Savory French Toast

Who says French Toast has to be sweet?  I love it with cinnamon and maple syrup, but when I was little my dad would sometimes use garlic and butter, so I wanted to experiment with that concept.


The idea is to make it the same way you usually do, only with savory flavors instead of sweet ones.

 1 loaf thick sliced (texas-toast) white bread


Whisk 1 dozen eggs with:
3 TB white cooking wine
1/2 C milk
1 TS garlic powder
1 TB parsley
sprinkle salt & pepper



Soak slices in egg mix for a minute or two - you should see air bubbles coming up as the egg soaks in.  If you pour the egg into a shallow pan you can soak several pieces at once.

Cook on griddle, or on buttered cookie sheet at 400F for 15 minutes, then flip and bake 10 minutes.


This made enough for 4-5 people, served with sauteed mushrooms, sausage, and seasoned french fries.  If you like garlic bread, you will like this!

A Baddie but Goodie - Breakfast Calzone

There is nothing healthy about this recipe, but it is really very tasty. You can use more or less cheese to adjust to your preferences.



This can be made in advance and heated in the oven later.  I recommend allowing the potato and sausage patties to cool a bit before adding them - if they are too hot, they create a lot of steam inside which can mess up the top dough.  Don't let them get too cool though, because the inside won't be heated through by the time the dough is cooked.

Don't use thin crust dough - it rips.  Get the Classic crust.

Heat potato patties and sausage patties according to package directions.




Spread out one dough on greased cookie sheet.



Cover with layer of partly-cooled potato patties.



Top with cheese (you can use any kind of shredded or sliced cheeses.  I like spicy ones)



Next layer - precooked sausage patties.


Optional - another layer of cheese



Scramble 4 eggs with 3 TB milk.  Optional - add spices such as black pepper or Tabasco sauce.
Spread egg layer on top.


Optional - crumbled bacon


Cover with second dough and crimp edges.



Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


Serve immediately with salsa and sour cream. 

Chilly Out There! Chili In Here!

The secret is Sausage! Mmmmm, sausage!


Start with 1# stew meat and 1# italian sausage links

Place on baking sheet in oven at 350 for 1 hour.

The juices from the sausage will help brown the stew meat.  Just throw 'em on there and let cook.

Meanwhile, brown 1# ground meat in skillet.

Drain and mix into crockpot or stew pot with:

32 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
3 tbsp chili powder

1 can diced tomatoes 
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp liquid smoke
1 can black or red beans
sprinkle of turmeric, cumin, black pepper

In same skillet, saute 1 small onion, diced.
(Optional - 1 small green pepper)
Add to stew pot.

Cut stew meat into smallish cubes, add to stew.

Slice sausage into chunks and saute in same skillet until browned on all sides.  Add to stew.

Cook all together for at least 1 hour before serving.  Best when made in advance and reheated.  Don't stir too much or beans will break up into mush.  The diced tomatoes should break down a bit though.

I prefer the addition of 1 c dark beer but not everyone likes that.  You can of course add cayenne pepper or tabasco to make it hot. I use hot sausage which adds a lot of spices anyway...

If you have a large crockpot or a dutch oven - double this recipe.  Feeds 10-15 :)

sausage and egg burrito

Everybody loves breakfast foods at any time of day, but when pancakes just aren't enough, sausage and eggs will fill you up!

Cook 1 lb pork sausage in skillet.  Drain oil.

Whisk 4 eggs with 2 tbsp milk, salt, pepper.  Pour into cooked sausage; stir until egg is completely cooked.

Add diced ham and chopped peppers before the eggs for a western version.

Serve with hash browns, cheese, burrito wraps, sour cream, taco sauce for wrap sandwiches, or place folded-side-down on a baking sheet, top with cheese, and bake at 325 for 15 minutes for burritos.




 


It doesn't look like much in the photos but is very tasty and is an easy recipe to adjust to accommodate particular preferences, food sensitivities and picky eaters.  And sensitive particular picky food preference eaters. And every other combo you can think of!