Cooking once a week...

The following is an article I read from familyfun.go.com that I thought I would pass along. How nice would it be to cook once a week?!?

At the end of every busy day, the question was always the same: "What's for dinner?"
Dinner? Not only was I running out of meal ideas, my husband, Aaron, and I also seemed to run out of time each night. With school, jobs, activities, and homework, my family already had too few precious minutes to spend together. Who wanted to spend most of them standing over the stove? Worse, when I did find time to cook, the kids often grumbled about the menu.
I fantasized about having a batch of favorite meals ready to go, so we could just pluck a dish out of the fridge, heat it, and serve it. Sure, the meal prep would still have to happen. But what if we tackled the bulk of the work all at once, together -- and maybe even made it fun? This sounded like a plan.
So one Sunday afternoon last year, when my older kids were especially bored and begging to watch television and play video games, I told them we were going to cook instead.
"Cook what?" asked Lauren, then age 7.
Opening the fridge and staring at two giant packets of chicken breasts, and several packages of beef and sliced pork, I declared: "Everything!"
I took out the meat, and we tracked down as many baking pans as we could find. (It turned out I had five.) Lauren and Nicole, then age 4, coated the pans with cooking spray. I dumped the chicken into two pans, filled two more with beef (sliced in one and cubed in the other), and put the pork in the last. Nicole washed peppers and mushrooms, and Lauren carefully sliced an onion. Their 1-year-old brother, Brendan, watched it all with curiosity. The girls picked their favorite marinades and spices, which we added to the dishes, along with the veggies. We slid the pans into the oven. Next, we tackled the mess. Truthfully, it wasn't half as bad as you'd expect after prepping a week's worth of food. Most of the utensils would have gotten dirty anyhow when we made our Sunday night dinner. And then, as the food cooked, we found ourselves with free time! Here we were, all in the same room with nothing on our agenda. So we talked. First we discussed how we could turn these meats into meals: chicken sandwiches, stir-fry, and fajitas.
But perhaps inspired by our cozy togetherness in the kitchen and the relaxed sense of accomplishment we felt, our conversation before long grew more personal. We chatted about school, sports teams, problems with friends, and an upcoming birthday party. I was amazed by how easily the discussion flowed and how much detail the girls shared with me and with each other. Even Brendan seemed to love this unexpected together time.
Too soon, the oven timer sounded. We set aside some of the chicken to make sandwiches for that evening's meal, then we cooled and stored everything else in labeled containers. We ended up with seven of them -- altogether -- the beginnings of seven meals to be served through the week. The only chore we had left was to wash the extra pans -- and because we'd used cooking spray, they cleaned up easily.
The rest of that week went as smoothly as I'd hoped. Each morning, I put one of the frozen entrees into the refrigerator to thaw. In the evening, it usually took 15 minutes or less to make a side of veggies, salad, or rice.
Now, we spend an hour or two cooking on Sunday as often as we can. Every once in a while, we make batches of cookie dough to freeze. Everyone looks forward to our time in the kitchen. Sometimes, the kids pretend we're restaurant owners, and they create fancy meal ideas and a menu for the week. The children love that I'm not stuck for an hour in the kitchen every night. And because they've helped plan the meals, there's much less griping and much more eating and enjoying!

90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

Okay, so it's not a dinner recipe, but I've made them several times lately and they're really good! I just do them in a greased 9x13 pan and they come out great every time.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup raisins (optional) (I leave them out)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.
Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm

Spiced Pork Chops

Here's what we had for dinner tonight. I did make a few adjustments....instead of dredging the chops in the herb mixture I just mixed everything (except the flour) together and poured it over the chops after browning them with just salt and pepper. I did add in some Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes to the sauce. At the end I added a little cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it and we at it over rice. Yummy!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
4 (3/4 inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a shallow dish, combine the first 10 ingredients; dredge pork chops on both sides. In a skillet, brown chops in oil on both sides. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine ketchup, water and brown sugar; pour over chops. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until tender.

Feast or Famine?

Ok...so there are some great recipes on this blog and yet not one of them could I make right now as I don't have all of the ingredients for a single recipe posted. That said it is painfully obvious that I need to go to the grocery store! I think it will be take-out tonight. Definately not a good way to start out the month. I hope the rest of you are better prepared!

Oh So Tender BBQ Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
6 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili powder

Mix ingredients pour over your chicken and cook at 300 degrees for 2 hours.
We like to serve it over rice. :)

Spaghetti Pie

I made this last night for dinner. Fast and easy. Seth loved it so much he asked for it for dinner again tomorrow night! :)

4 ounces dried spaghetti
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces ground beef (I used closer to a pound)
1/2c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green pepper (I omitted this)
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds crushed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano crushed
1 c low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 c shredded mozzarella (I used a little cheddar too for color)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Return to warm saucepan stir in butter until melted. Stir in egg and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

Meanwhile in a medium skillet cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, garlic and fennel seeds until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce and oregano. Heat through.

Coat a 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press spaghetti mixture onto bottom and up sides of pie plate, forming a crust. Spread cottage cheese on the top and up the sides of pasta crust. Spread meat mixture over cottage cheese. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top.

Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. To serve, cut into wedges.

Gingerbread Waffles

Okay girls this is what I made for dinner tonight (balanced I know!) and they were SO GOOD! If you liked the pumpkin pancakes you'll surely like these. They did make a HUGE batch, so beware. We'll have them for breakfast for the next two mornings too.

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffles iron.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.

Not-Sagna Pasta Toss

This is what we had for dinner last night. (Another Rachael Ray recipe) It was SO GOOD! I suggest cutting the amount of pasta in half unless you want tons of leftovers, but I would make the sauce the same way. (I like lots of sauce.) I omitted the onion and allspice because I didn't have them and substituted dried basil in the recipe for fresh on top and beef stock for the red wine. That said it was still really good and fast to make!

Ingredients
1 pound curly short cut pasta (recommended: campanelle by Barilla, fusilli or cavatappi
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound ground sirloin
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice, eyeball it in your palm
1 teaspoon, several drops, Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine (or stock)
1/2 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at table

Directions
Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: you will need a ladle of the starchy cooking water to help form sauce before draining.
Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add the meat and break it up into small bits as it caramelizes. Once meat has good color to it, 4 to 5 minutes, add garlic, onions and red pepper flakes and season with salt, pepper, allspice and Worcestershire sauce. Cook another 5 minutes, deglaze the meat and onions with red wine, cook off a minute, then combine about 1/2 cup of stock into the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Place ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a ladleful of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan to the ricotta and mix it in.

Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with cheeses. Add half the thick meat sauce to the pasta bowl and combine. Tear or shred the basil and add to the meat and pasta, toss again. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Serve bowlfuls of Not-sagna with extra sauce on top and more grated Parmesan to pass at the table.

Mom's Candied Steak & Porcupine Meatballs

Candied Steak

1 1/2 lbs round steak cut into 1"x3" pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water

Season your meat. I use a steak rub, you can use whatever you normally use on steak. If you don't have a normal, use salt and pepper. Brown steak pieces in approx 1 tbs of... I use olive oil, but you can use shortening or veggy oil. Mix ketchup, water, worsestershire and sugar. Pour over steak and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Here's the tought part for me... don't let the liquid cook away. Add water if necessary. Serve over your choice of carbs. I prefer rice, but potatoes, pasta would also work. Enjoy!

Porcupine Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup milk or water
2 tbs chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Dash of oregano

sauce
8 oz can tomatoe sauce
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Mix beef rice, milk, onion and seasonings. Form into 8 balls (I don't like them this big, so we make like 20 meatballs with this amount.) Fry meatballs in shortening, olive oil, whatever until brown, but not crusty. Mix sauce in bowl and pour over meatballs and cover. (I like lots of sauce, so I multiply the sauce by 3. I also really like it made with Hunts garlic, basil and oregano sauce.) Simmer for 45 minutes on low.

Brownies

Oh my goodness girls, you have to try these!!!

1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips (use the kind you prefer)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar. Then add eggs, blending fully one at a time. Add flour and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan (this recipe works great doubled and poured into a large 11 X 17-inch rimmed baking sheet). Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I thought that you guys might like this, so if you try it, let me know! This was done in a crockpot.

--2 cups milk (I used 1%)
--2 T canned pumpkin
--2 T white sugar
--2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
--1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
--1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
--garnish with whipped cream

The Directions.
Put it all in a crockpot (as small as a 1.5 qt) whisk together and leave for a couple of hours.

Sizzler Malibu Chicken and Cheese Toast

You ask, and you get more than you ask for. :) If you've been to Sizzler and have had this, it tastes pretty similar.

Malibu Chicken-
If you like to be labor intensive, pound out chicken breasts to about a 1/4" thick. Dunk in eggs and coat with bread crumbs, corn flakes, or whatever makes your favorite breading (my mom has one that uses ranch dressing mix that tastes great with this).
If you are lazy like me, you buy a box of breast chicken patties by Tyson, Banquet, or Costco and cook in oven according to directions.
At the end of cooking, put a couple of pieces of deli sliced ham on top with a slice of swiss or mozzarella cheese and cook at couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and the ham is warm. I actually like to turn on my broiler for this. If you want to be really fancy, place a slice of pineapple on top of the ham, under the cheese.

Cheese Toast-
Take 6 slices of Texas Toast bread (or any regular slice of bread you have). Combine a 1/2 stick butter, softened at room temperature, 2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture kind of thickly on the bread. Preheat a griddle. Place buttered/cheese side down on the griddle and cook until brown. Remove and serve.

There you have it, a dinner done the lazy way, takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

This week for dinner...

I was going to post my menu earlier, but here it is anyway.

Spaghetti
Pork Chops
Omelets
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Undecided night
Malibu Chicken

Spaghetti alla Ceci

This is what we had for dinner last night. It's a Rachael Ray recipe and it was really fast and yummy!

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 3 turns of the pan
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can, chick peas (14 ounces), drained
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme, eyeball it
Pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 can, crushed tomatoes (14 ounces)
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Grated Parmiginao Reggiano, to pass at table

Preparation:
Boil water for pasta, salt it, and cook spaghetti to al dente.
While spaghetti cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Place chick peas in food processor and pulse grind them to a fine chop. Add chick peas to garlic and season them with thyme, salt and pepper then sauté them for 3-4 minutes. Add wine or broth and cook down 30 seconds or so then stir in tomatoes and adjust seasoning. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Top with parsley and grated cheese.

Tortilla Casserole

This is one of my family's favorites! It's kind of like enchiladas, but it's a little easier to make. :)

1 pkg. Tortillas
1# cooked, cubed chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa (I use pace picante sauce)
1 small can diced green chilis (optional)
Lots of shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or mexican blend......)

Mix all ingredients except for tortillas and cheese.

Cut the tortillas into approximately 1x2" strips. (I actually just tear them into small pieces.

In a tall casserole dish, layer the tortillas on the bottom, followed by a layer of the chicken/soup mix, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat 3 layers.

Cover and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These were just too good not to share....

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Crock-Pot Tortilla Soup

My friend Marcy made this for our get together last weekend and it was awesome so I thought I would pass along her recipe!

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (you can put in cooked or uncooked)
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
1 - 10.75 oz. tomato puree
1 - 10 oz. diced tomatoes and chilies
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/8 t red pepper
1/8 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
Cover + cook 5-6 hours on high for uncooked chicken, 3-4 hours high if chicken is already cooked. Discard bay leaf and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Just a thought...this one would be good to double and eat half and freeze half for a meal later. :)

Apple Crisp

OK, so this isn't what we are having for dinner tonight (I'm spoiled, someone else made dinner for us tonight), it was last week, but I'm a visual person and like pictures, so I thought I would post this.

Chicken Baked Pork Chops

This is a super easy way to make pork chops, especially if you have some that aren't the highest quality. It tenderizes them and makes a yummy sauce.

2 Pork chops (1 inch thick)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown the pork chops in olive oil on both sides. Mix soup, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings to taste. Place pork chops in a baking dish and pour soup mixture over chops. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Rapid Rise Pizza Dough

I use this recipe pretty often. It is great for pizza, but I also use it for calzones. I like to use up leftovers that way. Stuff the bread with leftover ham and cheese or chicken and broccoli, etc. You can also replace a third of the flour with whole-wheat if you prefer (no more than 1/3 because it wont rise well).

3 to 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup very warm water
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
Cornmeal (opt)

In a very large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 min. Cover, let rest on floured surface for 10 min.

Lightly oil 1 (14 inch) round pizza pan. Sprinkle with cornmeal (opt). Form dough into smooth ball. Roll dough to fit pan. Top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 11-12 minutes or until done. Time depends on thickness of crust and amount of toppings.

Menu

I thought that I would post my potential dinner menu for this week and maybe that that would be inspiring if you are in need of inspiration.

>Chicken pot-pie
>Pork chops with saurkraut and mashed potatoes
>Meatballs with rice
>Spaghetti
>Home-made pizza
>Barbequed chicken with garlic potatoes and corn on the cob

Hey Tara! Could you post your version of meatballs?
Kirsten! Could you post your pizza dough recipie?

Thanks!

Bacon-Potato Soup

Haven't made it in awhile, so no picture to entice you, but it is good! I've had to add some flour to thicken it up in the past here in this lovely Washington climate.


6 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups water
2 cups chopped onions (or minced onions)
4 chicken bouillon cubes
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Combine potatoes, water, onions, and bouillon cubes in greased 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in crumbled bacon, milk, and grated cheese. Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 10-12 servings

Serve with hot biscuits and garnish soup with fresh chopped parsley.

VARIATION: Add 1/2 cup diced celery and 1/2 cup chopped carrots with potatoes at the beginning of cook time.

Bake Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes

2/3 c. flour

6 c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 c. sour cream

3/4 c. chopped green onions

6 bacon slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pierce potatoes and bake for 1 hour then peel potatoes and coarsley mash them.

Over medium heat whisk together the flour and milk until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes) Add potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Once cheese has melted remove from heat. Then stir in sour cream and bacon. Cook over low heat approximately 10 mintues. Do not boil. Garnish with remaining cheese and green onions. Serves 8

Smokey Corn Chowder

1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
4 tbs. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 c. milk
2 can whole-kernel corn (drained)
14 oz pkg kielbasa

Saute onion in butter until tender but now brown. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk and bring to a boil stiring constantly until thick and bubbly, about 1 minute. Stir in corn and sausage. Reduce heat, simmer approximately 10 minutes.

Fall Soup Recipes?

Does anyone have any good recipes for fall soups? (Preferably crock-pot soups.) I'm especially looking for a good potato soup recipe.

Stroganoff

This is what we had for dinner tonight. Extrememly quick and easy. I know that you don't all like mushrooms, but T doesn't like them either and he still likes this. So, if you are daring, give it a try!

1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz of sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 lb of browned ground beef
1 lb of pasta (I like rotini, but any will do)

Make pasta according to package directions. Add remaining ingredients in sauce pan. Stir together until nice and hot. Pour over pasta.

(This is kind of weird timing, but I had someone tonight tell me about how they do their french toast in a crockpot. Put the bread in, pour their milk/egg mixture over and cook until there is no more moisture.)

Strawberry French Toast

If you like strawberry shortcake, like I do, you may love this one as well...


1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices.
Whipped cream cheese

Spread cream cheese between two slices of bread, place sandwiched slices in a glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pour over bread and let sit for five minutes, turn bread over and cover pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Whipped Topping:
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond or amaretto flavoring

Top with strawberries mixed with sugar and the whipped topping.

Make ahead French Toast

This takes a bit longer to make, but is really good. You can also make it in the morning and just pop in in the oven for dinner.

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 45 Min
READY IN 14 Hrs 10 Min

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and vanilla. Dip bread slices into egg mixture and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, and maple syrup. Spoon mixture over bread.
4. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Breakfast for dinner anyone?

The good ol' standby at our house: French Toast, scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. Do any of you have some fun variations to the standard french toast?

Let's Get Started

I got it up, now all we have to do is post!