Baked French toast with PB&B

What could be better than French toast? French toast with peanut butter and banana!

1 loaf going-stale-French-bread
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
ripe bananas
peanut butter (I like natural)
maple syrup

Slice half the bread into rounds. Tear the other half into bite-sized pieces. Place in glass or other heavy baking dish. Bread should almost fill it, but not overflow.

Beat eggs, then add milk, cinnamon and and sugar. Pour over the bread and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Stir every few hours, then let sit overnight.

In the morning, bake at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes or until browned on top and feels spongy (not gooey or crispy) to touch in the center. Serve immediately (as if you could wait!) with sliced bananas and peanut butter. Honey, jam or maple syrup optional.

Roasted vegetables... with radishes

We eat roasted vegetables often, so when I saw this article on roasted radishes, I couldn't resist tossing them in. The end result: the flavor (like cauliflower, I thought) was a nice contrast and I liked it, but not so much that I'd roast the radishes on their own.

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 small onions, peeled
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8-10 radishes, washed and tips trimmed
8-10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
lemon slices

Pour the oil into a large ceramic or glass baking dish, then place in oven and heat to 425°.

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots, cooking 10 minutes once boiling again. Remove carrots and potatoes, then boil the onions and radishes for 5 minutes. Remove onions and radishes.



Carefully remove baking dish from oven. Add potatoes, carrots, onions, radishes and garlic. Stir once or twice to mix vegetables and coat with oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until just beginning to soften and brown. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over top just before serving. (Lemon juice over roasted potatoes - yum.)

Fluffly lemon cake with lemonier glaze

This cake was a total accident (keep reading) that turned out amazing. It is so light and fluffy, yet moist. Just the right amount of lemon in the cake, and then the glaze packs a stronger punch so they compliment each other.

Okay, so about the accident... I started off making lemon cookies (this recipe) but substituted yogurt for the ricotta. By the end it looked more like cake batter, so I went with it. Good call, Kari. Good call.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3 pots (125g each) of plain, full-fat yogurt
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Glaze
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream together butter, eggs, and sugar. Add zest and lemon juice, and yogurt and blend well. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well combined. Pour into a 9x13 non-stick baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven at 350° until light yellow and golden on the edges. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Do not over bake. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Drizzle with glaze just before serving.

Fish with tomato, olive and Tuscan lemon sauce

To be completely honest, the lemons don't have to be from Italy. But my friend just came back from a lemon grove in Tuscany and it sounded so much cooler as a title!

2 firm white fish fillets
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 16oz can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of oregano
about 12-15 green olives, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Hot pasta or rice

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over med-high and brown one side of fish. Don't cook all the way through - just until over half is white. (You will finish steaming it in the sauce.) Set aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until translucent. In the same pan add chopped tomato with liquid. Add green olives, oregano, a little salt and pepper. Scrape bottom of pan to get flavorful brown bits mixed into sauce. Place fish fillets on top of sauce, browned side up. Cook over low/medium heat about 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Squeeze lemon over top and serve with pasta or rice.

Glazed monkey bread

I made double batch of doughnuts last week and saved half of the dough - punched it down, then double-wrapped in plastic wrap, then froze it. I pulled out the dough on Friday morning and let it thaw in the fridge all day. Made up the bread that night, baked on Saturday for breakfast.

1 batch doughnut dough
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted

glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp milk

Cut the dough into small pieces about the size of walnuts. Combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon. Roll each piece of dough in the mixture - don't worry if it's not even. Pile them all in a greased loaf pan.

Bake ina preheated oven at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned. While it bakes, combine the powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over the bread, then serve hot.

Beef stroganoff with mushrooms

Comfort food in 15 minutes

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 pound of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin
1/3 cup onions
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 dashes nutmeg
1/2 cup of sour cream

Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the beef, browning on each side. When both sides are browned, remove the beef and set aside.

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onions. Cook for a minute or two, allowing them to soak up any meat drippings. Remove onions, placing aside with meat.

Increase heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Sprinkle in nutmeg.

Reduce heat to low and add the sour cream to the mushrooms. If sauce is too thick, add a few Tbsps water. Stir in the beef and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over egg noodles, fettucine, or rice.

5- minute banana pudding

I know. It looks awful - and so yellow. But it was so good and exactly what I was craving.

1 package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups cold milk
2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
8-12 Vanilla Wafers OR Petit beurre cookies
heavy cream (opt)

Whisk together pudding and milk as directed.

Place a layer of cookies in the bottom of a serving dish. Pour 1/3 pudding over them and spread with a spoon. Add a layer of banana slices. Then cookies, pudding, bananas... Repeat until bananas and pudding run out.

You can serve immediately with a drizzle of cream, but the pudding is really, really good after sitting a couple hours so the cookies soften.

Southern heaven. With bananas.

Sweet and sour pork

I love sweet & sour dishes: chicken, fish, pork... Yes, please! This dish takes about 30 minutes to make.

2-3 boneless pork chops, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
1 Tbsp oil

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cut pork into bite-sized pieces. Cook in frying pan until no pink remains. Add green and red peppers, carrot and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the pork over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Whole apple crisp

Serves 2 perfectly.

1 large apple (Canada Gris is good)
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup oats, uncooked
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

Cut each apple in half along its equator. Using a knife or melon baller, cut out each side of the core, creating a hole.

For the topping: in a small bowl mix together flour, butter, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Press this mixture on the top of each apple. Place in a baking dish filled with about a 1/4-inch of water. Bake in preheated oven at 350° until top is browned and apple is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Spinach & pecan quiche

Look familiar? Well, the idea at least.

1 pie crust (pâte feuilletée)
5-6 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled OR fromage en faiselle OR full fat cottage cheese
handful of whole pecans, toasted
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper



Roll the crust out larger than you pie pan and place it in carefully.

Beat the eggs, then stir in milk, cheese, spinach, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour into the pie pan. Gently fold the pie crust dough in over the eggs mixture. Place pecans on top.

Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 30-20 minutes or until firm and golden.

Oatmeal cookies with cranberries and orange zest

These won't win any points for looks, but oh wow are they good!

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter; softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp orange zest

Cream butter and sugars, beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix dry ingredients together, and add gradually, incorporating to the mixture on low. Stir in oats, cranberries and zest. Shape dough into 2 inch balls, place on greased baking sheets and flatten slightly.

Bake in preheated oven at 325° until lightly browned, about 12-15 min. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Mushroom & sausage quiche

This variation on a traditional quiche is different in that the crust is folded over before baking. It changes the texture, but also make it more firm and easier to transport...on a spring picnic, for example!

1 pie crust (pâte feuilletée)
5-6 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen mushrooms, thawed
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled OR fromage en faiselle OR full fat cottage cheese
2 chipolatas (or other sausage) sliced thinly
salt and pepper





Roll the crust out larger than you pie pan and place it in carefully. Sprinkle the mushrooms and sausage evenly on the bottom of the crust.

Beat the eggs, then stir in milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into the pie pan over the sausage and mushrooms. Gently fold the pie crust dough in over the eggs mixture.

Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 30-20 minutes or until firm and golden.

Brunswick stew

This recipe is from Brunswick, Georgia. It's like a barbecue stew with pork, chicken and/or beef - whatever you've got leftover from other meals works great. So delicious.

1 tsp butter
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 cups chicken broth (or water + bouillon)
1 lg potato, diced
1 cup cooked chicken (grilled is best)
1 cup cooked pork, shredded (smoked is best)
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 small can corn, drained
1 cup peas
1 cup lima or white beans
1 cup sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce
hot sauce

Get a BIG pot.

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, chicken, and pork. Increase heat until it reaches a rolling boil, stirring every few minutes.

When the potatoes are soft, add the tomatoes and the liquid. Then add the barbecue sauce, corn, peas, and beans. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Add hot sauce to taste and serve hot.

Chipolata sausage gravy

Finally, after five years in France, I have figured out a good way for making sausage gravy... as in sausage gravy on biscuits, sausage gravy on eggs, sausage gravy on anything that will stand still.

2 chipolata sausages
pat of butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
salt
pepper (lots of it!)

Cook sausage in a heavy skillet. Remove sausage and set aside. Once cooled enough to handle, cut into small pieces.

You want about 2 Tbsp of sausage grease/butter in the pan, so either spoon off a little grease or add a little butter to get the right amount. Over medium heat, stir flour into the grease. Stir constantly until browned. Stirring constantly, pour in 1 cup of regular milk. Once thickened, add 1 more cup. Keep stirring until desired thickness is reached. Season with salt and pepper.

Ginger and lemon tea

I loved the spiciness of this hot tea.

2 cups water
1-inch piece of fresh ginger root
lemon slice
honey to taste

Peel the ginger root and chop it into small pieces. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, add the ginger. Reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the tea.

Add honey and lemon to taste.

Lemon pie

Tart lemon pie made with traditional lemon curd in a freshly-baked crust

1 batch lemon curd
1 prepared flaky pastry crust
2-3 cup dried beans

First, you need to 'blind bake' the crust, which means baking it before pouring in the filling. That way the bottom stays crispy and delicious.

Roll the crust out and place it in the pie pan. Place a piece of waxed paper over it, then gently pour in the dried beans. Bake in preheated oven at 375° for about 15 minutes until the edges are just barely brown - no more.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Remove the beans, then fill your pie!

Lemon curd

Just four ingredients to make this deliciously tart lemon curd. Goes great on scones and as a pie filling.

3 eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

In a double boiler, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream) and reaches 160°F. Should be about 10 minutes - don't rush it.

Remove from heat. Whisk butter into the mixture until melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately and refrigerate for up to a week.

Oven-baked pork chops with rice

Best rice ever. So richly flavored and goes so well with the pork chops, which were really tender. Big fan.

2 pork chops, bone in
1 cup rice (I used some broken rice and wild rice that I had on hand)
1 tsp beef bouillon
1 handful frozen or fresh sliced mushrooms
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 1/2 cups water

In a covered casserole dish, mix together the rice, bouillon, mushrooms, rosemary and water. Place pork chops on top. Cover and bake for about 1 hour at 350° (or until liquid is absorbed by rice). Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Roasted green beans, carrots and garlic

My new favorite for green beans - fast, flavorful and delicious.

3 big handfuls of fresh green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp olive oil

lemon juice
salt
pepper

Combine all vegetable in a large bowl and toss to coat in olive oil. Spread vegetables out on a baking sheet (parchment paper makes for easier clean up).



Roast in preheated oven at 450° OR, if you're feeling brave and attentive, you can broil them. Keep an eye on them though. (A little burned tips is good - charcoal is not.) Remove from oven when green beans and carrots are brightly colored and sizzling. Serve hot with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Spicy, salty, sweet roasted peanuts

3 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

Coating
1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Mix coating ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in peanuts until well-coated.



Spread the peanuts evenly on the baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 350° for 25-30 minutes, stirring three times during baking, until the nuts are deep-golden brown and glazed.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Applesauce breakfast bread

If you're wanting a hearty, filling bread that's just a bit sweet to start your morning - this is it.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 cup oatmeal
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt or 1/3 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, yogurt/buttermilk and applesauce and mix well.

In a second bowl, mix the flour, wheat bran, oatmeal, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder,baking soda and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just mixed (flour 'disappears').

Pour batter into non-stick loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Pear crisp with fresh ginger

This was my first time using fresh ginger and I am hooked. It is delicious - and pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of the pears. Definitely going to make this again soon.

filling
6 ripe pears, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

topping
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp butter, cut into bits

In a large bowl, toss together the filling ingredients. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

In a second bowl, mix together topping ingredients. Using your fingertips, mash the butter pieces into the mixture until it is an even texture. Pour over top of pear mixture.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 350° for 25 minutes or until pears are soft, not mushy.

Serve warm or cool with whipped cream or heavy cream.

Kari's thai soup

This spicy soup is served with a dollop of rich garlicky paprika spread and fresh mint and cilantro. I don't claim it to be authentically Thai, but definitely pulls its flavors from Thai cuisine.

Soup
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice, rinsed (I used broken rice)
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup frozen mushrooms
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Thickener
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp flour

Last minute
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
fresh mint
fresh cilantro

Topper
2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground paprika

Bring broth, rice and carrots to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Add chicken, mushrooms, sugar and ginger.

Whisk together the yogurt, coconut milk, egg yolk, and flour in a medium bowl. Slowly add a ladle of the heated soup liquid, whisking after each small addition to incorporate. Once 1/4 of the liquid has been added. Slowly pour the yogurt mixture into the soup saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to very low.

Melt the butter on medium heat in a small skillet. Stir in the garlic and paprika. Cook for a couple minutes, until fragrant, then remove from heat.

Remove soup from heat and stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with a small amount of paprika spread swirled on the surface. Sprinkle with chopped mint and cilantro.

Yeast dinner rolls

3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup very warm water
½ cup very warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 Tbsp yeast
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
pinch baking powder

In a large bowl, combine water, milk, butter and sugar. Add yeast and stir until it 'sinks'. Wait about ten minutes until the yeast foams, covering the mixture. Using a whisk, dissolve the foam and beat in the eggs.

In a second bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add half to the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir in with a wooden spoon. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

Coat larger bowl in oil and place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat lightly with oil. Let rise in a warm place one hour or until doubled. To test readiness, poke with your finger. If the indention stays, you're good to go.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each one into a ball, pinching the ends to form a little belly button. Dip the dough balls in milk, then place them n a baking dish about one inch apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled.

Let rise 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Oven-baked barbecue pork chops

These were unbelievable, if I do say so myself. So tender - just falling off the bone.

4 pork chops, bone-in
1 small onion, cut into wedges
3/4 cup Mom's barbecue sauce (or other)

Place the pork chops and onions in a large baking dish. Pour barbecue over top, using a brush to spread evenly - but don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover, flip pork chops and bake another 15 minutes. Serve hot with sauce poured over top.