French Toast and Tacos!

I decided to combine these two into one post since they're relatively simple things to make and I didn't follow an exact recipe. Sometimes you make something often enough you just start throwing things together!

Anyway, I LOVE having breakfast for dinner. Growing up my Mama would make us French Toast and there'd always be a special "kick" to it. Thank you Orange Extract!! It's been awhile since I've had it, so I decided to make it for dinner yesterday :]

Ingredients are simple: eggs, bread, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla extract. Orange is optional, but it's yummy!

First, crack your eggs into a dish big enough for your slice of bread to fit into.


Mix it up and add a splash or two of milk.


Grab your vanilla extract. If you want something special thrown in, use some orange extract like my Mom.


Add your vanilla, orange extract, and cinnamon. Pretty much just use as much as you'd like. I'm heavy handed with vanilla and cinnamon.


Soak each slice of bread in your batter.


Cook them on your skillet, make sure to flip them over to get the other side. I mostly just eye this, and when they look done, I take them off. Maybe a handful of minutes for the whole thing?


Butter them up, add some syrup (or powdered sugar if that's your thing) and gobble them up!!!!


So that's French Toast.

Now, Tacos are pretty much my go-to meal. If it's been a long day and I don't feel like cooking, I usually just make tacos. I figure, why not? Mexican food is my favorite food, my husband loves them, and they're easy!!

Start out with a package of your meat. Most people use Ground Beef, but my Twinnie introduced me to Ground Turkey when I went up to visit her in San. Fran. Ever since I pretty much substitute it for anything that calls for beef!


Add a splash of vegetable oil to your pan, and add your meat.


Add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.


And then some chili powder.


Mix it a little bit and sprinkle some lemon pepper too.


Keep cooking til it browns.


Perfect!


Now, I was all out of my normal seasonings, so I used a package of this. I just added it to my mixture with a splash or two of water, not the amount the directions say.


Turn down the heat a little, cover the lid, and let simmer for a few minutes.


Mean while, stick your shells on a pan in the oven to warm/crisp up.


Prepare your condiments. Here we have Taco Bell hot sauce, some salsa, and some cheese.


Remove the lid from your pan and drizzle some Apple Cider Vinegar over the meat.


All done!!


Put on your toppings and eat away!!!

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

I have this bad habit of buying bananas and then never eating them, lol. I don't like how they taste/feel at room temperature for some reason, so I always put them in the fridge. I found this recipe about a week or so ago so I knew what I'd be using my forgotten bananas for, haha! :]

I forgot to take a picture of my ingredients, so here's a list instead: 3 ripe bananas, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, and an egg!

Start out with your bananas in your bowl.


Mush them up nicely with a fork.


Add your sugar and mix. Dough for bread is fragile and over-mixing it can make it tough, so I mixed by hand.


Add in your egg (be sure to beat it first).


Now add the vanilla. The recipe calls for 1 tsp, but I always put more in, lol.


Pour in your melted butter.


Stir it up.


Sprinkle a dash of salt and add your baking soda.


Gradually add in your flour and mix gently.


Mmm, lookin' good!


Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray (or butter it) and dust flour on it.


Prepare your cinnamon and sugar mixture.


Pour half of your batter in your pan.


Sprinkle on about half of your cinnamon/sugar mixture.


Add the rest of your batter.


Top with remaining cinnamon/sugar and pop it in the oven.


Looks good!!


Mmmmm, it tastes AMAZING, lol!


Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

For the bread:
3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of salt

For the swirl:
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Non-stick cooking spray and flour your pan. I used an 8x4 pan.

Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. Sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!

In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.

Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, but remember, if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan, be careful and keep a close eyeball on it!

Meatloaf!

I'm mostly just posting this entry because I'm super proud of the layout I made for this blog, lol!!! I figured a food related design would make more sense than the pink zebra print! :] Whatcha think?!

Anyhoo, now onto the food...

Growing up I was never a fan of meatloaf. I remember when my Grandma used to make it and she'd serve baked potatoes and some kind of veggie for side dishes and I used to hide my meatloaf underneath the potato skin, lol! I finally started liking it about 4-5 years ago.

After making them so many times, I realized that even if you use the same recipe each time, there's no way to get a meatloaf to taste the exact same way. So now I just used the basics my Grandma taught me and throw everything together.

Ingredients:


Add your meat to your mixing bowl. I use ground turkey. It usually comes in 1.5lb package.


Add your bread crumbs.


Add your eggs and milk.


Mmm, Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce!


A lot of people use fresh onions in their meatloaves, but we use the French Fried Onions instead!


Mix it all up! I thinks it's easier if you use your hands, even if it's messy.


Spray your loaf pan with Pam or other non-stick cooking sprays.


Mold your meatloaf into a loaf shape and put it in your pan.


Top with Worcestershire Sauce and more Jack Daniels.



Put in the oven and let the smell of it cooking drive you crazy, lol!


Perfect! We have a nice crispy top, and a moist and flavorful middle.


Serve it up with some mashed potatoes and corn and you've got a happy stomach!


Meatloaf
1.5lbs Ground Turkey (or beef)
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (or crushed crackers)
2 Eggs
3/4 cup French Fried Onions
Salt/Pepper
About 1/4th cup BBQ sauce
Worcestershire Sauce

Preheat oven to 400*. Mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl. Form into a loaf and place it in your sprayed pan. Cover the top of the meatloaf with your Worcestershire Sauce (just enough to cover the top and sides) and again with your BBQ sauce. Bake for an hour.