Orange Caramel French Toast

Remember when I said I might not post again. By the time you read I already had. Funny, huh? This is a dish I surprised my wife with when she asked for french toast for breakfast. I did warn her away from the syrup though.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla exstract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
juice of 1/2 medium orange

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs together with the vanilla, cinnamon, milk, and orange juice. Pour the brown sugar onto a small plate covering most of the plate. Heat a skillet/pan to around 250F. Place the butter onto the hot skillet/pan and spread around to coat enough of the pan for your bread.

Once the butter is melted dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture and then set it in the brown sugar and press gently. Flip the bread over and press again to coat both sides, then place it on the skillet/pan. Leave all the bread on the skillet for a couple of minutes and then flip it over. When both sides start looking deep brown and the sugar has formed a good crust, they are done. Don't burn them. (<==== Goes without saying, I suppose.)

These are nice and sweet on thier own; however, a little whipped cream/topping doesn't hurt. Also I like to slice the other half of the orange into thin piece to garnish and/or serve with the french toast. NOTE: This is NOT the sort of thing you should have for breakfast everyday. Unless you want to. Then, go ahead. Just don't tell your doctor/lawyer I said you could.

Phil/Phil

Maple Red-Eye Gravy

Today, I was bored at lunch and had some leftover roast beef in the fridge. I also had about half a pot of coffee left from this morning and some maple syrup I got from a co-worker at a decent price. So, I thought it might be a good time to finally try a red-eye gravy. It was darn good, so I figured I should share it. Here goes.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup brewed black coffee (warm)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. cajun seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Put a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Place butter in pan and let melt. Whisk in flour until fully integrated. Add coffee, broth, maple syrup, cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper, whisking the entire time. Serve warm on whatever you please.

I made this in about 15 or 20 minutes (I wasn't really paying attention), and put it over the leftover roast beef. Then I sprinkled some Italian blend cheese on the top and put it in the toaster oven @ 450ish for 2-3 minutes. Very good.

The gravy itself is savory with a notably sweet, maple taste and a bit of a kick (from the cajun seasoning). I should note that if you want to make this late at night, you should probably use decaf. You probably already thought of that, though. Good luck and this may be the only recipe I post. I'm really bad about abandoning blogs. You probably already knew that too.

Phil