During busy weeks, sometimes my breakfast is fast and on the go.  I'll tear open a highly processed carbohydrate in a foil wrapper, and, if I plan well,  it will at least accompany an apple or banana.

But this is a much better way to enjoy fruit in the morning. It's kind of like a smoothie, except this is meant for a leisurely morning savored slowly, seated at a breakfast table and sipped with a spoon instead of a straw.

At the Bloomsbury Inn, this is the first course in a three part breakfast.  Yes, their morning includes an appetizer, entree and dessert.  Isn't that divine?  Though this is the first course, it could certainly be dessert for me.

Kathleen, Innkeeper at the Bloomsbury, said that she finds it to be a challenge to find new, exciting, unique fruit options.  (I need to send her a link to my hot pink fruit breakfast!  That one wasn't just unique, it was funky!) Her cold fruit soup recipe is definitely a fun and different way of adding fruit to your morning meal.

Let's get started with cooking.  Or in this case, I should say mixing.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how simple this is to put together.

Notice that I picked "fat free" yogurt, "light" whipped cream and "lite" peaches and placed them right next to the "heavy" whipping cream.

Ha!

The recipe Kathleen gave me leaves the option open for choosing the fruit.  From berries to mango and even honeydew.  But I decided to have a peachy morning since it's the state fruit for South Carolina.

Unfortunately, peaches are not in season at the moment, so I used canned.  But you better believe I'm going to try this recipe again in the spring with some fresh peaches.

Next the sugar ... or how my Carolina relatives would say ... "shugah."

Next, a couple of dollops of yogurt.  The recipe calls for 6 ounces.  I had a big 'ole tub of it ... but figured that 6 ounces was equivalent to about 6 spoonfuls.  If you use vanilla bean yogurt, the extract is optional and probably not necessary unless you want a stronger vanilla flavor.

A dash of cinnamon.

Blend. Chill.

Serve and enjoy!

Bloomsbury Cold Fruit Soup

from the Bloomsbury Inn, Camden South Carolina

Total preparation time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cups fruit (peach, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango…any one of these works well…fresh is better, but canned or frozen will work when well drained)

½ cup sugar (sugar to taste depending upon natural sweetness of fruit)

1  (6 oz) vanilla bean yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract if you use plain yogurt (extract flavor based upon fruit:  vanilla, cinnamon, rum)

¼ cup heavy cream (add cream to determine consistency desired)

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

If you are using fresh fruit, carefully clean, peal, and place in the blender.  Add all remaining ingredient and blend until smooth. Chill for at least 8 hours.  Garish with whipping cream, candied/sweet-flavored nuts, fresh mint or whole fruit slices.  Serve very cold.

###

It is interesting to me to find out what people like to collect when they travel.  All the tourist hot spots are filled with tchotchke shops peddling magnets, spoons, thimbles and snow globes.  Photos are always the best souvenir, and I also like to collect Christmas ornaments so that at the end of the year I can take a nice trip down memory lane reminiscing about all of the places I've been.

But my favorite travel collection has to be my recipes.  From bed and breakfasts to restaurants, I try and get a recipe from everywhere I go ... and sometimes even places that I've never been just so I can savor the flavor!  When ever I make these dishes at home, my senses trick me into thinking I've traveled someplace further than my kitchen.  This recipe is one of those.  Even after I run out of Kermit's Key Lime Marmalade and I just use regular orange flavored, I will still think of Key West each time I make it.

Recently I ran in the Key West Half Marathon, and afterward, no amount of post-race bagels, bananas or beer could satiate the hunger I worked up after trotting along 13 miles around the island.  We stopped by a local healthy eatery, Help Your Self, for some fresh machete cut coconut water.  And while that was an awesome island experience, my friends and I needed some calories.

That's where the Conch Republic comes in.  My Key West Islander friend, Vanessa, recommended them for their excellent sea food, gorgeous view of the water and ultimately their proximity to Kermit's Key Lime Shop for dessert.  We had had our heart set on beer and a burger at Sloppy Joes ... but I'm glad she convinced us otherwise!  The Conch Republic happens to have the best cracked conch on the island, something I've never tried before.

I had to ask, what is the difference between plain ole "conch" and "crack conch."  I've had conch fritters, which are a lot like meaty hush puppies.  But when the dish was brought to the table I quickly discovered this was the real deal.  Big chunks of tender meat deep fried to golden perfection.  I loved it.  This is a recipe I wanted.  But fresh conch is something I would be afraid to tackle at home.  Have you ever seen one?  It's like a big slimy snail that takes some major tenderizing to make it chewable.  Do you remember as a kid, those cheap toys that were water filled flexible rubber tubes (kind of like a big fat worm) and when you squeezed it would shoot out of your hands?  I imagine tenderizing conch would be something like that ... chasing a slimy snail-like sea creature around my kitchen counter with a tenderizing gavel and having it slip out of reach each time.  But when it's prepared the way these guys did, it's delish!  So instead of having a frustrating conch experience at home, I got the recipe for the "secret sauce."

At the Conch Republic, they serve their cracked conch with a simple Orange Horseradish Marmalade Sauce.  You can't get any more "Florida" flavor than with orange marmalade.  I asked our server if the chef would give me me recipe, and moments later the manager walked over with a bar coaster and four basic ingredients scribbled on the back.  PRICELESS!  That is exactly the feeling of Key West ... laid back and not fussy.

Don't believe me about the recipe on a coaster?  Well ... here it is! They always say the best ideas are the ones written on a bar or cafe napkin or coaster.

Later we walked across the street to indulge in some famous Kermit's Frozen Key Lime Pie Dipped In Chocolate On A Stick. Yes, you read that right ... dipped ... in chocolate ... on a stick.  It's divine.  While standing in line to pay for our coffee and pie, I noticed a big fat coffee table book on the counter ... National Geographic's Top 500 Food Journey's of a Lifetime, of which Kermit's was listed.  Bonus.  I now had a new bucket list to complete and only 499 more "food journey's" to go.  We took our coffee, afternoon indulgences along with the book and headed out to Kermit's patio to relax and take in some sunshine.

Want to bring some of that Florida sunshine into your kitchen?  Try this quick and easy sauce recipe below  ...

Orange Horseradish Marmalade Sauce

From the Conch Republic Seafood Company, Key West, FL

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

1/4 Cup Lime Juice

1/2 Cup Orange Marmalade

2 Tbsp Horseradish

Mix all ingredients together and use as a marinade or serve as a dipping sauce with fresh seafood or chicken.

It's actually pretty tastey with eggs in the morning too!

###

BONUS:  Do you know all the names of Kermit's Koi?

It may just be on a #TravelTuesday Trivia sometime soon!

Wondering what to make for your sweetheart this Valentines Day?  Breakfast in bed is the ultimate in starting the morning being pampered.

Here are 5 great breakfast recipes for Valentines Day.

Heart Shaped Stuffed French Toast

Wikipedia's etymology says the earliest use of the term was in 1660 and was bread fried with wine, orange juice and sugar.  I'll have to give that recipe a try!  After doing a little more digging through Google, I discovered in French it is actually called "pain perdu" which translates into "lost bread."  It was a popular recipe in many countries, not just France, as a way of making stale bread palatable.  The English call it "gyspy bread" and I think I'd like to adopt that term from now on ... sounds like breakfast with an adventurous edge!  (Read More ... )

Cheddar Egg Strudel with Spinach Cream

This savory and filling breakfast is a creation of the Rabbit Hill Inn located in Lower Waterford, Vermont.  It's a simple, quick and elegant recipe that would  make a perfect savory pairing with the heart shaped strawberry stuffed French toast for romantic Valentine's Day breakfast in bed.  And speaking of romance and Rabbit Hill Inn, Peter Greenburg said, "Your room could act as an aphrodisiac,"  and Cooking Light Magazine stated they had, "sensual amenities to set the mood."  Whoa.   (Read More ... )

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

If you ever wanted dessert for breakfast, and felt a little guilty popping a single Dove's Promise's Dark Chocolate piece to melt on your tongue with your morning coffee ... then I have wicked solution for you.  A muffin.  Because even though it's chocolate, the fact that it's a muffin still makes it breakfast.  And since the stores are filled with pink hearts, chocolates and forget-me-not's, I thought this treat would make the perfect cupid's arrow  ... either for your Valentine's heart or your own.  (Read More ...)

Berry Bread Pudding

When I first met Marie with the Penny Farthing Inn, I have to confess, I thought she was "Penny."  And I kept adding an extra syllable to the end of Farthing, as in, "Farthing-ton," thinking it was her last name.  I've since been enlightened on what a Penny Farthing actually is, but I haven't worked up the courage to ride one!  Marie gave me a fantastic recipe for a Berry French Toast.  Though, it's a lot more like a bread pudding.  I love breakfast made in a ramekin since you end up with nice little individual servings of goodness. (Read More ... )

Beer with Breakfast

This was a little outside of my box as it was not an "inn" that gave me the recipe. I found the recipe on Tom's website, BrooklynBrewery.com . Having beer with breakfast intrigued me. While I have to confess that I'm not normally a beer drinker ... this was an AMAZING flavor pairing. Since I couldn't procure the Brooklyner Weisse, I just had to use a substitute (but still very tasty) beer with my breakfast.  Follow along our fun day of drinking beer and kitchen debauchery.  (Read More ... )

If you ever wanted dessert for breakfast, and felt a little guilty popping a single Dove's Promise's Dark Chocolate piece to melt on your tongue with your morning coffee ... then I have wicked solution for you.  A muffin.  Because even though it's chocolate, the fact that it's a muffin still makes it breakfast.  And since the stores are filled with pink hearts, chocolates and forget-me-not's, I thought this treat would make the perfect cupid's arrow  ... either for your Valentine's heart or your own.

I have a full list of ingredients and directions at the end of the post ... but the main stars of this event are ripe red raspberries, dark chocolate chips and pink muffin cups to make them cute and girlie.

Sift together your flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Then sift the cocoa.

I should have sifted the sugar in with the flour ... but making these snow topped cocoa mountains was more fun.  I like to play with my food.

Add the brown sugar, then whisk/stir it all together.

Next start adding your wet ingredients.  Whisk your eggs together in a separate bowl.

Milk.

Chocolate chips.

Might I add that I almost had to run out to the store to buy another bag as Jim, the photographer, could not stop eating these.  What makes that even funnier is that he doesn't like sweets!  Liar.  These are bittersweet ... so I give him that credit at least.

My recommendation ... get an extra bag of chocolate and an extra package of raspberries for munching.

Here's a few facts that will take away the guilt ... raspberries are loaded with vitamin C ... chocolate is full of antioxidants and polyphenols ... eggs and milk give you protein and calcium.  Ignore the sugar and flour. They don't exist except to carry this wholesome nutrition into your body.  (wink)

Mix in the chocolate chips before the raspberries.  They're a little tougher, so you can really mix them in well.

Raspberries are fragile, so be careful when folding them in.  These were fresh, but I might even recommend freezing them for an hour so that they hold up better to mixing.

Serve on a platter for breakfast ...

Or as a single tasty treat with coffee or tea ...

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

(recipe modified from Inn at The Park's Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe Below)

2 Cups all purpose flour
2/3 Cup cocoa
1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips
1 package of fresh raspberries

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.

2) In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add all wet ingredients to flour/cocoa mixture.

4) Fold in chocolate chips. Next add the raspberries and spoon batter into muffin cups.

5) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool then dust with confectioners sugar and serve.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

from the Inn At The Park Bed & Breakfast, Louisville, Kentucky

2 Cups all purpose flour

1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 Cup milk

1/2 Cup melted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 package of chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.

2) In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add all wet ingredients until well blended..

4) Fold in chocolate chips. Next add walnuts and spoon batter into muffin cups.

5) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

###

Kah KOW!  It sounds like a cartoon, "pah POW," doesn't it?   As if it should be in a little white cloud star burst in a comic strip when all hell is breaking loose.   I think I'll add it to my repertoire of socially acceptable expletives.  I could have used it during our last kitchen Egg Snafu.  Instead of yelling something profane, I'll really just be screaming CHOCOLATE!   And since chocolate is a great comfort food, it will only enhance using it as a silky comforting expletive slipping across my tongue.

The irony is that my kitchen Egg Snafu was a simple 6 ingredient recipe.  One that I had done before perfectly, and then really Kah KOW'd it up this last time.  Turned it into some crappy scrambled eggs.  Then I dove into this 20- ingredient-multi-step-hard-to-find-spices-recipe and it turned out great.  Go figure?!  I guess because some of the ingredients (like Harissa and Hungarian Paprika) were not in my spice rack or immediate awareness ... and the fact that I'd be combining chocolate with tomatoes ... maybe that gave me pause and I paid more attention to what I was doing.

I found the word Kah KOW when I looked up the origins of chocolate ... the phonetic spelling of cacao.  It just jumped off the page at me.  Originally, hot chocolate was not sweet at all, but very spicy.    This recipe from Chestnut Street Inn really does it justice.  Chocolate in it's most original form ...

Savory and Spicy.

Make this as an appetizer to spice up your Valentine's Day dinner... while it's not as dramatic as my Egg Snafu ... it definitely has all the trappings of a good LifeTime or Hallmark movie.  Watch and learn ...

The character you love to hate, but still can't resist ... Harissa.  She's a spicy one.

I had a heck of a time finding Harissa.  I looked all over the supermarket.  But for you men out there, this isn't the type of character you can discover the old fashioned way.  As in  ... shopping ... physically ... in an actual store.  This one is global and high tech.  I thought I'd find it at Marx Foods.   But nope.  No Harissa.  Googled it  ... found a bunch!  And I even found a recipe to make Harissa.  Now ... I wish I would have done that BEFORE making the soup.

Enter stage left ... the stand in ...

In my creative zen at the grocery store, since Harissa was described as a North African Chili Paste, I figured some tomato paste and chili powder sounded about the same.  And while it tasted great ... it's not really the same thing.  So here are some references for you ...

Harissa Shopping Online

Recipe:  How to make Harissa

After reading the description of some of these as "hot" and "pain is good" ... I'm kinda glad I went with my homemade thought up version.  I like the taste of a little kick, but so spicy that I can't feel my tongue is no good.

And as for character development, this is the bitch in the story ... and while I have found substitute words like "kah KOW" and "Shut The Front Door" ... I haven't found an adequate replacement for the noun referenced above.  If you have a cute one, please let me know!

My fake Harissa ...

Heat oil and butter in a stock pot over medium heat ... this is the plot.

Add chopped onion and saute until translucent.  Get out the Kleenex ... chopped onion is a sure tear jerker.  What kind of Hallmark/Lifetime movie would it be without a few weepy eye moments?

Now the Italian favorite comes in and makes a squishy, but well scented, mess of things ...

3 garlic cloves.

A little spa action with the skin peel.

And now all the characters are getting thrown together in the same plot ... I mean ... pot.

Here comes the heroine of the soup story.

Hungarian Paprika.

She's also a bit spicy and mysterious ... but words like "pain" are not associated with this spice.

Add a little wine to the moment and the plot thickens.

Funny tangent ... I was cooking at my friend Beth's house and had called and asked her if that Magnum of chardonnay I saw in her fridge only a couple of days ago had about a 1/2 cup left in it that I could cook with.

Nope.

Lush.

I told her I'd bring over a fresh bottle ... she said she'd drink that too!

The plot thickens ...

Add the rest of the ingredients listed in the recipe and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

And then gets whipped and turned around a bit so you have no idea where it's headed!

Side note/Sub-plot ... I actually had to blend twice ... the volume of the soup was too big for the blender.  So while you may SEE one blender shot ... know that it took two.  And ... because it was hot it sort of exploded (just a little) and got bits of red soup all over the place.  Told you there was drama.

Add the blended soup back to you stock pot ... add the greens ...

then add the hero ...

kah KOW!

Chocolate.

He's smooth and rich, and while a bit bitter, he still absolutely melts with the other characters.

Add a little honey to sweeten it up and cut the acidity.

Sprinkle on the cheese for a nice happy finish!

The End!

CREDITS

Spicy Tomato & Chocolate Soup

from Chestnut Street Inn, Sheffield IL

Yields: Approx. 6-8 Servings

2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbl Unsalted Butter

1 Onion, Diced

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Carrots, Peeled and Diced

2 Celery Stalks, Diced

1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Sliced

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste

3 Tbl Harissa (North African Chili Paste)

2 tsps Hungarian Paprika

2 tsps ground Cumin

1 tsp ground Coriander

½-3/4 cup Dry Sherry or White Wine

1-28 oz Can Diced Tomatoes

4 Cups Chicken Broth

¼ Cup Cilantro, Chopped

¼ Cup Italian Parsley, Chopped

3-4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate

2 Tbl Honey or to Taste

Queso Fresco, Goat Cheese or Crème Fraiche to Garnish

1) Heat oil and butter in a stock pot over medium high heat until butter melts.

2) Add onion and sauté until translucent, approx. 5 mins. Add garlic, carrots, celery and sun dried tomatoes.

3) Season with salt, pepper, harissa, paprika, cumin and coriander. Saute for a couple of minute to toast spices and soften vegetables.

4) Add wine and continue cooking on high until all of the liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 mins or until the vegetables are tender.

5) Pass soup through a food mill to puree (I used a blender) and remove any large particles. Return soup to pot and place over low heat.

6) Add parsley and cilantro. Add chocolate and enough honey to balance acidity. Adjust seasoning to taste.

7) Serve hot, garnished with queso fresco, fresh goat cheese or crème fraiche.

###

French Toast was probably my favorite breakfast growing up and recently I've been receiving lots of different variations of this popular morning food.  Some with different fruits and spices, some stuffed, some layered, the classic single slice and family casserole style.  It made me wonder, why do we call it "French" toast anyway?  I know it's not really French, or is it?

Wikipedia's etymology says the earliest use of the term was in 1660 and was bread fried with wine, orange juice and sugar.  I'll have to give that recipe a try!  After doing a little more digging through Google, I discovered in French it is actually called "pain perdu" which translates into "lost bread."  It was a popular recipe in many countries, not just France, as a way of making stale bread palatable.  The English call it "gyspy bread" and I think I'd like to adopt that term from now on ... sounds like breakfast with an adventurous edge!

While there are many different adaptations, the basics remain the same.  A simple batter of eggs and milk.  And I like to add a dash of vanilla, the way my Mom always made it.

This recipe comes from Diane Kenniston Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Maine. She likes to make her French Toast with shell or heart shaped homemade biscuits.  In lieu of biscuits I used some Texas sized bread.

Here's what you'll need:

The basics ... milk, eggs, bread, butter

Add to that a dash of vanilla, some sugar, walnuts, strawberries, and maple syrup.

You can do this same recipe with whole slices of bread instead of heart shapes.  Or, if you're like me, next time you walk through the baking section of your store and see all the cookie molds you'll dream of French Toast in the shape of flowers, butterflies, kittens, birds, musical notes and the State of California.  (That last one was random, I know)

If' you're going to make it into a shape, cut your bread first ...

Then add the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla to a large bowl and mix well.

Pour mixed batter into a shallow bowl for dipping.

Then start layering into a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Slice your strawberries and layer on top of the bread.  Isn't this starting to look like a lovely Valentine's Day breakfast?

Next, put a layer of bread on top of the strawberries, sort of like a sandwich.

I poured the extra batter over top to fully soak them in eggy goodness.

Sprinkle with walnuts and add a dab of butter to the top of each toast.

Bake at 325 for about half an hour.

And you'll have plenty of left over crust to make bread pudding ... or feed the ducks.

When they're finished, slice around the edge of the hearts with a knife and serve individually with strawberries and maple syrup.

Doesn't it look like it's sticking it's tongue out?

That is, if French Toast could sass back and actually had a  tongue.

Mmm.  Delish.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

It's the little things that make a meal special.  For breakfast, sometimes it's as simple as the perfect cup of coffee.  But some innkeepers put in a little extra love and effort to make breakfast memorable.  Crisp ironed linens, fresh flowers and fine china.  I always get nervous when they serve on fine china because I'm usually kind of a clumsy sleepy head and not feeling all that fancy in the first half of the day.

Andrew Inn & Cottages in Key West adds that extra  touch my making their own flavored butter.  Strawberry Mango Honey Butter.  What a way to liven up a plain piece of toast. On my busy mornings, I sometimes only have time for coffee and an English muffin.  But this recipe makes my boring busy morning breakfast into a treat.

I couldn't find fresh mangos anywhere this time of year, so I just used strawberries since they are in season.  It will make a great extra little touch for a Valentine's Day breakfast.  Now if I could only find a heart shaped butter mold.

Simple ingredients ... butter, strawberries, honey and preserves.

I chopped up the butter to make it easier to mix once it softened.

These strawberries were really ripe and sweet, so they were kind of hard to "chop" without creating a bit pile of red mush.  It was also hard to not want to eat them all!

First whip the softened butter, then blend in the rest of the ingredients.

Butter is almost too rich to lick the bowl ... but it's tempting!

It melts perfectly into all the nooks and crannies of a hot English muffin.

“Unbuttered toast is a substance half complete, and to be forced to eat it in that state is necessarily to feel deprived.” -John Thorne

Strawberry Mango Honey-Butter

from Andrews Inn, Key West Florida

1lb of butter
4 large strawberries
1/2 mango
1/2 cup of honey
3 large tbs of strawberry preserves

1) Let butter soften to room temperature in a large bowl, then whip the butter until it reaches a smooth creamy consistency.

2) Finely chop the strawberries and mango and add to the bowl.

3) Add half a cup of honey and the strawberry preserves and once again whip until it reaches a smooth consistency.

4) Spoon into three medium containers keep one in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest until needed. Will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

###

This is the "2nd" course of the all-day-long breakfast we enjoyed recently with Jaden & her family at the Mount Dora Historic Inn.  The main dish was the Italian Strata, but after looking at these photos I'm not sure how I even had the room in my tummy to move on to a 3rd course!  (But I did finish the plate ... every last tasty morsel.  Then I ran 17 miles that evening so I could keep my girlish figure.)

Now, when Chef Jim said he was making "stuffed" French Toast, I imagined two thick slices of some soft bread sandwiched around ricotta and raspberry.  But he goes extreme.

Gigantic.

HUMONGOUS.

COLOSSAL!

One slice of bread ... that is literally ... the size of a whole loaf. Whoa.

And he says he made this bread from scratch too ... but I have to see that live and in person to gather photographic evidence to believe it.  It's just too perfect.  Gives me a baking complex.

My next question to him was, "how in the heck do you get it to cook all the way through?"  To which is reply is, "watch and learn young grasshoppah ..."

Try out his recipe and drool over the photos Jaden took of the whole process.  And yes, it tastes just as good as it looks.

Ricotta and Raspberry Stuffed-French Toast

INGREDIENTS

Photos by Jaden Hair

2, Loaves Italian Sandwich Bread (not too crusty, more doughy)

Filling
6, Ounces of  Whole Milk—Ricotta Cheese
4, Ounces of Red Raspberry preserves

Cream (French Toast) Mix
8, large eggs
2 to 2 ½ cups of ½ and ½
2, teaspoons vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1) Blend Ricotta and Raspberry preserves in a large bowl

2) Slice loaves on a 2 inch bias (slanted), about 20 degrees or to preference, and

save end pieces for a Strata—another breakfast fave!

3) Cut a slit length wise across the top of each piece of bread (corner to corner), and place on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil for easy clean up

4) Spoon mixture into bread pockets and set on cookie sheet so opening is facing up—this helps to keep filling from oozing out

5) Make cream mixture by whisking together the eggs, cream, and Vanilla extract—use a large bowl for this

6) Roll each, stuffed piece of bread in the cream mixture until just wet—do not over saturate, then place pieces on a cookie sheet (slit up), and drizzle remaining cream on top

7) Cover with saran wrap and allow to sit overnight—this allows the bread to surrender to the cream.

COOKING PROCESS

1) The following morning carefully unwrap your uncooked French toast and roll the tops in the remaining cream to wet—set aside

2) Preheat for 10 minutes an electric griddle (275 degrees) —very important to use an electric griddle—they cost about $30.00 and they are fantastic for Pancakes, French toast, Blintzes, etc.

3) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

4) After the griddle is preheated, coat with cooking spray

5) Brown French toast (about 3 minutes for the first side and 4 minutes for the second side—check by tilting the French toast with spatula every minute or two to ensure they do not burn

6) Place on a (Baker’s Secret) cookie sheet covered with tinfoil and bake in oven (400 degrees) for 5 to 6 minutes per side.  These double-layered cookie sheets (Baker’s Secret)—are readily available at your local grocer—prevent the bottom of your toast from burning

7) Powder sugar on each plate and then on French Toast

8) For presentation, you can slice extra strawberries on either side of plate; personally though, I like to plate the French Toast with bacon or kielbasa (Mmm…

healthy).

9) Serve with your   favorite syrup and butter

Note: As this dish is finishedin the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, the outer surfaces of the French toast should be pastry-like (crispy, not burned) to the touch.  If not, than it should be baked a bit longer.  If you do not have a double-layered cookie sheet, use two cookie sheets (nested—one on top of the other), this is not the best method; however, it will help.

###

I'm so glad I finished all of my holiday shopping ... ah em ... I wouldn't say "early" ... but at least it's now Christmas Eve and I'm able to spend the day relaxing at home, baking and getting ready for family and friends tomorrow.

This recipe is perfect for enjoying with a cup of hot chocolate and warming up on a cold day.  And, oddly enough, it actually comes from a bed & breakfast in the warm tropical island of Key West, the Grand Guest House.  If you'd like to warm up even more on this cold winter morning, transport yourself to Key West with these two awesome videos by Vanessa ... Grand Guest House Video, and Scott's Sunset ...

On with the bread!

I love to bake.  It's one thing I actually do pretty well.  It also gives me a chance to use my clay baking stoneware which makes me feel more down to earth/natural/eco-friendly in a really weird way.  Especially since the only organic thing I used in this recipe was Cinnamon.  But I digress.  Must have too much Baileys in my hot chocolate this morning.

Here's what you'll need to make a Spiced Apple Walnut Bread ...

Let the butter soften to room temperature and then slice up to make for easy blending.

Add the flour ...

Some cinnamon ... well ... actually ... A  LOT of cinnamon ...

"Mt" Cinnamon ... they don't call it "spiced" bread for nothin!

Little free plug for Arm & Hammer.  Really ... do they have any competition?

Must be nice.  Don't notice any other baking soda's at the grocery store.

Pinch of salt.

Tangent: Now, when I made the breakfast pizza, I asked my boyfriend to pick up a wad of pizza dough from our local pizzeria and he looked at me like I had two heads.  A couple of nights ago, I asked him to put a dollop of sour cream on my chili and, again, he looked at me like I had two heads.

A pinch, a dollop and a wad are all perfectly acceptable units of measure to me.

Pour in the applesauce ...

"Technically" the directions say to pulse this all in a food processor.  My food processor is only big enough to make a small bowl of pesto ... definitely not big enough for bread dough!  Don't know how that changes things.  Maybe it wont rise or be as fluffy.  Still tasted pretty darn good though.

Blend ... breathe in the scent of cinnamon and apples ... Mmm ...

Scrape the bowl to make sure you get all the chunky bits ...

Add the walnuts ...

Blend again ...

Lick the beater, the spoon, the spatula, the bowl, your fingers ...

Dress up your bread pan with some oil, flour and sugar.  A bit more than a pinch, more like a dollop.  Except sugar really doesn't dollop ... so it's more like a large sprinkling.  Again, an acceptable unit of measure.

Another free plug for Dixie Crystals.  See ... this is why I usually pour out all the ingredients in dishes first!  But I was feeling a little lazy today.

Tangent: I had a cat named Dixie Crystals once.  A pretty white Siamese with blue eyes.  I was working in marketing for agriculture at the time and had a meeting with some sugar farmers.  She was a little kitten they had on the farm that jumped in my lap at the meeting, so they thought I should take her home.  My apartment at the time didn't allow me to keep her, so my parents adopted her.  After climbing curtains, bookcases, tv stands, and human legs ... she's been re-named Punky.  I shall start my own brand of sugar one day with a cool cat logo and call it Punky in her honor.

On with the bread ...

Make sure your pan is well sugared ... it creates nice sweet crispy bits on the crust.

Once your bread pan/stone is nice and sugared-up, fill it with your batter and bake at 375 for an hour.

Yes, that is a polka-dot apron and knee-high striped socks that you see on the left.  I guess I was just having a "Punky" kind of a day ... not normal for me at all.  I'm usually more of a conservative kinda gal.

Mmm ... warm, butter-meltin, spiced applesauce walnut bread.

Spiced Applesauce Nut Bread

from the Grand Guest House, Key West

Ingredients

1/2 cup safflower oil OR 1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/4  cups applesauce

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

Directions

1) Place rack in center of the oven and preheat to 375.  Grease and sugar 6 1/4 cup (1.5 L) loaf pan.

2) Process all ingredients in food processor for 5 seconds.  Scrape work bowl and pulse to combine 1 or two times.  Do not over process.

3) Transfer to prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.  Leave in pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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We recently had my friend Jaden and her family up visiting our home town of Mount Dora for some holiday fun.  A little holiday shopping, a little man-made snow sledding in the park ... a lot of good food!

Ordinarily I'd happily invite friends over to stay at our home, but we've got a little 1920's  two bedroom cottage.  Hardly big enough for two families ... although, I could pitch a tent in the basement and we could make it fun like a good old fashioned grade school sleep over.  Hmm ... naaaah.

Instead, our friends Jim & Ana at the Mount Dora Historic Inn graciously hosted them at their Conch House Cottages so they could have their own home away from home.  It's literally just a few steps away from our front door.  The only condition ... we all had to do breakfast together.  Wonder what happens when you get a group of people together in the morning that love food?

Breakfast lasts aaaaall daaaaaaay!

That's my kind of morning.

We had much to celebrate after she and her son, Nathan, and I survived crossing 4 lanes of traffic led by a kamikaze pedicab driver across NYC's 5th Ave.  You can see some Flip cam action of that ride here ...

Notice that we're laughing hysterically.  Lesson learned, when in the face of death ... smile.

The photos in this post are from SteamyKitchen's talented eye and quick triggered shutter finger.  One cup of strong coffee and she's whippin around the kitchen with her 5 lb lens totally workin the food.

In the recipe below, I kept Chef Jim's instructions just as he gave them to me.  For one, I didn't remake this one in my kitchen yet, so I have no comments other than Mmm and Yum.  But you'll notice a few of his notes will make you scratch your head and say, "really?"  Yeah, he's a joker.  He had me once asking our local grocery manager what the difference was between "hens" eggs and "chicken" eggs.  There is none.  Ha ha.

First ... a little food porn ... some drooling ... and then ... the recipe .

I have no words.  No commentary.   Just pure silence awe.

Okay.  One small teeny little comment.  Notice the purple mug in the right hand corner.  Yeah, the one that is the size of a coffee pot.  Jim said his doctor told him he could only drink one cup of coffee ... so he just upgraded his mug.  For all the coffee lovers out there ... that's not lying, right?  It is one cup of coffee, it's just 20 ounces.  LOL!

And one final note ... this was our 3rd course that day.  Good thing I started running as a hobby!

Enjoy!

Italian Breakfast Strata

from the Mount Dora Historic Inn

Ingredients

Egg mixture
12, large eggs
1, tsp dry mustard
4, dashes of your favorite hot sauce
Black pepper to your liking
8, ounce sour cream
½ cup whole Milk
4 oz hand-grated Cheddar
4 oz hand-grated Muenster

Ingredients for Layers
Day old Italian sandwich bread—hand-pulled into ½ inch pieces—about a 1 ½
¼ each green, red and yellow peppers—cored and diced
¼ medium onion—peeled and diced
½ lb of boiled ham—hand-pulled into small pieces
4 oz hand-grated Cheddar
4 oz hand-grated Muenster

Method for Eggs

Whip together eggs, sour cream, and milk—then add spices and blend well—electric blender works best—set aside

Architecture of the layers

1) Grease well a standard pie-dish
2) Layer enough day old bread to cover the bottom of the dish
3) Sautee your onions and peppers in little olive oil—cool—then evenly layer over the bread
4) Then spread ham over the veggies and, finally, spread both cheese over the top
5) Pour ½ of the egg mixture over the layers and let sit for 5 minutes—this allows the bread some time to soak up the egg mixture
6) Add the rest of mixture reserving 1/3 inch of space from the top of the pie dish
7) Place in pre-heated oven ... Then pour remaining mixture just to the top-edge of the pie dish—this prevents spilling of egg mixture—on your floor, in the oven and on your shoes.
8) Bake for 60 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees or check with an instant read thermometer to 180 degrees internal temperature –Allow to temper and set for 6 minutes before slicing.

Note: The Strata will get puffy on the sides first and then the middle will puff during the final minutes of cooking.  If the middle does not puff—it is not done!

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