Scottie-inspired French Toast

I made this breakfast for my sister, Jenny, on her birthday week way back at the beginning of June. It instantly brought back memories of growing up and our dad, Scott. Whenever our mom was out of town when we were little (which wasn’t that often), our dad would make us French toast for breakfast. We would shop for Barbies and even watch “American Gladiators” at International Market while we ate Thai food for dinner. These were very special treats. I am deeply grateful for these vivid memories that fill me with warmth like this yummy breakfast!

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Splash vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon sugar
8-10 pieces of white bread
Butter for cooking
Powdered sugar and/or syrup to finish

In a Pyrex pan, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cin sug. Turn the stove on medium heat. Put a pad of butter in a frying pan and let the pan warm up. Soak a piece of bread on the mixture. Pick up the bread, gently drip, and place in the frying pan. Cook the bread for about two minutes on each side or until light to medium brown. I put the toast on a plate in the microwave (not turned on) to keep it warm. You could also put them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven. You will want to add a pad of butter periodically as you cook. Finish Scottie’s French toast with a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of syrup, or both!!!

Asian Pork Meatballs, Coconut Milk Rice, and Hibachi Veggies

Like I wrote in my last post…yesterday was my sister’s bday. Before we dug into that yummy dump cake, Jenny requested these Asian meatballs I made for our family’s Holiday Balls Party many years ago. I had to do some research as I no longer had the recipe. I found inspiration and the DELISH dipping sauce recipe from Rachael Ray’s recipe. I gleaned some meatball ingredients from an Epicurious recipe.. I decided to serve the meatballs with white rice and some sautéed veggies (I got the idea for the hibachi veggies from Pinterest, but the pin didn’t work).

Asian Pork Meatballs
2 lbs ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
5 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 inch ginger, grated
1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
6 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
(I would normally add finely chopped jalapeño, but my nieces and mom don’t do spicy)

Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
It is a MUST poured over these meatballs and Rachael does it best!

Coconut Milk Rice
2 cups jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp sea salt (might use a little more if you aren’t making the dipping sauce)

Bring the water and coconut milk to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice and cover. Turn the burning to low. Let cook for 15 min. Remove from heat and let sit on a trivet for 5 min. Fluff with a fork.

Hibachi Veggies
2 onions, chopped
3 zucchinis, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1-2 tsp sesame seeds
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

On medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter. Sauté the onions for about 10 min. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, and the rest of the butter. Cook for 10 min. Splash in the soy and salt/pepper. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

These recipes serve 6.

Cherry Dump Cake

Yesterday was my sister Jenny’s 34th birthday! Her husband is in WA climbing Mt. Rainer…so I got to make her dinner and dessert (thanks to my mom for brining the dessert ingredients).

Dump cakes are great in a pinch. You can keep all of the ingredients on hand (you might already have them) and throw them together when surprise company arrives, or if it is your sis’s requested bday surprise. There are TONS of dump cake recipes out there, but I personally LOVE the cherry and blueberry varieties. You can sub any fruit you’d like in this recipe to shake things up!

2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the pie filling in a Pyrex. Over the top of the pie filling, shake about 3/4 of the cake mix. Cut the butter into about 16 slices and arrange on top of the cake mix. Bake for about 30 min, turn, and bake for about 20 min or until the top is brown and the pie filling is bubbling. Serve with vanilla ice cream and celebrate!

Parmesan and Garlic Green Beans

I love roasting all veggies! Not only is it easy (you can put them in the oven, stir a few times, and they do their own thing), but it gives the veggies great flavor. I made these green beans to take to a friend with a marinated pork tenderloin and herb/olive oil couscous, but they could be served with any protein and are super kid friendly.

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag of frozen green beans, defrosted
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a Pyrex, combine all of the ingredients, except the Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 25 min. Stir. Cover with tin foil and bake for another 5-10 min. Remove from oven, stir, sprinkle on the parm, and recover with the tin foil so the cheese melts. Enjoy the cheesy, garlicky goodness!!!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Corn with Cucumber/Tomatoes

After working on the beautiful sunshine this morning, I am ready for the freedom of summer! Luckily Morgan and I had some lovely helpers mulching our beds.

And their labor came pretty cheap: 5 Guys, blue Gatorade, Airheads, and a little cash. They deserved it!!

All that work called for an easy, tasty, healthy dinner…that tastes like summer!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1Tbsp parsley
1 tsp sage

Put all ingredients in a large ziploc and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Grill to perfection. Morgan grilled it at 450 in a gas grill for 5 minutes on one side and flipped for 7 minutes on the other side. Then, flipped it over again, turned off the grill, and let it cook for 10 more minutes. Delish! I love the little burnt pieces!!!

Grilled Corn
4 ears of corn, shucked/cleaned
Spreadable butter
Sea salt
Pepper
Tinfoil

Butter and season the corn. Wrap individual on tinfoil. Place around the edges of on gas grill at 450 degrees for 35 minutes. Tastes like summer!

Cucumbers/Tomatoes
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp feta cheese
4 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I like my dressing tart)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 shake garlic powder
1 shake onion powder
Sea salt
Pepper

Place veggies and cheese in a bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients together for the dressing. Let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes. It is beyond fresh!

Trader Joe’s Superfood Pilaf

It’s Seek and Eat Night at the Strobel house! Morgan was supposed to be working, but the threat of bad weather got him the night off. This wifey had zero plans to cook tonight. So, I went to the freezer. I added some spices to Trader Joe’s Superfood Pilaf to pack in the flavor. The final product was even yummier than I expected! Take into account all of the vitamins and it’s Seek and Eat success!!!!

1 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Sriracha
2 tsp (or to taste) soy sauce

Cake Batter Cookies from A Simple Affair

Happy Easter, Easter Bunny!! When looking for a yummy dessert for my Brunette family Easter celebration, I wanted something that would be easy to make (I’m no baker) and would please the little ones. On that side, I have 5 nieces and nephews under the age of 5. Plus, after giving up sweets for 40 days, I wanted something tasty too! I went to my Pinterest board and decided on Cake Batter Cookies from A Simple Affair. I love anything cake batter flavored and the sprinkles give this cookie a fun color pop (I did add extra sprinkles)! The cookies were fluffy, moist, and oh so simple (only 3 ingredients!!). I def recommend following her cooking time instructions. Bring these to your next picnic or birthday celebration!!

Real Simple’s Pea, Feta, and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

Spring is in the air…And I am ready to cook with fresh, seasonal ingredients! When I was living with my sister and Logan three years ago, I found this recipe in her Real Simple. I have brought it to many get-togethers and it is always a nice surprise. For our Brunette family Easter celebration this year, I subbed the prosciutto for crispy bacon. Also, I had some leftover sundried tomato and basil feta that I threw in for some extra flavor.

Bacon, Veggie, and Cheese Quiche

I make quiches all of the time! It is an inexpensive way to entertain and can be as varied as your imagination. When I hosted a French-themed book club in August, I made five different quiches. The ladies loved trying them all! For dinner the other night, I made a bacon, veggie, and cheese version that used up many ingredients I had in the fridge, yet was satisfying after a long day teaching.

1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 zucchini, chopped and sautéed
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped and sautéed
1/2 onion, diced sautéed
1 red bell pepper, chopped and sautéed
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
1 cup shredded cheese (I used 2% cheddar)
6 eggs
Splash of milk
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 refrigerated pie crust

Cook your bacon on a plate in the microwave and crumble. My rule of thumb is 5 minutes for 5 slices, but test yours out. Chop all of your veggies and sautéed with cooking spray for about 10 minutes or until they begin to get soft. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and spices and whisk. Unfold your pie crust in a pie pan. Assemble your bacon, veggies, and cheese. Pour in your egg mixture. Top with the basil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until set, about 35 minutes. Slice and serve!

Tomato, Basil, Feta, Romaine Salad

I love a fresh salad and experimenting with flavors. I made a version of this salad when we had some dear friends from Cali over for dinner in the fall and it was a hit! It is also great for a BBQ or pot-luck. If you don’t like feta, sub mozzarella or mozzarella with prosciutto. Yum!!!

3 heads of romaine, ribbon chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 package of feta (I mixed tomato basil flavored and plain)
1/2 package of basil, chiffonade

Layer all ingredients and serve with a balsamic vinaigrette.