Blueberry Sandwiches and the Best Coffee Cake!

I came across an interesting breakfast treat on Pinterest the other day...a Blueberry French Toast Sandwich!  The recipe started with frozen french toast and that was not going to work for me.  French toast is so easy, why not start fresh?  I took that basic idea and ran with it...

French Toast Blueberry Sandwiches
When I make French toast, I start by putting a layer of 8 pieces of bread in a pre-heated-then-turned-off oven, right on the rack.  The bread will soak up the egg mixture better when it is a little dry.  (Stale bread gains new purpose with this recipe.)  This time, I had Pepperidge Farm oatmeal bread on hand, but you can use any kind you like.  Excellent results also come from French or any artisan bread - or plain white or wheat. 

Prepare a mixture of 4 eggs (beat them slightly), 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl wide enough for the bread slices to fit.  Some French toast recipes use different proportions, but this is the recipe that comes out of my head...plenty of substance with more eggs, a nice touch of vanilla, and a deliberate dose of sugar.  A challenge, to think of a recipe backwards - writing it down as you make it, instead of going from what you see in print.

Heat a griddle or large buttered skillet, and quickly dip the slightly toasty bread slices into the egg mixture.  Submerge them, but don't linger or they will fall apart.  Move each slice directly from the bowl to the griddle.  Don't dip more than you are preparing for one griddle/skillet batch, or they will become soggy and useless - then you might as well make bread pudding.

Flip when evenly browned. 

You can stop here - and serve your French toast just like this, perhaps cut diagonally and tilted to each side just like a restaurant would do.  A sprinkle of powdered sugar looks nice - and put out the butter and syrup, of course. 

But I didn't stop there.  I crafted a very simple cream cheese spread of 4 oz. cream cheese mixed with 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar.  Spread this evenly on one slice of toast - and top generously - solidly, in fact - with blueberries and another slice of your still-warm French toast.  This makes enough for 4 sandwiches.

  

This was so yummy, I had two of them.  It's a fun, easy, fruit-filled breakfast sandwich! 

T couldn't bear the thought of French toast without peanut butter and syrup.  His sandwich became delectable fruit-stuffed French toast on a plate - with plenty of toppings!

While we're in breakfast mode, I want to thank my friend Regina for providing not only delicious coffee cake for a recent morning meeting - but also for providing me with memories!  I asked, "is this the one with sour cream??" and she knew just what I was talking about.  I snapped some shots with my trusty phone and told her I'd be posting this one.  My mom used to make this often...and so have I.  It slipped from my thoughts in recent years, however, and I was happy to become re-acquainted.


The Best Coffee Cake (Regina, please correct me in the comments if I have this wrong!)

Cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine with 1 cup sugar.  Add 2 eggs and mix well.  Blend in a mixture of 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.  Mix thoroughly, then gently fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup sour cream.

For the filling, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, (1 teaspoon cocoa is an optional addition),  and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Spread 1/2 of batter in a greased/floured bundt or tube pan or a  9 x 13 baking pan.  Sprinkle on 1/2 of the filling, then add rest of the batter and remaining filling on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (45 for bundt or tube pan).  Cool completely and invert onto serving plate.

 

Everyone enjoyed it.  Some enjoyed it twice.

 

 

Sweet Love: Italian Cream Cake

Valentine's Day should be sweet and simple and full of love.   This year we'll be enjoying the sweetest - Italian Cream Cake - filled with love and butter and cream cheese and pecans and coconut!

Italian Cream Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate 5 eggs. 

Beat the 5 egg whites until fairly stiff.  If you do this first, you can move the beaten egg whites to a different bowl, then go ahead and use your mixer bowl to continue the recipe.  Otherwise...if you wait til it's time to add them, the whole process has to stop while you clean and dry your mixer bowl, assuming you're using a stand mixer.  Lesson learned the hard way over the years...I've been making this one for awhile!

Cream together 1 cup butter (2 sticks), 5 egg yolks, and 2 cups white sugar til fluffy.  Alternately mix in 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups buttermilk.  (I rarely have buttermilk on hand; instead, a generous splash of vinegar in milk gives the same result.)  Add 1 teaspoon baking soda.  Mix in 1 cup pecans or walnuts and 1 cup coconut.

Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture.

Pour the batter into three greased and floured 9 " cake pans.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes - or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let them stand in the baking pans for 10 minutes before removing - they will pull away from the sides of the pan.  Let the cake layers cool on a rack that will let them breathe.  This is a very moist cake, and some of the steam from baking needs to be released. 

Combine 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese with 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), 3 1/2 cups (1 1-lb. box or 1/2 of a 2-lb. bag) powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  (Truth? I used 2 teaspoons of vanilla because more is better in this case.)  Spread onto the cooled cake - you can ice heavily between the layers and on top, leaving the sides free of icing, or you can spread it a bit more thinly and you'll have enough to spread around the sides as well.  Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.

Fun with pecans...! 






Because there was plenty of time to make this today - it's easy but it takes awhile, especially with that important 'let it cool' step - we agreed to celebrate with JUST ONE PIECE tonight in honor of Valentine's Day Eve Eve.  We shared.




















Truly a five-heart, make it for your sweetheart kind of cake.

The Grilled Cheesy Tuna Experiment

We were just sitting there watching American Pickers and looking up stuff online - you know, your average Friday night.  It was time to kick up the excitement level.

So I decided to experiment.  Food, of course, was the subject.

I have this cool new griddle.  It's not fancy, it's a big flat nonstick surface with a temperature dial.  No bells or whistles, just a regular griddle. And we had some tuna, and some cheeses, and some banana pickles and some bread.  How about...if we put that all together...

I mixed 1 large can of tuna (12 oz.), and about 1/4 cup sliced mild banana peppers - you'll likely find them somewhere near the olives in the grocery store.  Then added 2 Tablespoons mayo, and stirred.  (This makes enough for 4 sandwiches.)

With the griddle heated to about 350 degrees, I placed 3 pieces of bread on it - a thin-sliced Pepperidge Farm oatmeal bread, lightly oiled with olive oil.  Then layered the cheeses:  Colby-Pepper Jack, American,  and Provolone.  One on each of the 3 slices that were starting to warm on the griddle.

Oh-so-scientifically, (since this was an experiment, you know?) I generously plopped some of the tuna/banana pepper/mayo mixture onto each cheesy slice, then covered with another kind of cheese. 

One had pepper jack with american, one had cheddar (had some grated cheddar around, too) with provolone, one had pepper jack with provolone...you get the picture...each with a layer of tuna mixture tucked between. 

I threw a layer of finely chopped green olives on T's because he has the kind of love for olives that makes him want them in everything.  I think they're ok...but not in EVERYthing...

I flipped them so that the other side would brown, then turned it down just a little, and left them on long enough to make sure each sandwich was warm all the way through.  Tuna salad is really good warm.

Of course I cut them diagonally, because that's how I do.

All the varieties were excellent.  I especially liked the kick of the pepper jack.  T especially liked the olives.


The Grilled Cheesy Tuna Experiment was a success. 


It's Friday night.


Life is good, and so were the sandwiches.

Kiwi in your Salad, Beer in your Bread

Simply add a spinach salad and some (incredible!) easy-to-make bread to make any meal extra-special.  We enjoyed these with the pork loin featured in the last blog.  A great combo of flavors!

Spinach Salad with Kiwi and Cranberries
Create some colorful plates from:

One package of fresh spinach - I always rinse it, and let dry.  I know the package says it's 'ready to eat.'  I'm overcautious, maybe - but safe.  You can also trim the stems from the spinach leaves if they're long.

2 - 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced.  An ultra-easy approach to hard-boiling:  gently set the eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water with at least an inch of water over the tops of the eggs.  Heat until the water boils - then from the boiling point, reduce to simmer and set a timer for 12 minutes.  Oh - you weren't watching?  Just figure approximately 10 - 15 minutes from the time you think it started boiling, because you're likely to miss the exact moment anyway.  Drain the water from the pan and fill/refill the pan with cold water until it stays cool.  This is what I do every time and they turn out fine.  I'd love to hear your method - according to a quick search, there are as many ways to boil eggs as there are cooks. 

2 thinly-sliced kiwi

5 slices cooked bacon - There were 7. Then there were 5. I love bacon. 

and 1/4 cup dried cranberries.  We made our own!  (Cut 3/4 c. cranberries in half; soak in 1/4 c. brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons American Honey liqueur for 2 or 3 hours.  Heat oven to 350, then turn it off and put them - on parchment paper - in the oven to dry.  They'll be good for a salad about the time the oven cools - and WAY better than the ones from a bag.)

 

The Salad Dressing is what makes this divine:  Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon dijon or spicy brown mustard (I used one called 'honey champagne.')  Season with salt and cracked pepper.  This recipe makes plenty of dressing, so don't pour the whole thing in with the spinach.  Just drizzle over - and you'll have plenty left to enjoy later.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds for an added texture twist.

Jump off the low-carb wagon for just a few minutes...I'm sure this is among the quickest - and tastiest - breads you can make.  

I thought about calling this Blue Moon Bread  (yours might be Bud Light Bread or Killian's Bread or Coors Bread or....whatever you might borrow from the neighbor if you don't have any in the house) but to make it a little less wordy, let's just call it:

Beer and Honey Bread

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (because it needs to be hot as soon as the batter is ready, and that won't take long) and grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir 1 bottle or can (12 ounces) of beer and 2 Tablespoons honey.  If you microwave the honey for a few seconds, it will stir in very easily.  Stir til just mixed - it should be foamy, and you don't want to break that down too much.

Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter.  Pour 2 Tablespoons of the butter into the bottom of the loaf pan, then spoon the batter into the pan.  Pour the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter evenly over the batter.  Oh yes, that's what it looks like...just do it. 

Bake 50 to 60 minutes - the top will become golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the bread will come out clean.  Serve warm.

You can turn this into beer-cheese bread by adding a cup or so of any kind of cheese - I'm thinking pepper-jack or sharp cheddar would be excellent choices!  I've read that the darker the beer, the darker the bread. 

And toast...if there is any left in the morning, what delightful toast...(no, it doesn't smell like beer - it smells like warm, toasty, honeylicious BREAD!)

Bacon-wrapped and Herb-smothered Loins

Some weekend mornings, I'd prefer not to think at all.  I awoke yesterday morning thinking "I wonder how kiwi would taste on a spinach salad..." and "the pork tenderloin is still in the freezer...!"  We celebrated my daughter Abby's birthday with a fabulously fun family dinner - complete with lots of giggly play-time with the little guys.  

Side note:  you can make a ramp for little cars from a cookie sheet.  In case you're looking for something to do...

When Jodi and her new husband Evan were visiting at Christmastime, I tried a new recipe that was worth repeating, for two reasons - one, because it was tender and delicious, and two - because I had frozen the second of the two (packaged together) tenderloins, smothered in the glaze.  You seldom see a recipe that says 'marinate for six weeks' but that's essentially what happened.  I'll do it on purpose next time - the results were delicious, and it made dinner prep that much easier!

Here's the recipe:


Bacon-Wrapped Dijon Tenderloin

Heat 1/2 c packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard, 4 Tablespoons of apple juice, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a small saucepan until the brown sugar melts and the flavors blend.  Rub the tenderloin with half of the glaze (this is the point after which I tightly wrapped and froze one of the little loins).  Wrap the tenderloin with 6 pieces of thick-sliced bacon.

Jodi tried this recipe recently without the bacon and said it was very good that way, too.  Important fact:  You will be extremely sorry if you don't line the baking pan with foil, bacon or not.  Brush the top of the (now bacon-wrapped) meat again with the glaze, and bake at 400 degrees for an hour.   Then, I turned the oven to 350 and baked it a bit longer - I wanted the bacon to look 'just right' and be nicely crispy.

About pork-roasting temps:  You are looking for an internal temperature of no more than 145 degrees. When you take the roast out of the oven it will continue to cook, so after resting for 15 - 20 minutes it will reach the perfect temperature of 150 - 155 degrees.

Slice and serve! 


My birthday girl requested a spinach salad to go with this yummy tenderloin.  I pulled together a number of ideas and ended up with a recipe that was so good, I'm going to feature it next time, complete with how-to for liqueur-infused cranberries!

We also enjoyed mashed potatoes, incredibly easy and good beer bread (watch for the recipe along with the spinach salad) - and Texas sheet cake (thanks, Pioneer Woman) with ice cream.  Texas sheet cake has been around for generations, and I don't think Ree's taking claim for inventing it.  She does do a great job of showing how to make it!  Nor should Paula what's-her-name.  My mom and all the church ladies were making this a few decades ago.  It's a classic and still chocolatey-wonderful!

I mentioned to my friend Eden that I was going to write a blog about our dinner, and she got as excited as anyone can get when you mention the words "pork tenderloin."  She had much the same experience recently - not that either of us is braggin'(ok, just a bit) but we both got comments of "better than a restaurant."  Who knew people would have so much to say about pork tenderloin!   

Consider this a two-for-one deal! 


Eden's Pork Loin

Combine in a small bowl 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, minced), 1 -2 tablespoons crushed red pepper (or cayenne pepper - depending on the spicy-attitude of your guests), 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 teaspoons fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon dried  cilantro.  Blend with 2 tablespoons olive oil (or maybe a bit more).  It should be a thick pasty/grainy mixture.  With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat.

Eden noted that she substituted the last 5 dried seasonings with 4-5 teaspoons of dried Herb De Provence.  Good choice, Eden!

Place 1 boneless pork loin, with fat left on (she only used half, like I did, saving the rest for another time) uncovered in a roasting pan.  Eden mentions that glass works the best if you have it - she doesn’t use a rack but you can if you have one.

Roast the pork in a preheated 475 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until it looks a bit golden and you can really smell the seasonings, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional hour or so…using an internal thermometer to check for doneness.  Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving for maximum juiciness. It will continue to cook while it rests.

NOTE: The juices on the bottom will begin to blacken as it cooks, so Eden adds a bit of white wine and water intermittently to keep the drippings browning but not blackening. After removing the pork loin to rest before slicing, she puts more wine/water (or chicken stock if you have some handy) in the pan and scrapes off the brown crusty stuff with a spoon. Put the pan back in oven to heat and blend. Serve the juice over the sliced loin. YUM YUM YUM (I think this was her favorite part.)

Eden serves this pork dish with oven roasted potatoes, onions and carrots. Cut potatoes and onions into quarters, and use mini baby carrots. Put them all in a roasting pan with some white wine, several chicken bouillon cubes, and cover with foil. After they soften (up to an hour), uncover them for a nice roasted brownness. 

She likes to serve this pasta dish alongside:

Garlic Mushroom Pasta Aioli

Sauté 6-8 crushed cloves garlic, 1 pound of sliced fresh mushrooms (any type), 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper in about 2 Tablespoons olive oil. While this is sautéeing on low, boil the penne to the al dente stage. When the mushrooms begin to get soft (but not mushy), drain the pasta and add all of the oil/mushroom/garlic mixture to the pasta pan and blend. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese just before serving.

 

Thanks, Eden!  (Watch for Eden's blog with tips for frugal living, coming soon.  I'll let you know.)