Banana Stuffed French Toast

It's almost Valentine's Day...!

While I love the holiday I don't particularly buy in to all the retail hype surrounding it.  Don't get me wrong, who doesn't love flowers?  But to buy a dozen roses for $80.00 for this special day, when you can get the same for $25.00 next week just doesn't make sense to me.  Then there's the restaurants.  Around here they all have a special 3 or 4 course meal (planned out for you) at a pre-set price of $80 to $100 per person.  I don't know about you, but I like to select my meal, and again, the price on a "normal" day would be around $40 a person.  It just doesn't add up for me.

That is why we usually celebrate Valentine's in a different way.  Sometimes we spend a whole day doing fun things like visiting a museum, or going to Descano gardens.  Something "we" like to do.  Often, we just went to Vegas and that became our Valentine's trip.  All of these are nice and special, but I don't also love the times we stayed home to enjoy a nice quiet meal.  It's so special cause it's made with love!

This dish is great to make for your loved one...can you say breakfast in bed?  Or brunch if you will.  Banana Stuffed French Toast adds a little flair to the ordinary!  The flavors of the banana spring to life and dance in your mouth!  This dish is made using your oven, so it does most of the work!  I hope you try this recipe and surprise someone special in your life with some homemade loving goodness!

Some step by step pics to help you along.

 Oh my!

Banana Stuffed French Toast

adapted From BHG

Serves 2

2 eggs

1/2 cup low fat milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 1-inch-thick slices French bread

2/3 cup thinly sliced banana

Maple syrup or powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed. Set aside.

Cut a horizontal pocket in each bread slice, cutting from one end almost to, but not through, the other end.  Fill  pockets with banana.

Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating both sides. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden, turning once half way through the cooking time. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with syrup. Makes 4 slices.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

So here's the last of my Valentine's Day recipes....you can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate.  Can you??

I was checking out Mom's Kraft Food & Family magazine and on the cover was an amazing bundt cake.  I was a devil's food cake with a mousse layer on top, and even had a chocolate syrup drizzle. 

What really drew me to this cake was the technique.  Don't get me wrong the chocolate is to die for...and I did, trust me, but the method was very unusual.  You see you put the cake layer in first, and then the mousse layer on the top, but by magic they switch places during the baking!!!  How can that be...I had to try it out.

Plus I just wanted a piece of heavenly chocolate cake!

OMG!!! This is all I have to say about this decadent, chocolately, yummy cake.....OMG!!!

Oh yeah, and the layers did switch during the baking!  Amazing!!!

I tweaked the recipe to make this sugar free, but you can just substitute out the Splenda and sugar free cake mix, for full sugar and regular cake mix.

Now be forewarned....this cake takes a lot of time to prep, bake, and refrigerate.  About 5 hours in total...but I had my doubts along the way...but found it was completely worth the effort.

Here's how to make it.

Take a 12-cup bundt pan and spray with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

 In a large bowl beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with a mixer 2 min. or until well blended.

Add in the sour cream and mix until smooth. 

Pour this over the syrup in the bundt pan.

Next, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and Splenda with mixer until well blended.  

Add eggs, and mix until incorporated.

Add evaporated milk and mix to blend.

In a small bowl melt 4 squares of baker's chocolate until melted.  About 1 1/2 min total. Start with 30 seconds, and stir.  Do another 30 seconds, and stir.  My total was 1 1/2 min.

Add melted chocolate to the mousse mixture and mix to blend completely.

Looks like chocolate milk doesn't it??

Pour the mouse mixture carefully over the cake batter.

Cover with foil and place in a 9x13 pan.  Add about 2" of water.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool on a wire rack for about 45 min.  Place in the refrigerator, in the pan and let cool for 2 hours.

Once it has cooled.  Take out of the refrigerator, place a plate on the top and invert cake.  You may need to shake it a couple of time, but it will slide right out.

Holy cow!  Look at this baby!!

See the layers?

Want a piece?

(Oops!  I got in such a hurry I forgot the cool whip!  Oh well! you can add it if you want to)

Gotta go....I need another piece of this cake!  Make this...it's super yummy....Enjoy!!

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Prep: 40 min.
Baking 1 1/2 hrs.
Refrigerating : 2 hrs

1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate syrup

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) sugar-free chocolate devil's food cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup  oil

7 eggs, divided

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese, softened

1 cup Splenda

1 can (12 oz.) 2% evaporated milk

4 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

SPRAY 12-cup fluted tube pan with cooking spray; pour in chocolate syrup.

          

BEAT cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with mixer 2 min. or until well blended; blend in sour cream. Pour over syrup in pan.

          

BEAT cream cheese and sugar with mixer until well blended. Add remaining eggs; mix well. Blend in evaporated milk and melted chocolate; gently spoon over cake batter in pan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray, sprayed-side down.

          

PLACE tube pan in shallow pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come at least 2 inches up side of tube pan. Bake 1 hour 30 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours. Invert cake onto plate; remove pan. Serve cake topped with COOL WHIP.

Stir Frying 101 - Sweet and Sour Chicken

I had the opportunity to attend a Stir-Frying Technique Class at the Williams-Sonoma store recently.  This class was very informative as all their classes are, and the chef, Monique, is very skilled, and a great teacher.  

Here we are all watching her cook!

She made several different dishes; Pork with Snap Peas and Soba Noodles, Chicken with Ginger Garlic sauce (one of their bottled stir fry sauces, which was yummy!) and Skirt Steak with Oranges in a Sichuan Sauce. 

All were delicious!

About stir-frying:
A sizzling stir-fry is a simple yet satisfying entree for relaxed dinner parties and quick weeknight suppers. Stir frying is an Asian cooking technique of rapidly frying small pieces of food in oil over high heat.  This is done usually in a wok but a deep cast-iron fry pan or heavy saute pan is a good substitute.  Almost any vegetable or meat can be stir fried as long as it is cut into small pieces.

This was such great fun I couldn't wait to whip up some stir fry for dinner.  You know, this would be a great Valentine's Dinner!

Here's my take on Sweet and Sour Chicken.

You will need light soy sauce, white vinegar, cornstarch, Splenda, chicken breasts, canola oil, mixed vegetables, garlic, ginger, peanuts, and cooked brown rice.

If using fresh vegetables, cut in to small bit size pieces or thing julienne strips.  I used frozen cause I already had a bag, but fresh is just wonderful.


To make the stir fry sauce mix the soy sauce, vinegar, splenda and 1 T. cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set this aside for later. 





Cut your chicken in to 1 - 1 1/2" pieces.

Put cornstarch in a dish and add chicken.  Stir to coat.  This gives the chicken a nice coating when cooked. (My Aunt Charlotte taught me this technique years ago and I've prepared my chicken this way ever since!)




Add oil to a wok and heat over high heat.  Add chicken and cook stirring constantly until golden brown.  About 4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken from the pan.  Add remaining 1T. of oil, and heat up.  Add cut vegetables.

Add ginger and garlic.  Heat until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add chicken to wok.  Add your stir fry sauce.  Stir until coated and heated through.

Looks pretty good huh?

Stir in peanuts, and your done!  Serve over a bed of nice fluffy brown rice.

This was sooo delicious!  Happy Eating!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

¼ c. light soy sauce

¼ c. White vinegar

¼ c. Spenda

1 T. cornstarch

½ 1b boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ c. cornstarch

2 T. canola oil

1 pound of mixed vegetables fresh or frozen (mushrooms, yellow squash, onion, bell pepper, asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, snap peas, carrots)

1 T. garlic, minced

1 T. Ginger, minced

1/4 c. peanuts

Brown Rice, cooked

Directions:

For your stir fry sauce mix the soy sauce, vinegar, splenda and 1 T. cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Cut chicken breasts in to 1 – 1 ½ “ pieces.  Put ¼ c. cornstarch in to a dish and add chicken, turning to coat.

If using fresh vegetables, cut in to bite size pieces or julienne strips to assist with quick cooking.

Heat  1 T. of canola oil in a wok on high heat.  Add chicken stirring constantly until brown on all sides.  About  4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken to a bowl.  Add 1 T. canola oil to the wok and heat up.  Add all the mixed vegetables to the wok.  Stir fry until crisp tender.  About 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger to the vegetables.  Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add chicken back and add the stir fry sauce.  Stir to coat and heat through.

Add peanuts, stir once more, and serve over brown rice.

Valentine's Day Cornmeal Cookies

MGG has a little bit of a sweet tooth...okay, okay...a bit more than a little bit!  So I try and make him something every once in a while to satisfy that craving.

Since Valentine's Day is coming up what better time to indulge that sweet tooth with some delectable cookies?

This is a lower carb variation of a cookie by Martha Stewart.  The cornmeal in the cookie adds texture, and a bit more grain so it's comes out wonderfully soft and delicious!

I've substituted most of the sugar for Splenda, however you can put the sugar back in (cup for cup) if you want the full carb version.

MGG is gonna LOVE these!

Here's how they go...

You will need, flour, yellow cornmeal, salt, butter, Splenda (or sugar), eggs, vanilla, confectioners sugar, and food coloring (pink or red).

First, in a medium bowl mix your flour, cornmeal, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine your butter and Splenda and cream with a mixer until smooth.  Add your vanilla and the egg and mix until blended. 

Add the flour mixture gradually, mixing as you go until all incorporated.

Get in there with your hands and mold the mixture in to a dough. (Don't you love playing with your food?!)

Pinch of enough dough to make 1 - 1 1/2" balls.  Roll in more Splenda (about 1/4 cup or extra Splenda is used) and place on a non-stick cookie sheet.

With the bottom of a glass flatten down the cookies on the sheet.

Take a 1" heart cookie cutter and make an impression in the center of the cookies.  Don't cut all the way through!

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10 min. until golden brown.

Place cooked cookies on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mix confectioner's sugar, water, vanilla, and food coloring in a small bowl to create an icing.

Using a spoon, fill the heart cut-out portion of the cookie with icing.

Aren't these cute!!!!

Enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Cornmeal Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food : Heart-Glazed Cornmeal Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Splenda

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup Splenda for coating cookies

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 drops red or pink food coloring

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl mix together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowls cream butter and 1/2 cup Splenda until creamy.  Add in egg and 1 1/4 tsp vanilla and mix until combined.

Gradually add the flour using the mixer to incorporate all ingredients together. Using your hands pull the dough together in to a ball.

Pull enough dough off to make 1” balls.  Roll in 1/4 cup of splenda and place on a non-stick cookie sheet. 

Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass.  Take a 1” heart shaped cookie cutter and make an impression in the center of the cookie.  Be careful not to cut all the way through the dough.    

Bake until they have golden edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cookies cool on wire rack.

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 1 3/4 tsp cold water. Add 1 - 2 drops of food coloring. Glaze cookies and let cool.