French Toast Casserole

Looking for something to make for Sunday morning and you're tired of omelets and toast?  I have guests visiting this weekend and wanted to try this recipe out.  The inspiration came from my mother-in-law who makes a French toast casserole every so often.  I found a recipe on http://www.foodtv.com/ 's website courtesy of Ms. Paula Deen.  It was fantastic, but when you're dealing with Paula's recipes, there is no doubt that they will come out great. 

I made a couple of changes in the recipe, including only making 1/2 of what it  called for since I was cooking for 3, not 6.   The changes are in the recipe below, but if you are a stick by your guns Paula fan, then I shall refer you to the website.  ALSO, this is a make the night before recipe, so make sure that you prepare for that.   

French Toast Casserole
Serves 4 hungry folks

4 eggs
1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2 (Ouch, right?  If you are watching the calories, sub in fat free or even milk here)
1/2 cup milk
2 TBsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 loaf of raisin-cinnamon bread, any brand
Maple syrup

Topping: 
1 stick of butter (Double ouch.  Cut this in 1/2 or even 1/4 and it should still work well)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar

In a 9X9 baking dish, layer the raisin-cinnamon bread, overlapping pieces a bit.  I was able to fit 10 pieces.  In a bowl, mix eggs, 1/2 and 1/2, milk, cinnamon, sugar, and salt.  Whisk until blended, but not too bubbly.  Pour over bread making sure to cover each piece.  Cover with foil and place in refrigerator overnight. The bread will soak up all the goodness....

The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and mix the butter, cinnamon, nuts, and brown sugar.  Cut butter into small pieces while combining.  I find that a pastry cutter or two knives criss-crossing works best.  Sprinkle topping on top of bread and cover with foil.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, uncovering the last 5 minutes of baking.  While still warm, serve individual pieces with warm syrup.

You will love, love, love this breakfast item.  Also, if you can't get raisin bread, try a French bread.  It should work equally well.   

Crunchy Little Croutons

At the end of the week, I inevitably have bread left. Today, it happened to be rolls that hubby and I just couldn't eat up fast enough. One thing I can't get locally is croutons. Raise your hand out there if you DON'T like croutons. Yep, that's what I thought :). Why, what's a Caesar salad without the croutons?

You can add different spices to these, depending on what you like and have. This recipe is for a good ol' standard garlic parm crouton. A classic crouton in my house.

Crunchy Little Croutons

Stale bread (whenever have you seen me use this in a recipe? The staler, the better. It will cut down on baking time

Olive oil (or melted butter)

Garlic salt or powder (be sure to add salt if you are only using powder)

Parmesan cheese (Kraft will work, but use the fresh if you have it.)

Preheat oven to about 325 degrees. Cut the bread into cubes, leaving the crusts on. I prefer larger croutons, but cut to the size you like. Place the bread cubes in a bowl and drizzle in olive oil, lighting coating cubes. Stir with your hand or a spoon. Mix in garlic salt and Parmesan and continue to stir until bread is coated. Place on a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake in oven for 10 minutes and check croutons. They are done when they are toasty brown. Watch the last few minutes so that they don't burn (this has happened to me!!!). Once out of the oven, cool completely. Store in sealed container for up to 1 month.

Next time you're looking for a little crunch in your salad or just need a little something before dinner, break these bad boys out. You'll never buy the packaged kind again.

Texas Redneck Dip

For those of you who know me, you know that I love TexMex food and will find any chance I can to make it. If I had my choice, hubby and I would eat tacos, chili, and fajitas throughout the week. However, that's a killer on the system and the waistline after a while :). Texas Redneck Dip fits right in with my TexMex theme...your non-Texan guests will thank you too.

My Aunt Margaret, who lives in Dallas, introduced me to this hot dip that she serves when I come to visit. It is truly out of this world and I can't imagine not sharing it with the LLOR fans. My hubby LOVES it. The original name is Indian Bread Dip and some of you may know it as that. However, a friend of mine, Deb, renamed this dish as Texas Redneck Dip after I brought it to a party and her hubby scraped the bread bowl clean with Fritos. What gets more Texan and redneck than Fritos and cheesy goodness? Anyways, that's a little history behind this you-won't-want-to-step-away-from-it-at-a-party dip.

Most everything you can find on the local market or substitutions that are close enough. One thing that you MUST have is Worcheshire sauce. I found it at our commissary, though, if you find it on the local market besides the U.S., please let me know!!

Texas Redneck Dip
8 oz cream cheese (I use 1 of the larger rectangle containers of Presidente Fraidoux fromage nature. This is the closest thing to cream cheese in Tunisia)
8 oz sour cream (Onetina or creme fraiche)
16 oz shredded cheddar (Ahh, I missed my cheddar cheese for so long and now everything I make has it in it. Seriously.)
7 oz canned green chillies, diced (You might be able to substitute a fresh milder pepper. I'd recommend cooking it a little first before putting it into the recipe).
1 bunch of chopped green onions (They are in season in the Winter in Tunisia. If you can't get green, go with another color of onion.)
1 TBsp Worcheshire
1 package of sliced ham, chopped (Any ham will do. I end up buying this from the commissary since we can only get jambon de dinde here. Do not use this in this dish. It won't taste the same.)

Optional: 1 round or oblong shaped loaf of bread, whole
Fritos, crackers, sliced baguette, or something to eat the dip with. TUC plain crackers work well too!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together. One option is to put into mix into a pie plate or casserole dish to bake. The other option is to cut the center of the loaf of bread out and shape like a bowl. Be sure to leave enough of the bread so that the dip does not melt through the sides or bottom. Bake uncovered for 1 hour - 1 hour, 15 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly, tent foil over the top of the dish. Serve warm with Fritos, crackers, or bread pieces.

Enjoy! I'll bet you this one will be a hit at your next party. Actually, I'll guarantee it.

Crunchy Little Cornbread

Football playoff season brings out more options in football festivity foods. Along with chili (See our Chili recipe), cornbread is one of those things that just goes. Prior to being in Tunisia, I'd pick up a Jiffy pack at Wegman's, mix it up, and throw it in the oven. Sorry, no Jiffy at Carrefour or Monoprix!

The recipe uses all local ingredients. REALLY! And I'd be hard pressed if you told me you can't find them. It's a recipe that I pulled out of, you guessed it, Faithful Red (aka, Betty Crocker Cookbook). And folks, I'm not making money off of the endorsement!! This cornbread is SUPER EASY. Almost as easy as Jiffy, but I think it tastes a heck of a lot better. Also, I've baked mine in the oven. For those of you who are true cast iron skillet fans, I'm sure you could adapt the recipe. But, I make no guarantees to how it turns out.

Crunchy Little Cornbread

1 cup of milk (I used skim, but fuller fat ones would work too)
1 egg
1/4 cup of butter, melted
1 and 1/4 cup of cornmeal (I used fine grain 'semoule')
1 cup of flour
1 TBsp of baking powder
1/2 cup of sugar (ouch. I know. if you prefer yours a little less sweet, try decreasing this amount)
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the milk, egg, and melted butter. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until moist. Do not over mix as it will be a little lumpy. Pour into a greased 9X9 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Really, could this be any easier? I have some sitting in my kitchen that's getting wrapped up for tomorrow. If you are a cornbread purist, try it by itself. Don't like it with chili? It makes a great snack with a little butter and honey.

Now get back to watching football.

Flying Tortillas

One thing that a good ol' Texas girl must have in her kitchen is tortillas. My mom submitted this recipe that she and her friend made a couple of weeks ago. These will surely throw you off your pre-Turkey Day diet, but dang, they are good.

On a side note, if you are a native Texan like myself, you may know of Texas Tech Red Raider fans throwing tortillas onto the football field for game day. I had to look this one up as it has been a few years. Apparently in 1992 before a Texas A&M game, an ESPN commentator made a comment about Lubbock, the town where Texas Tech is located, in that the only thing there is Tech and the tortilla factory. In protest, the fans threw hundreds of tortillas onto the field. Pretty funny if you ask me....

All ingredients should be able to be found locally as there are only 3!
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Tortillas

4 cups of flour (you can use white or whole wheat here)
1 stick of oleo (any substitute would work, including Crisco sticks)
1.5 tsp of salt

Cut the oleo into the flour along with the salt. You can do this by crisscrossing 2 knives or a pastry cutter (if you are all fancy like that :) ). You'll want to do this until you have pea sized pieces, much like making a pie crust.

Knead the dough and roll into balls. The bigger the ball, the larger the tortilla will be. Cover and let dough sit for 20 minutes.

Heat the griddle. You can also use a fry pan as well, but a flat pan (much like one you use for pancakes) works the best. Roll out the balls of dough very thin and put onto griddle. When bubbles start, flip then press. The tortilla is done with there is a little brown on the bubbles.

Remove and let cool in a ziploc bag.

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Now whether you decide to throw these at a football game or eat them, I think you'll find it equally satisfying!

Teeny Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

My friend Julie swears these are the best dang little biscuits and are fantastic for wine and cheese parties (hint, hint). However, if you don't have a wine and cheese party to go to, they would probably work for eating with your bon-bons and watching Oprah. The best part about the recipe is that you should be able to find everything locally.

This recipe is for my buddy Nana who is the Queen of the mini muffin pans. All hail foods that can be baked in these!!
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Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

8 oz cream cheese, softened (in Tunisia, I would use 13 of the individually wrapped cream cheese squares unless I was lucky enough to find the tub of Presidente cheese)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup of self-rising flour (if you can't find this at the commissary or local market, substitute 1 cup flour, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt)

Beat cream cheese and butter at a medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add flour, beating slowly until blended. Try not to eat all of the dough :). Spoon dough into an ungreased mini muffin pan, filling each cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm; refrigerate leftovers. You could also do drop biscuits if you do not have a mini muffin pan.

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Now, you know you are running to the fridge to get your butter and cream cheese out to soften!

LLOR needs more recipes that you are making in your kitchen. Please send to teresaintunisia@gmail.com . Now, we aren't asking for your grandma's secret recipe. Just something that you wanna share with the other Lunching Ladies!

Can I interest you in a Waffle?

You all know you have one. That waffle maker that you registered for. The waffle maker your Aunt Eunice bought for your wedding day. The waffle maker that you pledged you make fresh waffles for your new husband every Saturday or Sunday morning. It's now the waffle maker that sits in the back of your kitchen cabinet collecting dust along with the other miscellaneous appliance that you thought you couldn't live without while registering at Macy's. Mine is the stick blender which I keep toting from place to place as I've convinced myself that I might need it to make soup some day. ANYWAYS.....

I have an easy waffle batter that everyone in your house will enjoy. Granted, it's not as easy as L'eggo my Eggo, but when you are limited like I am, you'll be be happy that you mixed up the weekend breakfast routine. And, your waffle iron will thank you.

This recipe is partly from my standard red Betty Crocker cookbook and partially from my own need to incorporate cinnamon where I can in my day. Oh, and if you need to purchase one cookbook, buy this one!!! It was invaluable to me when I first started cooking here in Tunisia.

Weekend Waffles
2 large eggs
2 cups of flour (you can use all purpose or whole wheat here)
1 and 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (OK, I never said these were healthy waffles. I have subbed in melted butter or margarine. Use the lesser fat/cholesterol variety if you want.)
1 Tbsp granulated or brown sugar (Brown sugar is nill here on the local market and I do buy mine at the commissary or through Netgrocer. Granulated sugar works just fine.)
4 tsps of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 shake or 2 of cinnamon (You could also use nutmeg here)


1. Fire up the waffle iron.
***Tip: Before heating up the iron, place a towel or paper towel underneath for any excess batter drippings. Cleanup is a breeze!***
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl with whisk until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients.
3. Pour 2/3 cup of batter onto the heated waffle iron or the recommended amount for your waffle iron. I've found that this might be a trial and error sort of thing.
4. Close lid of waffle iron and bake for 5 minutes OR recommended time. My waffle iron has a red light/green light function which is nice.

Serve immediately with butter and syrup, fresh fruit, peanut butter, or Nutella. Yes, they have Nutella here at the local market.

These waffles freeze extremely well and can be toasted straight from the freezer later in the week. To freeze, leave waffles out on a cookie cooling rack for a couple of hours. Place in freezer tight bags and flat in freezer.

Voila! Now you have no excuse to have cereal on Saturday morning.

Going Bananas Bread

So you bought bananas last weekend and no one in the house has touched them. While your valiant effort for your family to eat healthy was a bust, your bananas don't have to be. Some of you may know this trick for using up brown 'nanas. It's personally one of my favorites and makes a great quicky b-fast for your hubby.

Speaking of hubbies, I made banana bread for mine on our first date 14 years ago. That batch was so undercooked, it's a miracle he kept dating me! This recipe is my redemption for that underbaked loaf and has only failed 1X which I will explain later.

I have been able to find most of the ingredients locally with the exception of the vanilla. In Tunis, I have been told of vanilla powder but have not been brave enough to try it. You might want to check out http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html for additional information.

1 stick margarine/butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 small bananas, mashed (I have used fewer and the recipe turns out fine)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream (For those of you w/o sour cream, you can try a thick natural greek yogurt or even a creme fresh for this. I have also used a product called raieb which is usually substitued in other recipes for buttermilk.)

Cream margarine/butter with sugar. Add eggs and bananas, mixing well. Add dry ingredients, then sour cream and vanilla. Pour into greased/floured large loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Bread is ready when inserted knife comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes.

The first time I made this recipe here, the bread came out so flat. I would recommend using a little more baking soda if this happens to you, even if it's just a 1/2 to 1 tsp more. It could make all the difference.

Enjoy and if you have any info on the vanilla powder vs extract, please send a comment!