Cafe Au Lait

Cafe Au Lait, New Orleans Style

serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 part milk (the higher fat the better)
• 1 t confectioners sugar
• 2 parts brewed coffee with chicory

Instructions:

1. Heat milk over medium, stirring frequently, until it begins to steam, about 5 min. Do not boil.
2. Stir sugar into milk.
3. Pour coffee with chicory over milk, stir lightly.



Gourmet Chicken Pizza

Chicken Pizza

makes two pizzas

Ingredients:

• 2 premade thin pizza crusts
• 2 T olive oil
• oregano
• basil
• 8 T marinara sauce 
• 1 c feta cheese
• 2 c fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 c cooked chicken breast, 1/2″ cubed or thin sliced
• chopped, fresh cooked bacon
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven according to instructions on crust package.
2. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush crusts with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle basil and oregano on crust.
4. For a crispy crust, prebake crust for 5 minutes, otherwise skip to step 5.
5. Spoon 4T of marinara over each crust and use the back of the spoon to spread. Don’t spread over edge of crust.
6. Spread feta and 1/2 of parmesan cheese over both crusts.
7. Spread chicken and bacon over both crusts.
8. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over both crusts and lightly season with salt and pepper.
9. Bake until parmesan cheese melts.

French French Toast with a Tart Berry Compote

Nope, that title isn’t a mistake…this french toast is made from day old french bread.

 

MamaJo’s French French Toast

Ingredients:

• Day old french bread (half a loaf or more)
• 4 eggs
• 1 c milk (I didn’t measure so this is approximate)
• dash of nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• butter

Instructions:

• Heat griddle or pan to medium.
• Wisk eggs, milk, spices and vanilla together in a large bowl or baking dish.
• Butter griddle or pan.
• Quickly dip bread in egg mix so that both sides are covered and place on griddle or pan. (only dip what will fit in the pan)
• Flip when bottom of bread is a nice golden brown. Remove when both sides are golden and set aside (preferably in a slightly warm oven).
• Repeat until you have used all the bread.

You can freeze whatever excess you have made and revive the French French Toast in the toaster or toaster oven (do people even have these anymore?) for a fast, easy, mess free breakfast.

MamaJo’s Tart Berry Compote

Ingredients:

• 1 T unsalted butter
• 2 T cream cheese brought to room temperature
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 handfuls blueberries, frozen or fresh
• 2 handfuls raspberries, frozen or fresh
• a splash of no sugar added apple juice

Instructions:

• Melt butter and cream cheese over low heat in a small sauce pan.
• Wisk with a fork until creamy and add sugar. Stir constantly until melted.
• Add berries and stir. Raspberries don’t hold together well under heat and will reduce beautifully. Stir constantly until raspberries reduce.
• Add apple juice until your desired thickness is reached.
• Spread compote over hot french toast.

 

Chicky Nuggets

Mama Jo’s Mama’s Chicky Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 3 C flour
• 1 C corn meal
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1/2 T onion poweder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 5 eggs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into app. 1-in pieces
• app. 1 C canola oil

Instructions:

1. Pour oil (about 1/4 in deep) into iron skillet and heat on medium.
2. Combine first six ingredients in medium sized bowl or 8×8 dish.
3. Mix with fork.
4. Add eggs to separate medium sized bowl, beat well.
5. Test oil with a dash of flour mix. If flour sizzles, oil is ready.
6. Put chicken in egg bowl and coat.
7. Dredge each piece in flour mix.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for thicker, crispier coating.
9. Place coated chicken in hot oil so that each piece is about 1/4 in apart. Do not overload the pan!
10. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Adjust heat if browning too quickly.
11. Flip chicken over, repeat step 10.
12. Chicken is done when golden brown and it’s not squishy to touch.
13. Lay cooked chicken on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.

For a healthier option, bake in the oven at 375 until the internal temperature reads 165 (about 20-25 minutes).

Not the Papa’s Pizza

The Mama’s Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 already cooked pizza crusts
• 1 small jar of pizza sauce (non-meaty spagetti sauce will do as well)
• 1 8 oz bag of finely shredded italian blend cheese
• 1 8 oz bag of finely shredded pizza blend cheese
• 2 T dried basil
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 T honey
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• toppings: any vegetable and meat of choice (tonight we’re using 12 oz of chopped canadian bacon and a 3.5 oz bag of bacon pieces)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven according to instructions on crust package.
2. In a small bowl combine basil, oregano, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a small, microwave safe measuring cup (the kind with a spout, like Pyrex) combine honey and olive oil and heat for about 20 seconds. Mix well.
4. Lightly drizzle honey/oil onto pizza crusts. With hands or paper towel, spread evenly over both crusts.
5. Sprinkle 1/4 of spice mixture on each crust (use 1/2 mix total).
6. Generously pour pizza sauce on center of each crust. Spread with the bottom of a large spoon or ladel, leaving about an inch of crust around the edge.
7. Sprinkle one cup (about half) of each type of cheese evenly on each crust.
8. Sprinkle half of toppings evenly on each crust.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8.
10. Sprinkle the rest of the spice mix over the top of each pizza.
11. Bake according to instructions on crust, or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden.

Yields 12-16 pieces of pizza, depending on how you dvide it up.