Triple-Berry French Toast Casserole

Every time I make this, I remember that it is actually easier than most breakfasts.  And even though the word "sugar" pops up many times in this recipe, I think it's probably healthier than regular French toast with syrup.  

First of all, it's baked instead of butter-fried on a griddle (which is how I make regular French toast).  It's got whole lot of whole berries--healthy, right?  And after we dust it with powdered sugar at the end, we don't add whipped cream or syrup or anything else--it's good with just a light sprinkle.  

Caveat: I let everyone dust their own, because it's so fun to use the powdered sugar wand . . . and they don't understand the word "lightly"--so maybe only my French toast feels slightly-healthier-than-regular-French-toast.

Maybe I am just justifying how often I want to make this breakfast, because no matter how you slice it (but you should slice it into 1-inch cubes), it's DELICIOUS.  And if you make more than one pan, it's an easy way to feed all your company.

Indian Vegetable Rice [InstantPot]

This is one of my favorite recipes for many reasons:

1. It is so yummy that it can be eaten as a main dish, but it easily doubles as a side dish
2. InstantPot.  It is quick and easy.
3. I usually have all these ingredients on hand--make your own chicken stock every time you get a rotisserie chicken, and you will, too!
4. My meat-loving husband never asks, "Where's the meat?" in this dish, because the stock makes it so hearty and flavorful.  Chicken stock means that it's technically not a vegetarian dish, but it's one of the few vegetable-rich entrees that Allen loves.
5. Buuuuuut if you reeeeeeally want to, you can easily add some cooked shrimp or chicken at the end. 

Gingerbread House Mortar

Best possible recipe for holding together your Christmas time creations.

Those windows are made out of a sliced
3 Musketeers candy bar . . . the only good use for
said candy bar, in my opinion . . .

Here is a HOT TIP I got from my sweet sister Hanna: save unwanted Halloween candy for making gingerbread houses.  It only costs you the miles you put on your sneakers on Halloween night.  Since 2012 is the year our family SHATTERED our former candy record (we got 603 pieces of candy total!), we had a ton of candy to work with.  And you can mold Laffy Taffy and Tootsie Rolls into anything.

Leftover Halloween candy for decorating . . .

I assemble all the houses (just with graham crackers) while my kids are at school, and then we decorate them when they get home, usually on a Monday for Family Home Evening. This stuff only takes about 10 minutes to dry and harden.

Our 2010 creations

Our 2012 creations

2016

2020

2021

 

My best friend Cori's beautiful creation--
she used licroice to make the "bricks"
Check out Cori's delicious recipes on this site.

My pink and purpaliscious g-bread house.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

This is what my son, Brigham, requests for his birthday dinner.

And also once a week.

It's something the whole family enjoys, and the Instant Pot makes it something that I do end up making twice a month.  The thing is, everyone also wants to eat it with naan.  Sometimes I cheat and just brush flour tortillas with butter and garlic and give them a quick fry on the electric griddle . . . but most of the time I use this naan recipe, and add a little more time to my dinner prep.  

My number one tips for taking this curry to the top?

• Make jasmine rice, for serving.  It's more expensive than your regular long grain rice, but IT'S STILL CHEAP.  And it's so much tastier, trust me.  If you don't have a rice cooker, it's the appliance that you've been waiting for.
• I use the red curry powder from the bulk section at Winco, and I love it--but I open to trying new brands if you have suggestions
  
  
• I often use a third can of diced tomatoes in place of the 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, and I actually like it better
• Fresh cilantro on top
  
  
• I have used powdered ginger in place of grated fresh ginger when I didn't have any on hand, and it was still super yummy

If I am making this meal for my family, I get the naan dough mixed and proving in the oven, THEN I get the jasmine rice going in the rice-cooker, and THEN I start on the curry.  And I can usually have the naan all cooked by the time the curry is ready to serve.  Enjoy!

The Best Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe makes five. honkin'. LOAVES.  

I have a Bosch mixer, and I really recommend you don't try to make five loaves unless you also have a heavy-capacity mixer, because kneading bread is tough on those motors.

I originally got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which has never given me a bum steer, but I did tweak a couple things.  For starters, I used to use honey in this recipe . . . until my grocery budget went through the roof, because we ONLY eat this bread, and I make five loaves about every eight to ten days.  So I always use 2/3 cups sugar instead.   

After they have cooled, I freeze three loaves and get them out as I need them--since there are no preservatives in this bread, it gets moldy quicker than store bread.  I try to get them out the night before they are needed so they can come to room temperature on the counter, but sometimes most of the time I am sawing through frozen bread and toasting it . . .

Risen and ready.  I find I have good results when I put
them in a COLD oven, then turn the oven on
so they rise a teeny bit more before they bake.

Baked and ready for butter brushed on the top

My mother-in-law gave me two stonewear loaf pans from The Pampered Chef years ago--It was such a great gift!  I love how they bake so well that I have bought three more at thrift stores.  Actually, I have bought FIVE more over the years, but broke two of them . . . I am always on the lookout for more, so I have some ready for the next time I have a baking accident (just like on Into the Woods).  My loaf pans are so seasoned that the bread slides right out every time (but I DON'T recommend stonewear for any sweet bread [pumpkin, zucchini, Amish friendship, etc]--it sticks like crazy).

*Side note- I rarely buy bread unless I am:

• making French toast
• pregnant, and therefore too moody to make bread
• deep in the summer of the COVID pandemic when even baking brought me no joy

I also always add a cup of 5-grain cereal that I buy in the bulk section at Winco.  It has rolled oats, rye, barley, triticale (triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye), and flax seed.  I like to add whole grains because it makes your body digest the bread more slowly--so that the bread is not turning straight into sugar in your bloodstream.  Plus I love the chewy little bits--it's such a good texture.

So here you go, my second recipe card in a lonnnnnng time, and the recipe that I bake the very most.

Bonus photo: Brigham came home from cross-country practice in his shorts that he nicknamed "Minty Magic" and said, "Yes!  I love coming home to bread!  It's my favorite thing to see!" and proceeded to eat half a loaf.

Gluten Freebies

The best gluten-free dessert money can buy you can make at home.

Spicy Chickpea and Rice Soup

Allen made this soup for dinner last night.  And today, only one day later, I made a recipe card--because this is going to be a monthly staple at our house.  I don't know when I have tasted better soup.  It was so delicious and satisfying and flavorful and different.

This is why some people rhapsodize about soup!  It can be the best meal of your life!

It doesn't hurt that it's a pretty darn healthy vegetarian soup, either.

A couple things: we couldn't find any harissa paste, so we didn't use any.  The original recipe called for bulgur wheat instead of brown rice.  Again, none to be had in our small town.  And we used sour cream in place of creme fraiche.

So yummy.  I had a huge bowl for lunch today and wished there was more.

Coconut-Vegetable Curry (with optional shrimp)

This is a vegan recipe, and is also salt-free and contains only 1 tablespoon of oil (coconut oil, which is pretty much the healthiest fat in the world).  If you are not a vegan, you can add some protein and flavor by including shrimp--which always pairs well with coconut.

I prepared my brown rice in my rice cooker (3 cups brown rice + 5 cups water) with a whole tablespoon of Mrs. Dash (garlic and herb blend) and it was a lovely alternative to salt.  I prefer it, in fact--it made my house smell heavenly while it cooked.

The dish is aromatic, savory, and spicy (but not HOT spicy--just herb-spicy), and is very forgiving if you substitute whatever veg you have on hand.  The first time I made it, I used broccoli instead of red bell peppers, and it was delicious.

In addition to being absolutely yummy and satisfying, it's also ridiculously healthy.  Bonus.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

This is, hands-down, my favorite vegetarian meal.  It is hearty, filling, and every bite is delicious.  It also happens to be salt-free and oil-free, but is still super flavorful comfort food.  Cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth is a must!  It gives the whole dish a much richer flavor.  

Allen and I have been adhering to a (pretty much) vegan diet since January began (we have been having fish once a week, and eggs every Sunday morning).  It's been tough (especially the first two weeks), but food like this makes it easy!  I have made these stuffed peppers every single week, because it's a vegan meal that I could eat every night and never get tired of.  Cilantro and lime juice is my favorite topping, but spinach and salsa is also delectable.  The original recipe called for CANNED corn (gross), but it is an easy (and healthier, and cheaper, and delicious-er, I might add) fix to use a cup of frozen corn instead.

This is the first time I have ever used "nutritional yeast" in a recipe, and though the name is totally unlovely, it's a pretty delicious substitute for cheese.  From Wikipedia: 

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast . . . in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of cheese.

But you do not have to be a vegan to enjoy these scrumptious stuffed peppers!  However our diet changes in the future, this recipe is going to remain part of my weekly repertoire.

You can't really beat avocado and cilantro.

Dr. Fuhrman's Walnut Vinaigrette

This is for YOU, my vegan friends!  No animal products dressing!  It's also gluten-free, oil-free, and salt-free.  I'm sorry if you have nut allergies--it's not nut-free, alas.  (***Sidenote: you can substitute almonds or cashews to taste, or if you have allergies to walnuts only***)

But let's say you are not a vegan, and you love creamy, zesty dressings on your salads and other foods . . . this dressing also happens to be utterly DELICIOUS.  And delicious is the number one requirement for a recipe to make it to this site.  The fact that it's totally healthy is just a really great bonus.

Raisins make it sweet, the walnuts make it--well, nutty, the balsamic vinegar gives it some bite, and the mustard and garlic smooth out the entire dressing and add a warm, mellow flavor.  An Italian seasoning blend works just fine in place of thyme.  

I store the dressing in an Adam's Peanut Butter
jar and keep it in the fridge.  It'll stay fresh for
a month in an airtight container.

It's January!  Back in the saddle!