Caramel Soaked French Toast

I have a great brunch recipe for you today.  I made this as our Christmas breakfast and as always it was a hit!  I love the crispy, crunchy french toast top with the caramel soaked, oh so delicious ooey-gooey bottom.  You've got to see this for yourself to believe how fantastic it is!  This would be a perfect addition to a New Year's Day brunch!  I don't make this very often because it makes so much, but when I do I want to make it over and over again!  I must admit that the leftovers are really tasty the next day. They loose their crunchiness, but not their caramel gooeyness! :)  Little Man kept wanting more french toast both times that we ate it!  He couldn't get enough of it either!  Make it one of your New Year's resolutions to make this for breakfast, it's one resolution that you can keep!
Caramel-Soaked French Toast
from: Southern Living: Our Best Five-Star Recipes

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
10 slices French bread (~1 3/4" thick)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups milk or half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly.  Pour syrup mixture evenly into a lightly greased 13x9" pan.  Arrange bread slices over syrup.
2. Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients; stir well. Gradually pour mixture over bread slices. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
3. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; stir well. Sprinkle evenly over soaked bread. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over the bread.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately. Makes 10 servings.
Happy New Year!  2011 is going to be a great year!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours - we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  May the reason for the season be on your hearts today, tomorrow and throughout the New Year!

Love,

Rachael, C and Little Man

Rachael Ray's Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

This is one of my favorite weeknight meals.  It comes together so quickly and has such a wonderful flavor - like you have been slaving all day to make it!  I'm a big fan of Rachael Ray and this was one of the first recipes that I tried.  I was hooked, and I've been making at least once a month since then.  Don't let the Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce deter you from making this wonderful dish.  The balsamic vinegar gives it a nice hint of something different, it's not over the top.  And the wild mushrooms aren't very wild at our house, I usually end up just using baby portobellos or white mushrooms.  I used to make a dish with Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup, but this has since replaced it!  Here's what you need:

Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

adapted from: Rachael Ray

Salt

1/2 pound orzo pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces 

Pepper

2 tablespoons butter

12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

12 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

12 white mushrooms, sliced

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

To cook:  Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.  Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil.  Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.

Delicious!  Just a few notes, I usually use one type of mushroom (whatever looks good the day I'm at the store), I rarely use fresh herbs in this recipe, and I don't add the parsley at the end.  It tastes great even with my modifications - I'm sure it tastes better her way, but I just don't buy fresh herbs very often!  What can I say?  Spices in a jar are so much easier!

I hope you guys are ready for Christmas.  I know I am!  I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Brownie Covered Oreos and Sugared Up Sugar Cookies - Final Week of 12 Weeks of Cookies!

Can you believe that we are at Week 12 already?  I can't, it seems like just a few days ago I stumbled upon this wonderful cookie linkup.  I'm so thankful that I happened upon it on Baked Bree's blog, and I'm so thankful to Abby Sweets for putting it together.  I hope that you guys have found some great recipes to share with your friends and family, I know that I have!  Since I'm working on my Christmas cookie trays a week early, I decided to go with two new recipes this week, I couldn't pick just one!

I decided to make Brownie Covered Oreos and Sugared Up Sugar Cookies.  I found the delicious Brownie treats at Picky-Palate last week.  How can you go wrong with an Oreo dunked in brownie batter.  I'll answer that for you, you can't! :)  My sugared up sugar cookies were suppose to be more of a snickerdoodle cookie, but I goofed on the cinnamon and didn't get enough on the cookies!  Isn't it funny that when you mess up a recipe, you sometimes create something better than you were intending to make?  Sometimes, other times you get a gigantic cookie mess!  Here are the recipes:
Brownie Covered Oreos
from: Picky Palate
1 Brownie mix
1 package Oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare brownie batter according to package directions.  Leave in mixing bowl.  Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of a muffin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through.  As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan).  Let cool for 5 minutes, remove and EAT!  Enjoy! Makes entire package of Oreos

My first batch turned out more cake looking then cookie looking.  I discovered on my second batch that you don't want a whole lot of brownie batter around the cookie, it's best to shake some off before you put it in the pan.  It makes it more cookie like, less muffin/little cake like!  To us these tasted best when cooled off, if you can wait that long!

Sugared Up Sugar Cookies
1 package Sugar Cooke Mix
Granulated Sugar
Cinnamon
Red and Green Sugar Crystal Sprinkles

Prepare cookie mix according to package directions.  In a small bowl, combine sugar, red and green sugar sprinkles and cinnamon (create your own proportions, use more cinnamon if you  want it to be more snickerdoodle like, or leave it out if you want just sugar cookies).  Cook according to package directions!  Deliciously crispy and fantastic!  I know it's not really a recipe, it's a package with sprinkles and cinnamon...sorry!  Just wanted to share though, because I thought they turned out really great.  And I love rolling the cookies in the colored sugar crystals rather than just sprinkling them on top - you get sprinkles on the top and bottom of the cookie and the sides! :)

Thanks for joining us along this 12 week journey.  I've discovered some really great blogs along the way and I can't wait to see what every one has in store for the new year!  Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.  May the Joy and Hope of Christmas remain in your heart throughout the coming year!



Week 12 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: