Eggnog French Toast Bake

This may not be a recipe that you should make often. When you see the amount of eggnog in this recipe, you'll understand. We frequently make this for breakfast on Christmas morning. Rich, yummy, delicious, and calorie filled.



1 loaf French bread
1 c butter
2 c brown sugar
2 tsp corn syrup
6 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 c eggnog or milk (if using milk, add a dash of nutmeg)
¼ tsp cinnamon

1. Slice bread into one and a half-inch slices (I don’t use the end pieces). Place bread in a 9x13-inch pan, layering as needed.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat. Cook until all ingredients are combined, stirring constantly. After the butter and sugar have melted, they will be separate. Be sure you keep it on the heat and stirring, it will combine. Pour syrup mix over bread.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, eggnog, vanilla, and cinnamon with a whisk. Pour over top of bread and syrup. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray.
4. Place dish in fridge with weights*. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Bake uncovered at 375° (350 if using a dark or non-stick pan) for 40-45 minutes, or until eggs are set and tops of bread looks crystallized. Serve with additional syrup (although I never do).

*This step is a must. If it isn’t weighted, some bread won’t get saturated and burns, while other pieces are soggy. I usually put another 9x13 pan on top and then use whatever is in the fridge to add extra weight, just make sure it’s even. Be especially sure to watch the liquid level so you don’t end up spilling the egg mix over the sides.

Monkey Bread

½ of a 3 oz package of butterscotch pudding (must be cook and serve)
24 Rhodes Rolls, still frozen
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


1. Place 24 dough balls in a bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over dough.

2. Melt butter and mix with sugar and cinnamon.

3. Cover pan with wet towels (it may stain). Let rise overnight in the oven. When
ready to bake, remove pan from oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove
towel and bake rolls for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert pan onto
platter.

Be sure that you use the regular sized dinner rolls, not Texas size. I have cut the dough balls in half, or quarters which I like better. I don’t like trying to cut frozen dough though and am not willing to stay up late to cut them after they thaw. I suppose the next best thing would be to make your own dough that you could shape into the desired size, but that makes this recipe much harder than it should be. Anyway you fix it, this is an excellent no fuss breakfast.

Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
½ cup raisins (or dried currants) - see notes below
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your finger to
work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.

3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps
form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball (The dough will
be sticky in places and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you
press, the dough will come together).

5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 to 8 inch circle about ¾-inch thick.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to
cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper)
about 1-inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes
and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cherry-Almond Scones – Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the sour cream mixture and
substitute dried cherries for the raisins (We also like the
almond extract with cherry flavored dried cranberries). - This is what is pictured above.

Lemon-Blueberry Scones – Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to the
dry ingredients and substitute dried blueberries for the raisins.

Cranberry-Orange Scones – Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange zest to the
dry ingredients and substitute dried cranberries for the
raisins.

I make these a lot. I really mean a lot. It's the best of both worlds between a biscuit and a muffin. We usually do a mixture of two of these. We like cranberries with almond extract. I haven't ever made these with raisins or currants. Be sure when you're running the butter over the grater that you rotate the sides you're grating. Otherwise, the sides touching your hands start to melt and will be difficult to pass through the grater. I've heard of people using nonstick spray with their box graters. This isn't something I've done because mine has a nonstick coating, but I could see the spray being helpful here. After you've finished grating the butter, be sure to scrape off the interior (if using a box grater) or opposite side (if using a flat grater).

Filled French Toast

filling
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
grated zest of 1 small orange
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 c finely chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, etc), toasted, or shredded sweetened or unsweetened dried coconut (optional)

1 lb loaf white bread, preferably egg bread, trimmed of crusts

egg wash
1 c milk
3 large eggs
1/4 c flour
3 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

1 tbs unsalted butter
1tbs vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly butter a baking sheet. Mix cream cheese, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, zest, cinnamon, salt, and nuts together. Cut the loaf into 1-inch-thick slices; you probably will get 8 slices. Carefully work the knife into one side of each slice of break to create a pocket that you can open with your fingers. Spoon an equal amount of filling into each pocket. Whisk the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt in a shallow bowl. Soak the bread in the egg mixture until thoroughly saturated but not falling apart. Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-low. Add as many slices of bread to the skillet as will fit without crowding and cook until the the underside is just lightly golden. Turn the bread and cook until the second side is lightly golden. As each slice is cooked, transfer it to the baking sheet. Continue cooking the French toast, adding more butter and oil as needed. Bake the sauteed slices until puffed and golden, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately with powdered sugar, maple syrup, or honey.

*Notes* We used honey, I'm too cheap to pay for maple syrup. I used an egg bread which worked well. I wouldn't use French bread or anything that doesn't have a firmer structure. I'm not sure if it could withstand the stuffing. After the bread is stuffed, it looked like the stuffing would ooze out during cooking. It did a little, but not much. You could refrigerate the bread after it is stuffed, maybe 30 minutes. Because I used an electric griddle to brown the toast, I didn't use the butter or oil. It was a little time consuming because I was making it by myself with the girls wanting to "help," the phone ringing, diaper changing, etc. I would make it again though. It's pretty rich, the girls split a piece and one should fill you up, especially with side dishes. The recipe also suggests putting apple butter or a thick fruit preserve in with the filling, would be worth a try. We also thought about lemon zest instead of orange, but the orange is really good. I hope you enjoy.

Blueberry French Toast Bake

1 loaf French Bread, cubed (if you have an egg bread like challa, even better)
1 pound Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup Blueberries
12 Eggs
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
2 cups Milk

1. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. A lighter color works best for this recipe. Cut the bread into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Cut the cream cheese into 1-inch cubes. Layer the bread cubes and cream cheese cubes in two layers in the bottom of the dish, with the bread on the bottom. Pour the blueberries over top.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add the maple syrup and milk. Pour over the bread mixture and cover loosely with foil. Place dish in refrigerator with weights.

3. Refrigerate overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Reposition foil so that dish is tightly covered. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes, check at this time, it may take up to 40 minutes without the foil.

Blueberry Syrup
1 cup Sugar
2 tbs Cornstarch
1 cup Cold Water
1 tbs Unsalted Butter
1 cup Blueberries

Stir sugar, cornstarch and water over high heat in a saucepan. Add butter and blueberries and cook until the blueberries pop. Serve warm over French Toast Bake.

Notes
Cream cheese is normally sold in 8 oz blocks, so make sure that you get two. It will look like a lot of cream cheese when it is all in the pan. I’m too cheap to use maple syrup in this; regular pancake syrup works fine. To weight the dish, you can use another 9x13-inch dish placed on top, adding cans or whatever you can find to fit inside, just make sure it's even. If you don’t use another dish, just make sure that it is equally weighted. Be careful though, this easily overflows. Don’t skip this step, otherwise you will have some parts that don’t get any egg mix and will burn. Other parts will be too saturated with egg mix to cook thoroughly. With the syrup, be sure that the cornstarch and water are thoroughly mixed before heating, lumpy syrup is just as gross as lumpy gravy. This dish will serve 8-12.

Broccoli Bacon Quiche

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
6 tbs chilled butter
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tbs cold water

Filling:
16 oz chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup scallions, diced
6 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 slices bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 425. Combine the flours, salt, and butter in a bowl. Mix with pastry blender or fork until the consistency of cornmeal. Add just enough water to make the dough come together. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle. Place in a 10 inch pie plate. Crimp edges with fingers and prick crust all over with a fork. Bake until light brown about 10 minutes.

Beat eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl. Add onion, broccoli, bacon, cheese, and pepper. Pour into crust. Bake 50-60 minutes until puffed, light brown, with the center set. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes: Most pie plates are 9-inch, so be sure of your size. If you don't have a 10-inch plate, decrease the eggs to 4, the milk to 1 cup, the scallions to 1/3 cup, and the broccoli to 10 oz. This crust is very crumbly. If you have a mat to roll on, this works the best. You could also use parchment paper or wax paper, but these usually are too narrow. It can be done just on a floured counter top. Keep some water handy to patch any tears when it comes time to transfer to the plate. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time, this takes about 1 1/2 hour to make.

Waffles and Frittata

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. The waffles are so light and have just the right egg flavor. The frittata never lasts long if I take it for potluck breakfasts.



Waffles
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat until just smooth.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture. Do not over mix. Pour batter onto hot, waffle iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Notes
Be sure to stir the batter between waffles. It will separate easily. If you make more than one batch, only make two batches at a time. When there is more than two batches, it is hard to mix the egg whites throughout. If you have to grease your waffle iron, try not to use nonstick spray. It burns too easily and creates a sticky film that is hard to get off. If your iron sticks, put some oil on a paper towel and rub it on the iron. To reheat, just toast in the toaster. These will only keep for a day or two. They do freeze well.

Frittata
12 large eggs
3 tbs half-and-half
salt and ground black pepper
8 oz bacon (about 8 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 oz cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 3/4 cup)
3 scallions, sliced thin on the bias (about 1/3 cup)

1. Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position, about 5 inches from the heating element; heat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a medium bowl until well combined. Set the eggs aside.
2. Fry the bacon in a 12-in oven safe nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, pour off all but 1 tbs of bacon fat. Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 15 to 20 min. Stir the cheddar, scallions, and bacon into the eggs; add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook, using a rubber spatula to stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet, until large curds form and the spatula begins to leave a wake but the eggs are still very wet, about 2 min. Shake the skillet to distribute the eggs evenly; cook without stirring for 30 seconds to let the bottom set.
3. Slide the skillet under the broiler and broil until the frittata has risen and the surface is puffed and spotty brown, 3 to 4 min. When cut into with a paring knife, the eggs should be slightly wet and runny. Remove the skillet from the oven and let stand 5 minutes to finish cooking; using the spatula, loosen the frittata from the skillet and slide onto a platter or cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve.

Notes
You have to have the skillet for this, it won't work any other way. I use thick cut pepper bacon (Daileys sp? is the best). If you don't have half-and-half, I've used milk and cream without too much of a variation. I usually don't have scallions on hand and make it with shallots, the scallions are better though. A regular onion is a little too harsh.