Not your everyday breakfast

This praline french toast casserole makes a delicious breakfast for special occasions. I adapted the recipe from one by Paula Deen. I cut the butter in half and used whole milk instead of half-and-half. I'm sure the original was....to die for. My version is still plenty decadent, and my family loved it. This is a make-ahead dish. It's extremely easy to throw together, but plan for a long bake time. Enjoy!

THE RECIPE:

1 16 oz. loaf french bread*
8 eggs
3 c. whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

The night before serving, rip french bread into chunks and place in greased, deep 9x13 baking dish. Whisk together casserole ingredients and pour evenly over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Combine topping ingredients thoroughly with fork, then cover and set aside for later use. No need to refrigerate. (Or just make the topping in the morning.)

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place casserole, still covered, in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and plop small blobs of topping all over the casserole. It's easiest to just use your fingers. Bake, uncovered this time, for 55 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a bread portion of the casserole comes out clean. (Paula Deen listed a total of 40 minutes baking time, which was completely off for me. I live at a high altitude, though, so you might want to keep an eye on your dish.)


*I like to rip up my bread a couple of hours before assembling the casserole and leave it on the counter to dry out. Dried out bread often has better absorption. Paula Deen didn't do this, though, so it might not be necessary.

Homemade refried beans

I made my own refried beans the other day. I'm not in love with refried beans, but I thought these homemade ones tasted better than the ones in the can. I used them in seven-layer dip -- a huge win -- and then we ate the dip for dinner. Some nights are just like that.

These refried beans are all-natural and fat-free. They are very easy to make. Most of the work is done in a slow cooker. The beans can be frozen for later use -- tacos, burritos, etc. Making them at home is a good way to use the dried beans you have in your food storage. The recipe came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

THE RECIPE:

1 lb. dry pinto beans, rinsed and sorted for any stones
1 tsp. salt
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
4 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 cans diced green chilies
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Chili powder to taste
Cumin to taste

Place beans in large saucepan with plenty of room and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and cover, cooking for 15 minutes. Drain beans, then place in slow cooker and cover with water by 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon salt, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

When beans are tender, ladle out a cup of cooking liquid and set aside before draining remaining liquid. Puree beans and veggies, along with vinegar and green chilies, with an immersion blender OR in a food processor. Add reserved liquid as needed until desired consistency is reached. I only needed about 1/4 cup. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and add chili powder and cumin to taste. The final product has a mild flavor. Makes 5 1/2 cups.

A taste of my history

This bowl is full of nostalgia for me. My Papa (grandpa), who died when I was 13, used to make this rice pudding. It was his specialty. His mother, my great-grandma Pearl, made it before him. It's a little old-fashioned, but we think it tastes great, and it's creamy goodness is imprinted on the memories of generations of Griffins.

Papa made it in a huge stainless steel salad bowl. It was probably the only thing big enough to hold all the milk. In keeping with tradition, I do the same thing. If you have a baking dish large enough to hold the mixture, feel free to try that instead.

THE RECIPE:

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
8 c. whole milk
1 c. uncooked long-grain rice
2 tsp. imitation vanilla (optional)
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large oven-safe bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly, except cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon generously over top. Bake, uncovered, for 2 1/2 hours. Stir once or twice partway through. Pudding is done when rice is tender and milk is mostly absorbed. It will look like there's still a layer of milk on top, but when you stir it, everything comes together in a creamy way. It will thicken a little more as it rests. If you accidentally overcook it, and it's pasty and thick, just add milk. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.


*NOTE: I have modernized this recipe over the years and reduced the sugar. I use short-grain pearl rice, which chefs will tell you is the preferred rice for making pudding. I use only 3/4 cup sugar, which necessitates reducing the lemon extract to 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon. I make it in a deep 9x13 pan, and cook it for 90 minutes, whisking once at the halfway time. My kids like to sprinkle fresh or frozen berries on top.

Sweet and sour specialty

This is a recipe passed down from my grandma to my mom to me. Everyone enjoys these sweet and sour meatballs. Feel free to make your own meatballs, as long as they are really flavorful, but I just use frozen ones for a quick and easy weeknight meal. My whole family eats this meal like it's going out of style. It's tasty stuff!

THE RECIPE:

14-16 oz. frozen precooked Italian meatballs, thawed
20 oz. can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1 green bell pepper, cleaned out and sliced into strips

In a saucepan, stir together pineapple juice (should measure 1 cup), cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, water and sugar. Stir while ingredients are still cold, or cornstarch won't dissolve. Over medium heat, bring mixture to boil and stir for a minute, until thickened. Add peppers and cover, cooking until peppers reach desired tenderness. Stir in meatballs and pineapple chunks. Serve over rice.

Soup's on!

My family gobbled up this broccoli cheese soup in no time. It was delicious. We are broccoli fans around here. This makes a fast and easy weeknight meal. I have made this with several different combinations of cheese, depending on what I have on hand. My family said they would eat this any time.

THE RECIPE:

4 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 head broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces

In large pot, saute onion in butter for several minutes over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, place broccoli in microwavable dish with lid and sprinkle with salt. Add a shot of water, cover, then steam in microwave for about 3 minutes, or until tender.

Add flour, salt and pepper to onions, and stir to make paste. Pour in chicken broth and mix thoroughly. Cook until mixture thickens. Add milk and cook until desired consistency is reached. Stir in cheese, then add broccoli. Allow the soup to stand, covered, on lowest heat until ready to serve so broccoli has time to absorb soup's flavors. Serves 4.

Creamy, buttery, lemony

This is a lovely pie. Lemon chess pie, as it is called, is a cousin to my beloved chocolate chess pie. It tastes like lemon bars instead of the traditional lemon meringue pie. I will definitely make this again. My family gobbled up this pie in no time. The recipe comes from Cook's Country.

THE RECIPE:

5 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 9-inch pie shell, well chilled
1 tsp. sugar

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, juice, cornmeal and salt. Whisk in butter. Let stand while pie shell cooks so cornmeal can soften.

Poke pie shell all over with fork. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position. Bake shell about 8 minutes, then remove from oven. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

Whisk filling briefly to recombine. Pour into pie shell and bake until surface is light brown and center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 45 to 55 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Cool for 4 hours on wire rack before slicing into pie. Refrigerate leftovers.

Secret layer of deliciousness

This was my first time making banana cream pie. I did it for Thanksgiving for my auntie, who said it was her favorite. It turned out awesome! I was so excited when it got rave reviews. The success came because I made something called a black-bottom banana cream pie, which has a layer of chocolate right above the crust. Score! I don't think I could ever eat it any other way now.

I made my own custard, which isn't difficult at all. Any kind of crust will work, but I think the crunch of a chocolate or graham cracker crust is divine.

THE RECIPE:

1 prebaked crust
3 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. whole milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/4 c. cream
1 or 2 Tbsp. sugar
2 ripe but firm bananas
1/4 c. orange juice
2 c. sweetened whipped cream*

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt. Whisk in cornstarch thoroughly. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until almost boiling, stirring frequently. Drizzle hot milk slowly into egg mixture, whisking the whole time. If you do this very patiently, you will temper your eggs gradually and prevent them from scrambling.

Return combined mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for a few minutes, then place plastic wrap directly onto custard to cool completely. The plastic will prevent the custard from forming a skin.

Combine chocolate, cream and sugar, and microwave in small increments until smooth. Let cool completely, then pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Cut bananas into 1/4-inch slices. Toss with orange juice, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Fold bananas into custard, then spread into pie crust. Pipe whipped cream on top as desired.




*Whipped cream doesn't hold up long, so if you need to make this pie in advance, or if you need it to hold up for a long time through a party or extended refrigeration, you should consider stabilizing your whipped cream. This way it will hold up for days. See recipe below.

Stabilized whipped cream:

4 tsp. cold water
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over top and mix in. Let stand for a minute to thicken. This process is called blooming. Microwave gelatin in small bursts, stirring each time, until melted into a translucent liquid.

Start beating cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until cream starts to thicken. Pour in gelatin and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Makes 2 cups.