Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I made this yummy breakfast dish when my in-laws came to visit last month! Between the four of us, there was not a morsel left. My strawberry stuffed french toast is sweet, creamy, juicy, and oh-so-strawberrylicious. Top it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a few extra strawberries!

12-14 slices your favorite bread

12oz strawberry cream cheese

1.5 c sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen - slightly thawed)

5 large eggs

1.5c milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon + extra

4 tablespoons cold hard butter

Powdered Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Shmear strawberry cream cheese on a slice of bread, lay it flat - cream cheese side up - in the baking dish. Repeat until the bottom of the dish is covered. 

3. Sprinkle on the strawberries. Repeat step 2 but lay the bread cream cheese side down.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk thoroughly. Pour mixture on top of bread in baking dish.

5. Dot the bread with small pieces of butter. Sprinkle tops of bread with cinnamon.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bread is no longer soggy.

6. Enjoy a big steamy slice topped with powdered sugar and extra strawberries!

Pimento Cheese Pizza?

Sounds delish huh?

Check out my latest and greatest creation on The Hungry Southerner!

My first Southern Pizza

Honey Peanut Butter Explosion

I have no idea what to call this creation other than an ooey gooey delicious mess. I made it last week while I was suffering from a migraine and nothing was sounding appealing to eat. Melted peanut butter and honey drizzled over a banana has always been a favorite snack of mine. When I sprinkled some Apple Cinnamon Cheerios over the banana mess I fell in love. I've also tried the sauce drizzled over sliced apples, Honey Nut Cheerioes or Plain Cheerios. Every combination tastes as good as the others.

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon lite Smart Balance butter

1 teaspoon brown sugar

3/4 cup Cheerios

1 banana, sliced

1. In a small bowl, melt together the first four ingredients in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 5-10 seconds. You want the sauce to be creamy, not bubbly/burnt.

2. Combine the Cheerios and banana in a bowl. Drizzle sauce over the top and mix with a spoon. EAT!

Cheesey Green Pepper Breakfast Bake

8 slices white bread

6 large eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1/2 cup frozen diced green peppers

12 oz shredded cheddar cheese

non-stick cooking spray

*Assemble the night before*

1. Coat a baking dish with non-stick spray. Break up the bread into bite sized pieces (they do not have to be equal sizes) and lay it on the bottom of the baking dish.

2. In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, water, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Whisk together. Pour egg mixture over the bread in the baking dish. Use a spatula to make sure the egg mixture is distributed evenly.

3. Sprinkle the green peppers evenly across the egg mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight.

4. Bake the next morning at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

I can cook a southern breakfast!

Read about my first Yankee Challege: Big Southern Breakfast here!

 Leave a comment - I want to know what you think of my story! Plus, your comment will automatically be entered as a chance to win a free Hungry Southerner t-shirt!

While I would love to give you the recipes I used for my bacon skillet gravy and buttermilk biscuits... my lips are sealed! Brandon's Mawmaw was kind enough to share her personal recipes with me and I think I need to keep them in the family =0)

If you want to make your own buttermilk biscuits and gravy - I can tell you what you need. Then you'll have to google some recipes and see which you find easiest to follow.

Ex. Paula Deen has a great recipe for Biscuits with Milk Gravy here.

I think you all need to try the first Yankee Challenge - it wasn't as scary as I anticipated, nor was it anything close to being the kitchen disaster I was imagining. My husband LOVED everything that I made (and he is one honest guy when it comes to my cooking). Also, The Hungry Southerner is offering a prize to the reader with the best pictures and story about their experience cooking a big Southern breakfast.  

HG's Overstuffed French Toast

I am literally drooling right now.... two of my favorite things: peanut butter and banana... PLUS butter, syrup, bread, cinnamon... Heavenly good-ness. Thank you Hungry Girl for this incredible tasty and healthy recipe!

I think that this picture does no justice to how tasty this recipe sounds...

I need to see some ooey gooey goodness!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1/2 tsp. plus 1 dash cinnamon, divided
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda), divided
1 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp. reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature
2 slices light white bread
1/2 small banana, sliced
2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup

Directions:
Combine egg substitute, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and half of the sweetener in a bowl, and mix well. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and the remaining half-packet of sweetener. Mix until smooth by stirring with the handle of a fork or spoon. (That's the easiest way to mix this!)

Gently spread cream cheese/peanut butter mixture evenly onto one slice of bread. (If needed, use your fingers to help spread.) Top with banana and a dash of cinnamon, and then finish it off with the other slice of bread. Press down lightly to seal.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add butter and allow to coat the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile, evenly coat both sides of your sandwich with egg substitute mixture. Coat the sides of the sandwich as well. (You won't need to use all of the egg mixture.)

Place sandwich in the skillet and cook for 2 - 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with syrup for dipping. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

Serving Size: 1 stuffed "sandwich" with syrup (entire recipe)
Calories: 327
Fat: 8.5g
Sodium: 700mg
Carbs: 48.5g
Fiber: 7.25g
Sugars: 11g
Protein: 18g

Zucchini Red Pepper Gratin

YUMMY IN MY TUMMY This dish was inspired by my mom's sauteed veggies that she makes in the summer alongside angel hair pasta. She tosses lots of bright vegetables into a skillet with olive oil and cooks them until they are soft. I decided to bake my veggies and top them with a bit of crumbly light cracker.

2 tablespoons butter

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

3 zucchini, sliced into half moon shapes

pinch dried herbs de provence

salt & pepper

non-stick cooking spray

2 tablespoons egg white (Egg Beaters)

2 tablespoons fat free milk

2 crumbled Light n Crispy Wasa crackers

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat. Add the red pepper and onion and raise heat to med-low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Stir frequently.

2. Add the zucchini and spices - salt and pepper (2 shakes each). Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Spread the mixture in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. Pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle the crumbled Wasa on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top before serving!

Giada's Mushroom Crostata

I found this recipe last night when I was on a hunt for something mushroom-y. YumSugar is a great website  - not only does it offer all kinds of articles about my fav topic - food - but also many different recipes. Giada's recipe for Crostata with Mushrooms and Pancetta looks heavenly. However, she asks for you to make your own pastry crust, and I decided a frozen puff pastry sheet is MUCH easier than trying to make dough when I don't own a large food processor (it was key in the dough making process). If you would like to make your own dough - click the link above for the recipe!

Crostata With Mushrooms and Pancetta

From Giada's Kitchen

Ingredients

For pastry crust:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry - thawed
Non-stick cooking spray

For mushroom filling:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces diced pancetta

2 shallots, minced

1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, and button

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup (1 ounce) grated smoked mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup ( 1 ounce) grated fontina cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. For the crust: Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheet so it will fit in a 9-inch pie plate with extra dough hanging over the edge. Carefully place the pastry sheet into the pie plate that has been coated with non-stick spray.

2. For the mushroom filling: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp and golden, about four minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pancetta to a small bowl.

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the moisture has evaporated, about 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked pancetta along with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

6. Stir the mozzarella and fontina into the cooled mushroom filling and spread in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2-inch border.
7. Sprinkle the filling with Parmesan.

8. Fold the dough border up over the filling to form a crust. Brush the crust with beaten egg. Bake the crostata until the crust is golden about 25 minutes. Slice and serve.

Asparagus Mushroom Goat Cheese Scramble

When I looked into my fridge this morning to find something for lunch, I grabbed asparagus, mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese, threw them in my lunch tote, and brought them along to work. I added some egg whites, parsley, and Tobasco for a lite and healthy scramble!

2 egg whites
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced white mushrooms
Non-stick butter spray
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon crumbled goat cheese
2 dashes Tobasco (optional)

1. Combine the egg whites, water, and parsley in a small bowl. Scramble with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small skillet coated with non-stick butter spray, cook the mushrooms and asparagus for 8 minutes. Season with garlic salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cook 2 minutes.
3. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and stir gently with a spatula. When the egg whites are cook, sprinkle goat cheese over the top. Cook until melted (1 minute). Slide onto a plate and add Tobasco.
4. Enjoy alone or with a slice of toasted Rye or Wheat bread.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Buns

 I am so excited that I received my first recipe request - Cinnamon Rolls minus the yeast and soy. In comes The Polka Dot Mommy to the rescue... I was thrilled to find an easy recipe that does not include yeast or soy. This one is for you Brown Eyed Girl!

1 cup The Cravings Place All Purpose Pancake & Waffle Mix

3 Tbs. Earth Balance Soy Free Spread

1/2 cup filtered water

2 Tbs. Granulated sugar (we doubled this) Mix together with cinnamon in a bowl or empty shaker

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (we just shook it into the sugar until it looked right)

1 Tbs whole milk

1/3 cup powder sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Cut the butter into the pancake mix. Add water and mix well. At this point, I sprinkled a little more dry mix in to give it a dough consistency vs. a batter. Roll out between two sheets of natural parchment paper into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Finish like you would for the regular buns. Be sure to keep the dough on a layer of parchment, then use the parchment to help roll the dough up, this keeps it together much nicer.

So… now that you have dough-

Roll it out on a lightly floured surface (unless GF, then use parchment as described above). Spread with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar combo. Roll from one end to the other into a log. Seal ends and seem. Cut into 6 – 8 equal size pieces. Place in prepared baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes at 325 F. (Until golden brown). We made 8 packages of regular buns and one batch of GF buns. Use smaller baking pans for best results, we found out that our large (9×13) pan left the center buns not all the way cooked.

Combine milk, powder sugar and vanilla to make a glaze… whisk until smooth and glossy. Pour over the buns. Enjoy!

Mrs. Bear's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

After browsing over atleast 15 different banana bread recipes,
I concocted my own and added chocolate chips.
This recipe makes 2 small loaves of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread that is TDF (to-die-for).

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2 cups bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 loaf pans

Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and bubbly.

Drizzle in oil. Whisk until mixed thoroughly.

Add mashed bananas and vanilla. Whisk until thick. Fold in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter evenly between two greased loaf pans. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to make sure it is cooked all the way through the middle before removing).

Pillsbury Bacon Cheese Pull-Aparts

Ingredients
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
1 (16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers Refrigerated Original Biscuits
4 pieces cooked bacon - crumbled
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 11x7- or 12x8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat eggs, salt, pepper, and milk with wire whisk until smooth.
2. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat evenly. Fold in bacon and cheese. Spoon mixture into sprayed dish; arrange biscuit pieces in single layer.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares.

I modified this recipe by adding more egg and milk, omitting onion, and adding salt and pepper. Mr. Bear's coworkers said that these little breakfast snacks were to die for and I will surely be making them again for their next in office breakfast!

Original Recipe found here.

Apple Bread

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Breast Cancer Awareness Cookbook 2007

Apple Bread

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 c peeled, shredded apple (roughly one apple)

1 egg, beaten

1 c sugar

1/4 c baking oil

1. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan, set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of the flour mixture, set aside.

2. In another medium bowl combin egg, sugar, apple, and oil. Add apple mixture all at once to the well in the center of the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spread into prepared pan.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

My husband and I were so surprised at how easy and tasty this bread is! I drizzled a little bit of caramel sauce from a packet I had leftover after bringing the boys I nanny to McDonalds. I also sampled a few pieces slathered with a thin layer of Trader Joe's Pumkin Butter or Peanut Butter. Both shmears were pretty tasty - but the bread is really the best when eaten by itself!

Breakfast Strata

Both of my mother-in-laws are known for whipping up a pretty awesome breakfast casserole when they have the kids in town. Granted I usually cannot eat them (no offense MOLs - you know it's the meat and not your cooking), I have always wanted to make one. SO in honor of our first visitors this past weekend I attempted my first breakfast casserole - a.k.a. Breakfast Strata - which Mr. Bear kindly informed me was when there is ham in it. Here is my adaptation of the Paula Deen Breakfast Casserole my MOL makes:
8 slices whole wheat bread - broken up
6 eggs
2 c milk
3 dashes hot sauce
1 c cubed cooked ham
1 bag shredded mixed Cheddar Cheeses
6 leftover pieces of Roasted Asparagus (optional)
2 teaspoons each Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with the broken up bread.
2. In a large bowl, scramble the eggs with the milk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
3. Cover the bread in the dish with ham (if you can't eat meat like me, only put it on one side - and the asparagus on the other).
4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and ham.
5. Sprinkle the bag of cheese over the bread, ham, and eggs.
6. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. Enjoy with fresh salsa or more hot sauce!