Recipes from Gale Gand's Brunch

Have you seen this book, Brunch by Gale Gand? Well, it is a really good one, full of delicious pictures and great recipes.

It has been sitting on my book shelf for quite a while and I decided it was time to give some of the recipes a try.

The other day we had Backwards Day at our house. We ate brownies for breakfast, read our bedtime story after that, went to the library in our pajamas, etc. and we finished off the day by eating brunch instead of dinner.
I chose 4 recipes from this book for our menu- Pineapple-Blueberry Smoothie, Roasted Pears & Rhubarb w/ orange, Bacon Waffles, and a variation of the cover recipe- Egg Cups.
I don't like cooking with bacon and usually don't, but my kids love it when they get the chance to have some and I figured this was a fun way to use it.
We spent the afternoon swimming, so when I started making all these recipes, everyone was starving. I was almost out of eggs, so I used egg substitute in the waffles. (not by choice, I couldn't run to the store at that point)
The batter was light and airy, which made delicious waffles.

The smoothie was one of the best I have ever had. I don't know if it was simply because we had been out in the hot sun for hours and I was overly thirsty or just the wonderful combination (I am leaning towards this explanation) but it was great. The frozen pineapple and mint just added a delicious zing to the smoothie. My girls always like having their smoothies in "fancy" cups.

The egg cups were delicious. I didn't really use her recipe, but it was the same idea. I added some spinach to get some sort of vegetable in there.

The roasted fruit was really good. I liked the rhubarb part better because the sweet roasting liquid really went well with the tartness of it. The pears were a little too sweet. I would reduce the sugar in that one next time. The roasted fruit would be a great topping for vanilla ice cream or filling for a crumble/cobbler.

Overall, this was a really fun brunch, even if it was for dinner and we loved it.

Bacon Waffles (* I used 1/2 cup egg white substitute and low fat buttermilk)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup whole milk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
maple syrup, for serving

Heat a waffle iron.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour and next 3 ingredients.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and next 3 ingredients.
Stir crumbled bacon into the wet ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients all at once, just until combined.
Don't overmix- it should be lumpy.
Make waffles according to manufacturer's directions; serve with maple syrup.


Egg Cups
I kinda did my own thing here.
I combined 3 eggs, 4 egg whites and 1/3 -1/2 cup skim milk in a bowl, then seasoned it with salt and pepper.
I sprayed a jumbo muffin tin with cooking spray and press a ham slice in each of the muffin cups.
I steamed some spinach and placed that at the bottom of the ham cup.
I poured the egg mixture into the ham cups and then added cubes of mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes to the egg mixture.
I baked them at 375 degrees F, until the egg was completely cooked, about 17-20 minutes.

Pineapple-Blueberry Smoothie * I used Apple Passion-Mango juice concentrate and Stonyfield Blueberry Low-fat Yogurt
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 fresh mint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Roasted Pears & Rhubarb with Orange (I halved this recipe)
4 medium pears, ripe but firm
4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and washed
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbls honey
2 Tbls red wine ( I used cranberry juice)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split open
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Quarter and core the pears (do not peel them). Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces.
In a large bowl, combine orange juice and remaining 6 ingredients. Add the pears and rhubarb, and toss to coat.
Pour into a casserole or gratin dish and bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Fruit Bruschetta

So, are you tired of hearing about the food we enjoyed on my brother's birthday?
I hope not, because this is a really yummy one.

I decided to make my brother a special birthday breakfast and had seen a couple of great ideas that I wanted to try.
My brother loves bread, cereal, muffins, and oats. He could live on those items. He eats a lot of bread. and cereal. and oats. And not just at breakfast time. When we lived in Utah, he would often come home from school and eat a bowl of cereal with a couple pieces of bread.

Anyway, he also loves yogurt.
So, when I saw this idea of fruit bruschetta- a toasted baguette with a little butter and cinnamon sugar, topped with delicious mixed fruit and drizzled with yogurt- I knew this was the breakfast I was going to make him.

I saw a couple of different version's and decided to use the one I saw on Annie's Eats. She used a combination of pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and bananas. I added some lemon zest to the fruit mixture just to up the flavor a little bit.
I also used a whole wheat baguette. Usually I don't ever put butter on toast, but I figured a little bit for this special breakfast would be okay. I melted the butter before hand and then used a pastry brush to just get a dab on the toasted bread slices.

This was a delicious twist on bruschetta and breakfast. A little time consuming, but completely worth it. It would be great for brunch or Mother's Day or even a mid-day snack. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

The birthday boy was very happy.
I added lemon zest to the fruit
Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on Annie's Eats

Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on The Way the Cookie Crumbles

TWD- Coconut Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise

This week's TWD recipe, Coconut Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise, was chosen by Andrea. You can find the recipe on her blog, Andrea's Kitchen.
The picture of this dessert is one of the first ones that caught my eye when I bought this cookbook. It was my 2nd choice when it was my turn to pick the recipe back in January, so I was pretty thrilled when I saw it was one of June's recipes.

Honestly, I was a tad bit intimidated by this recipe. That is the reason I haven't ever made it on my own. Usually, if there is something that I want to make, I just do it. This dessert needed a special occasion. It needed extra time and now it was finally time to make it.

I made this 2 days before we moved. I also made the Honey-Peach Ice Cream,
and the Lots of Ways Banana Cake with Blackberry Sherbet.
I spent the entire day in the kitchen, but I knew it was going to be my last chance to bake for awhile. (I baked for the first time in a month yesterday!)
I was surprised that this recipe was not as difficult as it seemed. It had many parts, that had to bake or rest for long amounts of time, but none of the steps were that hard. I halved this recipe since we were having so many other treats that night and that enabled me to bake my meringues all on the same baking sheet. They were 6x3 inch rectangles.
A dacquoise is "layers of nut meringue and whipped cream or buttercream. It is usually served chilled and accompanied with fruit."-Wikipedia.
In this case the meringue base was made with almonds and served with layers of white chocolate ganache. Those layers were topped with roasted pineapple.
I had a little trouble with the white chocolate ganache just because I was scared to overbeat it, so it was a little bit runny. That made the putting together of this dessert a little messy, but the toasted coconut covered it and no one seemed to mind.
Everyone was very impressed with this dessert. It was crunchy and cold and all the flavors were delicious together. I am so glad we got to make this.
To see what the other members of Tuesday's with Dorie thought, check out the TWD Blogroll!

Coming Soon- Herbed Turkey with Roasted Red Peppers and Beans

Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon/Orange Syrup

I love summer. I love the hot sun and now that we are back in Georgia, I have to admit it- I love humidity. I used to crave it when we lived in Utah and I remember the one day that I could actually feel humidity in the air when we lived there. It felt good in my lungs. I know I must sound crazy, but I actually like exercising in the humidity, too.
Another thing I love about summer is the wonderful variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. Doesn't everything just taste better in the summer?
I love going to farmers markets and enjoying the fresh produce from the garden.
This is a great salad for any season. The simple syrup could be flavored with any citrus flavors and the combination of lemon and orange is really good.
This salad is great with any fruit you might have on hand. I took it to a party, so I threw together the fruit I had and just happened to have red, orange and yellow fruits in the bowl. Yum!

Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon-Orange Syrup

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1 Tbls fresh orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
4 cups diced fresh fruit (I used apples, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, and mango)

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat immediately. Stir in lemon and orange juice and zest. chill.
Prepare fruit. Stir into chilled syrup, so all is coated.
Chill until ready to serve.

Coming Next- Banana Cake with Blackberry Buttercream

Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple and Tropical Salsa

I remember seeing this recipe a couple of years ago in a Cooking Light magazine and finally got around to making it for breakfast.
I had some coconut milk in the fridge that I needed to use and all the fruit ready to go.
I made this on a weekday, so it ended up being more like a brunch than a breakfast because all of the steps take up a little bit of time. The end result is worth it though.
I didn't think that the french toast was overly coconut-ty, it was pretty subtle. The fruit salsa was delicious.
I just warmed up my pineapple slices in an electric skillet instead of grilling them.
All of the parts of this recipe were delicious on their own and even better when they were combined.
I love fresh fruit for breakfast and it tasted great on the french toast.
I would recommend this for a weekend brunch or get-together. It has lots of colors and flavors and it was a great way to start the day (even if it was mid-morning when we ate it!)
Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple and Tropical Salsa from Cooking Light
Easy to make, this rich dish is full of flavor and color. It's best prepared with day-old bread. You can serve the pineapple slices raw, but the deep, caramelized flavors you get from cooking them in a grill pan are worth the extra effort.
Salsa:
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 peeled ripe mangoes, chopped
1 pint strawberries, chopped
French toast:
1 cup egg substitute
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 (16-ounce) loaf French bread, cut into 16 slices
Cooking spray
Remaining ingredients:
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut crosswise into 8 slices
Powdered sugar (optional)

To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare French toast, combine egg substitute and next 6 ingredients (egg substitute through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place bread in egg mixture; press down with spatula to completely submerge bread in egg mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.
Arrange soaked bread in a single layer on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, and keep warm.
While bread bakes, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.
Arrange 4 pineapple slices in pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until pineapple begins to brown. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining pineapple and cooking spray. Arrange 2 toast pieces on each of 8 plates; top each serving with 1 pineapple slice and 1/2 cup salsa. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Up Next- 3 cookies-shortbread, chocolate and ginger

Caribbean Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

I could really use some summer. At this point, I will even settle for spring. I have been trying so hard not to complain about the weather. But, yesterday morning it was blizzarding! In April? Sheesh.
Well, I guess if I can't get the weather to cooperate, I can still pretend that it is warm and start eating summery foods. Like these tacos.
I found this recipe a couple of years ago in Parents Magazine and thought they sounded really delicious. I made them then and have kept making them ever since.
The marinated pork is delicious, but the real star of the show is the pineapple salsa. I love fresh fruit, so I make sure to pick a perfect pineapple and make this salsa as soon as possible. It is really a simple recipe and can be made in a fairly quickly.
The colors are really pretty in the salsa and something about it just makes you think you are on a beach somewhere. Even if you're not. And that is the power of food.
What is one of your favorite spring/summer foods or dishes?

Caribbean Pork Tacos

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb.

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbls. plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 Tbls pineapple juice

1 Tbls canola oil

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1 cup diced fresh pineapple

1 large tomato, chopped

2 Tbls red onion, minced

1 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro

taco shells or tortillas

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, place pork tenderloin, jalepeno, garlic, 1 Tbls lime juice, pineapple juice, oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, and 1/2 tsp salt. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, tomato, red onion, cilantro, remaining lime juice and 1/4 tsp salt. Refrigerate salsa until ready to serve.

3. Place tenderloin on a foil-lined baking pan. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reaches 155 degrees. Cover with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Internal temperature will rise to 160 degrees.

Warm taco shells according to package directions. Cut pork into slices. Place a few slices of pork in each taco and top with salsa.

You can serve lettuce in the taco, if desired.

Coming Tomorrow- Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake with Ina's Peanut Butter Frosting

Red and Yellow Fruit Salad in Cinnamon Sugar WonTon Cups

I guess you could say I am on a WonTon Cup kick. I had some wonton wrappers left in the fridge and the idea came to me for a fruit salad cup. I cut up all my fresh fruit and realized all the fruit I had was red and yellow, hence the name. You could really use any fruit that you wanted to. I made my WonTon cups with cinnamon-sugar (watch everyone in the house- these will get swiped and eaten without anything in them), and filled them with this delicious salad. We had some as a afternoon snack and some with dinner. This would also be a great appetizer. It would brighten up any table with all the beautiful colors that are included in this salad.

Red and Yellow Fruit Salad in Cinnamon Sugar WonTon Cups by Mary Ann

1 small red apple, cut into slices and then in pieces

1 cup chopped, fresh strawberries

1/2 red grapes, cut in quarters

pomegranate seeds

1 cup fresh pinapple, cut in cubes

1 mango, cut into cubes
* Cinnamon-Sugar WonTon Cups

Combine all fruit in a bowl. Make Cinnamon-Sugar WonTon cups and fill with fruit salad.

*Cinnamon-Sugar WonTon Cups
12 wonton wrappers
cinnamon-sugar mixture
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray regular muffin tin or mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Place one wonton wrapper over each cavity of muffin tin. Spray wonton wrappers with cooking spray. Generously sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over wonton wrappers, so that they are covered. Press wonton wrappers down into cavity of muffin tin, so wonton makes a cup. Bake for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown on edges and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes. Fill with fruit salad.

You can also store the pre-made cups, in a airtight container, for 4-5 days.

Coming Up Next- Tuesdays with Dorie- Dorie's choice- French Pear Tart

Barefoot Bloggers-Mexican Turkey Soup and Spiced Pomegranate Sipper

This Barefoot Bloggers recipe was chosen by Judy over at Judy's Gross Eats. I was going to make this before Thanksgiving, but then I decided it would be a great way to use some of that leftover turkey, so I waited until today. I used the turkey stock we made after we carved the turkey, reduced the amount of olive oil, added a can of black beans, and topped it with Greek yogurt. This was a welcome change, after eating lots of Thanksgiving leftovers and was a perfect lunch for a cloudy day.
I also added on the recipe for the drink I made for Thanksgiving. It was different and we really liked it. The recipe included lots of different options of how to serve it and I went for the Fizzy variety. Yummy!

Mexican Chicken Soup from The Barefoot Contessa

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (I used leftover cooked turkey)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)

1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade (I used homemade turkey stock)

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed (I used diced tomatoes, without draining)

2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (I omitted this)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional

6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 (I used 1 Tbls) tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, beans, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Spiced Pomegranate Sipper from Southern Living

1 (2 1/2-inch-long) cinnamon stick

5 whole cloves

5 thin fresh ginger slices

2 (16-oz.) bottles refrigerated 100% pomegranate juice

4 cups white grape juice

1/2 cup pineapple juice

Garnishes: pineapple chunks, orange rind curls

1. Cook cinnamon stick, cloves, and ginger in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until cinnamon is fragrant.
2. Gradually stir in juices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a heat-proof pitcher; discard solids. Serve warm. Garnish, if desired.

Tipsy Hot Spiced Pomegranate Sipper: Prepare recipe as directed. Stir in 1 1/4 cups almond liqueur just before serving. Makes 9 1/4 cups.
Cold Spiced Pomegranate Sipper: Prepare recipe as directed. Let stand 30 minutes. Cover and chill 2 hours. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days. Stir and serve over ice. Prep: 10 min., Cook: 25 min., Stand: 30 min., Chill: 2 hr.
Fizzy Spiced Pomegranate Sipper: Prepare Cold Spiced Pomegranate Sipper as directed. Stir in 1 (33.8-oz.) bottle ginger ale just before serving. Makes 16 cups.


Coming on Monday- Butternut Squash Salad and Liz's Pasta Salad