Officially it is Friday and I am getting tired…. but I still have some gas in the tank. Today is an action packed day. As this get’s published, I am on my way to my aunts to get settled in for the biggest parade of the year. The Gold Cup and Saucer Parade! The kids will love it as they always do. After the parade we are heading back to the Zesty Aunt for a big barbecue with family and friends. Can you really beat a barbecue? I think not! After the barbecue, I guess we have to suck it up and head home and clean the house a bit. We are hosting a party here on Saturday for my zesty niece…. as she is heading off to School out of province.

I still haven’t come up with the menu for Saturday’s party but I have some time. One thing I did come up with was a delicious raspberry topped french toast that will make your cheeks pucker. And it is EASY! The sauce and the bread makes this dish!  I went with some leftover baguette.

Ingredients

• Thick sliced bread
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tbsp. White milk
• Hint of Vanilla
• Raspberries
• 3 Tbsp. White Sugar
• Dash of Balsamic vinegar
• few sprigs of mint
• Butter for pan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and preheat heavy frying pan ( cast iron is excellent) to medium heat
2. Slice the bread, crack and beat the eggs in a bowl, add milk and vanilla.
3. In the heated pan, add the butter.
4. Dip the bread into the egg and milk mixture and ensure it is nicely coated.
5. Place in pan and cook on both sides until golden brown.
6. In a separate pan, heat to medium and add the raspberries, balsamic and sugar.  Cook down gently until some raspberries are broken down.  Top with a few more raspberries and fresh mint after it cooks down for 6 minutes.
7. Plate the french toast and top with the sauce.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The biggest thing with french toast is keeping it hot while you prep the sauce and cook enough for everybody.  The one technique I use is to place it in a very low oven once it is complete.  Turn the oven on to 200 degrees F and let it rest in there while you prepare enough for everyone.

Alright, I have to try and get my head wrapped around that my vacation is over and it is back to the real world on Monday.  I am sure I will figure it out and I will be back with you on Monday morning as well.  Have a super weekend.

Take care

zesty

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Hi everyone! I’m Brandi from BranAppetit! First, I just want to thank Zesty for the chance to guest post – he has some amazing recipes and I’m a bit intimidated to post mine. Since the holidays are coming up, I keep thinking of possible breakfast items to have with family. Typically, the lunches and dinners are planned down to the smallest detail, but breakfast is often left out.  I don’t know about you, but breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!

I would rather have a big and satisfying breakfast than go through the day hungry, just waiting for that 10 course dinner. My family has some traditions for breakfasts, but mostly at Christmas. My mom and her best friend, Jill, always make their own breakfast casseroles – a mix of crescent rolls, sausage, cheese, and eggs – and we have that along with fruit, coffee, and juice when we’re opening presents together.

I’m not sure what will be on the breakfast table this holiday season as our schedule is changing, but I’ve been thinking of a few things I’ve made lately that would be perfect for a family breakfast or brunch.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

I actually found this recipe through Cooking Light and made a few changes by only using  ½ cup regular flour (the rest was whole wheat) and they turned out great! I had never made cinnamon rolls before, but this recipe really was easy to follow. I prepped them the night before so the only thing we had to do in the morning was bake them. Plus, they taste sinful and you can still feel good about eating them.

Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

This is so tasty and so easy. It encompasses all the great flavors of fall, and it’s a great thing to make for a large crowd, too. It doesn’t take any longer than regular French toast, so as long as you have the filling ingredients, you’ll have this made in no time.

Frittata

One of the easiest things to make, really. As long as you have eggs, some veggies and some cheese, you’re set! The best thing about frittatas is that you can use leftovers to make an awesome breakfast. Roasted veggies? Toss them in. Kale and scallions? Go ahead. I think everything tastes better with eggs and cheese.
Do you have any family breakfast traditions for the holidays?

Zesty Here…

Thanks Brandi (BranAppetit) for some great breakfast food.  Everything looks very good.  I would definitely love to be sinking my teeth into that breakfast.  However I am sinking my teeth into a Holiday Inn Express Breakfast nonetheless.  I hope you have a great day.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Thursday everyone!  Oh boy, have I got a story for you!  The other night I was hanging around the house after work wondering what to have for supper. This usually leads to ordering take out from some restaurant when no plans have been made.  So an idea pops into my head… lets go grab some chinese food or something!  I think about it for a while and then I say to myself, “Nah lets try and make something for supper using left overs.”

Searching through the refrigerator and pantry,  I find half a loaf of baguette and I immediately think … oven roasted french toast.

Why you ask?  Not a clue, but I have been craving it for a while.  Maybe I could make apple cinnamon french toast and use some apples that I picked in the orchard a couple of weeks back along with some blueberries.

Well well, I had myself a dinner.  I know that it’s a bit odd for supper but better than ordering out (saves money too!).  Follow along and check out this french toast number.  It was my first time throwing this one together but it was great fun.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of Baguette Bread (sliced on an angle)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup of MIlk
• 2 Apples
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• Maple Syrup
• Powdered Sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250 Degrees F.
2. Add eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg to bowl and beat together.



3. Soak bread in mixture until bread is completely wet.
4. Turn frying pan onto medium heat and melt 1 Tbsp butter.
5. Add bread pieces but do not crowd the pan.  Also, don’t move the bread, flip the bread or touch the bread until the butter caramelizes on the down side.  This will take 5-6 minutes.



6. Flip the bread once the bottom side is complete (see picture for coloring), leave on the second side for about 3 minutes.



7. Remove bread from pan and place on cookie sheet and throw in the oven for about 10 minutes or until your sauce is complete (see sauce preparation below).  At this point the toast has almost completed the cooking process.  The oven will cook the inside, avoid the soggy toast, and prevent it from getting cold.



8. Add remainder butter to the pan, then the sugar and apples.  Mix together and allow the apples to start cooking down.



9. After about 5 minutes, add the blueberries and cook for another 2 minutes.



10. Remove toast from oven, plate the toast and top it with the sauce.
11. Drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.



12. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When using butter, be very careful as it will burn very fast.  What I like to do is when I add it to a hot pan, and see it melting, I like to add the next cool ingredients right away.  In this case it would be the apples and brown sugar.  This holds true when cooking savory dishes as well.

The french toast turned out amazing and it certainly hit the spot.  I want to know in true zesty fashion, What are your favorite toppings you like to put on your french toast? Wacky or crazy I want to hear them all.

Have a great Thursday everyone!

zesty

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