Cinnamon Toast!

Do you remember eating cinnamon toast when you were a child? When was the last time you actually made it? It's so easy and fills the kitchen with a tantalizing aroma of spicy sweetness!

So here's how I do it...


I use white sugar, cinnamon and butter.


Sorry about the clarity of this photo...what can I say...a white bowl is not the best for white sugar? Anyway I mix 2 teaspoons of white sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together.


I don't own a toaster...it's a choice...just not my favorite appliance BUT I do own my tried and true griddle! I place the bread on the griddle and turn the heat to medium low.



Keep checking it until your preference for that just right color of doneness is achieved on side one.


Now I put the bread to one side of the griddle and put a pat of butter directly on the griddle...watch that butter SIZZLE! Then I place the untoasted side of the bread face down on the sizzling butter. Boy it's difficult to photograph, swirl a pat of melting butter and place the bread on top of it BUT you get the general idea.


Now when the buttery side of the toast has reached a golden LIGHT brown...flip the toast over...sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top...and if you choose flip it over again to let the cinnamon sugar and butter sizzle to a crunchy scrumptious delight!


So here is Miss M's breakfast...CINNAMON TOAST and apple juice! YUMMY!

Hope this inspires you to create a memory for your family of reignite one of your own!

Easy Peach Melba Pie

Are you looking for a tasty and easy pie recipe? This is the perfect pie for your family or a pot luck dinner. In my opinion, most pie fillings are just too sweet but the tartness of the raspberries solve that issue. Top a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...well need I say more? Aw...come on seriously...just try it...I promise you'll love it!

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Easy Peach Melba Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients:

Frozen Deep Dish Pie Crust (2 Crust Package)
use 1 pie crust at room temperature to hold the pie filling
place the 2nd pie crust in the refrigerator so it stays chilled

2 Cans of Peach Pie Filling
1/3 Cup Frozen Raspberries
Cinnamon/Sugar (1 tsp sugar + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)

2 sheets of Wax Paper or Parchment Paper about 12x12 inches

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Fill the room temperature pie crust with the Peach pie filling.

Top off the pie filling with the frozen raspberries. (I scatter the raspberries here and there on the top of the pie filling.)

Roll-out the chilled pie crust between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper (that way the crust won't stick to your work surface and you don't need to add flour). You only need to roll it out to measure 1 inch wider than your filled pie crust.

Now cut the rolled out pie crust into strips. Lay the strips criss-cross over the pie and crimp the edges together. As you can see in the photo I like a rustic looking pie and besides this pie never lasts long enough for anyone to notice if the strips aren't perfect.

Bake the completed pie in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes. If the pie crust edge starts to brown too fast...cover the crust edge with 2 inch wide strip of aluminum foil - just fold it over the crust edge. Return the pie to the oven and continue baking.

After it has baked for 25 minutes, carefully remove the pie from the oven, remove the aluminum foil strips from the edges and sprinkle the entire pie with the Sugar/Cinnamon mixture.

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream if you'd like, and it's even more DELICIOUS! And nobody needs to know just how easy it is!

Here's a close up...mmmm look at that perfect crust, the peach filling and wow look at the raspberries!

Quiche Lorraine

This is a family favorite in my home and it's so easy! I originally got the recipe from a 1971 Betty Crocker Cookbook and have adapted the recipe to my family's taste preferences.

Quiche Lorraine

Pastry for 9-inch Deep Dish One-crust Pie
(I use a frozen Deep Dish pie crust thawed to room temperature)

9 slices bacon, crisply fried, drained on paper towels and crumbled
2 Cups shredded natural Swiss Cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/3 Cup minced onion
4 Eggs
1 Cup Whipping Cream or 10% light cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Red Pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare pastry and combine the crumbled bacon, cheese and minced onion and place in the pie crust.

I use a whisk to beat the eggs slightly, then blend together with the whipping cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper.

Pour the cream mixture into the pie pan, covering your bacon, cheese and onion.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Now turn down the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, check to see if the quiche is completely cooked by inserting a knife about 1 inch from the side of the pie pan, if it comes out clean it's finished.

Remove from the oven, let it stand for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

You can serve this with your favorite salad and it's delicious easy dinner!

Recipes / Cheaters Chili with Sweet Cornbread

So do you ever have one of those days...it's cold outside, you're busy, the family is hungry and someone needs to get something on the table that's tasty, quick and economical to make?

Here's my solution...Cheaters Chili...I know chili purists will not be pleased with this recipe but that's why we have diversity in the kitchen. Right?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 - medium onion, minced
1 - 14.5 oz Can of Ranch Style Beans
1 - 14.5 oz Can of Pinto Beans
1 - 14.5 oz Can of Diced Stewed Tomatoes

salt to taste - I use 1 to 1 & 1/2 teaspoons
pepper to taste - I use 1 teaspoon
Chili powder to taste - I use 1 & 1/2 tablespoons
Cayenne Pepper - to taste - I use 1/2 teaspoon
Comino seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Minced Garlic - to taste - I use 1 tablespoon


LET'S START COOKING!

Brown the ground chuck, rinse off any fat from the meat and the pan. Then put the cooked ground chuck back in the same pan.


Add the minced onion and cook on medium heat until the onion is translucent.


Add the Ranch Style beans, the pinto beans and the diced tomatoes...including the liquid in each can...not to worry it won't be soupy...it thickens up just great.

Next, add all the spices. Stir, cover the pot with a lid, turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes or up to an hour. Keep your eye on it, stir once and awhile and then....

TA-DAA YOUR CHEATERS CHILI IS READY TO EAT!


I serve ours with dollops of sour cream and sprinkle on grated cheese. I also serve another family favorite with the Cheaters Chili... my "Sweet Fluffy Cornbread"...you will find the recipe below.

If there's any chili left over...I freeze it and when I need a SUPER QUICK MEAL...I pop it in the microwave and TaDaa...dinner is served!



SWEET CORNBREAD RECIPE

I guess it's a Texas thing but my family loves sweet cornbread. If you're interested...it's easy...tasty...so here we go!



Ingredients

1 package of cornbread mix
1 package of biscuit mix OR 1 Cup of Biscuit mix
2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like it REALLY sweet)
1 egg
Milk...the cornbread package defines 2/3 cup

Now with the additional biscuit mix added to this recipe, the milk measurement will change...so this is how I calculate the amount of milk to add...After adding the egg to the dry ingredients...I add 2/3 cup of milk and carefully add one tablespoon of milk at a time until I get the mixture to the right consistency. Similar to a thick cake batter but definitely not runny...clear as mud right? If it gets too runny just add some more biscuit mix a tablespoon at a time until it thickens up.

Then pour the mixture into a greased pan and bake according to the cornbread package directions.

My oven cooks really hot! So, I heat the oven to 400 degrees while I'm mixing the cornbread up. Then when I put it in the oven, I lower the baking temp by 375 degrees. It bakes till the sides are turning light brown and the center is firm. To be absolutely sure it done, I check it by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cornbread...if it comes up clean...it's DONE! Can you see the hole in the center of the cornbread?


We love it...it's light, fluffy, sweet and delicious...and compliments the HOT of the chili! I hope you like it too!