Baked Banana Walnut French Toast!

As much as I LOVE elaborate breakfasts on weekends, sometimes, relaxing in the morning with my cup of coffee in hand trumps slaving away in the kitchen to create such morning delights.

Yes, I have the necessary irons and griddles to make lovely waffles, pancakes, and french toast, but I can count the number of times I've used them on one hand alone!  This is sad, but true :-/  I wonder if I'm the only one whose small kitchen appliances are currently collecting dust?!

Many times I have said to myself: "If only there were an easier way to make something so delicious without all the A.M. prep work and messy cleanup."

Come to find out, there is!

Behold the Casserole... the amazing, time-saving creation that grew in popularity sometime in the 1980s and 1990s in America, but has been around for ages (for a reason!) :-)

This Baked Banana Walnut French Toast casserole is part my creation and part adaptation of several internet recipes I found (there are tons to choose from!).

Like regular French Toast, this version also uses a combination of milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla to pour over day-old bread.  The ratio of milk to eggs can vary.  The addition of maple syrup, nuts, and fruit makes this even more decadent.  The BEST part of this recipe is that you can prepare it a day ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator overnight until you are ready to bake it in the morning.

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Baked Banana Walnut French Toast 

Ingredients:

6 -8 slices of your preferred bread (I used whole wheat sandwich bread)
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 banana, mashed
1/4 - 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts
butter - for coating the baking dish

Directions:

If you are not using day-old bread: cut bread into cubes, arrange on a sheet pan, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and walnuts.

Butter the inside of a covered casserole dish and arrange toasted bread cubes evenly in the bottom.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread and press down to soak each cube evenly.  Cover the dish and place the casserole in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, take the casserole out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake, covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is crispy.

Serve with extra maple syrup and powdered sugar if desired.

Serves 4

Enjoy!!!
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This turned out pretty tasty for my first attempt!  It was slightly sweet with a hint of banana flavor.  If I were to do it again, I might add another mashed banana to make it a bit more banana-y, or the entire 1/2 cup of maple syrup for more maple sweetness (this time around, I only used 1/4 cup of the maple syrup).  Overall, this was a great change of pace from our usual Sunday morning selections... eggs and toast, cereal, oatmeal, bagels, etc.  The versatility of this casserole is what I love the most, and I will definitely be making it again, and tweaking it along the way.

Baked French Toast... yet another one-dish-wonder to behold :-)

Librarian turned Foodie

It's all Greek to me!

I have been in love with Greek food since the day I tasted my very first lamb Gyro and homemade Spanikopita!  The ingredients are so similar, yet, at the same time, so very different from those that I grew up with in Italian cooking.  The addition of mint, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and allspice, not to mention the liberal use of spinach, feta, and kalamata olives, make Greek cuisine one-of-a-kind.

Living in a city known for its culinary diversity, I expected to find at least one amazing Greek restaurant that did not feature the word "Cafe" or "Diner" in the name.  Despite receiving a high score on the restaurant rating website Urban Spoon, the restaurant we dined at in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis was grossly sub-par.  Not only did the food arrive at our table cold, but my lamb, one of their signature dishes that night, was completely inedible - ie: shoe-leather!!!  Needless to say, we have been hesitant to seek out another Greek restaurant based on user ratings, and have not received any good recommendations from friends or coworkers since that terrible first experience.

Therefore, when my husband came across some high quality ground lamb at the grocery store, we decided it was high time we created our own Greek feast at home!

After searching through online recipe archives, I came across a recipe for Aromatic Lamb Meatballs, courtesy of Nigella Lawson on foodnetwork.com.  I altered just 3 of the ingredients, using freshly grated nutmeg instead of allspice, substituting breadcrumbs for semolina, and using grapeseed oil instead of the vegetable oil.

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Aromatic Lamb Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
2-3 tbsp. grapeseed oil for frying

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, mix together the meat, scallions, spices, salt, breadcrumbs, and beaten egg using your hands.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.  Roll the meat mixture into small uniform balls about 1 inch in diameter and place on the wax paper.  Dip your fingers in oil if the mixture becomes too sticky to handle.

When you are ready to fry the meatballs, heat the grapeseed oil in the pan to medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, fry them for about 3 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.

Line another pan with paper towels and place the cooked meatballs on the towels to drain off excess oil.

These meatballs can be served as an appetizer with a tangy mint-yogurt dipping sauce, or they can be simmered in a fragrant tomato sauce spiced with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, parsley, and onion.  I opted for the latter serving suggestion, and it was simply delicious!

Here is the recipe for this amazing sauce:

Greek Simmering Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cups of freshly chopped tomatoes (or 2 - 15 oz. jars of tomato sauce)
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. parsley

Directions:

In a medium size saucepan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent.

Add the fresh tomatoes (or sauce), and all of the spices to the pan.  Stir to combine and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes before adding the cooked meatballs to the sauce.

Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for at least 1 hour before serving.

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I highly recommend that you give this recipe a try... and soon!  The meatballs and sauce made our entire apartment smell divine, and they were so moist and flavorful that we could have devoured them all, one after another!

We paired these meatballs with a bottle of Grenache, a unique red grape varietal from Spain.  The combination was amazing (it was a 1+1 = 3 revelation), and if I'm being totally honest, this may be my favorite food and wine pairing to date!  The Grenache had subtle hints of licorice and cinnamon on the nose, with a lovely hint of fruit and spice on the finish that complimented the flavors in this dish perfectly :-)

I may be Italian, but I am unashamed to admit my love for Greece and its culinary masterpieces!


Librarian turned Foodie

Simply Delicious Crockpot Beef Stew

'Tis the season for delicious crockpot creations!

I don't know about you, but I love the thought of having a delicious meal ready and waiting for me the minute I cross the threshold of my humble abode, no (further) assembly required :-)

Of course, there is the chopping, rubbing, searing, and mixing that must be done the night before to result in this mouth-watering meal, but trust me, it's all very worth the effort, which is (compared to most meals) very minimal!  They don't call it a 'One Pot Wonder' for nothing!  The following recipe is, in fact, pretty wonderful... especially on a chilly day.  Plus, the 'one pot' concept is brilliant for those who are deprived of a Dishwasher, like I am.

Here is one of the easiest ways I know to cook a beef roast so that it is fall-apart tender and delicious!

Enjoy...

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Simply Delicious Crockpot Beef Stew

Ingredients:
5 lb. beef roast (boneless top round is what I used)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. freshly chopped rosemary
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, cut into thirds and sliced lengthwise
3 stalks of celery, chopped into ½ inch pieces
3 whole garlic cloves
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1 can stewed tomatoes

Directions:

Rub the outside of the roast with the parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Sear the meat on all sides in a pan using 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil heated over medium-high heat.  

Meanwhile, place the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, broth, and tomatoes in the bottom of the crockpot and mix together.  Place the seared roast on top of the vegetables and turn the crockpot on high heat.  

Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the roast is falling apart and the vegetables are tender.

Serve with crusty bread or spoon over polenta (see below)!

It was sooo tasty, and this picture does not do it justice! (I'm also realizing how incredibly ugly our dishes are... can't wait to break open all our new place settings when we finally own a home!!!)

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This is probably the 5th or 6th time I have made this recipe, tweaking it along the way with the addition of more veggies and more herbs. I also learned what a huge difference searing the meat prior to placing it in the crockpot makes for both the taste and texture of this dish. The flavorful crust on the outside of the meat seals in the juices and flavors the broth nicely. As you can see, it just falls apart when it's done! I removed the vegetables and separated out what little fat was left on the meat before returning the meat to the broth. No one likes overcooked/mushy veggies, so I placed the veggies in a separate covered serving dish until we were ready to eat, and then reheated them in the oven before serving.

We paired this meal with a Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon from the state of Washington. It complimented this dish without overpowering it with too much fruit or tannins. This was an inexpensive ($13 on sale) easy drinking wine :-)

I hope you give this recipe a try. It would be an excellent meal to prepare for meat-loving guests, as it would easily serve 5-6 individuals, depending on how much meat they 'love' in one sitting! If you are looking to serve more people, I would recommend buying a slightly larger roast.

Cheers to the simple & hearty crockpot creations/one pot wonders we all love!

Librarian turned Foodie