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

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

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

berry amazing french toast

rob (mr. sweet tooth) and i love making french toast on sunday mornings.  here is my super custardy, french toast recipe with a fresh strawberry compote...it's super easy, berry amazing, and you're going to love it :)

ingredients:
- 4 (3/4 inch) slices of brioche
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup half & half
- 4 eggs
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- vegetable oil
- handful of raspberries
- handful of blueberries
- handful of strawberries, sliced

for fresh strawberry compote:
- 6-8 strawberries, halved
- 1 tablespoon sugar

directions:
- in a large glass baking dish, whisk together the milk, half & half, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey
- place brioche slices into the baking dish, soaking both sides for at least 5-7 minutes each (make sure the slices are completely soaked...the worst is when your french toast is dry!)
- meanwhile, in a large bowl, scrunch up the strawberry halves and sugar until it's a juicy mixture with chunks; set aside
- melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a couple dashes of oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat
- add 2 slices of brioche at a time to griddle and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side
- remove slices; clean the pan with a dry paper towel
- melt the other tablespoon of butter and a couple dashes of oil in the griddle
- add 2 slices of brioche and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side
- place french toast on a plate; add blueberries, strawberry slices, raspberries and fresh strawberry compote
- serve immediately with some maple syrup and enjoy!

xoxo,
kara