French Toast and funny faces

Another item that we made this week was French Toast. But do the French call it by that name? No, they call it Pain Perdu. That means Lost Bread. If you have had a baguette, you know that by the next day or certainly the following one, that it is hard as a baseball bat. Probably, some French Momma was trying to come up with breakfast for her wee ones, and discovered that if the hardened gluten-filled club was sliced, dipped into eggs and fried, it would not be a lost loaf of bread. It must have been the idea of an Italian Momma, too, as my Sicilian grandmother talks about taking "French Toast" in her lunch to school as a little girl.

I've only stayed in a few bed and breakfasts, but on one trip, we had a wonderful version of French Toast with cream cheese and marmalade. The marmalade provides enough sweetness that I don't use syrup. Try it some time, you might be surprised.

So, to the left is a picture of what this French speaking, Momma of Italian decent, who lives in the USA created for her little boy. =) Bon Appetit!

Recipe for Pain Perdu
3 eggs (beaten)
little less than 1/4 c of 2 % milk
1 baguette (next day is better than fresh)
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
3 TBSP of granular sugar
powdered sugar for dusting

Slice baguette into 3/4 inch slices. Set aside. Beat eggs in a shallow glass dish. Add milk, granular sugar, and cinnamon. Beat with a fork. Heat a non-stick skillet at Med heat for 2 minutes, spray with Pam or melt a little butter. Put bread slices in egg mixture 1 at a time. Turn over and allow absorb the mixture for 5 or so seconds. Place onto greased hot skillet. Turn one time and remove from heat. Spread cream cheese and marmalade over the top and dust with powdered sugar.

eau de charcoal

There is nothing like the smell of a man who has the scent of charcoal smoke lingering on his clothing. I think it has such mystical powers over a woman, that I might develop and produce a new cologne for men called "eau de charcoal." Of course, you must say it with a French accent, so the English phonetics make the spelling look like oh duh Shar'cole. It rolls off the tongue more smoothly when said in such a manner.

My man likes to grill on the weekends and I couldn't be happier to let him do so. Tonight he grilled a whole chicken that I rubbed down with salt and a mixture he made and keeps in the cabinet properly labeled "rib rub." My hubby uses an internal-read thermometer and stays close by the grill while the meat is cooking. His hard work paid off as this piece of poultry was moist, delicious, and had an evenly toned skin that was golden brown. It reminded me for a brief moment of George Hamilton. In addition to the whole chicken, we also grilled 4 boneless chicken breasts and 2 packages of bratwursts. The 4 breasts spent 5 hours in a vinegar base marinade. The bratwursts will be used in all of our lunches throughout this week. The chicken breasts will be divided into dishes like tortilla soup, Pampered Chef Ring, and salads. The sides for dinner were grilled corn on the cob, sauteed bell peppers and onions, and fried okra. That 2.97 spent on okra seeds has been a huge payoff.

So that leads me to Jeff's lunch for tomorrow. It is another salad. Inspiration: grilled chicken. I asked if he preferred Caesar or Cobb. He chose Cobb and that is what he shall have.

We used to have a Costco membership, but not at the moment. Last weekend, they had a special where non-members who are real estate agents could go and shop without a fee. I'm so glad I went. A variety of items were purchased, but one of my favorite finds was a package of 6 small heads of lettuce for $3.29. Tomorrow's salad will contain the last leaves. What an accomplished feeling of using 6 heads of lettuce in multiple meals in one week's time!

muffuletta eater in training

Growing up, my mom made me pack my own lunch beginning in the first grade. She would inspect it to make sure it was "healthy." Her instructions were that it needed: 1 meat, 1 grain, 1 fruit, 1 drink and 1 "other." To this day, when I cook dinner or pack a lunch, I still run that little list of a proper meal through my head and mentally check off the boxes as I go.
My little man isn't in the first grade, and my other man is way past his days in first grade, so I haven't made packing their own lunches a requirement, not yet anyway. Most days, their lunches aren't that different. Perhaps it is because early on, I insisted that Phillip eat what was put in front of him at meal time.

Jeff's lunch usually consists of a sandwich or salad, or on occasion, a dish of leftovers from what I cooked the night before. After seeing these photos, it reaffirms my desire to get a better camera. Oh well, our little snapshot must do for now.
For tomorrow, Jeff's lunch consists of a salad, a banana, cherry yogurt and leftover schnitzel. For the most part, I don't have a plan when it comes to salads. I just scan the pantry or fridge for an "inspiration item" and build it from there. This evening, my inspiration item was feta. So, the salad began with feta crumbles, then Craisins, walnuts, and crutons. The dressing is Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette.

My little man's lunch for tomorrow is a salami and pepperoni sandwich with pickles. I like to think of it as a kid's version of a muffuletta sandwich, one of my favorite kinds! He hasn't acquired a taste for olives, so he eats pickles instead. Also, he will have watermelon and a mixed berry yogurt. No "other" in his lunch tomorrow. That mental box didn't get checked.

In the summer, he was sent to school with a slice of blackberry pie and whipping cream. Jeff went with a whole pie to share with co-workers. Phillip has recently requested pie again in his lunch. We have raspberries at the moment in the backyard, so the next pie must be raspberry pie. Since this request, I bought individual pie plates at the Viking store. Now that I have written about it, I need to make it happen, maybe next week for lunch. =)