When I made french toast for the first time in the form of my Nutella stuffed french toast with vanilla pecan butter, it opened up a new door of possibilities for me. As is typical of my list-loving self I sat down and excitedly scribbled a whole page of french toast ideas. Any type of slightly sweet bread or sturdy cake out there was jotted down along with complimentary toppings and sauce ideas.

One such idea was banana bread french toast with caramelized bananas. I’m not the first to think of this genius idea, but I was eager to make it nonetheless. Some overly ripened bananas provided me with the perfect opportunity.

After my banana bread was made and cooled completely overnight I cut it into 1” thick slices. After dipping in the egg mixture and cooking in my frying pan I caramelized some banana slices in butter and brown sugar.

The end result was magnificent: a delicious excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. Not that you need an excuse, but if you do now you have one.

I made my banana bread with walnuts for some added texture, but you could always toast some walnuts to place on top of the finished french toast.

Banana Bread French Toast with Caramelized Bananas

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

for the french toast

• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
• Cooking spray or 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 slices thick cut banana bread

for the caramelized bananas

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 banana, sliced into coins
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

for the french toast

1. In a shallow bowl large enough to fit the slices of bread beat the eggs with a fork or whisk.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg then mix or whisk to combine.
3. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray or the tablespoon of butter.
4. Lay two of the slices of banana bread flat in the egg mixture and let sit for 1 minute. Flip the slices and let sit for another minute. Pick up the slices and let all the excess egg mixture drip off. If there is a lot of excess egg mixture that won’t drip off push off with the fork or whisk.
5. Place on the heated griddle or skillet. Let cook for 4 minutes, or until brown, then flip. Cook the other side of r 4 minutes, or until brown. Remove from the heat and top with the caramelized bananas.
6. Repeat with the remaining serving.

for the caramelized bananas

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the banana slices and brown sugar. Carefully stir to coat. Continue to cook the banana slices until softened and coated in the syrup, about 5 minutes.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Can you believe summer is already almost over? Not to remind you or anything, but it’s August! Where does the time go? I don’t have nearly enough time to cook all the dishes I would like to, so it’s very rare when there’s a dish I go back to again and again. This watermelon salad is one of those dishes.

Simple as it seems, this watermelon salad with feta and a citrus mint vinaigrette was my favorite recipe I discovered all last summer. Everyone I made it for requested the recipe. It is refreshing, healthy and has a surprisingly delightful flavor profile.

I remember looking at the list of ingredients on the Food Network website and thinking, “this is going to be interesting…” But it all works and comes together in a seriously tasty way.

The vinaigrette consists of lemon and orange juices, minced shallots, honey for some sweetness and to brighten the salad some fresh mint. Of course some olive oil, salt and pepper are added to the mix. The little cubes of watermelon soak up just the right amount of the dressing and the feta adds some saltiness to balance the dish.

Eat this as a snack, appetizer or side dish along with your summer meals.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 large fresh mint leaves, julienned

Directions

1. In a large measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper. While continuing to whisk carefully pour in the olive oil. Continue whisking until combined well.
2. Place the watermelon in a large serving bowl, top with the feta and mint, then top with enough of the vinaigrette to coat the watermelon. Gently toss. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed then serve immediately.

Notes

Do not combine the vinaigrette with the watermelon until right before serving.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Every summer my dad’s family gets together on the Delaware shore. I am always of course most excited to see all my family that I love so much. Followed by that, however, is having the tasty bites that I can only get down on the shore and associate with my many summers spent there. I read somewhere that food memories are some of your strongest memories. I read it, so it must be true.

I could fill up multiple months of blog posts with my family summer vacation food memories. Among the few standouts include eating dinner on the beach, my cousin and I obsessing over Dippin’ Dots, digging into a big cup of salty Thrasher’s french fries, waiting in huge lines for some Candy Kitchen Fudge, crunching away on a few precious pieces of Martin’s fried chicken, wondering how the tub of Fisher’s caramel popcorn is already so low, tons of cousins sharing the few fresh crabs we caught coated with Old Bay seasoning, and of course ordering midday Dairy Queen treats. Ok, I guess that was a bit more than a few, but I have difficulty controlling my food excitement sometimes all the time.

However, I saved one of the best for last:  Kohr Bros Creamsicle Frozen Custard in a cake cone. There is nothing more refreshing than an ice cream at the beach and this orange and vanilla swirl custard is creamy and light. Frozen custard differs from ice cream in that it contains a higher egg yolk percentage leading to its creamier texture.

Now this is my favorite homemade ice cream I have made. Although I’m sure my strong associations with it make it taste just that much sweeter. What are your favorite family vacation food memories?

Orange-Vanilla Frozen Custard

 

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Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 4 teaspoons grated orange zest

Directions

1. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together ½ cup of the milk and cornstarch until smooth.
3. In a medium saucepan whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Once combined whisk in the cornstarch mixture and the remaining cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture while stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Make sure the mixture never reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the large bowl.
4. Place the large bowl in an ice bath. Slowly add the cream and continue to stir while sitting in the ice bath until cool.
5. Once cool, remove from the ice bath, stir in the vanilla, orange juice concentrate and orange zest, then cover and chill in the fridge until cold.
6. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

What wondrous sight do you see before you? Alas! Lemon & Mocha’s first ever drink post! Time to break out the cups, ice and don’t forget the vodka!

We aren’t just saying “cheers” to this post though, we are wishing my amazing dad a happy birthday. My dad is known for his Leebreezes so there seemed to be no better fitting tribute than this perfect summer cocktail.

The Leebreeze is a variation of the traditional sea breeze drink, and by variation I mean it’s the same thing with a different name. A sea breeze consists of cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and vodka. Don’t forget the vodka. While you can make little onesies and twosies of this drink it is best prepared in a big pitcher for all party-goers and barbecue attendees to enjoy.

For those of you that don’t know or haven’t guessed thus far, my dad’s first name is Lee, hence the Leebreeze. The naming was the genius work of one of my cousins a couple years ago. While my dad certainly didn’t invent the sea breeze, nor the Leebreeze for that matter, he brought the sea breeze a certain attitude that only my dad could.

My dad is often the life of the party with his laugh heard from three rooms over and he wants everyone to have a great time. The Leebreeze isn’t just a relaxing fruity cocktail; it’s a let’s-get-this-party-started-go-to. So when your barbecue needs a little perk this summer, break out a pitcher of Leebreezes and turn it up a notch.

Leebreeze

 

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Yield: 8 servings or 1 drink

Ingredients

for a pitcher

• 12 ounces vodka, room temperature
• 30 ounces cranberry juice
• 16 ounces grapefruit juice
• Ice cubes
• Grapefruit slices for garnish

for a single drink

• 1.5 ounces vodka, room temperature
• Cranberry juice
• Grapefruit juice
• Ice cubes
• Grapefruit slice for garnish

Directions

for a pitcher

1. Fill a standard gallon pitcher half to three quarters full with ice. Pour the vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice over top then stir. Taste and adjust amounts of ingredients if needed. Pour into glasses and garnish with grapefruit slices.

for a single drink

1. Fill a glass with ice. Pour the vodka over top. Pour in cranberry juice until the glass is three quarters full. Top off the remaining quarter with grapefruit juice. Stir, taste and adjust amounts of ingredients if needed. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

It seems most people that cook a fair amount have a signature dish. It may not even be their own recipe and it certainly doesn’t have to be fancy, but when you tingle with anticipation knowing what they will bring to every dinner party, family outing or potluck, then you have discovered their signature dish.

There are quite a few members of my family with multiple signature dishes. One of these talented people is my Aunt Jen. Everything she makes is delicious, but one of her party appetizers that always gets everyone into a mad feeding frenzy is her chicken dumplings.

As with any dumpling, the filling is where this recipe stands out. Bursting with tender ground chicken and a punch of flavor from the ginger and scallions these bites are perfectly paired with any soy sauce based dipping sauce you have on hand.

The second best part of these dumplings, because you can’t compete with the taste, is that other than the time involved, creating these smash party bites is a quite simple process.

Throw together the filling in a food processor, stuff and enclose the pre-made wrappers and steam. Then eat of course. Or share if you’re nice like my Aunt Jen.

Aunt Jen's Chicken Ginger Dumplings

 

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Yield: 6-8 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 6 scallions, white and green separate, chopped
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped, optional
• 1 package wonton wrappers, about 40-50 wrappers
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. If you are going to cook them right away then prepare a steamer basket by lining with a round piece of parchment paper. This will keep the dumplings from sticking while they cook. I’ve read that you can also use a small plate, but I’ve never tried it.
2. Heat 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger and white parts of the scallions until fragrant and the onions are slightly translucent.
3. Combine the chicken and sautéed vegetables in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
4. Place the processed chicken mixture into a medium mixing bowl then add the green parts of the scallions, the soy sauce, the remaining 1½ tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and cilantro, if using. Mix until just combined.
5. Fill a small bowl or cup with warm water and set aside. Make sure wonton wrappers not in use are covered so they don’t dry out. To fill the dumplings place a teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Use your finger to rub some water onto the edge of the wrapper to help it seal together. When folding in half bring two corners together to create a large triangle, making sure to squeeze out any air. Tightly pinch with your fingers to seal. To create the shape in these images bring the two opposite points of the triangle together and pinch. Lay the sealed dumplings on the baking sheet while you are making the rest.
6. If you are cooking the dumplings right away steam them in a single layer on the parchment paper lined steamer basket for 12 minutes. Once they are cooked you can sauté them in sesame oil for a couple minutes on each side if desired. Serve with soy sauce. If you are freezing them for later place the baking sheet in the freezer until they have frozen individually before moving them all to a large freezer bag. To cook from frozen steam for at least 20 minutes. Whether you are cooking right away or freezing the dumplings for later work in batches so they aren’t sitting out for too long. This might cause them to dry out and lose their seal.

3.2.1311

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments