It's breakfast for dinner.

At least once a week I get on the mood for breakfast food for dinner.  Whether it be waffles, pancakes, crepes and this week french toast, all yummy and cozy on a cold winter night.

I used a good loaf of challah bread, and had it sliced at the bakery.  I wish they could make slightly thicker slices but it seems the bakery has one size fits all slicing.

It may sound silly to some people, but I actually use a recipe for french toast.  On my own I never know ratio of egg to milk, is my batter to think or thin?  So once again I go to my trusty America's Test Kitchen Cookbook because they have worked out all the kinks for me.

Recipe


8 slices quality white sandwich bread
6 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour.


Melt 2 Tbsp butter and whisk it together with milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.


Soak bread 2 slices at a time in the batter.  In the meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp butter at a time in the non-stick skillet to cook the french toast.  Let excess batter drip off of bread before putting into the pan.  Cook about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.


Serve with warmed maple syrup.

Now, there a few things I changed in this recipe.  The milk originally called for whole milk, I only had 1% and that worked fine.  The flour called for all -purpose flour and I used whole wheat.  I also left out the salt because I used salted butter, I never even buy unsalted butter.  The original recipe also called for drying out the bread in the oven prior to soaking it in the batter, I am just too lazy for that extra step.

Even with my changes to the already tweaked ATK recipe it was a huge hit at our house, and it made more than enough to freeze for future quick breakfasts.

Pecan Chicken

I had defrosted some chicken cutlets but I was really unsure about how I was going to prepare them.  I am a lover of plain old breaded cutlets but was looking for a little something different.  After a little cookbook browsing, and scanning the cabinets for the ingredients I had found a keeper.

The chicken started off being marinated in a Dijon mustard based marinade, which also acted as the binder for the nutty breading.  After they were all fried up  served them over a leafy green salad with a balsamic dressing.  They made for a great lunch at work that held up well during travelling.

Guinness Stew

Believe it or not this recipe came from a Disney Food Blog, you can actually find this stew in Epcot at the Rose & Crown Pub. With the weather getting cooler stew is a good stick to the bones dinner, and easy to make too. I had most of the ingredients on hand all I needed was a bottle of Guinness, which I was able to pick up the one bottle I needed at the local beer distributor. I didn't feel like spending $10 on a six pack in case I didn't really like it and I wasn't sure if anyone would drink what I had left over.I made this stew on the stove but I am sure would do just as well in the crockpot.

I followed the original posted recipe but then had to make some small variations. The original recipe calls for no flour, so I did wonder how this stew was going to thicken up. So at the end I added some Wondra as a thickener. I also doubled the amount of Guinness, I wasn't just going to pour it down the drain or drink it at home by myself.

Ingredients:
2 pounds sirloin cubes
1 ounce olive oil
1 dry bay leaf
8 ounces diced onions
4 ounces diced carrots
½ ounce chopped garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
8 ounces Guinness stout
1 quart beef broth

You start by cubing the meat in equally sized cubes. Brown the meat in olive oil in a large pot. Once meat is browned on all sides add bay leaf, onion and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent.

Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili flakes and Guinness. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broth and bring to a boil.



Reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour, or until meat and carrots are tender.

Turkey Pot Pie with Savory Crumb Topping

With all the rainy days we have been having and the weather turning cooler I feel the need to start cooking some comfort food. What is cozier than pot pie? This isn't just any pot pie, but a crumb topped pot pie. I had never had nor made one before, but it sounded delicious. Once again another recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

The recipe looks more complicated than it actually is. I served it with farmer's market green beans and actually was too busy digging in that I forgot to take a picture of it plated. It truly was a savory delicious dish.

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breasts and/or thighs
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
2 small celery ribs , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce (see note)
1 teaspoon tomato paste (see note)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup frozen baby peas

Crumble Topping
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 ounce Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until turkey is just done, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked turkey to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to ¾ inch each onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

3. FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with turkey; set aside.

4. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside.

5. Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons parsley.

6. Stir turkey-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley and serve.

Pork Tinga

About a week ago my mother came home after a visit with my brother. She raved about a Mexican dish he made, I immediately inquired about what he made and where the recipe came from. I am always on the lookout for authentic Mexican recipes. Pork Tinga from Cook's Illustrated.

The recipe called for a pork butt, when I went into the supermarket I saw a pork shoulder butt. Well is it a butt or a shoulder? After a brief conversation with the butcher he informed me the shoulder butt was the same thing my recipe was calling for. I had him remove the bone, and if I had used my brain I would have had him trim the fat and cut the meat into the size I needed.

Now I have to let you know a couple of months ago I was trying another recipe that called for a pork shoulder, after slow cooking it in the oven for quite some time it was time to take out. It smelled delicious and I couldn't wait to try what I had made. Much to my surprise when I went to cut the meat I saw a rather large piece of pig skin with scorched fur on the shoulder. That was enough to make me throw this whole shoulder into the trash. What a waste! After a full inspection I can already see that the pork butt I bought was well trimmed, thank goodness.

Cook's Illustrated Pork Tinga

2 pounds boneless pork butt , trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions , 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
5 medium garlic cloves , 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Table salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder (see note)
2 bay leaves

Tostadas
3/4 cup vegetable oil
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (see note)
Table salt
Garnishes
Queso fresco or feta cheese
Fresh cilantro leaves
Sour cream
Diced avocado
Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE TINGA: Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, garlic, and thyme. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½-inch pieces (see Step-by-Step below); set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, reserved pork cooking liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste.

4. TO FRY TOSTADAS: Heat vegetable oil in 8-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged (see photo below), until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5. TO SERVE: Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each tostada and serve, passing garnishes separately.