"secret" french toast

i had to laugh at jess' post, when she mentioned posting my recipe for cinnachip french toast. because there was no recipe.

i think, generally, for mainstay things like french toast, pancakes, or i don't know..pasta, everyone knows how to make them, right? or at least has an idea and can google for further instructions.

so..why not pull every weird thing out of your pantry and give it a try (if it tickles your fancy). just experiment, and if it's bad, oh well. you'll know better next time.

okay, so let's start at the beginning. what do you know you'll need for french toast?

eggs

milk

bread

butter

maybe some vanilla?

are we all in agreement? okay, good.

the bread=cinnachip bread from the great harvest bread company. find one near you [here].

i was not at my house last saturday, so i did some digging in rachael's pantry (hollllaaa) and found some honey, cinnamon, poppy seeds, and something else that i can't remember right now.

grab three eggs, and pour in your milk of choice (i used soy, almond, and a splash of half and half so maybe 3/4 cup to 1 cup total of milk), squeeze in some honey, sprinkle in the cinnamon, and i added in a little bit of orange juice (a couple of TBs).

whisk well to incorporate eggs.

i usually pour the egg mixture into a casserole dish and start soaking my first round of bread (it's best to have a 2 and 3 year old help you in this process).

go ahead and turn your attention to your pan. turn your heat to a medium-ish temperature, and drop in about 1/4 stick of butter. watch it carefully, you don't want it to brown quite yet, just bubble.

once the butter is bubbling, add in your soaked bread (however much you can fit comfortably in the pan). make sure the heat isn't too high, and cook for a couple of minutes on each side.

the connolly/hogan crowd likes our french toast a little on the gooey side, but again, that's your call, little chefs.

add some berries, maple syrup, and a mug of coffee.

and you've got yourself a sunday morning breakfast, folks.

farewell

so, summer is coming to an end. hard to believe, right?

few things represent summer more to me than a big ol' mexican feast. and what's a mexican feast without salsa and guacamole?

a failure, that's what.

so here are my two favorite recipes:

fresh salsa

• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 3-5 tomatillos, depending on size
• 1-2 peppers of choice, depending on how hot you want it, you could leave them out all together.
• 1 whole bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 limes, squeezed dry
• 4-5 garlic cloves, again, depending on taste, i love me some garlic
• 2 cans original rotel
• salt sparingly
• a good bit of fresh pepper

it's as simple as it sounds.

chop your tomatoes, onion, tomatillos, cilantro.

turn your oven on broil, and scorch your peppers, and carefully chop them (scraping out the seeds). maybe take a second and wash your hands after that step. not trying to blind anyone. yikes.

use a garlic press for the garlic cloves, and add to bowl.

add both cans of rotel.

taste.

add salt, if needed.

grind some pepper on top.

moving on to the real star of the show:

the guac

• 4 good sized (extremely ripe) avocados, scraped from skin and blended
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 large bunch of cilantro, rough chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 2 tomatillos
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, using garlic press
• 2 juiced limes
• salt and pepper

like the salsa, you just do some chopping, pressing, and stirring and you've got yourself a little bowl of heaven.

oh, and one more thing:

don't forget to enter our giveaway from earlier this week. you've still got ONE MORE DAY!

meet the eaters.

Hi friends, Jessi here.

So, I started this blog (semi-secretly) a few months ago for two reasons.

A) I enjoyed the accountability. As I'm on a quest to lose-weight/become healthier, I noticed that they accountability of writing about my food spurred me on and helped me to avoid too many servings of veggie chips and hummus. It also made me want to be so much more creative in the kitchen.

B) I loved what I was reading. I fell in love (language too strong? oh, who cares) with other food blogs and specifically ones that chronicled someone's journey from unhealthy to healthy or overweight to healthy. As discouraging as it is to not be exactly where you want to be on the healthiness scale, it's encouraging to think someone else could be encouraged by what you're writing. Er, eating.

But, now! We've got a whole 'nother thing going on entirely and I love it.

We've got two other writers, lots of updating going on, and literally - hundreds of readers!

So let's back it up and introduce ourselves.

I'm Jessi.

Mom of three very small children. Wife to a sexy church planter.

I blog over at Naptime Diaries.

Formerly obsessed with weight loss, now on a quest for lifetime healthiness.

Used to love pizza, now I love quinoa.

If I had a word for what I want to write about it would be nourish.

The definition of nourish is

"to provide with food & other substances necessary for life & growth; to feed".

I want what I do in the kitchen, in my exercise, on this blog to feed the rest of my life - my real life. To feed my body the real food that enables me to live the healthiest possible. Not to idolize food or worship it or to be obsessed with what my body can or cannot do. Just to do the best I can, with what I've been given, so that I can worship the One who's given it to me.

Now, on to my sweet friend Carissa.

Carissa and I met through a mutual friend and we became fast internet-foodie-friends.

After emailing about our favorite meals and skyping while cooking, it seemed just perfect for her to join pizza to quinoa.

Here's her story:

My name is Carissa.

I have two very crazy dogs who

perfectly mirror my partner's and my personalities.

When I remember to, I write about their antics at 8 Paws and a Train Wreck. In case it wasn't clear, I am the train wreck.

Tim Gunn would love my kitchen; it's all about "Make it work!" I am a professional at making mistakes, then making them awesome. I want you to be too. Just give in; join the train wreck.

Lastly, my great friend Lauren joined the group.

We've known each other through several seasons, lived together, and shared more meals than most nuclear families ever do. I love her and her sweet perspective on food. She is all about celebrating food in a healthy way, and her voice is the perfect way to round out this blog. Here's what she has to say.

okay, so here's the thing. food and i have a long and harried past. like, we've-been-divorced-two-or-three-times-and-spent-the-majority-of-the-marriages-living-in-different-houses kind of messed up.

though, like a lot of dramatic relationships, we love each other deeply.

madly, even.

maybe some of you can relate? but, after years of trying to out-smart food, i found redemption. but that is another blog for another day.

i now take great pleasure in the process of food. dreaming up a meal to fit the mood of a day, buying each item with great care, and making a big mess in the kitchen with a few friends. wine sloshing freely into each person's glass as we chop, taste, and season. what is better than that?

so, hey everyone, i'm lauren.

what do you say?

wanna make some food together?

i'll bring the wine.

..............................................

Alright, ya'll. Welcome. We're the eaters.

Pull up a chair, some lunch or a cup of coffee and come back often.

summer sunday breakfast

y'all this is just so good.

grab a whole wheat bagel, toast it.

spread half an avocado over the bagel.

sprinkle on a little salt,

and squeeze some lime juice over the top.

then just drizzle a few drops of cilantro dressing over that.

scatter a few toasted sliced almonds for crunch,

and you've got yourself a really tasty breakfast.

*cilantro dressing comes from trader joe's. if you like cilantro, buy this immediately.*

this message and breakfast were highly supervised, and ultimately approved by this girl.

happy weekend, all.

the process

okay, so here's the thing. food and i have a long and harried past. like, we've-been-divorced-two-or-three-times-and-spent-the-majority-of-the-marriages-living-in-different-houses kind of messed up.

though, like a lot of dramatic relationships, we love each other deeply.

madly, even.

maybe some of you can relate? but, after years of trying to out-smart food, i found redemption. but that is another blog for another day.

i now take great pleasure in the process of food. dreaming up a meal to fit the mood of a day, buying each item with great care, and making a big mess in the kitchen with a few friends. wine sloshing freely into each person's glass as we chop, taste, and season. what is better than that?

so, hey everyone, i'm lauren.

what do you say?

wanna make some food together?

i'll bring the wine.