Puffed French Toast

Yet another recipe from www.ourbestbites.com. This is so horribly delish!

Puffed French Toast
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

2 eggs
2 ½ Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. milk
1 c. flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
12 slices Texas style toast, cut in half diagonally

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat about 1/4" of vegetable oil (not olive oil) over medium heat. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk, flour, and baking powder. Test oil heat by flicking some water into the frying pan. If it pops, reduce the heat. If hardly anything happens, turn up the heat. If it sizzles, it's just right.

Working quickly, take each 1/2 slice of bread and soak it both sides in the milk/egg/flour mixture. If you leave it in too long, it will get soggy, but you want to make sure enough of the egg mixture has soaked into the bread. Gently shake to remove excess batter and place in hot oil. Cook until puffed, golden brown, and a nice, crispy crust has formed on each side (probably 3-5 minutes per side; you really need to babysit them and make sure they're cooking correctly) and then remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. While cooking remaining French toast, keep cooked pieces warm in an oven set to the lowest temperature it will go.

When ready to serve, roll each piece in cinnamon sugar.

If you're feeling extra naughty, go ahead and drizzle a little maple syrup, buttermilk syrup, strawberry syrup or scoop some honey butter on there.

Slice the bread into strips for great french toast dippers. Kiddos love these- or talk about killer party food! You could pile them high on a platter and then serve next to ramekins filled with different dipping sauces. Ie: Maple syrup, Buttermilk Syrup, Strawberry Sauce, etc.

Red Lobsters Cheddar Biscuits

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
Bush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Marie Calendar's corn bread

Mix together

2 eggs beaten

1 c. milk

Add to above mixture

1/2 c. butter, melted

2 c. bisquick (or pancake mix)

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. corn

Stir until moistened. Bake in 9x9 pan @ 350 for 30 min, or bake in muffin tin @350 for 15-20 min. Makes about 14 muffins.

Caramel Apple Muffins

2 C. flour
3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 C. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. apples, peeled and finely diced
3/4 C. (about 15) caramels, diced

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tins. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine egg and milk. Stir in butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir just enough to blend. Stir in apples and caramels. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake about 25 mins. or until tops spring back. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Lori

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Regular and Legal versions))

Chocolate Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}
Recipe by OurBestBites.com (Awesome website, please check it out!!)

2 C flour (I used 2 1/4 c. wheat flour)
2 t cinnamon (also good without cinn. tastes like cupcakes!)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar (I used 1 1/4c. honey and omitted the brown sugar)
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips (Wal mart sells sugar free choc. chips, yum!)

Topping:
2 T brown sugar (For legal version, just omit topping, sad but still delish!!)
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. I actually used one 8" disposable pan to give away and a larger 9" one for me and the batter divided perfectly. So you should get 2 very full 8" pans or slightly less full 9". Do one of each like I did! (I made cupcakes and cooked them for around 12-15min.)

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.

butternut squash soup

1 T butter

1 butternut squash

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

3 c. chicken or vegetable broth (More if you have a large squash)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 T honey or maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pot. Dice onion and add to butter in pan. Saute for 5 minutes. Dice garlic and add to onion. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Peal squash with a vegetable peeler, then cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cube remaining squash. Add to onion and garlic and cover with chicken broth. Heat to boil then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes. Squash should be soft. With a slotted spoon add half of squash and onions in a blender. Add some broth and blend. Pour into a bowl and repeat with remaining squash and onions. Add remaining broth as needed until desired consistency is achieved. Stir in cinnamon and honey (or maple syrup). Add salt and pepper as desired.

Backpack Ice Cream

1 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mini candy-bar any flavor (crushed)

Combine ingredients in a quart size ziploc baggie. Double bag. Place in gallon size ziploc with 1/3 C rock salt and ice until full. Wrap heavily in newspaper and tape until secure. Shake/Toss for a few minutes then place in backpack- hike and enjoy when ready!