (15 oz. each) Veg-All Original Mixed Vegetables, drained
1 can (10 oz.) cooked chicken, drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (9-inch) frozen ready-to-bake pie crusts

Preheat oven to 375F. In medium mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Fit one pie crust into 9-inch pie pan; pour vegetable mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining crust, crimp edges to seal, and pick top with fork. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes (on lower rack) or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Allow pie to cool slightly before cutting into wedges to serve.

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Fruit Salad

Assorted fruit
2 cups pineapple juice
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup fruit cocktail juice
2/3 cup sugar

Mix flour and fruit cocktail juice until smooth. Add beaten eggs, pineapple juice, and sugar. Cook until it comes to a boil, stirring constantly. When cool add 1 can pineapple, 1 can fruit cocktail and any fruit you like (bananas, oranges, etc.).

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South-of-the-Border Tortilla Soup

4 cups South of the Border Beans (recipe follows)
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth or fat-free chicken broth
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 ounces baked or regular tortilla chips (for 2 1/2 cups crushed), or to taste
5 tablespoons shredded Mexican-blend cheese

If the beans are frozen, partly defrost by opening bag about 2 inches to vent and microwaving, on high, for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place broth and sugar in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat; cover pot and bring to a boil. Remove beans from bag, add to the pot, and stir gently to break up any frozen chunks of beans, without mashing the beans. When the soup returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in lime juice. Crush chips slightly and place in soup bowls. Ladle soup over chips, and sprinkle with cheese. Serve at once. Makes 5 servings. Per serving: fats, 5 grams (12% of calories); calories, 379; cholesterol, 6 milligrams; carbohydrate, 69 grams; fiber, 15 grams; protein, 18 grams; sodium, 1,609 milligrams

South-of-the-Border Beans
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, for 1 cup chopped
1 (15-ounce) can red beans
1 (15-ounce) can white beans
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic and onions
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 cups frozen yellow corn kernels
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Heat oil in an extra-deep, 12-inch nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Raise heat to medium-high, and stir from time to time. While onion cooks, rinse and drain red beans and white beans, and add them to the skillet. Add black beans with juice, tomatoes and garlic. Add corn, chili powder and cumin. Stir to blend well. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes or until heated through and ready to serve. To freeze leftovers, let beans cool, then place 4 cups in a gallon-size, zipper-top plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month. To use frozen beans, partly open plastic bag to vent. Microwave 3 minutes at high to partly defrost. Remove beans from bag and continue with recipe. Makes 8 cups. Per 1-cup serving: fats, 3 grams (9% of calories); calories, 260; cholesterol, 0 milligrams; carbohydrate, 46 grams; fiber, 13 grams; protein, 15 grams; sodium, 1,006 milligrams

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Chocolate Sauce

1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
Butter

Bring the above ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil till what you consider the right thickness.

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Chicken Salad

chicken
2 cups broth
2/3 cup vinegar
2 eggs, well beaten
salt

Boil chicken. Take chicken off of bone and grind. Put the following in a kettle and mix well.

Make a thickening of 2/3 cup of water and 1 teaspoon flour. Add thickening to broth mixture and stir all of mixture until it comes to a boil. Add chicken and pickles that have been chopped up (put pickles in according to taste) to the boiled mixture a little bit at a time.

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vegetable oil, milk, and egg. fold in blueberries.

Pour into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle Sugar Topping onto top of cake batter. Bake, uncovered, 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Sugar Topping
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl with a pastry blender or two knives. cut butter into sugar, flour, and cinnamon until well blended.

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Shrimp and Crab Dip

8 ounces chive and onion cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup half and half
1 cup crabmeat, chopped
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 loaf sourdough round bread or baguette, cut into 16 slices
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix on medium speed using a hand mixer until blended. Fold in the crab and shrimp. Transfer to a shallow 2-cup baking dish. Top with Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes or until top is lightly brown.

To make toast points, place bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Bake in oven for 8 minutes while dip is also baking. Serve crab and shrimp dip with toasted bread slices.

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Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 beaten eggs
Bread crumbs
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 can tomato soup (undiluted)
Ketchup
Salt

Mix all ingredients together and shape into a ball, and place in pan. Put water around it to keep it moist. Bake thoroughly for 1 hour or more.