Peach French Toast

Mmmm…one of our favorite recipes.  Start it the night before and you will have an easy, delicious and very aromatic breakfast. 

PEACH FRENCH TOAST

1 c packed brown sugar

2 T reserved peach juice

½ c butter

1 quart bottled peach slices, drained (or 29oz can)

½ to ¾ loaf French Bread, chopped into 1” cubes

6 eggs

1 T vanilla extract

Cinnamon to taste

1 ½ c milk

In a saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, juice and butter.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour the brown sugar mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and tilt the dish to cover the entire bottom.  Place peaches in a layer over the sugar coating, then top with cubes French bread.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and milk.  Slowly pour over the bread cubes to coat evenly.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to come to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread starts to look toasty brown.  Spoon out portions to serve.  SMELLS WONDERFUL when cooking!

White Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Whoa!  These are so good it is worth it to step away from the machine and go make some (I did as refreshments for the band concert).  But, don’t blame me that they are so good.  The idea (with a few modifications) came from Susan.

White Chocolate Ginger Cookies

1 cup shortening

1-1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

2 eggs

12 oz white chocolate chips

2-3/4  cups flour (I like to use 1 cup whole wheat and 1-3/4 cups white flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Blend  shortening, brown sugar, eggs and molasses until creamy.  Add chips. Combine  flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a separate bowl.  Add to sugar mixture and stir until well blended.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

This Is Not Soup

Husband does not think soup is a summer food.  Only for winter.  Too hot in summer.  But, last week while the children were gone he cooked dinner one night.  “That looks like soup,”  I said.

“Oh, no.”  He replied.  “It is vegetable-plate-in-a-bowl. With cornbread.”

Chewy Peanut Butter Trail Bars

Mmmm…

This recipe is good for a quick-to-fix treat or can be made ahead to have on hand for those days when you don’t have time for breakfast, or hiking snacks, or…

Also, by using rice, oats and corn, they can be made gluten-free if you have a friend or family member with allergies.

CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER TRAIL BARS

3/4 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

a total of 2 1/2 cups grain stuff (1/2-3/4 cup each type) like: graham cracker crumbs, granola, quick oats, crushed Cheerios or Chex cereal, Rice Crispies, etc.

a total of 2 cups fillings (1/2-3/4 cup each type) like: chopped peanuts, walnuts or pecans, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, carob chips, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, etc.

Heat honey and peanut butter until melted and smooth.  Put all other ingredients in a middle-size bowl.  Add honey and peanut butter to dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Press down into a 9×9 baking style pan. Score. Cool.  Eat quickly before someone else does.

 

Deadly Dessert

We don’t do it very often, because it is toooooo much, but the other day our foster daughter and her husband came for dinner and she brought brownies, so out came the deadly dessert.

Except that we were out of chocolate syrup, so I improvised and it turned out well enough that it seemed worth sharing.

EMERGENCY CHOCOLATE SYRUP

1 12oz can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces semi sweet or dark chocolate (I used the little squares that come wrapped in paper, but chips would do)

Combine in a saucepan over med-low heat and stir until the chocolate melts. Eat as desired.

That is all there is to it!

If there are any leftovers, you should probably refrigerate them.

We had very little to refrigerate.

No-Knead Bread

Decent quality bread has become very expensive.  So, starting about two years ago, I make virtually all of our bread.  It really isn’t hard and it is so worth the time spent. 

Bakery bread runs $4-6 a loaf around here.  The bread I make costs around 70-cents for the same loaf.

Another day I will share my regular sandwich bread recipe, but for today we have:

No Knead Bread

To make 2 loaves

 6 cups flour

3 cups water

½ teaspoon yeast

1 ½ teaspoons salt

 Mix in a large plastic bowl with a lid or that you can cover.  Let sit at room temperature overnight. 

When ready to make bread, take about half of the dough and shape into a round loaf.  If it was at room temperature, let sit while the oven warms up.  If chilled, let it sit about an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 450F.  Dust bottom of covered Dutch Oven with cornmeal.  Place round dough into pan and cover.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and bake another 15 minutes.  Increase cooking times as needed to adjust for your oven and circumstances.

ENJOY!

When you start to bake your second loaf, mix up another batch of dough in the same bowl and you will be ready for more bread the next day. 

This is my version of THIS RECIPE.  We love it with soup or spaghetti or just because.  If you are part of a smaller family (or a family with smaller appetities), this can be divided into three loaves. The dough stores in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Molasses Crinkles

When I am in the mood to browse recipes, I sometimes turn to an old favorite cookbook.

Published in 1950.  A thrift store gift from a friend.

Mmmmm…..cookies!

Molasses Crinkles

 Mix together thoroughly…

3/4 cup soft shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Sift together and stir in…

2-1/2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

Chill dough.  Roll into balls the size of large walnuts.  Dip tops in sugar.  Place, sugared-side-up, 3″ apart on greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle each cooky with 2 or 3 drops of water to produce a crackled surface.  Bake just until set but not hard.

TEMPERATURE:  375F (quick, moderate oven)

TIME:  Bake 10-12 minutes

AMOUNT:  About 4 doz. 2-1/2″ cookies

NOTE:  I have used abbreviations and spellings as printed.  I did not grease my cookie sheet and they worked out just fine.

They smell delicious baking and taste even better.