Our Frugal French Toast Fate.

Eggs are a big weekend breakfast item in our house.  We’re pretty boring with breakfast during the week…fiber one for me and cheerios for my better half…but something about Saturday and Sunday mornings makes a “real” breakfast that much more tasty.  I never blog about our egg breakfasts because it’s not really a recipe to just scramble up some eggs and my egg photos always look like crap.  A couple weekends ago, I decided to switch things up and go the sweet route with our weekend breakfast by using those eggs to whip up some French Toast.  It’s not often we eat sweet breakfasts like french toast/pancakes/waffles, but it’s not because we don’t love them…it’s just usually a treat to eat something so dessert like as the first meal of the day, so we reserve it for special occasions.  And this special occasion happened to be that…well, let’s just say the stars just aligned in a French Toast like shape…eggs were on sale for .57 cents a dozen and I bought enough to make our condo look like a small chicken farm…plus, when you bought a gallon of milk, you could get a loaf Wonder Bread (the only type of bread that should ever be used for French Toast) for only .75 cents…so clearly the grocery store Gods were telling me to make French Toast.  I mean, I could whip up breakfast for less than .30 cents a serving!  Take that IHOP! 

Beyond the budget friendliness of this meal, I had been wanting to try a new method and recipe for French Toast.  I received a fabulous cookbook as a gift from one of Gus’ friends (kudos to a non-cooking 28 year old man for picking out such a great gift!), and if you’re ever going to buy one cookbook, this is the one: America’s Test Kitchen.  The recipes have been thoroughly tried and tested, with great technique tips and pictures to help you along the way.  One of my pet peeves is soggy in the middle French Toast and ATK’s recipe claimed to have the solution to my problem.   The result?  A rich, custard like, cinnamoney, crisp French Toast with no soggy grossness in sight.  So after you make this delicious breakfast, run out and buy the ATK cookbook and you’ll thank me for meals to come.  I promise that ATK isn’t paying me for this cookbook plug…but if you’re reading this Mr. ATK Public Relations Department, have your people call my people and we’d be happy to work something out. 

 

 

Perfect, Soggy-free French Toast

• 8 slices Wonder Bread (except no substitutes)
• 5 tbsp. Butter
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (mwahaha…the secret ingredient to prevent gross sogginess!)

 

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.
2. While the bread is in the oven, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and whisk it with the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour the batter into a shallow dish large enough to hold 2 slices of bread.
3. Transfer 2 pieces of the bread from the oven into the batter and soak both sides, about 30 seconds per side. Meanwhile, melt 2 more tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan.
4. Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay it in the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.
5. Transfer the French toast to the wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, bread, and batter. Serve with warm maple syrup and a pat of butter…because you can never have too much buttah when you’re already basically eating dessert for breakfast. 

I heart Banana Cake. I don’t heart NYC.

Right after I became a Mrs., I packed up all my new kitchen gadgets and fine china and moved into a 450 sq. ft. studio in the middle of Manhattan with my brand spanking new husband.  It was quite the newlywed adventure.  I’m actually shocked that we didn’t kill each other in the first 4 months of marriage, considering the only place in the apartment where we couldn’t physically see each other was the bathroom.  I tried to love our NYC adventure, but after living in Chicago for the past 3 years, the Big Apple just didn’t stack up.  Visiting NYC is one thing, but when I lived there, the fabulous shopping and bustling of the city lost it’s magic and I just couldn’t get past the garbage piles (Thank you Jesus for alleys in Chicago) and unrelenting city noise heard at all hours.  I’m a city girl, but clearly not a New York City girl.  Thankfully four months later we moved back to Chicago, where our living space more than quadrupled (for the same amount in rent as our NYC one room palace), and I haven’t missed NYC since.  

Well, that’s kinda a lie…I did miss two things about NYC and two things only: 1.) Pinkberry, and 2.) A slice of Banana Cake from Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea.  And as of today, those two things aren’t really missed anymore because I’ve found acceptable Chicago replacements…and those replacements don’t involve smelly garbage piles or cabs honking outside my bedroom window at 4am, so they might even be better than the originals.  My Pinkberry fix was an easy cure when a Berry Chill shop opened up 2 blocks from my office in Chicago.  I even have my own Berry Chill companion at work….and we may or may not have enjoyed our favorite frozen treat in the middle of February…in 30 degree weather.  

Now, the Banana Cake fix was much harder to satisfy.  It’s not a popular cake flavor, so I’ve only found a couple Chicago bakeries that carry it and I have yet to be impressed.  Most were dry and lacking in bananananaey flavor.  Plus, I have an extremely picky palate when it comes to Cream Cheese Frosting, so I just didn’t think my own recipe could be beat.  Then it dawned on me…forget the bakeries, make your own stinking Banana Cake!  I did a lot of research…scouring cookbooks, online recipe sites, and baking forums to combine the best practices of Banana Cake making and baking….and in the end, I’m pretty sure my Banana Cake puts Billy’s to shame.  The baking method sure is strange and I was skeptical, but the result was one of the moistest, most flavorful cakes I’ve ever made.  And the masses agree…I thought Banana Cake luvahs were few and far between so I wasn’t sure how this cake would go over with my ravenous co-workers.  Well, it was devoured in record time compared to previous baked goods that I’ve brought in, so I think I’ll be keeping this one in the rotation.  Looking back, I guess I’ll always have to be somewhat thankful for garbage piles, sirens at 4am, and 450 sq. ft apartments because without them, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Banana Cake and made an even better one in my quiet, clean, spacious Chicago home. 

P.S. – This recipe works great as both layer cakes and cupcakes…don’t worry, I conducted my own thorough taste tests on both so I could report back to you with the results.  It’s tough work being a food blogger. 

 

 

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Batter:

• 2 cups Mashed Bananas (the browner, the better!)
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 3 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/8 cup White Sugar
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Butter, softened
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream

 Cream Cheese frosting:

• 1 1/2 pounds Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound Butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds Powdered Sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

 

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  (I know it’s low, but trust me here!)  Grease and flour two 9-inch pans or line cupcake pans with liners. (or if you’re me, make both a 3 layer cake AND cupcakes)
2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas and add the cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir to combine and set aside. 
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and white/brown sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and oil. 
5. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk and sour cream.  Fold the banana mixture into the batter, then divide evenly between the pans. 
6. Bake at 275 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours for 9 inch cakes or 30-40 minutes for cupcakes.  Remove from the oven and place directly in the freezer for 45 minutes.  (Do you like moist, delicious cake?  Then do it.)
7. For the cream cheese frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week (very dangerous for frosting addicts like myself). Frost cooled cakes with the cream cheese frosting.

Lent = More $$$ in the bank and less turkey sandwich lunches for the hub.

Who knew that Lent and eating on a budget could combine forces to create such an easy and delicious dinner?!  Normally I serve fish on Friday’s during Lent, but when salmon filets or tilapia aren’t on sale, pasta is certainly a more economical alternative.  I load it up with mozzarella cheese, so Gus isn’t completely deprived of protein for one night.  Aside from being budget friendly, this dish doesn’t require much prep time in the kitchen.  Plus, baked pasta dishes freeze very well, so Gus already has some lunches waiting for him in the freezer…all they need now is a lil’ suga from his doting wife.  A brown bag lunch isn’t complete in my house without 1). a schmoopie love note and 2.) a piece of candy.  You’ll never go back to buying lunch again once you get a lunch a la Cucina di Daniella style.

 

 

Veggie Pasta Bake

• 1 lb. Penne Pasta (really any noodle will do…penne and rigatoni happen to be my favorites in this type of dish though)
• 3 cups Marinara Sauce (The Italian in me will tell you that it better be Grandma’s homemade sauce…but if you’re in an extremely dire situation, then I would point you to the nearest jar of Classico Sweet Basil sauce…not that I would know anything about any type of jarred pasta sauce.  I swear, Grandma.)
• 1 box Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes (Grandma’s sauce is very smooth, so I like to add a can of chunky tomatoes when I make a veggie pasta to make it a bit more hearty)
• 2 cups Baby Portabella Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the pasta according to the package, or al’ dente and set aside.  Steam the frozen spinach in the microwave and drain any excess water from the cooked spinach. 
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.  Add the mushrooms and lower heat to medium low.  Cook until the mushrooms reduce to half, then season with salt and pepper.  (Don’t season before the mushrooms cook down or you’re shrivel them up into little salty sponges.)
3. In a casserole dish, spoon about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom.  Add 1/2 the pasta, then layer with 1/2 the spinach, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Repeat the layer with the remaining ingredients. 
4. Cover the casserole dish with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil after 30 minutes of cooking and continue to cook for another 15 minutes uncovered or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.