Elma's French Toast

This is a special recipe from my Great-Grandmother. She was born into a family of 12 children in 1876. Being a woman then meant you cooked although it was never her favorite thing to do. At that time they used the term “French” to imply something was fancy! Thus this was her “fancy toast”. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I found none of my friends ever tasted a “french toast” like my “grandma's”. She used almost a crepe batter to coat the bread and it was one of my most prized memories of mornings with her.

A wonderfully rich breakfast or brunch treat. Next time do more than just soaking bread in an egg! Pair it with some oven baked bacon for an easy clean-up. In history it has been called: Bombay toast, German toast, gypsy toast, or in England: Poor Knights of Windsor.

Ingredients:

4 slices honey-wheat bread (regular white bread will also do)

½ Cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 Egg + 1 egg yolk

½ Cup milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

============================

Directions

Heat 3-4 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium high heat.

Mix the flour and salt, then add egg + yolk, vanilla, and milk. Whisk together just until no big lumps. Do NOT overwork this, lumps work out just fine.

Dip first piece in batter then fry in skillet. Turn when patches of golden brown show.

Do this first one by itself!

I was amazed to find that most chefs agree the first one usually does not come out right, so it is disposable!

Now then you might want to pair this with bacon, if so start this before heating up the pan for the toast.

Perfect Bacon in the Oven

A pound of medium-thick bacon fits on a single baking sheet. To cook even more (or if your bacon doesn't all fit on one sheet), you can cook two baking sheets at once.

It's just so easy — there's no flipping or monitoring involved. You just lay the bacon on a baking sheet, stick it in the oven, and set a timer. The strips of bacon bubble away in the oven (no splattering!) and gradually become the crispy, golden-hued, irresistible bacon we know and love.

Ingredients

1. 1 - 2 lbs sliced bacon
   
   1. Depending on how many you are cooking for above recipe is for two.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (this makes cleanup easier). Lay the bacon on the baking sheet in a single layer. The bacon can be close together, but don't let it overlap or the bacon will stick during cooking.

Bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it. Begin checking around 12 minutes to monitor how quickly the bacon is cooking. The bacon fat will bubble as it cooks, but shouldn't splatter the way it does on the stove top.

Remove the bacon from the oven and use tongs to transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and finish crisping. Serve immediately.

Clean up. If you want to save the bacon grease, let it cool slightly, then pour it into a container and refrigerate. If you don't want to save the grease, let it solidify on the baking sheet, then crumple the foil around it and discard.

Recipe Notes

For even crispier bacon, fit a metal rack over the foil-lined baking sheet and lay the raw bacon on the rack. Elevating the bacon allows it to cook from all sides and become extra-crispy.

Slave uses a no sugar syrup here, however true heaven is using real maple syrup and heating a cup full in the microwave first!

Serve with fresh coffee and your best juice or even a chilled Mimosa!

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJF6xSpDdZs

Serving my Master Indy as we approach our 7^th anniversary!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

Louie Leftovers

Don't let refrigerator left-overs intimidate you! Here I found half a bowl of cooked pasta, half a bowl of peas & carrots, a bag of about ½ lbs ground beef, some onions & a few cloves of garlic. What to do? Get to work!

The idea is to make what you have work together. That was you stretch the budget and clean out the refrigerator at the same time.

Here is an interesting version of a mac & cheese with ground beef, onions, garlic with a nice side vegetable.

Ingredients:

½ lbs ground beef

½ onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp steak seasonings

2 Tbs flour

1 cup milk

2 slices American cheese

½ cup vegetables from night before.

Directions:

Chop the onions and garlic.

Heat oil in skillet and add the onions. Stir occasionally for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic for an additional minute.

Break the ground beef into the skillet and stir. Let brown for 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour into the mix and stir in. Let cook a couple of minutes and pour in the milk. Combine well.

Cook stirring until this thickens. Add in the steak seasonings and any salt & pepper to taste.

While that cooks tear up the slices of cheese and add a little bit at a time. To the mixture.

If you dump it all in at once, you will get oil drops in your sauce.

When that is the consistency you wish, stir in the pasta and let it warm.

Hit the leftover vegetables in the microwave and there you have a completely new meal all from bits of left-overs.

Gee only one pan to clean up.. not bad.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vufLgvf19kw

Serving my Master Indy as we approach our Seventh Anniversary

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by 

Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Choked Chops

Starting with a room-temperature chop is a great way to ensure that they cook perfectly. You can leave them on the counter for 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) to ensure that the chop is not cold throughout.

It is important to make sure that your pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Using a meat thermometer is a great idea when cooking with pork as you do not want to over cook it.
This recipe can also be used for boneless chicken breasts or even a pork tenderloin cut into one-inch slices. 
 

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1″ thick boneless pork chops
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 5oz carton of lemon flavored Greek style yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Set a pan of water on for your rice.

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the butter with oil until melted. 

  Add the pork chops and cook on each side until browned to your liking. About 2 - 3 minutes per side. Remove the chops to a clean plate and tent loosely with foil.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the mushrooms to the butter mixture. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly softened and cooked. About 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic for an additional minute.

Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain. Slowly stir in the milk until the desired gravy consistency is achieved. 

 Season with rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the yogurt until well blended.
(With the heat still on low) return the pork chops to the gravy for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until cooked through. (internal temperature reached 145°F)

Serve with a side of plain white rice and a steamed green vegetable.

For our music, lets remember a great lady we lost this week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtd3Wzn_YK8

So happy to be serving my Master Indy as we approach our 7^th anniversary!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

Beef Blanchette

Tonight's dish is named after the explorer Louis Blanchette, the French Canadian that founded slave's town of Saint Charles in 1769. It is another way of using up the left over roast that you have portioned out and saved.

Here we use left-over beef, a large can of soup and some cornbread mix to make a handy luncheon fare. Make ahead and freeze, then just heat in the microwave.

Ingredients:

½ lbs (approximate) left over beef roast cut up into ½ inch dice

1 18.5oz can of beef vegetable soup

1 small box cornbread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbs cornstarch

½ cup beef broth (low sodium)

You will need 4 oven proof 2 cup ramekins (or French Onion Soup crocks)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray each ramekin

Cut up the roast into ½ inch cubes. Heat oil in skillet and let the beef come up to temperature, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the contents of the soup can.

In a small bowl mix the beef broth into the cornstarch until well blended.

Stir this into the beef/soup mixture. Stir until this thickens!

 

mix up the corn bread mix according to package directions. (Add 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk) Mix with fork but do not over work this it will be lumpy. Let set for 5 minutes.

While that sits, spoon the beef mixture into each of the 4 ramekins to start to warm them.

Place ramekins on baking tray

Then top each with equal spoonfuls of the muffin mix.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are golden. 

 

Remove each to a cooling tray for 5 minutes. Then serve each on a dinner plate.

Serve with a side vegetable if desired.

Let the remainder of the cups cool completely before sealing.

If you are feeding only 2, let the others completely cool. Seal and freeze the rest for a later meal. Then just zap them as needed.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEEy615Jzg4

Serving my Master Indy for these seven years!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Fish and Mushroom Rice

Fish is among the healthiest foods on the planet. People who eat fish regularly have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease.

They have slower rates of cognitive decline as they age. They are much less likely to become depressed. Fish eaters have a 53% decreased risk of neovascular ("wet") macular degeneration. Here in the Midwest consumption of fish is nowhere near the level is should be to keep us healthy.

Lets work on that!

Here is an easy recipe using a fairly cheap source of fish. Even people not used to eating seafood will enjoy this preparation of a white fish called tilapia. A nice sized bag of frozen fillets (6 or 7) can run under a dollar for each piece. Here we bake them on a bed of mushrooms and rice. Wonderful taste, healthy, and for about the cost of chicken.

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of frozen tilapia fillets

1½ cups of sliced mushrooms

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 Tbs flour

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup milk

5 oz carton of non fat lemon flavored Greek yogurt

1 cup uncooked white rice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. spray a 9 x 14 baking dish. Pour in the uncooked rice and set aside.

Do your cutting: rinse & chop the mushrooms, chop the onion and mine the garlic.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic.
Cook about 10 minutes or until tender.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, Old Bay Seasonings, salt & pepper.

Add the flour, Old Bay, salt, and pepper to the saucepan and cook and stir for 2 minutes. 
 

Add the milk and cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, and stir in the yogurt.
Pour over rice. 
 

Place the fillets on top, cover with foil, bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes -- Remove foil after 25 minutes and let the moisture out a little. 
 

Serve with a second side of green vegetable.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IroKajNeMY

So happy to be owned by Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon