Simple French Toast

 Simple French Toast

French toast the way my Mom used to make it. Nothing complicated. Really don't even need a recipe. So easy to make and so delicious. I could eat this every day! 

 

Simple French Toast

4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
8 thick slices of bread, better if slightly stale
1 tablespoon butter for frying
Real maple syrup, warmed 

Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl. 

 

 

Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. 

Melt some butter in a large skillet or flat griddle on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. 

 

Sprinkle with cinnamon and fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary. 

Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

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Peach Thumbprint Cookies

 Peach Thumbprint Cookies

Peach Thumbprint Cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 
1/2 cup vegetable shortening 
1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup brown sugar 
2 large egg yolks 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 cups flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
6 oz peach or apricot jam 
melted chocolate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing until well blended.

Add dough to pastry bag with a decorative tip and pipe straight down on your sheet to form the rounds about 1" in size. Then Press down on the center of the cookie rounds with your thumb to make shallow indentations. NOTE: If you choose not to make decorative cookies as shown, simply measure about 2 teaspoons of dough for each cookie and roll into balls.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Place about 1 teaspoon jam into the indentation of each cookie. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate.  Enjoy!

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The Best Alfredo Sauce Ever

 

 I’m about to give you a simple recipe that will change your mind about making what looks like complicated Italian food.  I’m about to blow your mind with a sauce that will knock your socks off.  I’m about to show you the easiest, most delicious recipe for Alfredo Sauce that will have you cooking Northern Italian food as often as you want… without any reservations….it’s that easy.  Put away the flour and forget about making a roux. If you love creamy and delicious you will love my Alfredo sauce.

  

The Best Alfredo Sauce Ever

 

½ Cup Butter (1 stick)

 1 ½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

 2 Teaspoons Garlic Minced (I buy it already minced in a jar)

 ½ Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

 ½ Teaspoon Salt

 ¼ Teaspoon Pepper

2 Cups Freshly Grated or shredded Parmesan Cheese.   

Parsley for garnish (optional) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the stick of butter to a large skillet and heat on low heat until melted.  Add 1 cup of the cream to the skillet and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whisk in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and the salt, and pepper and continue to cook on low to medium heat for another minute.  It will start to thicken. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.  Sauce will be very thick. Whisk in the remaining half cup of cream and simmer on very low heat until ready to use. 

Toss in drained pasta or follow your favorite recipe calling for Alfredo sauce.  

 

 

Boston Cream Donuts

 Boston Cream Donuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are no ordinary donuts. These will leave you wanting another... and another... until you've eaten the whole batch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Boston Cream Donuts

For the Pastry Cream

1 cup half & half
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

For the Donuts 

2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp yeast
3/4 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
Vegetable oil (for frying)

For the Glaze

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter

Pastry Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half & half until simmering. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and flour.

Add about 1/4 cup of the simmering milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until it's smooth. Then, while stirring constantly, add the egg mixture to the milk on the stove. Cook until it begins to thicken, then turn heat down to low for about 1 minute. Cook until desired consistency is reached (I wanted mine to me about like yogurt).

Pour pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (actually touch the plastic wrap to the top of the pastry cream to prevent it from drying out).

Donuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Mix together the warm water and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until activated.

Pour yeast mixture in the bottom of a stand mixer. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix with a regular paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and add the remainder of the flour. It should come clean off the sides of the bowl when you've added enough flour.

Grease a bowl and put the dough in. Cover with a damp towel. Let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (I let mine rise in my oven after turning it on for 3 minutes to warm it up a bit).

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, until it's about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 3" circles. Put on a floured cookie sheet, cover with a damp towel again, and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).

Heat up your oil until it's 350 degrees fahrenheit. Use a spatula to put 2 donuts at a time in the oil. They take about 45 secs-1 minute on each side. Put on a plate covered with paper towels.

Glaze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine cream, sugar, and butter and microwave for about 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add more chocolate, sugar, or cream to your taste or desired consistency.

Assembly
Use a chopstick to poke a hole in the side of the donut. Pipe the pastry cream using a piping bag and an open circle tip. Dip the tops in the ganache glaze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 YUM!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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French Crullers

 French Cruller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love making donuts at home. Why you ask.....when I could easily go to Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme and pick up a dozen?  Well, first of all mine are better.  And second... I don’t always feel like driving to get donuts.  Sometimes I like to put on a pot of coffee, light a fire and enjoy a fresh warm donuts.  Make that donuts! Especially these crullers.  So light and airy and addicting!   Warning: You can’t eat just one of these! 

 French Crullers 

    1 cup water 
    6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
    2 teaspoons sugar 
    1/4 teaspoon salt 
    1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 
    3 large eggs 
    2 egg whites, slightly beaten 
    vegetable oil for frying 

Cut about a dozen 3 x 3 inch squares out of wax or parchment paper and set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, salt and water in a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan. Place over medium high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Stir in the flour all at once and continue stirring until the flour is completely mixed. Keep stirring over medium-high heat. When you see a thin film start to coat the bottom of the pan, the batter is ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to stir the dough for a minute to help it cool. Turn the mixer to medium speed and add one egg. Don’t add the next egg until the previous has been completely incorporated into the dough. Then add the egg whites a little bit at a time until the dough becomes smooth and glossy and holds a little shape (not much). Don't add too much egg white or the crullers will be heavy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spray your parchment or wax paper squares on one side with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Pipe a ring of dough onto each of the squares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat your oil to 375 degrees in a heavy bottom saucepan or deep skillet. When the oil has reached that temperature, carefully place a cruller, paper-side up, into the hot oil. Paper will separate from cruller so you can remove it with tongs.

Do each cruller one at a time to lower the chance of splatters and other accidents.   Cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Flip on other side and brown for another minute. Remove donuts from fryer and let drain and cool on paper towel lined cooling rack. Repeat for all crullers. Once cooled,  mix together your glaze ingredients and dip tops of crullers in them and set aside to set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons whole milk

 
Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over crullers once slightly cooled.  Or dip the cruller into the glaze and transfer to rack to set.

 

 

 

 

 

Puffed Pastry Snickers Donuts

Puffed Pastry Snickers Donuts 

Ever get those cravings and know exactly what you want?  One early morning while running errands, I knew that I wanted a Krispy Kreme donut.  Just one of those cravings I knew I had to satisfy. So I pulled up to the drive through and I ordered one of their warm glazed donuts....you know... the kind that when you take a bite your eyes automatically roll back in your head? 

Well, the whole time I was eating it, I was wondering how they got that dough so light and flaky.  Then it dawned on me. Of course!  They used puffed pastry!  So I went home and rolled out my thawed dough, fried it in hot oil and Poof!  There it was! I had made a homemade Krispy Kreme donut and the rest is history.  Once you see how simple this is, you won't stop making them!  And the sky's the limit on the toppings. Here I made a Snickers donut!   You can thank me later.

Puffed Pastry Snickers Donuts 

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Vegetable oil, for frying

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry.  Cut circles out of puff pastry using two different sized circle cookie cutters, a larger circle for the outside and a smaller circle for the center. 

Fill a large pot with an inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the donuts in hot vegetable oil, flipping when one side is lightly golden. Donuts will puff up while frying.  Drain on paper towel line plate and prepare your topping.

Topping

3/4 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts

Salted Caramel

½ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

⅛ teaspoon sea salt

In a heavy bottomed-saucepan, add the sugar. Allow the sugar to cook over medium heat, until it turns a dark, amber. Remove the sugar from the heat and add the butter and allow it to melt. Then add the cream. It will bubble, so add it carefully. Stir in the sea salt. Transfer the caramel to a separate container and allow it to cool.

Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces of chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

In a heavy-bottomed pan, place the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer. Place the chopped chocolate into the cream. Cover the pot with an airtight lid. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes without disturbing.  After 5 minutes, mix the chocolate and cream until the ganache is smooth and shiny.

Assemble the Doughnuts

Dip the top of each doughnut in the salted caramel.  Please the caramel dipped doughnuts in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the doughnuts with chopped peanuts. Place the ganache in a Ziploc bag. Snip the corner of the bag and drizzle the doughnuts with the chocolate.

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