Banana Pecan French Toast

Banana Pecan French Toast
makes 2 servings
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Banana Nut French Toast

Ingredients

• 4 slices of sandwich bread
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 2 bananas
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• confectioners sugar (optional)
• maple syrup (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Toast the pecans on a baking sheet for 4 minutes.  Set aside to cool and shut off the oven.

2.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.

3.  Peel the bananas and cut into 1/4-inch rounds.  Add them to a separate bowl.  Chop the cooled pecans and add to the bowl along with the brown sugar.  Use a spoon to combine.

4.  In a shallow dish, add two slices of bread side by side and top each slice with 1/4 of the banana mixture each.  Then, add another slice of bread to each.  Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread and soak for 6 minutes.  Carefully flip the sandwiches to soak the other side for 6 minutes.  

5.  Use a small saucepan at medium-low heat to caramelize the rest of the banana mixture.  After 3 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of butter.  Stir the mixture once butter is melted.  Keep to a simmer or low heat to keep warm.

6.  In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and other tablespoon of butter.  Once the butter is melted, add the sandwiches side by side and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Carefully flip and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes.  Serve with the warm banana mixture.  You may opt to also use maple syrup or confectioners sugar.

Grilled Caesar Salad

After making my slow-cooked baby back ribs, I knew that I needed a light accompaniment.  After seeing the Neely's make this salad on their show, I was both intrigued about grilling the lettuce and excited about testing their theories out.  I used a Cuisinart Griddler at medium heat to grill my romaine, and I loved both the taste and simplicity of this recipe!

Grilled Caesar Salad
Adapted from the Neely's Grilled Caesar Salad recipe (Food Network)

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup EVOO, plus 3 more tablespoons for grilling
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra FRESHLY grated Parmesan for serving
• 3 heads of romaine lettuce hearts, sliced lengthwise in 1/2
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium heat.
2. In a blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, and mustard.  Add 3/4 cup EVOO and pulse.  Add 1/2 Parmesan and pulse.
3. Drizzle the romaine with the extra EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Grill for 2 minutes on both sides.  
4. Remove lettuce to a cutting board and cut into 2-inch wide strips.  Place in a bowl and drizzle with the blended dressing.  Add extra Parmesan; toss to coat and serve warm.

Suggestion:  Try this with my Slow Cooked Baby Back Pork Ribs.

Banana Jam French Toast

Banana Jam French Toast

Ingredients

• 2 slices sandwich bread

For dredging:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• juice from 1 orange slice (1/8 orange)

For filling:

• 1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 generous tablespoon jam
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Confectioners sugar
• Maple syrup

Directions

1. Whisk egg, water, 1 tablespoon milk, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice together in a shallow bowl.  Dip both sides of each slice of bread in the mixture.  Allow bread to sit in bowl while you prepare the stuffing.
2. In a small sauce pan over low heat, add 1 tablespoon milk, banana slices, and jam.  (I used blackberry jam, but I think raspberry jam would be best.)  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula.
3. Using a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter.  When butter is melted, add bread to pan, cooking each side for 3 to 4 minutes each. 
4. When plating, add the one bread slic eto the plate and top with banana filling.  Place other bread slice on the top and dust with confectioners sugar.  Add two orange slices as garnish.  Maple syrup optional.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Thanks to Women's Health magazine for a fantastic recipe that was really easy to make.  Their recipe for Crispy Parmesan Chicken included ingredients that I already had in the house, and it took less than an hour to complete (which is a success story in itself).  I highly recommend this recipe!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons caper
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a really juicy lemon)
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Butterfly each chicken breast so that you end up with 8 pieces in total.  Cut excess fat off and rinse.
2. In a wide bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, and Italian seasoning.  
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites slightly. 
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. 
5. Heat oil in a frying pan at medium heat.  Dip two chicken breasts (one at a time) into the egg whites and then into the crumb mixture.  Add chicken to pan and cook each side for about 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to a platter to rest and lightly cover with foil.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
6. While the pan still at medium heat, add butter.  Once butter is melted, stir in capers, mustard, and lemon juice.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze the pan.  Heat for about 1-2 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add parsley.
7. Transfer sauce to a small bowl before serving.

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

A bonus day-off from school usually means that I will be spending the majority of my time watching the Food Network.  However, I'm not a huge fan of every show so I had to settle for channel surfing.  Lucky for me, I stumbled upon a PBS special of Julia Child's cooking show.  It was my first time watching her show, and I was excited to see that she was making an array of potato dishes!  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with potatoes; they are my favorite. :)  I only caught the tail-end of the episode, but she was teaching us how to make potato pancakes.  I love latkes, and I was inspired by her techniques.  If I didn't witness her squeezing the water from her potato gratings, I would have had disastrous pancakes.  The following recipe may be enjoyed with any meat dish, and latkes are tasty with sour cream or apple sauce.

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)
makes 7-8 latkes

Ingredients

• 4-5 medium-sized potatoes
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil

Directions

1. Peel and wash the potatoes.  Keep them in a bowl filled with cold water.  Using a box grater, grate the potatoes and keep the shavings in a separate bowl.  Don't worry about the ends of the potatoes as you're grating...just throw them out because it's not worth scratching up your knuckles and hands on your box grater!  Once all the potatoes are grated, use a cheese cloth or paper towels to wrap around handfuls of potatoes (one at a time) and squeeze the water out.  Keep these dried shavings in a mixing bowl.  Continue until all the shavings have been squeezed.
2. Add the onion powder, eggs, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the mixing bowl.  Toss the mixture together with a fork until all ingredients seem combined.  It should almost look like coleslaw.
3. Using a frying pan at medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan.  When the oil is heated, add ladles/spoonfuls of the potato mixture to the pan.  Flatten the latkes out a bit because they will cook in the shape you drop them in!  Cook the pancakes on each side for 3-4 minutes.  Add more oil when necessary.