French Toast

Healthy*Hearty*Delicious*Easy

Plus it makes the whole house smell like cinnamon in the morning!

What more could you ask for in a breakfast?

I like this recipe for french toast, it's a little different because it calls for flour, which makes it a little fluffier. Instead of using syrup, I usually use sliced bananas on top...yummy! I also usually use 100% whole wheat bread to make it a little healthier, and because of the egg batter, it doesn't have that heavy, dry texture that you sometimes get with whole wheat bread.

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBS sugar
• 12 slices thick bread
  

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar until smooth.



2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. (I use butter flavored shortening instead of oil)



3. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. (Be sure to stir before you put the bread in the mixture, the cinnamon tends to clump on the top, and you don't want to use all the cinnamon on one peice.) Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

Country Fried Steak

Someone gave us a bunch of cube steaks, and I had never cooked with them before, so I looked up some recipes, and found one for country fried steak. I'm not a huge fan of these, but boy oh boy is my husband. He literally took a few bites and had to call a friend to rave about them. ha ha. He wants me to make this for his next birthday or Father's Day. :)

The recipe I found was for the steaks and gravy, but I had a screaming baby while I was trying to make dinner, so I short-cutted it, and didn't make the gravy. I'll give it a go next time...which won't be for a while because it's so fattening.

• 4 (4oz) cube steaks
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup flour
• I also added a couple of tsp of seasoning salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup lard (I actually used bacon grease, but you could also just use regular canola oil)
• 1 cup milk

1. Season meat with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper; set aside. In a shallow dish, mix flour with 1 tsp of the pepper (and the seasoning salt, and maybe some regular salt). Dredge each steak in the flour. Dip in beaten egg, then dredge in flour again.
2. Heat lard in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry steaks 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 2 TBS of the fat. Sprinkle 2 TBS of the dredging flour into the oil. Cook over medium heat for 1 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper; gravy should be quite peppery.

And don't forget the tums.

Home-made BBQ sauce

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 2 TBS cider vinegar
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 2 TBS molasses
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin (I might reduce this to 1/2 tsp next time, I'm not a huge fan of cumin)
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I'll probably add a little more next time)
• I think next time I'll add a little bit of liquid smoke
• 4 lbs bone-in chicken things and drumsticks (I just used chicken breasts)

1. Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the mixture. Toss the chicken with the remaining sauce.
2. Grill the chicken over indirect heat for 15 min with the lid closed. Turn, brush with the reserved sauce, and grill until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 F, another 16-18 minutes. (I actually just broiled them in the oven, but they'd be even better in the BBQ)