Homemade Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Occasionally, I would buy bags of French Toast sticks already prepared, to serve my kids for breakfast when we wanted something special. But I found they were not as good as the ones we make ourselves.  Making your own French Toast Sticks is easy. With just a few simple ingredients that you already have at home, you can quickly make your own.

Ingredients

6  slices stale white bread, cut thick
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
dash salt
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs. butter

Directions

Cut the bread slices into 1 inch sticks.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, dash of salt, and vanilla. Beat well.

In a low sided bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, melt butter.

Working as you go, roll the bread stick in the milk mixture, but do not allow the bread to soak, or they will be very soggy. Allow the excess milk mixture to drip off back into the bowl. 

Place the French Toast stick in the skillet. You will need to work in batches and not overcrowd the skillet, soaking the bread in the milk mixture and frying them as you go. Do not soak all the pieces of bread at once, or they will not hold together and you will have a mess.  

Fry the bread, until it is golden brown. Turn the bread to cook each side until golden brown. 

Remove from the skillet and immediately roll the bread sticks in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating all sides. Serve.

Repeat the process with the remaining bread, adding more butter as needed to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.

Serve immediately and enjoy! The French Toast Sticks can be dipped in maple syrup or whatever you like best.

No-Bake Healthy Cookies

These no-bake cookies are a healthy alternative to the sugary cereals that people like to eat in the morning. Of course, these cookies will also make a healthy snack idea as well. They are so easy to make and the drizzle of chocolate is just perfect to set these apart.

Ingredients

2/3 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbs. honey
1 c. oats
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
2 Tbs. coconut
1 Tbs. sunflower seeds
2 Tbs. chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp. coconut oil

Directions

In a bowl, combine peanut butter and honey.  Mix until well blended.

Stir in oats, walnuts, coconut, and sunflower seeds.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Form cookies from the dough. Take about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it between the palms of your hands.  Place the dough ball on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper.  Flatten the dough out slightly to form a cookie. Continue forming the cookies in this manner until all the dough is used up.

In a microwave bowl, combine chocolate and coconut oil.  Microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat the process until the chocolate is melted.

Quickly drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.

When done, place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before eating.  These healthy cookies will last between 4 and 5 days. 

Baked Garlic Bread Toast

There are no measurements to make this garlic bread toast. We just put butter on one side of the bread and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and top with Parmesan cheese.  If you can make toast, you will have no problem with this recipe.

 Ingredients

1 (1 lb. ) load Italian bread cut into 1-inch slices
butter, softened
salt and pepper if desired
garlic granuals/powder
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread butter over one side of the bread. Place the bread on a baking sheet with the buttered side facing upwards. 

Sprinkle the top side with garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. 

Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and the bottom of the bread is nicely browned.  Check the bottom of the bread often, so it does not burn.

Notes:

You can use 4 or 5 cloves of garlic.  Mince them up fine and then mix the garlic into the softened butter. Spread this over the bread slices.

Fluffy Pancakes

The other day I was able to buy pancake syrup for 79 cents each. We have not had pancake syrup in a long while because it is so expensive. So today, we are making pancakes.

Ingredients 

2 cups flour, all-purpose or wheat
2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. melted butter cooled to lukewarm
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 c. milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
extra butter or oil for the griddle

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the center.

In another bowl, whisk together melted lukewarm butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.  Pour the mixture into the well that you formed in the center of the dry ingredients.

Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together. Only mix until the flour is moistened. There will be a few lumps of flour, but that is all right. That is exactly the way it is supposed to be. You don't want to over mix the ingredients or your pancakes will be dense, and they will not rise.

The batter should be thick. If it is too thick to pour out of a ladle, then gently fold in a tablespoon or two of milk.  

Set the batter aside to rest for about 15 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Lightly butter the bottom of your skillet or griddle. When the griddle is hot, it is time to make the pancakes. 

Pour about 1/4 cup batter, or more if you want bigger pancakes, onto the griddle. When you see bubbles rising on the top of the pancake, check the bottom of the pancake. The bottom should be lightly browned.  This can take between 2 and 4 minutes.  Flip the pancake over and cook until the other side is lightly browned. Do not press down on the pancake with your spatula. If you do, your pancakes will not rise and be fluffy.

Remove the pancake to a plate. Serve with syrup, honey, fruit or what ever you prefer. Continue to make the rest of the pancakes. 

If you want to keep the pancakes warm while you make them before serving, heat the oven to 200°.   Place the pancakes on an ovenproof plate to keep warm for up to 15 minutes. 

If you have left over pancake batter left over, put it in a covered container and place it in the refrigerator.

 Waffles

The extra step of beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form is so worth the extra time.  Your waffles will be fluffier. We like adding cinnamon to ours, but if you don't like the taste of cinnamon, you can always leave that out, or use less. 

Growing up, it was a very rare treat when my mom served waffles, but when she did, they were so good! Dripping with butter and syrup over the top.  Delicious!! She didn't have the best waffle maker and they were hard to clean up.  However, the waffle makers of today have come a long way with non-stick coating.  This makes clean up so much easier to do.  She would have loved using them.

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Directions

Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. 

Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form.  

Beat egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until fluffy.

Add the cinnamon,sugar, baking powder, salt and flour. Beat until the batter is smooth. 

Gently, fold in the egg whites into the mixture.  

Pour the batter onto center of your hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions.

Serve with butter and/or syrup. You can use any toppings that you like best.  

***Cook all the waffle mixture the same day it is made for the best tasting waffles. If you don't need or want to eat them right away, put the extra waffles in the freezer.  Then, on those mornings when you are short on time, simply pop the frozen waffles in the toaster to warm them back up again. 

**  You can use melted butter or margarine instead of vegetable oil to make waffles. Some say that using vegetable oil makes the waffles crispier then if you just used butter or margarine.

 Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes

Instead of throwing away the starter discard, you can use it to make some delicious pancakes. They turn out light and fluffy, and they are so good.  It's a great way to start your day, and they don't take long to prepare, either.

Ingredients

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 milk
1 c. sourdough starter
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbs melted butter or oil

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk, sourdough starter, egg and butter or oil. Whisk only until combined. It is all right if there are a few small lumps in the batter. 

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle plate on medium heat. Spray the surface with cooking spray, or use some butter or margarine. Be careful, so the butter does not burn. If you have a temperature control on the griddle plate, heat 300° to 350°.

Pour about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot skillet.  You can use more batter if you want bigger pancakes.. Cook until you see bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to become firm up. It can take 2 to 3 minutes, depending on your griddle and how hot the skillet is. Carefully, lift one side of the pancake to see if it is lightly browned. If it is, then flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook until browned on the other side, about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pancake is cooked through. 

Serve warm with butter, syrup, fruit, powdered sugar or what ever you like to put on your pancakes.