Eggnog French Toast

Todd and I were both craving french toast today and decided to make it for Christmas Eve dinner. Strange, maybe.. Good, Yes! I saw this recipe a few days ago and thought I would give it a try. It was so good that it may become a Christmas Eve tradition on the years when we are in town. Regardless, we will find a way to fit this into our December meal rotation every year.

Eggnog French Toast
adapted from 1 cup awesome

Ingredients
6 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large loaf fresh bakery bread, such as french, challah or pugliese

Mix all ingredients except bread. Dip bread and fully coat with eggy/milk mixture. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup.

Cranberry Sauce with ginger and clove

Ashley made these over Thanksgiving. They were the BEST cranberries I've ever had.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1 T finely grated peeled fresh ginger, and 1/8 t ground cloves to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until cranberries have burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Makes 2 cups.

Pastitsio

This is a once a year recipe. You know, the ones that you really like, but they are time consuming and not the healthiest so you only make them once a year. This fits into that category. Pastitsio is a Greek/Mediterranean pasta dish. I don't recall having this when we were in Greece, but the flavor reminds me of the food we did enjoy while there on vacation. This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook "America's Hometown Favorites".

Pastitsio

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 t cinnamon

8 oz penne pasta

3/4 cup milk

2 slightly beaten eggs

2 T butter, melted

2 T butter

2 T flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups milk

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup Kefalotiri cheese(greek) You can also sub romano or parmesan

Directions

1. For meat sauce, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, wine, and cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse and drain again. In a large bowl, toss pasta with the 3/4 cup milk, the 2 eggs, and the 2 T melted butter. Set pasta mixture aside.

3. For cream sauce, in a small saucepan, melt 2 T butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Gradually add the 1 1/2 cups milk. Cook and stir until mixture thickened and bubbly. Gradually and very slowly pour the hot mixture into the 3 eggs. Set aside.

4. Grease a 9x12 pan. Layer half of pasta mixture in prepared dish. Spread meat sauce over. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Top with remaining pasta; sprinkle with another 1/3 cups of the cheese. Pour cream sauce over all; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5. Cover and bake in a 350 over for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

What we ate this week!

Monday-Lasagna This recipe makes 1 9x12 and 2 8x8. I made the big pan to take up to Todd's family next week for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday-Eggplant lasagna(costco) and sauteed brussels sprouts.

Wednesday-BIG mixed salad and carrots/celery and hummus

Thursday-Autumn quinoa salad with roasted brussels sprouts

Friday- Chili and cornbread(both really good recipes)

Saturday-Pastitsio and roasted broccoli

Sunday-First Watch after our half marathon. Next door pizza and Grandma Orpha's white cake(recipe up soon) for dinner. I have been dreaming of eating this pizza after our half marathon for the last few weeks.

What we ate this week!

Monday and Tuesday- I can't remember. Must not have been too memorable. :)

Wednesday-Lentils and Rice in the crockpot with mixed greens. This made enough for the whole block. Next time I would half the recipe. We liked it, but the kids didn't really eat it. I think the look of it was a turn off for James.

Thursday-Gnocchi Pesto with roasted cauliflower Very very good. Next time I might even attempt making homemade gnoochi.

Friday-Leftover lentils and rice with mixed greens

Saturday- Pumpkin ricotta pancakes for brunch. Spin pizza for dinner

Sunday- Whole wheat macaroni with leftover pesto

What we ate this week!

Monday-French onion soup in the crockpot. I have made this a few times and it is really good. So easy too!
Tuesday-Thai fried quinoa. This was really good. I made the quinoa and prepped all the ingredients earlier in the day so this came together in less than 10 minutes.
Wednesday-Roasted autumn salad, mixed greens, garlic bread.
Thursday-Noodles with mmmm sauce.
Friday- Autumn mac and cheese. This had all of the same roasted vegetables as Wednesdays dinner. I roasted everything for both meals on Wednesday and made this on Thursday. It was all ready to go in the oven after work on Friday. We really liked this and I would definitely make it again!
Saturday-Gingerbread waffles for brunch. Date night at the Copa Room with Todd.
Sunday- Homemade pizza at my parents! YUM!

What we ate this week!

Monday-Leftover Tamale Pie

Tuesday-Spaghetti Squash with Veggie Ragu and salad

Wednesday-Turkey meatloaf and salad

Thurday-Penne with leftover ragu sauce from Tuesday and roasted broccoli

Friday, Saturday, Sunday- Mama DID NOT cook! I took a break from cooking while Todd was out of town. We cleaned out the fridge and freezer! I did make some more whole wheat bread. YUM!