Stuffed FrenchToast

I decided my husband needed to have a sugar rush this morning so I made him this dish with a side of scrambled eggs. I got the idea from IHOP when they introduced stuffed french toast on their menu a few years back.

For my recipe, I use a specialty bread that the local grocery store sells but you can use any type of thick cut bread that you like.

4 slices  HEB French Toast Breakfast Bread

3  Eggs

1 tablespoon  milk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 tablespoon brown sugar

The filling:

4 ounces softened cream cheese

2-3 teaspoons white sugar

4 tablespoons blueberry or cherry preserves (not jelly)

Butter for frying

In a bowl, lightly scrambled the first set of ingredients (eggs through brown sugar) and set aside.

Mix cream cheese and sugar, spread on 1 side of each bread slice. Top two slices with preserves then place remaining slices, cream cheese down, on top of ones with preserves. You should have two cream cheese/preserve sandwiches.

Soak each side of the sandwiches in egg  mixture for about 30 -45 seconds per side. Cook about 3-5 minutes per side in fry pan coated with butter, gauging temp to prevent burning. 

Top with powdered sugar or whipped cream if desired.

Spicy Chili

Over the weekend, I participated in a Chili Cookoff and tied for fourth place. Thought I would share the recipe. I hope you try it, modify and make it your own.

Enjoy!


1 tablespoon of oil
2 lbs. beef chili meat (I used ground)
2 lbs. pork chili meat (I use ground)
6-8 cloves fresh garlic 
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 quart beef stock, more if needed
1 bottle Shiner beer (optional)

4-5 Rocoto Chilis, jarred in brine and sliced*
4-5 Habanero Chilis
6-8 Ancho Chili Pods


5 tablespoons oil  
4 tablespoons flour 
4 tablespoons chili powder 
1 tablespoon whole comino, freshly ground
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns, freshly ground
Salt to taste

For Ancho Chili pods: Remove the stems and seeds from the pods, simmer in hot water until the skin loosens, scrape pulp and reserve.

Peel and chop the garlic.

Brown the meat, chopped onion and the garlic in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the tomato sauce, the stock and simmer one hour adding more stock or beer if needed. 

Add the Rocoto chilies, reserved chili pulp and Habaneros to the chili meat. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat 5 tablespoons of oil. Fry the flour, pepper, comino, chili powder for 5 minutes, add roux to the meat. Simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour. 


* Rocoto chilies are grown in Peru and available in the states at Latin markets. If you can't find them replace them with a hot pepper of your choice.

The Chili-cheese Dog!

One of my step-sons, Andrew, is always raving about a Mexican hotdog he gets after a night of bar hopping. I've never seen it or tasted it but I guess it's the shit. I made the decision, after hearing about it the umpteenth time, to make a hotdog to outshine it. I think I did!

I give you......The Half Pound Footlong Chilidog!

Like I said, it's a half pound footlong that I topped with homemade chili, shredded cheese, standard condiments, green onions and held by two buns.

He ate it all!

The First Post!

While my husband sits in his Lazyboy waiting to hear about racer Dan Wheldon, I am sitting here thinking about what to write about. I guess I should just introduce myself, a little background is always nice.

My name is Sheri and I live in San Antonio, Texas. Married, mother of 2, step-mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. My husband has congestive heart failure, my daughter is a Senior at UT Austin (Go Longhorns!) and my son is about to turn 14. Because of my husband's illness, I've had to become our family's main income. I got stuck in retail, not always the greatest. I wouldn't mind it except that it comes with strange hours that seem to always interrupt important things, like dinner! The good side about my job is that I get to be home alot to spend time with my husband and kids. It also gives me the opportunity to try recipes I've seen or have thought of. Occasionally my husband, Joe, and I go out for lunch to old haunts and new places. I get ideas from these places as well. I take those ideas, modify them and make them my own.

I'm going to be blogging on recipes, restaurants, bars, food shows and sometimes our lives. I hope someone out there finds my stories, recipes and thoughts enjoyable!

UPDATE: Just announced, Dan Wheldon has died. How sad but at least he was doing what he loved to do......race.