Overnight French Toast (or is this Bread Pudding?)

Oh, yum. Slow Cooker Heaven

Overnight French Toast (or is this Bread Pudding?)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 3-4 hours on high/6-8 hours on low
Serves: 8

Ingredients: 1 loaf (16 ounces/454 gr) of cinnamon swirl bread, cubed
6 large eggs
2 cups (475 mL) of half and half milk
1 cup (240 mL) of heavy cream
1/4 cup (50 gr) brown sugar (I used half of this the bread already has sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons of rum (optional)
3/4 cups (110 gr) of coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 cups (110 gr) raisins
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Procedure:
Cube the bread and leave it out overnight so it goes stale.

Coat your slow cooker with cooking spray and place the bread in it, covering its base. 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, the half and half, the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and rum (if you choose to use it). Whisk together and pour mixture over the bread cubes, making sure they're completely covered.

Sprinkle the walnuts and raisins over the mixture and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

TIP: Substitute the raisins and chopped walnuts for chocolate chips or serve with maple syrup, a little bit of cream cheese and a side of fresh fruit. 

This is also insanely good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche as a dessert.

Tina Shonk's Crockpot Chicken and Noodles

I can't wait to try this!  Perfect fall weather dinner for when I'm out doing yard work.

Tina Shonk's Crockpot Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients :
1 24 ounce package – frozen egg noodles
2 – 14.7 oz cans – cream of chicken soup – sometimes I use 1 can chicken and 1 can cream of celery
1 stick (1/2) cup butter – cut into pieces
1 – 32 oz chicken broth – may want extra to thin out, if too thick. The frozen noodles thicken the broth
mixed vegetables – optional
Chicken bouillon to taste – optional – I add about a teaspoon of better than bouillion chicken flavored paste – for a richer chicken flavor
6 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 large
salt & pepper to taste – can add some parsley too if desire


Procedure:
Salt & pepper chicken breasts and place in the bottom of crock pot. 

Spoon soup over the chicken. (I whisk the bouillon with the broth and pour over soup.)

Cut butter into several pats and place pieces evenly over soup.

Place lid on pot and turn to low. Cook for 6 hours.

Remove chicken and tear into pieces. Add back to pot.

Now add noodles and if adding veggies add now. Cook for another 2 hours or until noodles are desired tenderness. I stir a few times during last 2 hours. ( You may want to add more broth to thin out at the end of cooking, as the home made noodles thicken the broth, which we like. )

Sprinkle with parsley and mix in, if using at the end of cooking.

Salt & pepper if needed and Serve. Yum!

Thanks, Tina!!!!!

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Nights are getting colder, leaves are falling - it's time for soup!!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound store-bought gnocchi
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, finely chopped or julienned
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 3/4 cups heavy cream (you can also use light - just as good!)
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated, divided
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


Procedure:

Cook gnocchi according to packaging directions. 

Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and saute onion and carrots until softened, but not browned. 5-7 minutes.

 
Add minced garlic during the last 2 minutes and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant. 

Season with salt and pepper and rosemary, and add chicken. 

Cook until chicken is lightly browned and coated in cooking juices. 

Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice, and stir together, then pour in cream. 

Reduce stovetop heat to medium-low and stir in parmesan cheese. Sprinkle in nutmeg and let simmer for several minutes, or until thickened. 

Add gnocchi and spinach to the mixture and cook until warmed through and coated in sauce. 

Remove rosemary sprigs and serve immediately, garnished with more cheese.

This one screams for warm cheesy garlic bread and a nice bottle of wine!

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara

This one will never fly - Carlene doesn't do asparagus.  But it's one of my favorite veggies.  And, since I've never met a pasta I didn't like, I know this one is a winner.  

Carbonara is always yummy!  (In fact, it was a regular veggie-less carbonara that inspired the cartoons on the title page of the Three Giraffes sniffing the air at the farm!!!)

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara

Ingredients:
1-½ pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound dry spaghetti
4 large eggs
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan, grated
Freshly cracked black pepper
Sea salt, to taste

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).

Place the asparagus and mushrooms on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat.

Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize, stirring halfway.

While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the fresh cracked pepper until well-combined.

Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.

Season with black pepper and sea salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the roasted asparagus and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe from "TipHero"

PUMPKIN CHIA OVERNIGHT OATS

PUMPKIN CHIA OVERNIGHT OATS

Pumpkin Chia Overnight Oats are creamy overnight oats with chia seeds to make them even more nutritious! They're the perfect healthy, grab 'n go breakfast!
Author: Flavor the Moments

INGREDIENTS
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2½ cups milk of your choice (I used almond milk)
½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup*
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the oats and chia seeds in a large bowl and stir to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Serve with add-ins such chocolate chips, toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, or coconut flakes and enjoy!

NOTES
*Maple syrup may be substituted with the sweetener of your choice.
For a perfect grab 'n go breakfast, divide into glass jars or tupperware and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe by Flavor the Moments.

10-Minute Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites

10-Minute Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites

Makes 12 energy bites

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
¼ cup coconut butter
½ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 small pinch of sea salt

Preparation

1. Start by adding the peanut butter and coconut butter to a saucepan on low heat, and stir until melted. Set aside.

2. Next, add the rolled oats and chopped walnuts to the base of a food processor, and process until finely ground. Add in the peanut butter mixture and the remaining ingredients, and pulse until super smooth.

3. Roll the dough into balls and place in a glass freezer-safe container.

4. Freeze for 15 minutes before serving, and refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

Slow Cooker Garlic Ale Beef Sliders

This looks really good. I may have to watch a game this weekend if I want to be able to talk to my friends again, so THIS is going to have to be game-day food!!

Slow Cooker Garlic Ale Beef Sliders

Ingredients:
1 three-pound beef chuck roast
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
4 garlic cloves
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup Italian dressing
1 cup beer (use your favorite!)
2 bay leaves
Hawaiian slider buns
Sliced Colby-Jack Cheese

Procedure:
Place the chuck roast into a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper. Place the garlic cloves on top of the roast. Add the red onion, then pour over the Italian dressing and beer. Place the bay leaves on top.

Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10. Don’t open the lid during the cooking time.

Discard bay leaves and shred the meat with 2 forks, smash the garlic with the back of a fork and stir the garlic into the shredded meat. Discard any fat, and drain off the grease. Serve the shredded meat on Hawaiian slider buns with the Colby-Jack Cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler in the oven if desired. Enjoy!

:(

The Monday Giraffe Kitchen at SDP is closed for a while, until I get this Achilles tendon issue sorted out.  Can't drive down (of course, it's the right foot!!)  Can't climb the hill to the house. Can't stand for long periods of time.  Definitely cannot walk back DOWN the hill to the car and then drive home!!  Just thinking about that makes my ankle hurt...

update: 8/31/16:  Slowly weaning off the cast.  Heading back to physical therapy.  Missing my puppies!!!  I'm hoping to have this all sorted out in eight weeks.  I HAVE learned patience this year:  achilles + cellulitis, followed by some issues stemming from intolerance of the antibiotics, followed by cellulitis, a rebound on the achilles and yet ANOTHER case of cellulitis. At least my vocabulary is improving from all the reading I've been doing!!  This year has been one for the books - in more ways than one.....

update: 10/1/16.  I've now been dealing with this for nine months.  ^$#$^&%$!!!  Making progress with the help of PT Heidi.  Out of the cast (mostly) except when the muscles begin to tire - no pain while in the cast as the tendon is not sliding over that sharp spur on the bone.  Heidi is convinced that I've been shifting my weight to the right foot to compensate for the pain I deal with in the left due to my lymphedema.  So we're working on walking, gait, foot placement as well as stretching, balance, and flexibility.  Still walking ONLY on level ground - which is why the farm is still out of reach at the moment.  Beginning to use the cycle to build up strength in the quads and hamstrings.  Increased pool workouts.  This month's goal is to build "standing endurance" in that tendon with attention to  not re-injuring it with the spur.   And so it goes.

update:  10/17/16.  Away from my PT for 2 weeks with a log list of homework to do on my own!! Every day I increase my heel raises and toe raises by 1.  Am also doing stairs "like a big girl" (albeit hanging onto the railing for dear life!). More pool walking. Increased tread water time this week to 20 minutes or 500 reps, whichever comes first (more next week).  Adding in treadmill walking every other day and recumbent bike - add 1/8 mile each time to walking and 30 seconds each time to bike. Add vertical time. Doc is still talking surgery and I am still telling him what to do with that idea. (Yes, I can be a real bee-yatch about this - but with lymphedema, ain't NO ONE cutting into my legs. I have enough problems already...) I WILL DO THIS!!!!

Chicken Lombardy

Mom used to make a dish similar to this.  I'm still trying to figure out what else she put in there - funny how the taste you "remember" is always different, isn't it?

Chicken Lombardy

Ingredients:
8 oz package(s) sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoon(s) butter melted
6 skinned and boned chicken breasts
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup(s) butter
3/4 cup(s) marsala
1/2 cup(s) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/8 teaspoon(s) pepper
1/2 cup(s) shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 cup(s) parmesan cheese
2 green onions chopped


Procedure:Cook mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or just until tender. Remove from heat; set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Cook chicken in batches, in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Place chicken in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish, overlapping edges. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and butter. Reserving pan drippings in skillet. Sprinkle mushrooms evenly over chicken.

Add wine and broth to skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Combine cheeses and green onions; sprinkle over chicken.

Bake uncovered, at 450 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until cheese melts

Pimento Cheese

Being the daughter of a true Southern girl, I grew up on pimento-cheese sandwiches.  Yeah, all the kids at school thought it was weird - but New Jersey just doesn't understand the impact of a good pimento cheese sandwich!  When I'm home from work sick, this is one of the comfort foods I turn to.  Mom's recipe was pretty simple - run a block of Longhorn colby and a jar of drained pimientos through the food grinder, add S/P, mayo and stir.   And since I've been on my own, I'm always willing to try a new version.   I have to admit - THIS one I found recently is really good.  So, make up a pitcher of sweet tea, grab some crackers or some decent bread, put some blues or Dixieland on in the background, and transport yourself to a simpler time.

Tupelo Honey Café’s Pimento Cheese

(Makes 2 cups)

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. stone-ground mustard
1 tsp. mustard powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
½ cup finely diced roasted red bell pepper
Tortilla chips for serving

Combine the cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, stone-ground mustard, mustard powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and roasted bell peppers in a large bowl. Transfer to a microwavable dish and microwave for about 20 seconds or until warm, or put in a baking dish in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.