Baked Monte Cristos

Okay... so this recipe was surprisingly simple, and very tasty. The puff pastry gave it a buttery, light taste that is hard to beat. I found this recipe at Mmm...Cafe


The Ingredients:
1  egg
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
4 thin slices deli Black Forest ham
4 slices deli Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)
Confectioners' sugar
Pure maple syrup

The Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork.
Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Cut the pastry in half, diagnally to create two large triangles. Brush the edges of the pastries with egg.
With a corner of 1 pastry facing you, place 2 slices ham and 1 slice cheese on the bottom half of the pastry.  Fold the pastry over the filling to form a triangle and press the edges to seal.  Crimp the edges with a fork.  Repeat with the remaining pastry.  Brush the top of the pastries with the egg mixture.  Place the pastries onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Sprinkle the pastries with the confectioners' sugar.  Serve with the maple syrup.

Rice Pudding

This recipe is TO DIE FOR!  My husband and I loved the creamy texture, and it was awesome to start with cooked rice, therefore cutting the cooking time down by half! :)

The Ingredients:

3 c. cooked rice

4 c. milk

2/3 c. sugar

½ t. salt

2 eggs beaten

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

The Instructions:

Combine rice, 3 c. milk sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat until creamy.  Stir in 1 c. milk and egg.  Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and serve.  Good both warm and cold.

Granola

This recipe is so EASY! It is also one of my favorites.  For some reason I am much more fond of brown sugar as a sweetener as opposed to honey.  So maybe that is why this recipe appeals tome.  One way or another, it is so easy and practically fool proof!

The ingredients:

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. rolled oats

1 c. coconut

The instructions: 

Melt butter then stir in brown sugar.  Add remaining ingredients and pack into a 9X13 inch dish.  Bake in a 325^ oven for 25-40 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want it).  Either cut into bars, or crumble up and put in a large can to use as a snack, or yogurt topping.

((If you want you can also add raisins, flax, bran, nuts, craisins, chocolate chips, etc.))

Cheesy Eggs and Toast

This recipe was introduced to me by my husband.  His mom always called it Eggs Benedict.  Which was NOT the same.  My husband ordered eggs benedict a few years back at a restaurant and was, quite frankly, disgusted by what he was served.  The next day I made him his mom's cheesy eggs and toast.  It is an Easter tradition in our house.  As are egg salad sandwhiches. 

The ingredients:

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1-2 c. grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

3-4 hard boiled eggs, chopped up or diced

Toast

The instructions:

In a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and stir with a whisk until the roux turns a golden color (about 2 minutes or so).  Quickly add all the milk and stir with a wisk until mixture boils.  Add salt, pepper and cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, add chopped boiled eggs.

Serve over warm buttered toast.  OH so yummy!

Bran Muffins

I know this seems odd- but I do love Bran Muffins! They taste so good when heated up and served with a bit of butter. I am contemplating adding some bananas to the batter before baking. I ate one of these every morning of my first pregnancy. So tasty with the breakfast smoothie to accompany it!

The ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups All Bran Cereal
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

The instructions:
In large mixing bowl combine Cereal and milk. Let stand until cereal is soft. In a smaller bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt (I add it all to the bowl and use a wire whisk to combine). Add eggs and oil to the cereal. Beat well. Add flour mixture stirring only until combined. Scoop into 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Store uneaten muffins in a ziplock bag for up to one week (room temperature). These freeze well.

Breakfast Smoothie

A few years ago when I was still working full time, my hubby and I had a hard time coming up with breakfast on the fly. Cereal never seemed to cut it for us, and we would find ourselves starving within a couple hours. So we created this recipe. Not only is it good, but you can change it up daily. What a great way to start the day!

The ingredients:
1 c. juice (any kind)
2 heaping T. yogurt (Vanilla, or any other flavor)
1 frozen banana (break into pieces before freezing, store in freezer bags)
1 handful frozen fruit (preaches, berries, melon, etc.)


The instructions:

Add everything to a blender...




...and blend away!



If smoothie is too thick, add more juice, if too thin, add yogurt or more fruit.

You may have to chase away some rascals who like to eat your ingredients...



This specific concotion was Cran-Grape juice, banana, peaches, and vanilla yogurt, and it was a smash hit with my littlest monkey...



(This really isn't so much a recipe as it is a concept. My favorite combos are: White cranberry peach juice, with peaches, and either vanilla or raspberry yogurt, Orange juice with strawberries and vanilla yogurt.)