This past weekend we were able to travel back to Iowa to spend time with family and friends. Saturday John and I made brunch for my family to celebrate my mom's birthday and mother's day. We carefully planned the menu and came up with Baked French Toast Casserole, Bacon Quiche Tarts, and Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt. I think all three dishes were a success and we had a great time showing my mom our appreciation for everything she does for us.
Ingredients
1 loaf French bread
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of salt
Praline Topping- 1/2 pound butter (we used only 1/4 pound)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 inch baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; beat until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices (we dipped each bread slice in the milk-egg mixture before placing in the baking dish, then poured the remaining mixture over top).
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350°F.
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the praline topping and blend well. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes (ours took an hour), until puffed and lightly golden.
1 loaf French bread
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash of salt
Praline Topping- 1/2 pound butter (we used only 1/4 pound)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 inch baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; beat until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices (we dipped each bread slice in the milk-egg mixture before placing in the baking dish, then poured the remaining mixture over top).
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350°F.
In medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the praline topping and blend well. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes (ours took an hour), until puffed and lightly golden.
Bacon Quiche Tarts
(from allrecipes.com)
(from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
12 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon milk
4 eggs
1 cup shredded Colby cheese
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Directions
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add the eggs, cheese, green pepper, onion and bacon (reserve some bacon to sprinkle on top); mix well.
Separate dough into eight triangles; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Pour egg mixture into cups, top with reserved bacon.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for about 20 minutes or until a knife come out clean.
12 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon milk
4 eggs
1 cup shredded Colby cheese
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Directions
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add the eggs, cheese, green pepper, onion and bacon (reserve some bacon to sprinkle on top); mix well.
Separate dough into eight triangles; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Pour egg mixture into cups, top with reserved bacon.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for about 20 minutes or until a knife come out clean.
Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt
(from Ina Garten)
(from Ina Garten)
Ingredients
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean (we omitted)
1/2 orange, juiced
1 banana, sliced
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (we omitted)
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in quarters
1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved
Directions
Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries and grapes and gently mix the fruit together. Spoon the fruit into serving bowls and top with the yogurt.
Amanda's Analysis:
French Toast - I thought this was great. The topping was excellent and made it more than just your every day French Toast. The bottom was a little soggy, so next time I would try to remedy that. I give this brunch main dish 6 spoons!
Bacon Quiche - I am not a big egg fan, so these were not my favorite. I think they went well with our menu, and I would make them again if I was making a brunch. The cheese and bacon added nice flavors to the eggs, but since I don't care for egg bakes, I give these little guys 4 spoons.
Fruit Salad - This was excellent! I often times have yogurt, fruit, and granola for breakfast and this was a nice spin on things. The honey in the yogurt added a nice sweetness that wasn't too overpowering. I think this could be eaten for breakfast on it's own with a little granola on top. I give it 7 spoons!
John's Jibba-Jabba:
French Toast - The top half of the dish was tremendous. The bottom was not. I am not sure if it could be fixed by positioning the bread differently or perhaps using less of the mixture that soaked in. I give the top 6 spoons and the bottom 2 spoons for a dish average of 4 spoons.
Bacon Quiche - This was a really good and easy dish that looked fancy. I am not usually a big egg fan so I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. The onions and green peppers really gave the dish some great flavors. This dish earned 5 spoons.
Fruit Salad - This fruit salad was simple and tasty. I am glad we did not put granola on this one. I think it would have taken away from the beautiful fruit textures throughout the dish. It would have been nice to include one other kind of fruit like blueberries or something to complete the dish. This one was oh so close to 7 spoons but falls just short for a rating of 6 spoons.
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean (we omitted)
1/2 orange, juiced
1 banana, sliced
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (we omitted)
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in quarters
1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved
Directions
Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries and grapes and gently mix the fruit together. Spoon the fruit into serving bowls and top with the yogurt.
Amanda's Analysis:
French Toast - I thought this was great. The topping was excellent and made it more than just your every day French Toast. The bottom was a little soggy, so next time I would try to remedy that. I give this brunch main dish 6 spoons!
Bacon Quiche - I am not a big egg fan, so these were not my favorite. I think they went well with our menu, and I would make them again if I was making a brunch. The cheese and bacon added nice flavors to the eggs, but since I don't care for egg bakes, I give these little guys 4 spoons.
Fruit Salad - This was excellent! I often times have yogurt, fruit, and granola for breakfast and this was a nice spin on things. The honey in the yogurt added a nice sweetness that wasn't too overpowering. I think this could be eaten for breakfast on it's own with a little granola on top. I give it 7 spoons!
John's Jibba-Jabba:
French Toast - The top half of the dish was tremendous. The bottom was not. I am not sure if it could be fixed by positioning the bread differently or perhaps using less of the mixture that soaked in. I give the top 6 spoons and the bottom 2 spoons for a dish average of 4 spoons.
Bacon Quiche - This was a really good and easy dish that looked fancy. I am not usually a big egg fan so I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. The onions and green peppers really gave the dish some great flavors. This dish earned 5 spoons.
Fruit Salad - This fruit salad was simple and tasty. I am glad we did not put granola on this one. I think it would have taken away from the beautiful fruit textures throughout the dish. It would have been nice to include one other kind of fruit like blueberries or something to complete the dish. This one was oh so close to 7 spoons but falls just short for a rating of 6 spoons.
3 comments:
Kyle's Konclusions
French Toast- 3 Spoons
- It was VERY moist on the bottom, which took alot away from the taste. It had too many different textures mixed together, which for me, wasnt very appetizing. I really never found myself craving any more.
Quiche- 5 spoons
-This dish was very good! I really liked the eggs. I found that I enjoyed this dish, but not the the extent that i would crave it.
Fruit Salad- 6 spoons
-This dish was amazing! The yogurt/honey syrup truly made the dish amazing! I can see myself truly craving this dish. The only reason i didn't give it a 7 was because i cannot find myself craving this dish every day of my life.
Father Knows Best
French Toast - 6 Spoons
-Although the bottom was moist from the milk sauce, the flavor was good and didn't seem to bother me as much as some. It would be better if it were like the top all the way through. It also was very good even without any syrup or other topping.
Quiche - 7 Spoons
-I really like eggs, bacon, pepper and onions so this was very very good. There wasn't anything I can think I would change.
Fruit Salad - 7 Spoons
-As you can tell by the other reviews, this was a big hit. I would be safe to say that most people would enjoy this salad. The yogurt topping was good but didn't overpower the taste of the fruit.
Mom's Mish Mash Moments
French Toast-6 spoons
-I love french toast and this recipe will be one to keep for brunches and guests. Yes the bottom was a little soggy but there probably is a way to get around that. I liked the nut mixture on top. It is very good without syrup but added another demention when I tried a little with syrup.
Quiche-6.5 sppons
These cute little egg bakes were amazing. Another one to have for brunches and guests. I enjoy the crunch from the onions, green peppers and bacon on top. I wasn't here to see John and Dad put the crescent rolls in the little tins. I was surprised at how uniformed and well molded they were.
Fruit Salad-6.5 spoons
Another hit again. This was very refreshing and soothing after the french toast and egg bake. It was good with what fruit we had but adding maybe kiwi or blueberries would of really topped it. I don't think I would enjoy the granola on top though. I can also invision this layered in a fancy clear goblet
John and Amanda- 7++++++ spoons
This was a fun fun day. Thank you for the wonderful meal. It was a very special treat and meant a lot to me. You both amaze me and I'm so thankful for you. Love you both very much.
Mom
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