chocolaty praline baked french toast

so here's a new recipe that i recently made for brunch when i had some friends over.  trust me...it's quite delicious!!!!  the french toast comes out super moist and custardy, and the chocolaty praline topping adds a touch of sweetness and texture. 

french toast ingredients:

- 1 14 oz (or so) bread loaf (challah, brioche, french bread); approximately 14 oz

- 10 large eggs

- 2 cups half and half

- 1.5 cups whole milk

- 3 tablespoons sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon almond extract

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

chocolaty praline mixture ingredients:

- 2 sticks unsalted butter

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 cup pecans, chopped

- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1 cup chocolate chips

directions:

- butter a 9x13 inch baking dish generously

- cut the bread loaf into 20 1-inch slices; arrange them into 2 rows in the baking dish 

- in a large bowl, combine then beat with a whisk the eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

- pour mixture into the baking dish over the bread slices; make sure all the bread slices are soaked

- cover dish with foil and refrigerate overnight 

- in a separate bowl, combine well the butter, brown sugar, pecans, corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chips; cover dish with foil and also refrigerate overnight

next day directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees 

- break up chocolaty praline mixture and evenly spread over the bread mixture

- place baking dish over a cookie sheet (just in case ingredients ooze over the dish while baking)

- bake for 40 minutes until light golden brown

- enjoy!!

xoxo,

kara

bacon and spinach quiche

quiches are making a comeback!  i feel like i've been seeing really amazing quiche dishes on every brunch menu...so i was inspired to make one at home.  here is a super easy, delicious and crowd-pleasing quiche recipe you can make with just a handful of ingredients.  hope you love it!  

ingredients:

- 8 eggs, beaten

- 2 cups heavy cream

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

- 2 packed cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

- 2 12oz packages applewood smoked bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces

- 2 cups shredded swiss cheese

- 2 frozen 9inch pie crusts

directions:

- preheat oven to 375 degrees

- combine eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper in a food processor, or blend super well with a whisk

- combine spinach, bacon and swiss cheese

- add spinach, bacon and cheese into pie crusts then pour egg mixture on top 

- bake for about 40 minutes until everything is set

- cut into wedges and enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

moroccan style curried couscous salad with dried cranberries and apricots

growing up my dad would make a big batch of couscous salad every sunday night for me and arthur to snack on during the week.  i always thought the salad was super difficult to make until recently, when i asked my dad for the recipe.  not only is this recipe easy to follow, there is literally no cooking involved!  so if the only thing you know how to do in the kitchen is boil water (or chicken broth), this is the recipe for you!

ingredients:

- 1 17-ounce box of instant couscous (trader joe's whole wheat couscous)

- 2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

- 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

- 3 tablespoon curry powder

- 3 teaspoon salt

- 3 teaspoon sugar

- 3 cup low sodium chicken broth

- 2 oranges, juiced

- 8 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 4 green onion, thinly sliced

- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2 1/4 cup dry roasted almond slivers

- pepper

directions:

- in a very large heatproof bowl, stir couscous, cranberries, apricots, curry powder, salt and sugar

- bring chicken broth to a boil then pour over couscous mixture then add orange juice

- stir quickly then tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap

- let it stand for about 5 minutes until the broth is absorbed

- using a fork, fluff up the couscous

- add olive oil, green onion slices, parsley, lemon juice and almonds

- mix ingredients and season with salt and peper if needed...enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

strawberry focaccia

not sure if you guys remember, or even know what i'm talking about, but back in the mid to late 90s, starbucks used to sell pastries from la brea bakery...and one of my faves was this amazingly delicious strawberry focaccia.  i used to eat it almost every day...until out of no where starbucks stopped a) carrying the strawberry focaccias and b) stopped selling la brea bakery pastries.  anyway, i have literally searched all cookbooks and random cooking sites for the recipe...i even asked nancy silverton herself a couple times about the strawberry focaccias she used to make! well, after thinking about it long a hard, i realized...hey, it's soooo easy! just use tj's pizza dough and some fresh strawberries!  so here it is..enjoy!

ingredients:

- 1 package of trader joe's pizza dough

- small handful of flour

- 1 carton of organic strawberries, destemmed and sliced

- 4+ tablespoons sugar

directions:

- preheat the oven to 450 degrees

- carefully remove the dough from bag and lay it on a floured cutting board; let it rest for 20+ minutes

- mix the strawberry slices and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl; set aside

- stretch the pizza dough out

- cut dough into 10-12 pieces then place each piece onto a baking sheet

- spoon the strawberries (without the extra liquid in the bowl) onto each piece of dough

- sprinkle some sugar on each pastry, especially the outer crust area

- bake for 9 minutes; let it cool on a baking sheet...then enjoy!!

xoxo,

kara

refreshing white sangria

although my personal fave is my red sangria recipe, this white sangria recipe is pretty amazing too!  the peaches, pears and citrus fruits add depth to the flavor, and the bubbly ginger ale makes it super refreshing.  perfect for a hot summer afternoon.  enjoy!

ingredients:

- 1 bottle of white wine (i like to use riesling)

- a couple shots of citrus vodka

- 2 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

- 1 asian pear, sliced

- 2 oranges, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- 2 lemons, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- 2 cups of ginger ale

- sugar to taste

directions:

- in a large pitcher, stir wine, citrus vodka and ginger ale together

- squeeze the juice of the orange and lemon wedges into the pitcher

- add peach slices, pear slices, orange slices and lemon slices

- i personally like my sangria not too sweet, but please as much sugar as you want :)

- chill in the fridge for at least a couple hours; add ice right before serving

- enjoy!!!

xoxo,

kara

amazing red sangria

i love sangria :)  and during the spring & summer, i try to make this sangria recipe as often as possible when i have guests over...because people just LOVE it.  it's delicious, fruity but not too sweet with hints of cinnamon.  amazing :)

ingredients:

- 1 bottle of red wine

- 1/4 cup of triple sec

- 2 shots of vodka

- 2 cups of sparkling apple cider

- 1 green apple, cored then sliced

- 2 oranges, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- 2 lemons, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- handful of strawberries, sliced

- 2-3 cinnamon sticks

- sugar to taste

directions:

- in a large pitcher, stir wine, triple sec, vodka and apple cider together

- squeeze the juice of the orange and lemon wedges into the pitcher

- add apple slices, orange slices, lemon slices, strawberry slices and cinnamon sticks

- i personally like my sangria not too sweet, but please as much sugar as you want :)

- chill in the fridge for at least a couple hours; add ice right before serving

- please enjoy responsibly haha :)

xoxo,

kara

amazing zucchini bread

what to do with all the amazing zucchini from your garden and farmer's markets?  well, in addition to grilling them, make zucchini bread!  use this recipe to make super moist and delicious bread.  it's amazing (and a great way to eat your vegetables haha)! 

ingredients:

- 3.25 cups flour

- 1.5 teaspoons salt

- 1 teaspoon nutmeg

- 2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 3 cups sugar

- 1 cup vegetable oil

- 4 eggs, beaten

- 1/4 cup water

- 2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 ginormous zucchini or 2-3 medium ones)

- 1/2 lemon, juice and zest

- 1 cup pecans, chopped

directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- spray 2 standard loaf pans with oil

- combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl

- combine oil, eggs, water, lemon juice and lemon zest in a separate bowl

- mix ingredients in both bowls together and fold until incorporated

- pour the mixture into the 2 loaf pans and bake for an hour (make sure to do the toothpick test!)

- once the loaves pass the toothpick test, let them rest for 10 minutes...then slice and enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

spicy grilled chicken, korean style

i'm overly obsessed with my grill, and throughout the year (since it's always sunny in LA), i get to create fun recipes and grill all the time!  here is an easy and delish spicy grilled chicken recipe korean style...plus, it's perfect with tacos too, like kogi truck!

ingredients:

- 1 cup soy sauce

- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 1 tablespoon korean chili paste (kochuchang)

- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

- 6 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 green onion, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

- 1.5 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

- 1-1.5 pound chicken, i recommend chicken breast

directions:

- cut the chicken in half and pound slightly to flatten a tad

- mix the rest of the ingredients together

- marinate the chicken for 4-8 hours or overnight in the fridge

- grill the chicken for 10 minutes on one side on medium heat

- grill the other side of the chicken until done...and enjoy in a taco, sandwich, with rice, anything!

xoxo,

kara

japanese sukiyaki

for those of you who don't know what sukiyaki is (other than that 90s song), it's one of my favorite japanese dishes.  sukiyaki is a delicious one pot meal that is usually cooked at the table (like shabu shabu), and the flavors from the beef and vegetables mixed with soy sauce and mirin are out-of-this-world delicious.  and the best part is the leftovers!  i love piling the leftovers on top of a warm bowl of rice...yummy!!

ingredients:

- 1.5 pounds thinly sliced beef, cut into large bite-size pieces

- 1 package shirataki noodles, washed and drained

- 10 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed then halved

- 1 package enoki mushroom, bottom trimmed

- 3 stalks green onion, washed and sliced into 2 inch pieces

- 1/2 napa cabbage, washed and cut into 2 inch wide pieces

- 1 package of grilled tofu or firm tofu, drained then cut into 1 inch pieces

for sukiyaki sauce:

- 1/2 cup mirin

- 1/2 cup sake

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 5 tablespoons brown sugar

- 3/4 cup water or chicken stock

directions:

- mix mirin, sake, soy sauce, brown sugar and chicken stock in a bowl

- heat a japanese style hot pot or a le creuset type of casserole over medium-high heat (or on a table-top stove)

- add a tablespoon of oil

- add half of the beef slices and saute for a few minutes until browned

- add the sukiyaki sauce mixture to pot

- move the beef over to one side of the pot, then add the vegetables, tofu and noodles in neat sectons

- let the broth come to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes

- reduce heat to a simmer; once all the ingredients are softened, it's ready!

- serve with rice (if you want to be super traditional, also dip ingredients into a bowl of raw beaten eggs).  enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

japanese-style chicken curry

i'm really not a big fan of instant, pre-made mixes or frozen, microwaveable foods...but when it comes to japanese curry, i always use curry sauce mix because it's so much easier, takes less time (30 minutes versus 3 hours?!), and it's soooo delicious! i have, of course, made some tweaks to the directions you can find on the back of the box to make this curry recipe the best you've ever had. 

ingredients:

- 2 brown onion

- 2 russet potatoes

- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

- 2 zucchini, cut into chunks

- 1.5 pounds chicken thigh, cut into chunks

- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth

- 1 package japanese curry mix (i highly recommend s&b tasty curry sauce mix in med hot) 

directions:

- first, cut the 2 onion into halves.  dice one of the halves into small pieces; cut the other 2 1/2 onion into chunks

- peel the russet potatoes and cut into large chunks so they won't disintegrate during the cooking process

- in a large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat and add the diced onion

- add chicken pieces into pot and cook until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes

- add the rest of the onion chunks, potatoes, carrots and zucchini into the pot and cook for 5-8 minutes, still over high heat until lightly browned

- add chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil

- lower heat as soon as it comes to a boil; cover pot and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until the veggies are cooked

- turn off heat, then add in curry squares and melt into broth

- simmer for an additional 8 minutes and gently stir occasionally

- serve with some hot white rice.  enjoy!

xoxo,

kara