Sweet and crunchy, these cinnamon French toast fingers make a delicious Sunday breakfast.
Author: Nicky @ Kitchensanctuary.com
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
6 thick slices of brioche bread
2 large eggs
4 tbsps milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp water
To Serve:
Greek Yogurt
Instructions
Place the blueberry sauce ingredients in a small pan and put to one side.
Cut the crusts off each slice of bread, and cut each piece of bread into three fingers.
Whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract in a wide, shallow bowl.
Place the sugar and cinnamon on a plate and mix together.
Place the pan for the blueberries on a medium heat and bring to a bubble, then stir and turn down the heat to low. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the blueberries release some of their colour and the sugar is completely dissolved. Don't overcook or the blueberries will lose their shape. Turn off the heat and put to one side.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan (skillet) on a medium heat until just bubbling. Briefly dip the bread fingers in the egg mixture so that all sides are covered.
Place the fingers straight in the hot pan. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the fingers from the pan and place them straight in the cinnamon sugar. Turn them over to fully coat.
Stack the cinnamon fingers on two or three plates, then top each plate with 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and the blueberry sauce.
4 tbsp. icing sugar (or other sweetener of your choice)
Method
Line a bowl with muslin or any thin cloth and dollop the yogurt onto it. Hold the ends of the cloth and squeeze out the whey water from the yogurt. Tie the ends of the cloth together and hang it up somewhere where it can continue to drip out. Once completely drained (about 2 hours), transfer the thick yogurt to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add the frozen mango chunks to a blender along with sugar and hung yogurt. Pulse until the mango chunks are broken up, and then continue to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes. Open the lid halfway through and scrape down the sides before blending again until completely smooth.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 hour; take the semi-frozen yogurt out and blend again for 1 minute. Repeat the process of freezing and blending two more times, after which freeze for several hours or overnight. Leave the container out at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
* Adapted from Thekitchn
3.5.3208
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
It's Salad Week at the Abby and I am highlighting salads that I enjoy during the Spring and Summer when fresh fruit is readily available. The blog foolproof living has an deliciousStrawberry, Spinach, and Arugula Salad that is just made to devour with a poppy seed dressing. Abby
Strawberry, Spinach, and Arugula Salad with Lighter Poppy Seed Dressing
Author: Aysegul Sanford
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Poppy Seed Dressing:
1 medium size (or 2 small) shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vegenaise or fat-free yogurt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon salt
For the salad:
4 cups baby spinach, washed and spin-dried
2 cups baby arugula, washed and spin-dried
2 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
¼ cups of pine nuts, lightly toasted
½ cup of ricotta cheese
Instructions
To make the poppy seed dressing: Place all the dressing ingredients in a medium-size jar and shake vigorously. Place it in the fridge.
To make the salad: Combine the spinach and arugula in a large salad bowl. Stir in the strawberries and pine nuts. Pour the dressing over the salad. Give it a gentle stir. When ready to serve, place small chunks of ricotta cheese on the salad. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can substitute pine nuts and ricotta cheese with walnuts and blue cheese.
You can make the poppy seed dressing 2-3 days in advance and keep in a jar in the fridge.
¼ tsp salt (or more if you don't like the dressing too sweet)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1 tbsp poppyseeds
For the salad:
2 cups arugula
1( 6-8 oz) grilled chicken breast, see notes
½ cup chopped strawberries
1 kiwi, sliced
¼ cup fresh blueberries
½ large avocado, chopped
1-2 tbsp chopped almonds
1 tbsp chopped scallions, green part only
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
poppy seeds to sprinkle on top
Instructions
For the dressing:
In a blender combine vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and strawberries. Blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine sieve and return to the blender.
With the blender running on high, slowly pour the oil inside. The dressing should become a little creamy. Stir in poppyseeds. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
For the salad:
Place all ingredients in a bowl/large plate. Pour dressing on top.
Notes
To make the grilled chicken:
1 6-8oz chicken breast
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Drizzle with oil. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side on a hot gas grill.
Aretha Franklin’s
voice is the master of beautiful sounds for me because I love the
morning just before dawn as the world comes to life. I always feel a special connection because it always seems to call to me. I awoke this morning to Aretha Franklin singing “Natural Woman” written by
Carol King.
Ahh that voice
and the fresh scent of morning as I looked out my window and contemplated
another day that is a fresh new start. It does help that I am the ultimate romantic
at heart and the song reminds me of wearing my husband’s shirt and catching his
scent each time I move.
When my soul was in the lost and found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it
Now I'm no longer doubtful, of what I'm living for
And if I make you happy I don't need to do more
'Cause you make me feel,
You make me feel,
You make me feel like
A natural woman
Finding a new phone is a lonesome task. There are so
many makes and model to choose from. I am totally overwhelmed in my search for
a new phone. I love Samsung phones and they are at the top of my list to buy.
The only problem is that my Samsung Mega 6.3 has been discontinued and I really
don’t want a small phone having enjoyed the luxury of a phablet. Thus I am torn
with giving up on Samsung and moving to a new phone. O’ the life of woe when
looking for a new cellphone.
After four years of dedicated service my Samsung Meg
6.3 has finally died. It is with great sorry that I plan my phones funeral.
Sadness abounds my soul. This phone who we will call Sally, was dedicated to
the pleasure of serving me without fail. I could surf the net, read email and
talk on this beautiful phone all at the same time. I shall miss Sally as she
was my connection to the world.
I love comfort food. One of my favorite dishes chicken
and dumplings is the ultimate comfort food. I don’t care what the season is a
steaming pot of chicken and dumplings always hits the stop.
I found a wonderful recipe the other day with a
step-by-step guide at the gratefulgirl.com the recipe is both delicious and comforting.
Abby,
Place a whole thawed chicken (that is rinsed and cavity cleared) into a large stockpot. Cover with water. (If you want you can add 1/2 cup each of chopped onion, celery, and carrots to help flavor the broth, but it really is not necessary). Bring the water to boiling and cook the chicken for 1 hour. When done, remove the chicken to a large bowl to cool down. Pour the broth through a sieve to strain out any veggies, particles, etc. Pour broth back into stockpot. I discard the veggies I flavored the broth with, but if you want to leave them in, go for it! When chicken has cooled, remove the skin. The chicken will be so tender the legs and thighs will easily tear off. I like to put a flexible cutting board on a baking sheet with edges, to help catch any liquid run-off. Cut or pull off all the meat from the chicken, and place into a large bowl. The chicken should be cut into bite sized pieces. I usually end up with between 4-5 cups of shredded chicken. I like to use about 2 -2 1/2 cups of chicken for this recipe. You can use all of the chicken if you want, but I prefer to put the rest of the chicken into a freezer bag and into my freezer, so I have cooked chicken ready for another meal (like quesadillas, enchiladas, casseroles, etc.), as well! Add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken back into the pot of chicken broth. I add two large cubes of chicken bouillon to the hot broth to add additional flavor. Heat the broth back up on medium high heat. While it is coming to a boil, I make the dumplings. I know a lot of people make big puffy biscuit-like “dumplings”, but this is how my Grandma made them (Southern-style), and that is why they look like large noodles. I start by blending flour, salt, and shortening together using a pastry cutter, cutting it in until the shortening is the size of small peas. Easy! Hot water and more flour is added and mixture is firmed up into a large dough ball. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes, then shape into 3 equal sized portions. The dough is rolled out on a flour covered surface, one dough ball at a time, until it is thinly rolled out, and is about the size of a pie crust. Use a pizza cutter (or a very sharp knife) to cut the dough into long strips about an inch wide. Repeat the entire rolling/cutting process with the other two dough balls, adding additional flour to cutting board before rolling each one. Once the broth is boiling, carefully drop the “dumplings” a few at a time into the boiling broth, continuing until all dumplings are in the pot. Add a small amount of butter, as well as salt and pepper to the soup to help season it. Taste the broth, then add additional salt and/or pepper to suit your taste. Mix a couple spoonfuls of flour with some cold water (blend it well with a fork), and add it to the soup. This will help to thicken up the broth. Cook the Chicken n’ Dumplings until broth has thickened a bit, and is very hot. When ready to serve, ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, and serve with a big piece of crusty french bread on the side. That’s it! This is so yummy… and is “comfort food” at its best! Not only that, but the leftovers are amazing!
Sure hope you will give this soup a try. Nothing better than having a big pot of delicious soup
available to slurp on during the cold Fall and Winter seasons! Enjoy!
Southern-Style Chicken n' Dumplings... a filling soup, just the way my Grandma used to make it!
As Prepared By: JB at The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
To Cook Chicken And Make Broth:
1 whole chicken, thawed and cleaned (remove and discard giblets from cavity)
½ cup carrots, celery, and onion (OPTIONAL-to flavor the chicken broth)
Water to completely cover chicken in a large stockpot.
To Make The Dumplings:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 heaping Tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup HOT water
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
To finish soup:
Two large chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tablespoon butter
¼ cup water mixed with 2 Tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper, to taste (approx. 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
Directions
Put the chicken and the veggies (if using) in a large stockpot. Cover completely with water. Bring to a quick boil, then continue cooking chicken for one hour. When done, remove chicken to large bowl to cool. Strain broth to remove leftover veggies or other particles. Return broth to stockpot.
Once chicken is cool, remove skin, then cut chicken into bite sized pieces. (At this point I divide the chicken pieces in half, and freeze half for use in another meal).
Add chicken pieces (approx. 2½ cups) back into chicken broth. Heat the chicken and broth back up to boiling. Add bouillon cubes, salt and pepper (to taste).
While chicken is coming to a boil, make the dumplings. In a large bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the shortening and salt into the cup of flour, until shortening is the size of small peas. Add ½ cup HOT water and ½ cup, plus 2 Tablespoons of flour to the mixture. Stir and work the mixture until a soft dough ball forms (firm enough to roll out). Divide dough into 3 equal sized balls, then let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Generously flour a work surface. Roll each dough ball out (one at a time), sprinkling with flour (if necessary) to keep dough from sticking to work surface. Roll out to about the size of a large pie crust (roll out thin). Cut dough into strips about an inch wide using a pizza cutter or knife. Repeat process for remaining dough balls.
Drop dumplings a couple at a time into hot boiling chicken/broth mixture until all have been added to pot; add butter, and continue cooking.
Make a slurry by mixing ¼ cup water with 2 large Tablespoons flour. Stir well to combine, then add to soup pot, and stir well. (this helps to thicken broth a bit).
Cook an additional 10 minutes on high to fully cook dumplings.
Taste test broth, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Ladle hot soup into bowls, serve, and enjoy (especially with crusty french bread on the side!)
Notes
If you are pressed for time, you can always start with store bought chicken broth (cook the chicken in water/drain, THEN use broth in pot), and can also use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to get the chicken from, BUT I prefer to make it the way I have posted it, as it is far less expensive... but, hey... whatever works, right?
If I ever become a shoe person, I am going to buy
myself a pair of $675.00 Christian Louboutins'. There is something about Christian Louboutins' that make me want to be a
shoe person.
Maybe it’s the red bottoms, maybe it’s the cute and
sexy heel. I am not sure what it is. But ,I would love to have a pair though I
can’t walk in high heels are afford the price.
In and every changing world I have finally hit my
stride. I am me and that is a happy place to be. The one thing I am most grateful
for is my breast reduction. All I have to stay is what a difference a few cup
sizes make.
I am now the proud owner of off the shoulder and strapless
shirts, jumpsuits and rompers. Things I never thought would ever have a place
in my closet currently have a place.I am
love being able to wear whatever I want.
It’s nice to look smooth and pristine in my strapless
dresses. I’ve even become adventures and bought a few sundresses that make me
smile. I am loving my new look.
I love toast. It's one of my favorite on the go breakfast foods that is fast easy and ready in a second. Give this girl a piece of toast and a cup of yogurt and I am going to have a great day.
Abby
Breakfast Toasts
Ingredients
1 slice of good quality bread (I like 100% whole wheat and Ezekiel bread)
I sometimes
dream of myself in a pink ball gown. I am not sure where I am but I hear music
playing. I stand in the middle of the dance floor watching the couples around
me dance. I wait for someone I am not sure who he is to come and dance with me.
I laugh.
I turn around in my beautiful pink gown because I am beautiful and I know it. I
always wake up when he comes near. I am not sure who he is I never see his
face.
I love slushes and I
have a cabinet full of blenders to prove it. No matter the season like ice
cream slushies' are a guilty pleasure I look forward to indulging in all year
long. Lately, I have found the most incredible recipes online to add to my
recipe book of slushy recipes. Just the other day I found the most incredible recipe
for a Strawberry Peach Wine Slushy on hungry happens.com.
O’ my good this is
the most incredible recipe I’ve had in a couple of week. I look forward to
making this slushy lost this summer.
Abby
A 3 ingredient summer necessity when day-drinking vino... it's VERY "refreshing"
Also thinking to try it with coconut water next time... Ingredients:
1 bottle white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc)
2 peaches, blanched, peeled, sliced & frozen
2 cups strawberries, sliced & frozen
Directions:
In a blender, combine the 2 cups wine and the peaches. Puree until smooth. Pour mixture in a medium bowl.
Add the strawberries and remaining wine to the blender and puree until smooth.
If the mixtures are too liquidy, place then in the freezer until they "slush up" - mixing them every 15 minutes.
You can make these in advance and defrost for 15 minutes at room temp. before serving.
Yields 4 slushies.
Recipe adapted from dessertfortwo.com
....delicious happens http://www.hungryhappens.com/recipes/snack-drink/strawberry-peach-wine-slushies.html
Sometimes love makes me feel hopelessly in love with
love.It’s the romantic in me. I can’t
stop being in love with love. Love is Abigail in love with Love
I have decided to buy a bike. It’s a monumental
decision. I’ve never really been a bike owner since I was six and my father bought
me a beauty pink bike with tassels on the handles for my birthday. I can
vividly remember being taught how to ride on a beautiful summer day.
At the end of that summer, I put my bike up and never
again found the time to ride. My trusty old pink bike with a bell and passed on
the next summer to my summer.
This summer I would like to again become a bike owner.
One of the pleasures of riding a bike when I was a kid was turning my face up
to the sun and being kissed by the sun’s rays. I rode my bike as fast as I
could on the old dusty dirt road in front of our house. The sheer joy of riding
my bike never fails to come to mind when I watch kids ride their bikes. This
summer I hope to share in that same joy as I ride my bike to and fro.
I am a simple girl with taste though my taste lean to
the exotic. One of my favorite simple things is a peanut butter sandwich. I
love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; they always take me back to the days
of my youth.
I remember my mothers, mother serving up homemade
preserves with fresh pressed peanut butter from the time I was about 6 until
she died when I was 13. Now as an adult I often indulge in peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches for the nostalgic feeling I get each time I bit in to a
sandwich.
When my kids were little I often served them peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches on the weekend minus the fresh preserves and
homemade peanuts butter. Life is full
circle now. My kids I find indulge in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and reminisce
about the days when they were little and I made them for them.
