Peach French Toast

This week, In CEiMB, we made Peach French Toast.  I looked forward to this recipes because I love peaches and French toast has always  been a favorite of mine.  I had a half of a loaf of Cinnamon Pecan Gluten Free bread in the freezer and I decided to use it for this recipe.  This is one of maybe three store-bought loaves, we have bought in fifteen years.  I was excited to use it, thinking that cinnamon-pecan would be a winner with this dish.

 

The recipe can be found here.  I made about 3/4 of the recipe since there were only two of us eating dinner. 

 

Peach French Toast Bake                                 Ellie Krieger                          Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 6 small slices of gluten free bread (cinnamon pecan)                    
  

  Peaches Placed on Bread

• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup low fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups sliced peaches, fresh or frozen
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Arrange the slices of bread in a single layer in the baking pan.

Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan.

In a medium bowl, toss peaches with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar.

Scatter the peach slices evenly on top of the bread.

Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.                                            

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Uncover and bake for 40 minutes.                                

Although, we did not top this with anything, yogurt or sour cream would be good with it.

Bottom line:  I must have done something wrong with the recipe. I don’t think that gluten-free bread would make a difference, so I can’t blame that.  I have no idea but the bread seemed soggy and the peaches were a separate entity, not connected to the bread, not physically but taste-wise.  I enjoyed the peaches.  I have a feeling, if made again, I would get it right but I doubt that I will do this.  Check with the other CEiMB ladies to see how this worked for them.  I am taking bets that you will find success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Smoked Salmon Delish Dish

Another Smoked Salmon Delish Dish

I had this idea floating in my head to use cream cheese and smoked salmon (lox) in a recipe to make a casserole or a quiche.  So I pulled out some items and started thinking about how to mix and match them to make a great breakfast dish.  Since this month, the theme for Monthly Mingle is brunch, I knew I wanted to make something fitting and this would be ideal for me, at a brunch.

Ingredients:                                                                                                                                                                       

1/4 to 1/2  lb. smoked salmon 

1/4 cup chopped scallions       

                                                                                                                                                                    

3 egg beaters

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cream cheese

6 grape tomatoes, cut in halves

3 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

 salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Grease baking pan.

Chop scallions.

Cut smoked salmon into small pieces.

Cut tomatoes in halves.

Chop mushrooms.

In a skillet, in one teaspoon of olive oil, fry the mushrooms and scallions for two minutes.  Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, egg beaters and sour cream together.

Add lox, scallions, mushrooms,  and tomatoes.

Blend together.

Pour into a greased 8 or 9 inch baking dish.

Place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until firm.                                   

Enjoy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

 Join us at Sweet and Savory Says it All for a collection of recipes that can be used for Chanukah and all year long.  If you have a meat or poultry recipe, a dessert, a yummy soup or sides, we need them to make up some nice Chanukah meals.  You do not have to be Jewish to add to this list.  We simply want delicious food.  Please link to the recipe so we can find your recipe and also link to Sweet and Savory Says it All, so people will know where to locate your recipes and ours.

  Say the word, “Lox” like in bagels and lox or lox and eggs, and I am interested.  Call it “smoked salmon” and you can’t fool me.  That is my beloved lox.  I guess, many Jewish kids grew up with lox, as part of their major food groups.  It was special to have bagels and lox and we never tired of it.  As an adult, I still love smoked salmon (lox).  When I saw Nigella’s recipe pairing lox with another favorite, plain old potatoes, all the other wonderful recipes, I was considering, disappeared into the darkness to be revealed, another day.  This is a great breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner dish. 

It calls for potato flakes and I know Nigella used them for a reason but I have none in the house and frankly don’t want to buy them, at this time, so I am using the real potatoes.  If this is not as good as it could be, so be it.

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon  (adapted)     

Ingredients:                                                  

 3 eggs

 1/2 cup Rice Dream

2 spring onions/scallions finely sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 potatoes (I did not have dehydrated.  I want to use them, next time.)

1/4 cup gluten free  flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice  (I did not want the lemon flavor.)

About 10 ounces  smoked salmon

 parsley

Directions:

Boil potatoes and mash them well.

 In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, finely sliced spring onions/scallions and olive oil together.

Stir in the mashed potatoes.                                                                        

Heat a flat griddle, and drop tablespoon sized dollops of the mixture on the hot griddle.  I used my beloved tablespoon cookie scoop for this.  I left some in balls and got these wonderful squat pancakes, Nigella talks about.  I flattened others for more of a pancake style.  I like the scooped ones better.

Cook for about 30 seconds a side or until golden brown and firm enough at the sides to flip.  It took longer in my pan.

Once you have made the pancakes, and they’ve cooled a little, tear off tiny strips of smoked salmon and arrange the small slices on each pancake.

I only completed three of them with the salmon and I forgot the parsley.  We were not eating them,  right then and I would guess, the salmon should be put on, before serving.

Regardless, after eating the three, I made with salmon, I can assure you these are scrumptious.  As a potato lover, it does not take much for me to like  any recipe that contains potatoes but this one, with the contrast of the lox, was special  Nigella recommends making smaller pieces of lox and using a few on a pancake.  I would do that.  I did not have time.  It tastes great whatever way you decorate with the lox. 

You can eat these plain and they will be wonderful, also.  They are these thick little balls of seasoned potatoes.

Decorate each salmon topped pancake with  parsley.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

I discovered this excellent pumpkin crumb cake at the Kitchn.  Originally, I was going to make them, as shown there, as separate little cakes, but time was late and the Sabbath was coming and I did not think I could do the extra work to make them separate.  Instead, we ended up with one of the best gluten-free coffee cakes.  Pumpkin Crumb Cake     This is my submission to Flavor of the Month
makes one 13×9 cake  Dry Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour  (I have stopped using guar and xanthan gum without a difference.  If you usually use it, please add the amount you normally would put into this size cake.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder Cake Batter
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 dry mix above Pumpkin Filling
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Crumb Topping
1/2 cup  gluten-free flour
1/2 cup margarine 1 tablespoon water
1/2 dry mixture (see above)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Heat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt and baking powder for the dry mix. Beat the margarine until whipped and creamy and then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Beat in about half of the dry mix of flour and sugar. Set aside. Whip together the eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar and spices for the pumpkin filling. Set aside. Mix the rest of the dry mix with a stick of margarine, an extra half cup of flour, and the spices.  To make a full pan of crumb cake, grease a 9×13 baking pan and pat the dough into the bottom. Pour the pumpkin filling over top and sprinkle the crumb topping over it.  Bake 45 minutes until the filling is set inside. Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.     

Orange Walnut Bread

Tonight,  my husband discovered he was completely out of bread and since he takes sandwiches for lunch, daily and his bread his gluten-free and it was about 10:30 at night, guess who had to solve the problem.  We decided on a quick bread rather than wait for the yeast bread.  I know his favorite is a nut bread and I went searching for a new recipe.  This is a little risky since not every recipe is a winner but I took my chances and came up with a Cranberry Nut Bread at Simply Recipes where you can always find good recipes.  Hubby did not want the cranberries so I made it with just the walnuts but I think we lost some of the moisture from the cranberries and I added a little more orange juice to the batter, probably one quarter of a cup.

Orange Nut Bread  (adapted)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup orange juice   (I ended up using one cup of orange juice)

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten

Method:                                                                         

1 Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

2 Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the walnuts to coat with the flour mixture.

3 Mix together orange juice, butter, and egg. Add to flour, cranberry, nut mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.

4 Pour into a greased 9×5 or 8×4 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

5 Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Serves 8.

Mrs. McCabe’s Apple Cake

Check out the great goodies at the Krazy Kitchen and  for today, particularly at Save Room for Dessert.

 

Perfect food for this weather and the holidays.  Apples and more apples and this cake has lots of apples.  This is from Livng in the Kitchen with Dogs.

Both are beautiful cakes but I have not tasted mine yet so I don’t know if we both passed the test in terms of quality.  Sara did.  I will have to let you know.

Mrs. McCabe’s Apple Cake
Bundt Entertaining

Apples
5 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used cortlands and am way too lazy to peel apples)
5 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Cake
3 cups gluten free flour mix

1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1 tbsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a  Pan (In a medium bowl, stir together all the apple ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all cake ingredients in order given; mix until smooth. Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan. Spoon half of the apples over batter, being careful not to have apples couch sides of pan. Top with remaining batter. Spoon remaining apples over batter, being careful not to have apples touch sides of pan.
Bake at 350F for 85 to 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack. 16 servings.

Karen’s Breakfast Muffins

I have been trying to come up with something for Flavor of the Month theme for September….a tribute to John Hughes.  Finally, I decided on The Breakfast Club which I have not seen.  Breakfast is breakfast.  Then came all the wonderful possibilities for a breakfast and what went through my mind was breakfast in a muffin.  Muffins are made with eggs.  Add some cheese, some onions, tomatoes and something else but what should that something else be?

I was visiting a blog I am relatively new to and one I love - Muffin Fixation.  Karen has such wonderful and creative muffins aside from other recipes to share with us.  Jump over there and see what fun you will have.

I asked Karen if she had any ideas for a breakfast muffin, thinking she would come up with corn muffins or an addition.  Instead, she emailed me and told me she was working on something.  I went off to work to find, when I returned home, there was a recipe on her blog, just for me.  Is that a true blogger for you?  Please show Karen your support.  She is there for us.  Let us be there for her.

Tonight I made her Breakfast muffins.  I ended up making a few changes, not to improve, but because I realized I did not want cheese, which was my suggestion, in the first place (I think).  Being kosher means not having meat and milk products in the same meal.  I thought I would keep the muffins neither meat nor milk so we can eat them whenever we want.

The original delicious recipe can be found on Karen’s blog.  I will give you mine with my changes but try hers.  Truthfully, it sounds better

   Her’s is also called O’Brien’s  Breakfast Muffins – perfect name for a nice Jewish gal like me.        

  

Karen’s Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

16  ounce package of hash browns (I bet mashed potatoes would work also)

2 Tablespoons oil

3/4 cup Tofutti cream cheese (non dairy)

3/4 cup seasoned diced tomatoes(I used a can that had roasted onions in the mix of tomatoes) (I think the brand is Eden.)

2/3 cup gluten free flour mix

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

3 eggs

1 mushroom browned

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook potatoes in oil on a hot skillet until lightly browned and tender.

Spray 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick oil.

Divide potatoes evenly in bottom of each cup.

Top potatoes with 1 Tablespoon cheese and 1 Tablespoon tomatoes.

The one browned mushroom is for the giant muffin.

In separate bowl mix together baking mix, milk, eggs .

Pour mix evenly over each cup.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes until golden brown.

I also had enough for one jumbo muffin which I, at least doubled or tripled the ingredients.

I am more excited about this than any recipe of recent times.  It is tasty dominated by the potatoes which I adore.  It is easy to make and fast to eat.  I am afraid to see what is left.

This recipe is gluten free.  For those of you who don’t have this restriction, just replace with all purpose flour and the rest will work for you.  I did not even use guar or xanthan gum with this recipe.

Again, three cheers for Karen.  I am the new president of her fan club.  Join me. 

 

Apple Pie Muffins

I discovered a new blog, today, Tamy’s Recipes.  Tamy has an in season recipe swap.  In my quest to use lots of fruits and vegetables, this seems like a natural for me.  I decided to submit these apple pie muffins.  We enjoyed them.  There is something about cooked apples that makes everything tasty. 

I also was happy to find Cupcake Tuesday.  I have been making more muffins and cupcakes on the two blogs and I love having a place to share them.

A little cinnamon and you have success.   Go check out Tamy’s many wonderful recipes and Liz’s fantastic cupcakes.  Such creativity.
I also shared this with Stop and Smell the Chocolates.  I know these are apples but go over and see why I posted these.
 

I put on my baker hat and got out the ingredients.  Of course, at the same time, I was baking a chocolate toffee cookie and a pasta salad.  I proved, I can multi-task.

The baking went smoothly and soon my home smelled like a bakery with that rich cinnamon fragrance floating through all the rooms.  I could bake with cinnamon 24/6 (not on the Sabbath).

I have a feeling, I will make these, often.  Certainly, they can go to my.
“Bake Again” list.
 

 

2 1/4 cups gluten=free  flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon guar gum1 egg                           1 cup buttermilk1/2 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar		2 cups diced apples 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour                       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                                                         2 tablespoons margarine, melted
	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
	In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour into the flour mixture and sprinkle the diced apple into the bowl as well. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.
	In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of melted butter while tossing with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.
	Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

 

Cinnamon Buns the Short Way

I was at Ezra Pound Cake  and I came across the greatest recipe.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I made it gluten free and brought it back to Comfy Cook.  It took very little time and looked and tasted great.

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits     

Adapted from The Moosewood Collective’s

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics”

Yield: 9 biscuits

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Biscuit Dough

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream  ( I used non dairy whipped topping)

Icing

• 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 4 to 6 teaspoons milk or heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. For the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon . Set aside.

3. For the Dough:In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cream, and stir until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until the dough is smooth.  Let dough stand for 5 – 10 minutes.  It is easier to work with then.  At the beginning, it was sticky and I could not roll it out.  I went away for a few minutes, came back to find, easy to work with dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands, and pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 9 X 13 inches. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar topping.

5. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or a pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

 

6. For the Icing: While the biscuits bake, mix together the confectioners’ sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with icing. Serve warm.

There is  a difference between real cinnamon buns and these biscuits but the taste is pure.  It is a bit harder than  a bun but I would gladly eat one of these for breakfast, in the morning if  hubby left any for me.  He did but they are gluten free and he deserves them.  I can make my own at any time.

 

Pasta Turned Potato

Breaking up Frozen Potatoes

I decided to make some pasta and then use it for Presto Pasta Nights.  As I was going through the refrigerator to find the Ricotta cheese that was about to expire, I also found in the freezer compartment, a half full package of hash brown potatoes.  I thought of some delicious ways to combine the potatoes and ricotta and proceeded to brown the potatoes and a chopped onion.

That is when it hit me, this was no longer pasta but I was already on a new track.

Ricotta Potatoes           

Ingredients:

8  ounces hash brown potatoes

8 ounces Ricotta cheese

1 medium onion, chopped                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon basil

Method:

Spray a medium sized skillet with cooking oil.

Saute the potatoes and onions.

Slice 10 grape tomatoes in half and after the potatoes and onions start browning, throw the tomatoes into the skillet.  

Sprinkle the balsamic vinegar over the mixture.

Add the basil, salt and pepper and combine all.

Now, add and combine the Ricotta cheese and continue cooking, stirring, until the Ricotta is hot.

Turn it into a plate or bowl and enjoy.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

This was a surprise dish and it turned out to have a subtle but pleasant flavor.  The texture had a little bite to it.  I would gladly make this again and again.  It is easy and quick.  It could be served with a green salad or a cole slaw.  Or it could be a side dish to tuna or salmon.

Now I have to find a new pasta recipe or create one.