The Secret to Really Good French Toast

I have never really liked french toast all that much. I don't like the soggy bread taste. Recently I have come to love it however, after a little trick I learned to get it a little crispy instead. I thought I would share it with you since it is such a quick, easy breakfast that kids usually love. Before you dip your piece of bread in the egg/milk mixture, spread a little butter on each side. This prevents so much of the mixture from being absorbed into the bread. Then fry on your griddle or frying pan as usual. It should be a little crispy when done! I have also found that this works even better on homemade bread than store bought. Enjoy! (Unless you are like my hubby who loves the soggier version much better and even adds extra egg/milk mixture to his slices!)

Do You Use Swagbucks?

Have you ever heard of Swagbucks? I have been using Swagbucks for a while now and have been earning a lot of free stuff, just for using my computer! It is a search engine (similar to Google) that randomly rewards you with Swagbucks for using it. They have a Swag store with tons of items and gift cards that you can purchase with your swagbucks. One of the gift cards is a $5 Amazon cards and this is what I have found to be the best value, so that is what I always purchase when I get enough (450) saved up. I usually earn enough to purchase at least 2 of these a month! That's $10 free that I can use for anything on Amazon! Here are just a few of the things I have purchase with them so far:

It is great for getting "fun" stuff for the kids for school or gifts!

The easiest way to earn swagbucks is by using their toolbar. You just have to down load it and it will appear at the top of your internet screen. Then when you need to search for something, use it and you may randomly be awarded swagbucks in amounts anywhere from 5-50! I also use it for getting to facebook, email, etc instead of having them on my favorites list or typing in the whole address. I just type facebook and it searches facebook sites and then I just have to click on the one I want. It's really only one extra step and the prizes have been worth it! You can also go to their homepage and search from there or check out their other ways to earn, their blog, twitter, or facebook page for codes to enter and earn swagbucks.

If you want to sign up, and you use my referral link, I will also earn some swagbucks, so I would love it if you would! Also, for anyone who creates a new Swagbucks account before midnight on August 15th,you will get an extra 40 swagbucks if you enter the code BackToSchool. You always get 30 when signing up, so that will be a total of 70!

So what are you waiting for?!? Start Swagging and earning some great prizes!!!

Tasty Tuesday - Sourdough Starter

I really like making my own bread, but most of the recipes that I've tried end up too heavy and the kids don't want to eat it. A while back I decided to give sourdough bread a try because I love sourdough, but hate paying the high prices the stores charge for it. I also have read that sourdough is supposed to be healthier for you, so maybe this will help me eat better and keep my blood test levels down. The first thing you need to do to make sourdough though, is to get a starter going. Here is the recipe that I used and so far have had great success with it.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) regular or quick active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)

Directions:
Mix flour and yeast in 4 quart or larger container. Gradually beat in water until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place 2-4 days until bubbly and sour smelling. Transfer to 2 quart or larger container with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate.

Your container doesn't need to be anything fancy. I reuse old food containers because after a while the starter starts to build up on the sides of the container and every once in a while I can just transfer the starter to a new one and toss the old one. Here is what my current one looks like:

The starter needs to be kept active by feeding or replenishing at least once a week. If you use some for baking, replace that with equal amounts of flour and warm water. For example if you use 1 cup starter, replace it with 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water. If you don't use any for a while, you will need to feed it once a week at least by stirring in 1 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp warm water until smooth. After replenishing or feeding, you need to cover it loosely and let stand in a warm place 12-24 hours. Then cover tightly and refrigerate again. Here is what it should look like after sitting in a warm place for a while, nice and bubbly:

After it sits in the fridge for a while, it will begin to separate and not look so good, but you just need to stir it up until it is all blended again. As long as you store it in the fridge and keep feeding it, your starter could last you a long time. I've even heard that some bakeries have used the same starter for hundreds of years!

Hopefully I will get a few sourdough recipes that I've tried posted soon so you can start using your starter if you decide to give it a try!

Please leave me a comment and share your favorite recipe so I can try out some new ones!

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Tasty Tuesday - Cauliflower Ham Casserole

I know it's been a while since I've shared a recipe, but I really haven't been doing too much baking/cooking with any new ones lately, so I haven't had much to share. We have a huge abundance of cauliflower in our garden this year that is just starting to be ready for picking so I thought I would try out a new dinner recipe tonight. I wasn't sure how it would go over with the kids since they aren't the most willing to try new stuff, but Sweetie loved it and kept asking for more and Buddy even said it tasted better than he thought it would!

Ingredients
4 cups chopped fresh cauliflower
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Twin Brook Creamery whole milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

TOPPING:
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions
Place cauliflower in a large saucepan; cover with 1 in. water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and sour cream until melted.
Drain cauliflower. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, ham and mushrooms. Add cheese sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.