Sunday Brunch/Decadent French Toast with Maple Caramelized Apples

We said goodbye to our precious Gracie this past week. She has been a part of our family for the past 11 years, and will continue to be a part of my heart forever. Below is one of my favorite pictures as I think it shows her gentle spirit. She was my constant shadow, always near by, but never intrusive. Going back to my studio has been so very difficult as she was my only dog who would come down and hang with me. But then too, I think she loved the cool tile floor :) I'm so very grateful for all she added to my life. 

I haven't cooked all week, but this morning, it felt right.

A number of years ago, we always went out for breakfast after we had been to church. We then began going to an evening mass on Sunday, so I started making breakfast. I am now at a point that I would much rather eat at home as I always enjoy my own food far more than anything I can get in a restaurant. And...truth be told, I also get to stay in my pajamas ;)

This morning I made a kinda sorta new recipe for french toast. My husband loved it and I think you might enjoy it as well :) Decadent French Toast with Maple Caramelized Apples. 

For the french toast, begin with 6 eggs. Beat them well with a fork.

To the egg mixture, add 1 cup of almond milk, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix all until well blended. 

For the apples, peel and slice 3 medium to large apples. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add the apples and stir well to coat with the butter. Cook until apple slices begin to brown. Add 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until apples are tender.

Place bread in egg mixture and allow it to soak up the mixture until the bread is quite moist. Heat another pan, and add a little butter, a teaspoon or so. Place soaked bread in skillet and cook until golden brown, then turn and allow other side to become brown. Continue soaking bread until egg mixture is gone.

Serve the french toast with the caramelized apples. A nice addition to the apple topping would be toasted walnuts. Yum!
   

Decadent French Toast with 
Maple Caramelized Apples
serves 6
downloadable recipe

ingredients;
For apples
3 medium to large apples, peeled and sliced 
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for cooking french toast
1/2 cup maple syrup 
For french toast
6 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 slices of hearty bread

For apples;
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add apples and stir to coat apples with butter. Cook until apples begin to brown. Add maple syrup, stir and reduce heat to low and allow apples to simmer until tender. About 5 minutes.

For french toast;
Beat eggs with a fork until well blended and frothy. Add milk, extract, nutmeg and cinnamon and stir until well blended. soak bread in mixture until bread is well soaked. Heat another skillet over medium heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of butter per 2 slices of bread. Place soaked break in skillet and cook on each side until golden brown. 

Serve french toast with the maple caramelized apples. Sit back and wait for the compliments to come rolling in! :) Be patient as it may take a few minutes before their mouths aren't full!!!

Enjoy!

We have a tendency to live our days as though this life will go on forever. Take a few moments to pause, look at your loved ones, your pets, think about how they have enriched your life. And then, take another moment to say thank you. It only needs to be in your heart. One thing that I have learned is that what is in our hearts comes out in everything we do.
 Rhonda

Sunday Brunch/Baked Apple Pancake

I love to make a special breakfast on Sunday mornings. Just seems like the perfect way to begin the day :)

I gave my husband a few choices for today's brunch/breakfast, and without a skipping a beat he said, "apple pancake!" 

I originally posted the recipe HERE, so this is a repeat. But, things get lost in a blog, so I thought reposting it, especially since I just made one this morning would be a nice reminder of something that's delicious, and easy to make.
   
This is a fabulous recipe when you have a number of mouths to feed. I like to double the recipe. When doubled, it will easily feed 6, and if you include a few other items on your brunch table, it will stretch to 8.

Baked APPLE PANCAKE
serves 4

Ingredients;

3 medium apples peeled and sliced, I used Fugi Apples
1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup of chopped pecans or nut of choice
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 milk (I use unsweetened Almond milk)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and slice apples. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet. Add apples and saute until tender. Add raisins or cranberries. Add nuts of choice and cinnamon. Stir well. 

In a blender, blend eggs until frothy. Add milk and extract and continue to blend. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time and blend well. Pour batter mixture over apples.

Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pancake begins to crack and is lightly browned.

Place large serving dish over the top of the skillet and invert pancake. Replace any apples that may have stayed behind in the pan.
Slice and serve with powdered sugar.

Be sure to print out the recipe. Once you make it, you'll make it over and over again! And too, you can slice it up and freeze the slices for later!

Happy Sunday!

 Rhonda

Something Sweet on Sunday/Rustic Tart

For those of you who look forward to soup recipes, I'll have something new up next week :)

I always enjoy sharing recipes that are easy, and yet delicious. While I love a traditional pie, time can be of the essence at times, and I need a delightful dessert that just won't take as much time as putting a pie crust together. The recipe I'm sharing today works well with apples and berries alike. I call it a Rustic Tart.

I always keep a package of Puff Pastry in my freezer. You can find these in your grocer's freezer section. The package contains 2 sheets, so take 1 out for a tart, and save the other until the next time!

I begin with my fruit. For this tart, I used 2 apples, and 2 pears, skin removed and sliced . I don't like a really sweet pie, so I use about 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup of flour to coat the fruit.

Once the fruit is ready, I take 1 sheet of puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface to about the size of a large cookie sheet. I like to sprinkle the pastry with a thin layer of minute tapioca. This will help to thicken up the fruit juice as the tart cooks.  

The fruit is then piled high in the center. Dot the top of the fruit with approximately 1 tablespoon of butter.

Pull the ends of the pastry over the fruit to close the tart.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush over pastry. 

Sprinkle the buttered pastry with sugar and cinnamon. Then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

As the tart bakes. the smell in your kitchen will be so welcoming!

I forgot to get a picture of the finished apple and pear tart. But, I had made a strawberry and blueberry tart using the same directions. As you can see, this is a very versatile recipe.

Rustic Tart

ingredients;

1 sheet of puffed pastry
2 apples
2 pears
2 tablespoons butter divided
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon minute tapioca

directions;

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove skin from apples and pears, and slice. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon to fruit mixture and stir to coat. Set aside,

Sprinkle surface with flour. Roll out puffed pastry sheet to size of a large cookie sheet. Line baking sheet with baking paper and place rolled out pastry sheet on top. Sprinkle center of sheet with minute tapioca. Pile prepared fruit in center of sheet. Dot fruit with 1 tablespoon of butter. Fold pastry over fruit to cover. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush over pastry crust. Sprinkle buttered pastry with sugar and cinnamon.

Place tart in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool, slice and enjoy!

This is a recipe that my husband absolutely loves. If you give it a try, I hope your family will love it too!

  Rhonda

Tuesday Tart/An Easy Rustic Apple Tart

A few months ago, I was in for my usual eye checkup. Long story short, I was told that I have a cataract in my left eye, not one that is growing, but one that needs to be removed. Shocked, and I don't know why. Between the moles on my retina and the threat of cancer in my eyes, nothing should shock me at this point. But, it did. I looked at the doctor in disbelief and said, rather, exclaimed, "But I'm too too young to have cataracts!" The doctor is a lovely, gentle man. He smiled a caring smile and said that while typically that's true, even children can get cataracts, although it's rare, and the situation I have is also quite rare. My right eye is absolutely fine, in fact very close to perfect vision. 

Yesterday, I saw the surgeon who will remove the cataract. She did find the formation of another mole, a third one, on my right retina. She said that there was no sign of malignancy whatsoever, but I was disappointed to hear that yet another is forming. 

A few days ago, my husband and I were driving back to Chicago, actually, I was driving. I looked down and saw that the engine light was flashing. We stopped, got out the manual, checked the oil, and did all the other things the manual suggested. Turned the car back on and the light was still flashing. The manual said to drive at no more than 31 miles per hour and get to the nearest dealer. Thank God for cell phones!!! I found a dealer in Moline, IL that was only a few miles away. As we drove, I told my husband, knowing that he was quite upset, "this is not the end of the world, it's a car, no one is dying." As it turned out, it was an issue that Honda knows about. The mechanic changed a spark plug, wrote up what was wrong, and told us that we would easily make it to Chicago and have time to get the vehicle to our dealer. The work the mechanic did was under warranty, so no charge, and the work that needs to be done will be covered as it's a recall situation with Honda. I have never had such a positive, pleasant experience at a dealership. I told my husband that we will purchase our next vehicle from Zimmerman Honda in Moline, IL! 

As my husband drove me home from my doctor's appointment yesterday, I thought about the car situation, and how well it turned out. I thought about my angst over my eyes, and then I whispered my words back to myself, "this is not the end of the world, no one is dying," and I added, "even if I do lose my eyesight, all will be fine." 

I recently found this below. A beautiful reminder to just let go and live as fully as we possibly can.  

I love dessert! Hey, who doesn't?!!! While a complicated dessert can be fun to make from time to time, I find that especially when I have a dinner party, a complicated dessert is just too much after a meal. And too, making a complicated dessert on top of all the other things you have to do when preparing for guests, well, it can be a little overwhelming.

This simple dessert is nothing more than a little puffed pastry, apples, cinnamon, sugar, and butter. What's not to like, right?!! And then the smell of it baking, just the best!  

Depending upon how many you will be serving, take a full sheet of puffed pastry, or a half, and roll it out on a floured surface.

Remove the skin from the apples and slice. Arrange in the center of the pastry sheet. Sprinkle with mixed cinnamon and sugar. The amount will be up to you. I don't like a lot of sugar as I find the apples to be fairly sweet on their own. If you would like, you can add raisins, and or walnuts to the top of your apples. 

Slice butter and arrange on top of apples.

Fold the edges of the puffed pastry dough over the apple mixture. Place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough has browned and the apples are oozing a bit of juice.

Allow to cool a bit before serving. 
Slice and serve with a cream topping. Your guests will LOVE it! And it's just the right amount of sweet after a meal.

When I was learning to fly, and just about to be signed off to begin my solo work, my instructor gave me some wonderful advice, "If you ever have a question about whether or not you should take a flight, be it weather issues, mechanical issues, or your own physical state, ask yourself, how important will this flight be to you in 5 years. I can assure you, it will never be worth your life."  

So often, I know that I can get so upset about things that really don't matter. I've learned, or rather, I am learning to take a breath, give myself a moment to think, and I will usually realize that whatever it is that I am so worked up over, it really doesn't matter to the degree that I am allowing it to upset me.    

Take a breath :)

Rhonda

Sunday's Salad/Fennel, Apple and Blue Cheese Salad

What a week, a week filled with good things, bad things, sad things, and very little blogging things. But, the good out weighs the bad, and the bad is behind me, so happily, I move on! 

This time of year is such a joy for me, my tomatoes are coming in and I have tons of basil, so tons of pesto. Nothing better than an open face pesto sandwich. Makes my mouth water just to think about it. All I do is toast a great piece of bread, spread it with a mound of pesto, and then add a layer of my fresh tomatoes. A little salt and pepper, and it's luncheon heaven :)

Another favorite item, other than soups, are fun salads. I have fallen in love with fennel! Earlier this past week, I had purchased fresh fennel. As I was looking in my refrigerator, thinking about what I might like to make, the thought of pairing an apple with the fennel and then tossing it all with mixed greens sounded perfect.  

I placed about 3 heaping cups of mixed greens in my salad bowl, and topped them with a thinly sliced red delicious apple. 

I then added 1 bulb of  fennel which I sliced. Please do not follow my lead, chop the fennel, it'll be easier to eat and much more enjoyable.

I then added 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese, and 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans.

Now, the dressing I made, was simple and fabulous. A friend gave me a bottle of blood orange olive oil, and a bottle of tangerine balsamic vinegar.
   

I used 1/3 cup of the oil and 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, whipped it together and then poured it over the salad. 

HEAVEN!!!

The nice thing about the oil and vinegar is that they are available to order. For those of you who live in or near Chicago, they have stores on Wells St. here in Chicago, and another in Evanston. 

If you would like to order the oil and vinegar, you can find them HERE, and HERE. Well worth the investment. 

Fennel, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad
printable recipe

3 heaping cups fresh mixed salad greens
1 red delicious apple thinly sliced
1 bulb of fennel chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

For the dressing:

1/3 cup blood orange olive oil
2 tablespoons tangerine balsamic vinegar

Whip together, pour over salad, toss and serve.    

A Little Something Sweet On Sunday/Easy Apple Tart

After a little absence, I'm back with something sweet and so, so easy to make. If you are in need of an easy dessert that will still impress, this apple tart is a must!  

Easy Apple Tart

1 Sheet puff pastry

3 Granny Smith Apples peeled and sliced

1 12 1/2 oz. can Almond Cake and Pastry Filling

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons butter melted

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Begin with 3 large Granny Smith apples. Peel and slice. Set aside.

Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry to fit a 9" x 13" baking sheet. Make sure that the edges overlap the edge of the baking sheet. Lightly grease pan before laying out pastry.

Take 1 can of almond cake and pastry filling and spread evenly over puff pastry.

Arrange sliced apples over almond filling.

Sprinkle cinnamon over apples.

Sprinkle sugar and slivered almonds over apples and cinnamon.

Crimp edges of the puff pastry inside the baking sheet. This is a rustic tart, so the edges don't need to be perfect.
Brush melted butter over apples and the edges of the puff pastry.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake tart for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the almond filling is bubbling between apples. 

This will yield 8 slices.
Serve as is, or if you like, serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I like it just as it is :) 
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Sunday Brunch

We have our first dusting of snow covering the ground here in Chicago. Flurries are flying outside the window and I have a fire going. It's winter :) On days like this, my thoughts turn to dishes that will warm my body and my home. I posted this dish quite some time ago, but I thought I would repost it since so many of you are new to the blog since the last posting. If you love apples and cinnamon, I think you'll love this dish. I had to smile a little at my husband this morning when I told him that I thought I would make an apple pancake for our breakfast. His eyes got wide and he said,"well, that would be great!"

APPLE PANCAKE

Ingredients;

3 medium apples peeled and sliced, I used Fugi Apples
1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup of chopped pecans or nut of choice
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 milk (I use unsweetened Almond milk)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and slice apples. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet. Add apples and saute until tender. Add raisins or cranberries.

 Add nuts of choice and cinnamon.

 Stir well.

In a blender, blend eggs until frothy. Add milk and extract and continue to blend. Add flour 1/4 cup at a time and blend well.
Pour batter mixture over apples.

Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pancake begins to crack and is lightly browned.

Place large serving dish over the top of the skillet and invert pancake. Replace any apples that may have stayed behind in the pan.
Slice and serve with powdered sugar.

The recipe will serve 4.
Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the pancake on the serving dish. It makes a lovely breakfast presentation and would be great for any special occasion.
You may have noticed that I did not add sugar to this recipe. If you would like a sweeter dish, add a little brown sugar to the apples just before you pour the pancake batter over the apples.
Enjoy!
Rhonda