Easy French Toast

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and it has me thinking about food! My husband's favorite meal of the day is breakfast, and while I don't make an extravagant breakfast for him on the daily, I do like to spoil him from time-to-time with my homemade french toast. 

The key to making good french toast is all about the bread. While you can use several types of bread to make french toast, the best is soft, brioche bread. It is spongy, thick, and makes for a great texture. It also has a little natural sweetness which compliments this sugary breakfast. Another key to making perfect french toast is the amount of egg wash you use. I've made the mistake in the past of allowing the bread to sop up a ton of liquid which results in a less than desirable result. To achieve the perfect amount of egg wash to bread ratio, coat your bread on each side with the egg wash and then transfer it to your skillet. Adding too much will make the bread soggy even after toasting. I like to use half & half instead of milk in my mixture for a richer flavor. 

For garnish, I usually use fresh berries, chocolate, and powdered sugar. I recently discovered an amazing addition to this decadent breakfast - chocolate covered pretzels. Yep, you heard me right. It is amazing. I crush up the chocolate covered pretzels and sprinkle a little on each piece of toast. It gives the perfect amount of crunch and adds a little saltiness to balance out the sweet! Let me know if you try it out. ;)

French Toast

Preparation:  5 min  Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients

        

          6 slices of thick bread

          3 eggs

          1 cup milk or half & half

          1 tsp vanilla extract

          1 tsp cinnamon
          Butter for frying pan
          Maple syrup
          For garnish: walnuts or pecans, raspberries, shredded chocolate, powdered sugar

Instructions

          1) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk until well combined. Add the cinnamon and vanilla.

          

          2) Dunk your bread into the mixture and turn until the bread is coated, but not soaked.

          3) In a frying pan, melt butter to coat the pan on medium heat, about 1 tbsp per 2 bread slices. 

          4) Cook each side for 3-6 minutes, or until golden and toasted.

           5) Transfer each piece to a plate and layer them down the plate so that each piece is exposed.

           6) Using a strainer, pour your desired amount of powdered sugar into the strainer and dust over 

                 the bread.

           7) Garnish as you like and top with syrup.

Enjoy!

Deviled Eggs

Brunch is one of my favorite meals. More than going out for brunch, I really enjoy cooking it when we have company. I always set out a mini bloody mary bar, mimosas, and make quiche, my hash brown casserole and these deviled eggs. There's nothing fancy to these. Hey, if a recipe ain't broke, don't fix it.

A few years ago for Easter I attempted making crab-stuffed deviled eggs. They were tasty, but I found myself missing the classic. These deviled eggs are a little creamier in texture than some others I've tried, because I decided to add extra mayo to the recipe. The small amount of vinegar in this recipe gives these eggs the perfect zing.

I like to pipe my filling into my eggs because a) it makes them look nice and b) I have better control over the amount going into each egg rather than scooping heaping dollops into them. I like the perfect ratio of egg to filling: half and half. For garnish, I only used one piece of bacon that I cut into tiny little pieces. I also topped them with a small amount of chives and paprika for a pop of color and added flavor. I hope you enjoy these tasty little treats! Watch them disappear before your eyes. They're addictive.

Classic Deviled Eggs

Preparation:  20 min

                  Cook Time: 15 min  Total Time: 35 min                       

Ingredients

        

          6 large eggs

          1/4 cup + 2 tbsp mayonnaise

          1 tbsp yellow mustard

          1/2 tsp vinegar

          1/4 tsp salt

          Paprika, bacon and chives for garnish

Instructions

          1) Boil eggs as you regularly would. I find the easiest way to do this is to put the eggs in the water and 

               bring the water to a boil. Once the boil is achieved, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. 

               Allow the eggs to sit in the water for 12-14 minutes after. In a bowl of ice water, transfer the eggs and 

               allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Peel and place back into the water until all are peeled. 

               Then remove them from the water and place them on a towel.

          2) Begin halving the eggs, adding the yolks to a bowl or bowl of an electric mixer. Place the whites on the 

                plate you plan to serve them on.

          3) Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and vinegar to the yolk mixture and blend on high for three minutes, 

                or until creamy.

          4) In a pastry bag or ziplock bag, use a large icing tip and pipe mixture into egg whites. 

           5) Top with small pieces of chive and bacon and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Breakfast