French Toast Cups

Labor Day, or any other weekend for that matter, is a perfect time to try this recipe.

1. There is little work.
2. Old, stale bread will always have a purpose and never be wasted.
3. You don't have to use cups or special equipment. You can use the Pyrex 9" x 13" baking dish.
4. You can make it the night before so it's ready for baking in the morning.

Found this on Pinterest from food blogger Roxana Yawgel and modified it just a tad in that I made 1 1/2 amounts of more custard, put in a splash of vanilla, and cooked everything a little slower. This is a rich dessert and really more like a bread pudding, ie great for the occasional splurge or brunch. 

I originally tried these in a 2 1/2" ramekin, but felt this was "too much"--they expand substantially--so, I would suggest changing that to a smaller cup (which would also help the waistline) or just making it in a baking dish altogether.  Of course, if you want to be fancy...

Hope everyone is having an awesome Labor Day weekend. Is it fall already? 

Equipment:

Mixing bowl

Ramekins or Muffin cups (or use 9" x 13" pyrex baking dish)

Cookie sheet

PAM spray

Ingredients:

6 - 8 cups of stale bread, preferably Challah, but Italian or French ok as well

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup half-and-half

3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chip / chunks

Instructions;

1. Wash your hands.

2. Spray your baking dish or ramekins or muffin cups with PAM spray

3. Tear your stale bread into 1/2" cubes and place in a bowl.

4. Make your custard by whisking the eggs, cream, milk and vanilla together.

5. Add just enough custard to the bread pieces to soak them.  

6. Fold in chocolate chunks.

7. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate x 4 - 8 hrs or overnight.

**you can choose to layer the bread and chocolate in the ramekins and cover with custard, but I found it easier to let everything soak in a big bowl until ready to bake.  

**or just use the pyrex  9" x 13" dish from the get-go

8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325F degrees. Remove plastic wrap.

9. Make sure whatever baking dish you use, there is 1/4" space at the top. Do not overfill to rim.

**if using muffin cups or ramekins, I would suggest placing them on a cookie sheet to bake.

**if using pyrex dish, cookie sheet not necessary.

10. Bake for:

 --30-35 minutes if using 2 1/2" ramekins or pyrex dish

 --20-25 minutes if smaller ramekins.

11. Allow to cool x 5 minutes. Use a knife to separate edges if you want to remove from ramekin.

12. Drizzle with powdered sugar or a little syrup. Or both.

12. Got Milk? or great coffee?

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Now that you have learned how to make an incredible Simplest Marinara Sauce it's time to add the meatballs! And this recipe is super easy for any level of college cooking. So, let's get started.

You remember I featured The Meatball Minis  a few months ago as a option for sliders.  That recipe was adapted from Ted Allen whereas this one is from Cooking Light's Comfort Food Magazine's Spaghetti & Meatballs.  Both are easy, it's just a matter of which flavor you like better! I like a 50% ground pork and 50% ground beef mixture for my meat! You decide!!

Equipment:
9" x 13" x 2" Pyrex dish
Mixing Bowls
Super clean hands
Large saucepan to boil pasta
Large skillet to heat the Simple Marinara Sauce or your favorite store-bought pasta sauce

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 lb ground sirloin (90% lean)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup of panko or Italian breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup romano or parmesan cheese (grated), or ricotta
*if you have some favorite herbs, add a few sprinkles here, i.e. thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands frequently.
2. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
3. Lightly oil your oven-proof Pyrex dish.

4. Combine your meat, garlic, salt, breadcrumbs, egg, red pepper flakes, and cheese.

5. Using your hands mash the mixture together until just combined.

6. Dampen your hands and roll mixture into 1" or  2" balls.

7. Place meatballs into pyrex dish in single-layer, just touching.

8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs, until just done.

9. Start boiling your pasta and heating the marinara sauce.

10. Add the meatballs to the marinara sauce to finish cooking.

11. Plate the whole 'shebang' once the pasta is drained!

Moms Rice Pilaf

Growing up this was my favorite recipe and I requested it for virtually every birthday dinner I could...along with the Swedish Meatballs.  Mom didn't use noodles, but instead used rice pilaf.  When Jon asked to get copies of all of his favorite recipes (before I realized that a blog, ie paperless, was the way to go), this was one of his first requests.

At this point, and after a 99 posts, I think it is time that this recipe can be attempted by a college chef with the limited cooking skills--just think of all the recipes you have tried so far--this one is just a simple combination of previous skills, nothing more!

Great side dish with Swedish Meatballs (recipe will follow later in the year), but I have made it for chicken piccata, chicken souvlaki, plain old pork chops, and it is delicious left-over.  In college, I would make a double batch, freeze it for those days when I just didn't feel like cooking.  Tell me what you think!

Equipment:
5 quart saucepan with tight-fitting lid
Knife, for chopping

Ingredients:
4 Tbls of butter, divided in 2 Tbls each
1 small to medium onion, chopped and diced
2 stalks celery, quartered and chopped

1 cup of long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 package of Campbell's Soup Secrets 'Chicken Noodle' with Diced White Chicken Meat
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp thyme

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Melt 2 Tbls of butter in 5-qt saucepan and saute onion and celery until translucent.

3. Remove the onion and celery once soft.  Set aside.

4. Melt 2 Tbls of butter in same 5-qt saucepan and add uncooked long-grain rice.

5. Brown rice kernels until golden brown over MEDIUM heat.  Be careful not to burn kernels.
6. Stir frequently while browning kernels.

7. Add soup packet, water, onions, celery, salt, pepper, sage and thyme.

8. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to SIMMER-LOW and put lid on top.

9. DO NOT REMOVE LID TO PEEK OR CHECK
10. Simmer on LOW heat for 15 minutes, covered.  Remove from heat and fluff with fork.

11. Let sit for 5 minutes.

I served our rice pilaf last night with chicken piccata (recipe coming in the next weeks as well) and roasted brussel sprouts.