Child of the Wild Blue Yonder: dinner

Banana Split French Toast

breakfast 9:45 PM

Hello, everyone! We're back!

Sorry for being MIA for so long- with the holidays we just found to be too busy to make room for posting. However, we are back, and more inspired than ever after having a little bit of time to relax and refresh.

It's very rare that I crave something sweet; I'm totally a savory-loving kind of girl, and Josh is my opposite, he has a zealous sweet tooth. This time around, I was really craving something sweet. It was time for dinner and I'm a firm believer that "breakfast for dinner" may be one of man kinds' greatest innovations. That's when this meal came to be: Banana Split French Toast!
My grandma (Babcia, in Polish) would always serve fresh fruit with breakfast, I consider it an essential. After deciding that French Toast is what I had my heart set on, Babcia's heaping helpings of fruits inspired me to head in this direction. Of course, this meal can be enjoyed at any time of day. Crave on, my culinary friends, and enjoy as you please.

What You'll Need:

(for French Toast)

-A Loaf of White or Wheat Bread (your favorite)

-4 Large Eggs

-1 Cup Milk

-1 tsp Vanilla Extract

-1 Tbsp Butter

(for Icing)

-1 Stick of Butter, softened (1/2 Cup)

-4 Oz Cream Cheese, softened

-3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

(Toppings)

-Chocolate Syrup

-Bananas, halved or sliced on a bias

-Strawberries, sliced

-Walnuts

-Rainbow Sprinkles

1. Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl. Use either a standing mixer, or a hand mixer, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract, and gradually add in the powdered sugar until everything is combined. Set the frosting aside so it continues to warm, and remain pliable.

2. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract into a bowl that is wide enough to dip the slices of bread in. Beat the ingredients together until combined. Dip the bread in, soaking each side, and set on a plate until ready to use.

3. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Add the toast, and cook on each side, until slightly browned. It shouldn't take too long, maybe 5 minutes on each side at most.

4. Cut up the fruits once ready to use! Drizzle or spread the frosting on top of the toast, add the fruits, chocolate syrup, and top with walnuts, and sprinkles!

(I think that whipped cream would also be amaaaaazing on this...)

Make the frosting first; you'll want to set it aside to soften even more.

And here is the KitchenAid! Lucky me, right!? Yeah, I'm totally aware that Josh has given me the best Christmas present EVER.

Here's the obligatory, "everything involved" picture. Also, how can I not include it, fresh fruit is just so aesthetically appealing.

Dip each slice, soaking both sides. Set the bread aside for frying!

Assemble, and enjoy.

Fresh and Delicious Frittata

baked 8:13 PM

Did you guys know that a frittata was an Italian dish? I guess it roughly translates to "fried." In my opinion, a frittata is somewhat of an omelet, one that you could totally eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Alright, I guess you could even call it a 'crustless quiche,' but I'm sticking with frittata because it's fun to say!
Since the frittata is considered an Italian dish, Josh and I chose to use staple Italian ingredients, but this dish is so customizable - the options are endless!

What You'll Need

-6 Large Eggs

-1/4 Cup Milk

-3/4 Cup fresh Mozzarella

-1 Tomato

(we used an heirloom tomato, only because it was what we had)

-1/2 Cup Onion

-1/4 Cup Basil, chiffonade

-1 Clove Garlic, minced

-1/4 tsp Oregano

-Pinch Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

-1/2 Tbsp Butter

-Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Start with prep: dice the onion, and tomato. Cut the mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. Chiffonade the basil, and mince the garlic. Set everything aside.

2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add in the milk. Whisk the eggs and the milk together, only long enough to mix the egg yolk with the whites. Try not to over beat the mixture - this may cause the frittata to fall during the cooling period! Stir in the oregano, crushed red pepper (optional), salt, and pepper.

3. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add in the minced garlic, and stir frequently until it's fragrant. Sauté the onions with salt and pepper to taste for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the onions into an 6-8" diameter round baking pan (I just use a ceramic pie pan,) spread the onions over the bottom of the pan evenly. Then add the egg mixture, mozzarella, and tomato. Try to spread all the ingredients as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the basil over the top of the frittata.

5. Bake the frittata in the oven for a half an hour to 40 minutes, or until the egg starts to brown slightly. Top it off with parmesan, and crushed red pepper if desired.

Prepping ingredients before making the meal makes things so much easier. I always recommend to prep first! Saves time and sanity. :)

Oh, another tip! Chiffonading the basil prevents it from bruising so I always recommend doing this for better visual effect. I'm a firm believer that half the flavor comes from what you see!