Mini Candied Pecan French Toast Bundt Cakes

 

 

 

These mini bundt French toast cakes are  the easiest and tastiest way to make a breakfast or brunch special for guests or just to have when you just want something yummy!

This recipe makes 8 but you can easily reduce it to make 2, 4, or 6 mini bundt cakes.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Challah or brioche bread (Found Challah bread at Trader Joe's)
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• candied pecans (I bought mine at Trader Joe's but you can make your own.)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Generously spray a mini bundt pan with  cooking spray.

  3. Place 5 to 6 candied pecans in the bottom of each mini bundt pan.

  4.  Tear bread into tiny bits and fill the bundt pan. You want to press the bread down  

        gently in order to fill the whole space.

  5.  Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. Pour evenly over bread.

  6.  Bake for 10 minutes until set.

  7.  Gently turn the bundts out of the pan. I had to give mine a little shake to get them 

        out.

   8.  Serve with syrup and extra candied pecans.

Homemade Pesto Pizza

Every year come spring, I purchase multiple basil plants because I use them so much once the tomatoes and summer squash are coming in. Before it's time to harvest squash and tomatoes I love to make pesto from the basil. We also plant arugula from seed and it is the very first thing to come up every year. Arugula makes for great pesto! There are times that I combine both basil and arugula in a pesto, so yummy either way.

Pizza is one of the ways I love to use pesto, but pesto and pasta is a close second

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Pesto

 

The great thing about pesto is that after it is made it can be frozen to use months later.

 Ingredients

1 cup basil or arugula, firmly packed leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, garlic, and Parmesan cheese into a food processor or blender. Turn the food processor on, and add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Continue processing until a soft paste has formed. Store in the refrigerator or jar and place in the freezer for future use.

 

 

Pizza

 

Ingredients

Packaged 12" pizza crust (I prefer thin crust)

1/3 cup pesto

1/3 lb. (about) raw shrimp and  a couple of slices of Prosciutto julienned
or 1/3 lb.Chicken Caprase Sausage 

1/4 cup chopped onion (red onions, shallots or onion of your choice)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives (coarsely chopped) if using shrimp/Prosciutto

1/4 cup sliced black olives if using Caprese Sausage
Thin slices of tomato according to taste
8oz. fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Fresh basil or arugula to top off the pizza

Obviously you can add or eliminate ingredients as you like. I like Kalamata olives and Prosciutto with shrimp because the shrimp needs something salty to go with it. I also cut the shrimp in two so that it cooks through on pizza.

Directions

Spread pesto evenly over pizza crust. Add meat, onions, slices of tomato, mozzarella, olives and sprinkle Parmesan over entire pizza. Bake in oven using crust instructions provided.

  

I just have to sing the praises of the chicken caprese brats that I use on the pizza. I found these brats at our farmer's market in Brookfield, WI and absolutely love them! I squeeze the meat out of their casings in little blobs onto the pizza just as you would pizza sausage.

It's time to sit down and enjoy the pizza and the beautiful weather!

 

Buffolo Plaid Birthday Party

We had a great time celebrating our grandson's first birthday yesterday! It's such a blessing to have him close by and to watch him grow. I just thought I'd share some of the decorations we used to celebrate.

I went to my favorite butcher and picked up some yummy garlic beef sticks to build a cabin. I used food coloring to tint my dill dip blue for the sky and green for the dip behind my "grass". I cut pieces of  green pepper and celery for the grass. As you can see, pea pods make great pine trees and cauliflower are perfect for clouds.

 I copied this idea from a banner found on Etsy. I was able to find the paper backed burlap at Joann Fabrics. I printed the lumber jack plaid patterns onto card stock using a link I found online and then cut the letters out with my Cricut machine. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Lumber+Jack+Pattern&FORM=IRIBIP

 Marek as a lumber jack!

 Not the clearest picture, but the banner I made for his high chair, also using the lumber jack plaid I printed onto card stock and the paper backed burlap.

 The sign thanking all those who attended the party. I used a link to print the free sign. https://amylanham.com/lumberjack-birthday-party-decor/

 And finally a picture of us with the birthday boy! Happy birthday Marek!!!

Easy Mexican Lasagna

I recently needed to bring a dish to a church potluck and decided to go to my favorite cookbook, Southern Livings All-Time Favorites, and pick out a new recipe. The dish was a hit and super easy to make, especially if you use a rotisserie chicken. I've decided to make it again for a family that is dealing with cancer treatments to help out with the grind of chemo. Since I'm making one for them I might as well make one for us! 😊

Ingredients

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes and green chilies (or 10-ounce can of Rotel)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup 
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
cooking spray
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas (it's important that they are corn so the top layer crisps up)
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (I'm sure I use more)
1 cup (4-ounces or more 🙂) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 Toppings: shredded lettuce, tomatoes with green onions and cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, basically anything you enjoy on a taco...

Directions

1. Cook first 6 ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat for about 10 mins. or until heated through.
2. Stir together chicken and mushroom soups, 1/2 cup milk, and can of enchilada sauce in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat for about 10 mins. or until heated through.
3. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, top with 3 tortilla shells. Spoon 1/2 of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the sauce over the tortillas then top with half the Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers once with remaining chicken, sauce and remaining Cheddar cheese and tortillas, ending with tortillas. *Look at pictures below to see how I place the tortillas in the layers. Top with Monterey Jack cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes of until lasagna is bubbly. If you assemble the lasagna ahead of time and bake the next day, leave in for 40 to 50 minutes.

I cut one of the 3 shells in half and alternated the side I put the half shells in the next layers.

The first time I made this I really liked the way the corn tortillas crisped up on the top so I decided to quarter a fourth tortilla and added 3 quarters of it to the last layer.

Mother's Day Craft

 For Story Hour this week we made a flower pot with some dessert cups and straws I picked up at Tuesday Morning, and I also made use of my Cricut to make the flowers and leaves for the kids to use on their project. If you don't have a Cricut it would be simple to make a flower template using free clip art from online. Since I'm working with a large group of young kids (most who are unable to handle a scissors as of yet), it just makes it easier for me and the moms.

I simply turned the dessert cups upside down and punched a hole in the center of the cup using a sharp tool. I printed up labels for the kids to apply to their flower pots.
It works best to glue the two sides of the flower together with the straw in the middle. You can cut the straw to the height you'd like. After the flower is glued the kids can add their thumb prints to the flower and then add the leaf and put the flower in the pot to dry. Adding candy to the top is optional. They can also color the top of the cup as shown below.

 

Cream of Asparagus Soup

We are big asparagus fans in our family, and I love to cook up some asparagus soup when the weather gets cooler. I've adapted this recipe from one I used from my mother's 1943 edition of, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, that she used when she was a live in maid and cook.

Ingredients

About 2 lbs. of asparagus (After woody ends are removed and asparagus is cooked, it will come to about 3 cups. ) 
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups asparagus water (Reserve water after cooking asparagus. If it doesn't come to 2 cups, add  
                                       enough water to bring it to the 2 cup level.)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
1 cup half n half or milk
kosher salt and course ground pepper to taste

Cook asparagus just until tender. After cooking asparagus, reserve asparagus water and asparagus tips.  Return 2 cups of asparagus water back into the soup pot along with 3 cups of chicken broth. Add stalk portion of asparagus along with the thinly sliced onion into the pot and simmer until tender, about 25 mins. While asparagus is cooking, make roux from butter and flour and set aside.



Once asparagus is tender, I like to use a potato masher to mash the onion and asparagus, and then use a hand held blender sparingly to get just the right consistency. Add roux to pot until soup is thickened. Then add whipping cream, asparagus tips, and salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Birthday Jesus Cupcakes and Manger Food Tray

 I was looking for some ideas for a dessert and food tray for our Birthday Party for Jesus. I wasn't able to find anything on Pinterest, so it forced me to come up with something. It was pretty fun!

What You Need For Cupcakes
Cupcakes of any kind with white frosting. Here is the recipe that I used, http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/09/17/red-velvet-cupcakes/ .

Circus Peanuts (I got mine from The Dollar Store)
Shoestring Potatoes
Butterscotch Chips
Black Food Decorating Pen
Waxed Paper

To assemble the baby Jesus start by melting the butterscotch chips in a mini crockpot or in a small pot on the stove. Be sure to spray the crockpot with Pam before melting the chips. Put a dab of butterscotch on waxed paper and start laying the potato sticks out as the bed of hay.

Add the circus peanut and more of the potato sticks while the butterscotch is still warm, then add the little eyes and mouth.

Place "baby Jesus" on top of frosted cupcake and add the frosting swaddling clothes  .

 

I wasn't able to make my cupcakes the day of the party and found that the shoestring potatoes lost their crispness after sitting for a day and a half. So in the future I would make them the day of.

I added an updated version of the tray now that I have a star cookie cutter. I stacked the cheese angels and star 4 slices deep so they were even with the blueberries.