Baked French Toast

I wanted to try out a baked french toast recipe to do a practice run for Christmas morning.  I found this recipe done by the Pioneer Woman.

• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Fresh Fruit (optional)
• Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
• Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
  In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.
  When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you're using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
  Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.
  The verdict: This made the house smell amazing, I think it will be perfect for Christmas morning.  Josh loved the French toast and ate seconds.  Ethan and Michael thought it was good but had some hesitations to commit to it for our Christmas breakfast.  I thought it was pretty tasty I especially liked the crunchy top.  I takes 1 hour to cook in the morning but that'll work out well to cook while we are opening presents. 

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I saw Anne Burrell make this on the Best Thing I Ever Made and I had all of the ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try.  I used bacon instead of pancetta and just didn't add any extra salt.  From reading reviews on food network I made sure to turn off direct heat while adding the eggs so they didn't scramble. 

Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 scallions, cut on a severe bias

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat.

Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta a medium heat and cook until it starts to color and become crisp. Turn off the heat and reserve.

Drop the pasta into the salted boiling water and cook it 1 minute less than it says on the package, usually about 6 to 7 minutes. Bite the pasta to check the consistency.

While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated cheeses and season with salt. Whisk vigorously until it becomes a homogenous. Season generously with black pepper.

When the pasta is just about done, return the pan with the pancetta to medium heat. Remove the pasta from the cooking water. Toss or stir the pasta into the pancetta to coat the pasta with the remaining fat in the skillet. Immediately vigorously stir the egg mixture into the pasta. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the egg mixture looks like a cream sauce.

Serve immediately garnished with sliced scallions.

The Verdict:  The family loved it.  Josh exclaimed that it was his favorite dinner ever and Michael got seconds which never ever happens.  On the other hand I thought it was just ok, a little too eggy for me.  I will definitely make it again since everyone loved it and it was super easy and quick.  

Pork and Brussel Sprout Stir Fry

• I had extra brussels sprouts from my Thanksgiving dinner and saw this recipe in my Rachael Ray magazine. 
• 
  
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
• 1 lb. brussels sprouts, halved
• 2 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork and cook until golden; transfer to plate. Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil and sprouts to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add scallion whites and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, brown sugar and 1/4 cup water; cook until sauce is slightly thickened. Return pork to pan and toss to coat. Top with scallion greensThe Verdict: the boys hate brussels sprouts without even trying them so they just ate the meat and the one sprout I made them eat, Michael didn't give any feed back but ate his food which is a good sign and I thought the recipe was pretty ok and a good use of brussels sprouts. It was nice to change up the veggie in a stir fry.