SO GOOD FRENCH TOAST

It is sweet. It is hearty. It is delicious. Yes, I am talking about this awesome french toast you see above. It is easy and fun to make, and will brighten up any morning. Trust me on this one.

So Good French Toast

For two slices

1 egg

a little less than 1/4 cup of milk (I use skim)

2 tbs granulated sugar

1 tbs brown sugar

2 slices of whole grain toast (I like the kind with plenty of seeds and grains)

2 good dashes of cinnamon, about 1/4 tsp

Cooking spray

1 peach

Handful of raspberries

Crack egg and beat in a shallow bowl. Make sure this bowl is wide enough to dip your toast in. Add milk and sugar, and mix. Add cinnamon, and mix. Note that the cinnamon tends to stay on the surface of the milk and doesn't like to mix in, so try your best.

Heat your skillet to between med to med-hi. Spray cooking spray.

Dip your toast in the milk mixture on both sides and add to the pan. Also note that the cinnamon tends to stick to the first slice of toast, leaving you with none for the second slice. I just add some more to the milk, or sprinkle it on top of the toast as it cooks.

Cook the toast for about 3-4 minutes per side. You will end up with deliciously golden french toast. Remove from heat and top with fruit and syrup and you are ready to go!

GREENS AND BEANS SALAD

You know when you really need to make a good but super fast and easy meal? Well that's the situation I was in tonight. I'm in the middle of exams and essays and, thus, am in a rush. I looked into my fridge to see what I had. Some left over fajita toppings (jalapenos, avocados, lettuce), which I thought I would put to good use. This salad is great because you can toss whatever you want into it and have something healthy, hearty, and delish ready in less than 7 minutes. I used canned beans since I was in a rush , but you could always soak some fresh ones. This would evidently take more than 7 minutes.

Greens and Beans Salad

Serves two

For the Salad:

1 can mixed beans

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

1/2 cup avocados, chopped into small chunks

1 stem green onion

3 rounds from a jalapeno pepper, finely minced

For the Dressing:

Juice of 1 small lemon, or 1/2 a big lemon

3 tbs olive oil

splash of red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the solid ingredients in a bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and shake well. Pour dressing over salad, mix well, and eat! If you have some time, it would be a good idea to refrigerate before eating for about an hour so that all the flavours blend together. But I ate it just after making and it tasted awesome. Enjoy!

APPLE PUFF PASTRY TART

I've recently taken a liking to a blog called Zen Can Cook. It is very french and very fabulous. So upon browsing his recipe library, I found one involving apples and frangipane and I fell in love. I had some puff pastry in the freezer and took a shot at it! Let me tell you, it is yum.

Also, in terms of the recipe, I tend to "eye" my measurements and go with the flow of things. I will try to keep the measurements below as accurate as possible, but I highly encourage you to go with the flow as well. Sometimes, that's how you make a good recipe even better!

Recipe for Apple Puff Pastry Tart

Adapted from Zen Can Cook

For the puff pastry:

1 roll puff pastry

1 egg

For the frangipane:

3/4 cup almonds

a little less than 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs flour

1 egg

2 tbs softened butter

For the apples:

1 1/2 granny smith apple, sliced thinly

1 tbs butter

1 tbs granulated sugar

a few dashes of cinnamon

Thaw the puff pastry roll as directed. Set the oven at 375.

For the frangipane:

In a food processor, blend the almonds and both kinds of sugar until the almond is essentially powdered. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Proceed by adding the butter and blending again. Add the egg and blend. Finally, add the flower to thicken, and blend. Taste it, it's awesome. Roll out the puff pastry into a square; spread the frangipane onto the pastry, being sure to leave a the edge clean for the crust. If you have some remaining frangipane, Zen says you can freeze it for future use. I had about a tbs left and ate it... it's too good.

Apples:

Layer the apples over the frangipane, also being sure to leave room for the crust. Heat the butter and paint it over the apples. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over apples. For the finishing touch, beat the last egg, and paint it over the crust so that it becomes beautifully golden as it bakes.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Slice, and enjoy!

MARSALA SAUCE WITH A TWEAK

This Marsala sauce might be one of the best things I have made in quite a while. It was just so delicious, I felt I really needed to share this. I know Marsala sauce is usually served atop chicken or veal, but I love it on pastas, ravioli, or agnolotti. It is very simple to make and requires barely any preparation. I am actually certain you will thoroughly enjoy this.

I add basil to the Marsala sauce, though it isn't part of the traditional recipe. Trust me, you won't regret it. It is such a wonderful addition and adds a quiet yet savoury flavour to the sauce that is just wonderful.

4 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup onions, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

about 10 white mushrooms, unstemmed and sliced

3 tbs all purpose flour

8-12 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

2 tbs butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup marsala wine, or white wine

1 1/2-3/4 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste (though you will need more salt)

Heat olive oil in a saucepan on med to med hi and add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are tender, but take care not to burn the onions or garlic. (This should take a few minutes)

Next, sprinkle the flour over the contents of the saucepan, mix so all contents are coated, and cook for another minute or so. The flour will serve to soak in flavour as well as thicken the sauce.

Next add the wine, beef stock, and butter and stir. Reduce heat to a setting between med-low and med, depending on how strong your burner is. Once the butter has melted, add basil. Add the salt and pepper and allow to reduce until the sauce has thickened enough to thinly coat a spoon. If the sauce is not thickening, add a tad more flour, but do so slowly, because a little makes a big difference.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and serve over pasta or meat.

Enjoy!

VERY EASY GARLIC BUTTER

I love garlic butter. Most people simply spread it onto a crusty focaccia or fluffy baguette, but you can also toss some in with plain pasta and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top, and you have wonderfully flavoured, yet simple meal. It can also be used to flavour chicken or fish dishes.

Recipe for every two tbs of butter/margarine. I apologize for such small serving sizes, but when

I cook, it's usually in small portions, so you have to do the math.

2 tbs of margarine of butter

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 clove of garlic, minced

Thoroughly mix all ingredients above with a spoon in a cup-sized bowl. This is easier when using margarine simply because it mixes so easily. If you choose to use butter, simply melt it for 10 to 15 seconds, mix with the remainder of the ingredients, and toss back into the fridge for it to solidify.

SIMPLE BRUSCETTA

2 field tomatoes, diced

1/2 a small white onion, diced

5 basil leaves, sliced or torn roughly

1 pinch of dried parsley, you can use fresh parsley if you have some handy

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp parmesan cheese

1 dash of garlic salt or granulated garlic

2 to 3 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

All there is to it is mixing the ingredients above! It makes a wonderful topper on sliced baguette or olive loaf.

I personally prefer to slice the bread, top it with mozzarella and feta for a tangy flavour, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese melts and the bread toasts. Then, I take them out and top them with the mix, so that it stays nice and fresh.

Let me know what you think!

THE FIRST ONE

To say it plainly, I love food. I love to cook and so I'm going to write about it. I've always had this dream of sorts that I would write a recipe book, and this might be a step in that direction. I'm not really sure what this blog will turn out to be, but I hope you enjoy what I have to say.