Cozy Morning Breakfast

Happy New Year! 

I can't believe its already 2014. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!
For our Christmas celebration, we had a little family brunch; rather than a traditional dinner or lunch like we usually do. I decided to take 2 breakfast casseroles. They are super easy and serve a crowd well. As I was thinking about it, these would be great for a weekend breakfast. Especially when the little ones are home. They can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Today I am going to share one of the recipes (the other one I will share in future). It's my recipe for French Toast Casserole.

French Toast Casserole

12 slices of bread (I prefer whole wheat)
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp dried cranberries (optional)
3 tbsp butter (softened)

Method:

Cut slices of bread into 4 triangles each.
Grease casserole dish with one tbsp butter.
Arrange slices of bread in dish to cover the base and overlap.
In a bowl mix eggs, spices, milk, sugar and salt.
Pour mixture over the bread and allow to sit to absorb the liquid. (If you are making this the night before at this point you can cover the casserole and refrigerate, just allow to come to room temp before baking).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Dot with bits of the butter and sprinkle dried cranberries over the top. Bake for 15 mins.

This is so yummy on its own but feel free to serve with maple syrup and crispy bacon!

I hope you guys try this recipe! Have a great week.

Much luv - Jo

Boxing Day Treat!

Merry Day After Christmas!

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. Enjoying all the yummies and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Now that all the busyness has died down, lets enjoy boxing day. I always loved the idea of this holiday, its like a recovery day from the celebrations. A nice quiet day to relax.

In this weather, all rainy and chilly it feels wonderful to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate. So today I want to share a recipe for my "Spiked and Spiced White Hot Chocolate".

Spiked and Spiced White Hot Chocolate

SERVES 4

4 cups of  half and half (or milk even almond milk is super delicious in this)
8ozs chopped white chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2  tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3ozs brown rum
Marshmallows and nutmeg for topping

Method:
In a saucepan bring half & half or milk to a simmer. Add chopped chocolate, vanilla and spices and stir until chocolate is dissolved. Remove from heat and add rum. Serve immediately topped with marshmallows and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Now just grab a blanket and cuddle up by the tree with a good book or movie!

Merry Christmas All! Lots of love from Jo & Ed

Unexpected Side of Fries

What's going on peeps? I hope you're all getting into the festive mood. The weather actually has a slight chill to it and the Christmas music is playing everywhere. To continue the theme of entertaining, I want to share a super simple side dish with you. You can add it to buffets, serve it with a steak or just as a snack for pop up guests with a delicious dip. Its Cassava Fries!

I think I have always loved cassava. In Barbados its most famous appearance is probably in Cassava Pone (which I will admit I am a tad bit addicted to) but this delicious root is far more versatile than we may think.

(image by http://www.newtimesgh.com )

Cassava is also called manioc and yuca. Some other dishes you can create are cassava casserole (like scalloped potato) , bammy/bami  (Jamaican Cassava Flat Bread) and Cassava soup.

So here is the recipe:

Cassava Fries

1lb cassava (peeled and cut into 4" sticks)

Oil for frying 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Boiling water for par- cooking

Method:

In a pot, boil water add salt and cook cassava until fork tender.

Once cooked, drain and allow to cool.

In a skillet heat oil until it bubbles when a sprinkle of flour is added to test it.

Fry cassava until golden and crispy. Remove from oil, drain and season with salt and pepper. 

These are absolutely delicious and a welcome change to a typical menu. I hope you guys give them a try. 

Happy Cooking!