New Recipe: French Toast Souffle

I have carried this recipe around in a binder of recipes for the last 5 years! I've always wanted to try it but for whatever reason never pulled it out. Thought a breakfast/brunch dish would be a fun and different change. I'm planning on making this for the family this Saturday and serving it with chicken apple sausages from a local butcher.....along with a big cup of coffee!! Oh, and this is a Cooking Light recipe so a little less guilt if its good enough to go for a second slice!

A firm white bread produces the best texture in this make-ahead breakfast casserole. (Love that its make ahead!!)

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice of souffle and 1 tablespoon maple syrup)

Ingredients

• 10 cup (1-inch) cubed sturdy white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm Hearty White, about 16 (1-ounce) slices)
• Cooking spray
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese, softened
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2/3 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup maple syrup

Preparation

Place bread cubes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Beat cream cheese at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add milk, half-and-half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of bread; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove bread mixture from refrigerator; let stand on counter for 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the souffle with powdered sugar, and serve with maple syrup.

Many of the reviewers of this recipe added cinnamon to the top and even to the cream cheese, so if you like cinnamon you may want to do that. Also I'd encourage the use of real maple syrup as well. Happy Cooking!

GREEK!!

I made the greek inspired chicken tonight. The whole meal was delish! I did it a little different and cheated a bit. I decided to cut the chicken up and skewer it shish ka bob (know thats not right spelling just looks funny) style with veggies. Then purchased locally made pita bread which we then stuffed with the veggies and chicken and topped with tzatziki sauce. Served it with a greek salad and with some couscous as well as hummus on the side for dipping extra bread in. Yum Yum! I would like to try the home made flat bread next time. Will be making this again!

Delicious...

and just the ticket for my winter blues. I really enjoyed eating and making this meal. I will make it again. I love Greek food so I'm not surprised. It makes me want to make Carrie's recipes again from last summer.
A few things: I used all dried herbs on the chicken because I didn't want to spend the money this time. I know that it would have tasted completely different (and better) with fresh. Also, we didn't have our BBQ set up yet because we just moved so I broiled it. Again, it was really good but I know it would have been so much better grilled. My pita bread was tough and that was disappointing. Any hints? I might have left it in the oven a little too long. The thing that I enjoyed most about this meal was eating it all together. I just love how good the flavors meld in Greek food! YUMM!

Pita Power

I tried the chicken and pitas over the weekend, and they were both delicious! I wasn't able to marinate the chicken for as long as the recipe suggested, but the flavor was still wonderful. I also subbed a few of the fresh herbs for dried ones, and again, the flavor was still good.
The pita bread was really easy to make! Of course, my sister was visiting so she was able to help me roll (or toss) the pita dough into rounds, which cut down on the prep time. We accidentally made a few of the pitas too thick, but in general they turned out great - and held together quite well. And of course we fealt like domestic goddesses at having made them from scratch.
We grilled red onions and peppers in addition to the chicken, and served feta cheese and tzatziki sauce on the side. All in all a great Greek meal. Thank you, Rachel!

Greek Food!!!

Alright Chic Chefs, here we go! I am so excited because we are starting another round, I finished my midterms, and I love Greek food!
A few weeks ago I met a new friend and she had the kids and me over for dinner. She made an amazing Greek meal! So, thanks to Darla for sharing her recipes! I am only going to include two recipes for the official submission but highly recommend you serve this with tzatziki sauce and a fresh green Greek salad (lettuce, spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomato, cucumber, etc.)

As the Greeks say, “Kali Orexi!”

Pita Bread (Courtesy of www.greekfood.about.com)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 4 cups of bread flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.
Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.
Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.
Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

Grilled Chicken, Serves 8 (Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com)
*Darla added onion and red pepper and also just used boneless skinless chicken cut into strips.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
In a glass dish, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and discard the marinade. Cook chicken pieces up to 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Smaller pieces will not take as long.