Stuffed French Toast

12 slices of Italian bread
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
2 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped pecans
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Pour mixture into a greased 9/13 baking dish.  Top with half the pecans, a single layer of bread and the rest of the pecans.  Arrange the apples and place remaining bread over the top.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Pour over bread.  Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight.

When read to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes and then invert the pan onto a large platter.

While baking make the Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
Combine the sauce ingredients and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Serve with the French Toast.

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

I have not tried this yet.  I want the recipe so I can try it when I get home.  It looks like a keeper from reading through it.

1 pound ground sausage
6 Tablespoons butter
6 slices bread - no crusts
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar type cheese
5 eggs
2 cups whole milk or half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt

Sautee sausage until no longer pink and drain well.  Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Tear bread or cut into cubes.  Sprinkle the small pieces of bread evenly over the butter.  Sprinkle sausage over the bread.  Sprinkle cheese over the sausage.  Beat eggs with milk and add salt.  Beat until the eggs are frothy, then pour that mixture over cheese - making sure all the other ingredients are covered.  Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set.  Serves 5-6 people.

Egg Sandwiches

This serves 2 but can easily be expanded.  I would look at it as a guide to create whatever you want.

1 Tablespoon butter
2 eggs
2 slices of cheese (whatever kind you want.  I would think Swiss our Gouda would be wonderful on this).
2 English Muffins
4 slices of bacon, cooked and well drained or 2 slice of thinly sliced ham

Melt butter into saucepan and crack the eggs into it.  When eggs are almost cooked to over-hard, add a slice of cheese to each egg and let melt.  Toast English Muffins.  Place the fried egg on the bottom half of each muffin.  Top with bacon or ham and press the top of the muffin on the sandwich.  Hot sauce or ketchup can be added if desired.  Great 'on the go' breakfast.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I have 2 granddaughters that love Red Velvet cake.  Here is fun breakfast version.

Pancakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in large bowl.  In a smaller separate bowl whisk together eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, food coloring and vanilla.  Add wet to dry ingredients and mix  until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter on to a lightly greased griddle to form pancakes.  Cook until bubbles form then flip pancakes.  Cook 2 or 3 minutes more.  Serve with whipped cream, plain yogurt or ice cream.  Some like it with just plain butter.  I know one family that serves it with chocolate sauce but that seems overkill to me.

Salmon Foil packets

Clyde and I try to have salmon once a week.  It is very fresh here and we enjoy our meal prepared this way.

Salmon Packets
Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray.  You need one square of foil for each packet.  Place 1/2-3/4 cup cooked rice in the middle of the foil.  Pour 2 tablespoons of chicken broth on the rice.  Place the salmon on the rice and sprinkle with lemon pepper.  Slice a lemon and place slices down the salmon.  Seal up the edges on the foil and back for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Banana Bread

This is a simple and delicious recipe that I developed here in Denmark.  It is requested often.

Banana Bread/ Or/ Banan Kuge (banana cake as called by the Danes)
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2-3 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
Mix the ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth.  Pour into 1 or 2 prepared loaf pans and bake 55-60 minutes for normal ovens or 30-35 for convection ovens.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and set out to completely cool on a cooling rack.

Walnut Chocolate Balls

This is a candy that Elisabeth Bloch made for us last Christmas when she was our Christmas Elf.  We really enjoyed these not overly sweet candies.  Elisabeth has become a wonderful friend to us here in Denmark.

Walnut Chocolates
8 ounces walnuts - as fresh as possible
4 ounces real maple syrup
40 halves
8 ounces dark dipping chocolate

Grind the nuts up in a nut grinder until you have pile of coarse nuts.  Mix with the maple syrup in  a saucepan on very low heat.  Mix thoroughly until you have a cohesive mass.  Let cool completely.  Roll the walnut marzipan  into 40 balls.  Melt the chocolate and cover the balls completely with chocolate.  While the chocolate is still warm, place one whole walnut on each candy.  A great Christmas gift.