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.   

BBQ Porkchops for Two

BBQ Pork chop with brown rice and veggies

In an effort to expand my dinner repertoire, I decided to pick up some pork chops.  I've never made a good pork chop, but surely, it couldn't be that hard.  It is the 'other white meat', right?

Turns out, they are easy.  And this recipe makes 2 which will feed a very hungry person, you and hubby, or you and your stomach for lunch tomorrow. 

If you can get pork, you can make this recipe.  I used bbq sauce as the topper, but feel free to substitute any other thick sauce (think sweet and sour). 

BBQ Pork Chops for Two

2 pork chops, about the size of your palm, 3/4 inches or so thick
olive oil
salt and pepper
BBQ sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees and heat oven-proof skillet on stove on medium high heat.  Put a little olive oil in the pan to coat.  Rinse and pat dry pork chops and shake a little salt and pepper on both sides.  Put pork chops in skillet and sear both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.  This will help keep them moist during baking.  

Next, remove from stove and put about 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce on top of each pork chop.  You may need to use a spoon to spread it over the entire chop.  Place oven proof skillet in oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Check chops after 30 minutes for doneness.  Continue baking if still pink in center. 

I paired this with leftover brown rice, cinnamon sugar baby carrots, and steamed broccoli.  For the carrots, steam, dab with a little butter or margarine, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Promise, they are tasty!

Enjoy this easy and simple way to make pork chops.  I'm not sure if you can even call it a recipe, but it was too good not to share with you guys!

Welcome back!

Well, it's not quite fall yet, but I see the signs in the states.  Stores with back-to-school sales, kids getting BORED with summer, and my teacher friends going back to work for training.  I'd like to welcome everyone back from our Summer hiatus and welcome you to the Lunching Ladies STATESIDE Recipes blog.  Even though I'm not overseas, I'm still cooking and baking and bringing you guys some great dishes. 

By the way, you'll see the recipes from LLOR below.  Score! 

Summertime Hiatus

Hey LLOR followers,
Erin and I are proud to announce that both of us will be moving back to the states this summer! Most of you may know this already, but we wanted to formally post it so that you don't think we've abandoned you.

As for new recipes, we will be on hiatus this summer until we're settled in to our new homes. In the meantime, please feel free to send us any new stuff you've tried or any new tips you've picked up. And don't forget to refer back to some of your oldies but goodies recipes that you like. Postings may still appear during the next couple of months, but less frequent.

Happy Summer !
Teresa

Layered Chicken Parm

Chicken parmesan has always been a favorite of mine, but I confess to liking neither the pain of traditional frying preparation, nor the additional calories that come from fried chicken patties. So, this recipe is a toast to a healthier chicken parm creation.

What you'll need:

1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

small container ricotta cheese

fresh basil

tomato sauce, bottled or fresh (recipe below)

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

Italian seasoning, to include oregano, marjoram, parsley flakes

salt and pepper

mozzarella cheese

pasta of your choosing

To start:

Marinate the chicken breasts in a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I use 1 tbls. vinegar with 2 tbls. of olive oil, adjusting the amount depending on the amount of chicken used, making sure to cover all the breasts with the marinade. Bake the chicken breasts in a 350 F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken's juices run clear. Pull chicken out of stove and let cool down.

Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise in half, essentially slicing them in half so that they are the same length as the original, but are skinnier. In an oven safe dish, place the first chicken breast half. Scoop a dollop of ricotta cheese and place it against the chicken, then add a few leaves of fresh basil. Place the next chicken breast against the basil and cheese, and add another dollop of ricotta cheese with a few leaves of basil. Continue to layer the chicken, ricotta and basil in this fashion until you have used all the chicken breasts.

When you have finished layering the chicken and cheese, smother the concoction with your tomato sauce. Now add a layer of mozzarella, pop into your still warm 350 F oven, and bake until the mozzarella begins to melt, about 20 minutes. In the meantime, boil water and prepare the pasta of your choosing. When the chicken emerges, the ricotta will be soft, the sauce will be bubbling, and your mouth will be watering. Plate the pasta and then serve the chicken over the pasta, using the excess sauce to soak the pasta. You may want to add additional parmesan cheese to the top, but it's perfect just as it is.

Tomato Sauce In a Jiffy

7-8 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped and diced

3 cloves of garlic

4 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tblsp. butter

1.5 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

dash salt

dash pepper

fresh basil

3 tsp. sugar

dash balsamic vinegar

When tomatoes are ripe, this sauce is a great use for them. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and then add the olive oil. When heated, crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan. The heat should be medium to low, as you don't want the garlic to brown, but to infuse the oil with its flavor. When the smell of the garlic starts to waft through the kitchen, add your fresh diced tomatoes to the pan and stir. Add the Italian seasoning, the fresh basil, and salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes cook down, and the spices simmer. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar, the sugar, and turn the heat down to low. I let this mixture cook from up to 2 hours before the meal, but I've also made this in a bout half an hour, and it still tastes great. It's an easy alternative to bottled sauce, and tastes really fresh.

Cheers!

Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes....

Ahh, Adam Sandler...you know you love that song.

If you were born in the 70's, you ate sloppy joes for dinner. My mom made these every week and somehow I never got used to the taste. I think it was the green bell peppers which is not one of my favorites. Anyways, this recipe comes from my wonderful Hungry Girl cookbook and I've modified it a bit. The hubby loves these and I think you will too.

You can also use this mixture to combine with some rice and make stuffed peppers, especially if you are trying to cut the bread out of your diet. I've done it both ways, but think it goes best with a nice sesame seed Mrs. Baird's hamburger bun.

Sloppy Joe's
1lb ground beef
1/2 cup white, yellow, or red onions, diced
1/2 cup of red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 and 1/4 TBsp of Splenda (This is Hungry Girl's lower cal add in. If you want, use sugar instead)
1TBsp of steak seasoning (I use Head's County which I get from Texas. It's my favorite!!!)
Dash of salt
1TBsp Worcestershire sauce
1TBsp red wine vinegar (I would strongly encourage the use of this type of vinegar only because I think it gives this recipe its 'zing'.)
14 oz tomato sauce
2TBsp tomato paste
Hamburger buns

Heat large pan to medium heat. Break up ground beef and begin to cook. Mix steak seasoning, salt, and Splenda in a small bowl and add to beef. Stir and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add peppers and onion and stir in with beef mixture. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until beef is completely browned. Add Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Serve on hamburger type buns.

Easy, huh? So next time your family sings for sloppy joes, give this recipe a try.

Candy Bar Martini

If you were at Festivus de Teresa this year, then you had one of these at the Hayes' house. Blake and I discovered this yum drink at Houlihan's in New Jersey about 6 or 7 years ago. The name there was the Milky Way Martini, but due to that whole branding thing, I've changed the name.

For my overseas folk, if you can't get the liquors at your local liquor store or commissary, check the duty free store. Or, there's always that person headed back from Europe and can probably score you a bottle of what you are missing.

Oh, by the way, these pack a punch (KA-POW) and the effects can creep up on you. Just ask Festivus attendees .

Candy Bar Martini
2 shots of Irish Cream (Bailey's, preferably)
2 shots of white Creme de Cacao (or another milky chocolate liquor)
1 shot of vodka (Absolut is my fave)
2-4 shots of whole milk or 2% milk
Chocolate syrup
Optional: Milky way or 3 Musketeers candy mini candy bars

Combine and mix all liquors and milk. Drizzle some chocolate syrup into the bottom of a martini or margarita type glass. Pour liquor/milk mixture into the glass. Put the candy bar on the rim of the glass by making a small cut into the mini piece. This serves 2 regular martinis or 1 large :).