Savory French Toast Club Casserole

My kids wanted to do Monte Cristos or Club Sandwiches for dinner last night. Since it was Taekwondo night, I preferred to have something I could make ahead of time and throw in the oven. I started thinking of my overnight french toast casserole and thought it would be easy to modify for a Savory dish. This turned out to be perfect. I got it all ready to go in the morning, then tossed it in the oven when we were ready.








10 -1 inch slices sturdy Italian Bread (French Bread works too)
8 slices quality white or sour dough bread, cubed

6 oz Sliced Honey Ham, diced
6 oz Sliced Turkey Breast, diced
6 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheese(your preference, I used pepper jack)
1 large tomato, sliced

8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce to taste


garlic powder
fresh grated parmesan cheese

Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and  layer in the cubed white or sour dough bread.












On top of that layer the ham, turkey, bacon,














Then add the cheese and  the tomato slices.










Press the 10 slices of Italian bread on top.












In a bowl whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, chives, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix thoroughly.












Carefully pour over the Italian bread (go slow to allow for absorption, so it doesn't pour over the edges! When each slice is doused well pour the remaining between the slices of bread.

Top with a light dusting of garlic powder and a healthy sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. I also did a few more turns of the pepper mill on top too.





Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover the pan tightly (spray side down ;) )

Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, longer is better.

Remove from fridge 15-20  minutes prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 350

Bake covered for 45 minutes, uncover and bake 15 minutes more until golden brown and bubbly!






Allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing.

This photo shows it cold this  morning and it was DELICIOUS like this! I think this would make a great brunch sandwich!

Savory Fresh Tomato Pizza Muffins

I have tons of grape tomatoes on my vines so I thought I  would take my zucchini bread recipe, tweak it to savory and try something I could stick in the freezer for lunches.









about 4 cups grape tomatoes(or roughly 4 cups chopped Romas)
1 TB olive oil
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup corn starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

OR

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda
1 TB dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 cup water, divided use
2 TB flax meal

2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni(optional of course)


Preheat oven to 400 and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil... place on tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and roll around well.
(This is less than the 4 cups called for, I started with less then decided to add more)










Roast for 15-20 minutes until the skins are wrinkly and starting to brown.








Remove from oven and allow to cool.  When they are cool, place them in a blender and pulse for a few seconds to break them up , but leave some chunks.










Lower the oven temp to 350 and grease muffin tins(I made 16 standard size muffins)

In a bowl combine flour/starches with baking soda and seasonings. Set aside.









In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup water with 2 TB flax meal, stir well and allow to gel up.

In a large mixing bowl pour tomatoes and add gelled flax, eggs, olive oil, sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup water.









Beat on  medium speed for 1 minute.










Add dry mixture 1/2 cup at a time. When it is all mixed in, beat on medium for 1 minute.

Gently fold in cheeses and pepperoni.









Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Gently tap the tins on the counter for even tops.









Bake 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.










Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.

I lined them up on a baking sheet and froze them for 30 minutes, then transferred to a freezer bag for quick lunch pull outs!

Gluten Free Pretzel Dogs

We are not huge fans of hot dogs around here, but on occasion I buy so good quality ones for a "treat"(I really like the Open Nature(Safeway) ones that are uncured and nitrate free) I based off of this recipe from Bob's Red Mill and changed it to suit.







This made 12 "mini-dogs" (half hot dogs)

6 hot dogs, cut in half
(a little more time consuming, but it would be a wonderful party appetizer using lil' smokies!!)

1 TB yeast
2/3 cup milk, warm(approx 110 degrees)I used flax milk this time
(If you use a dairy alternative that is UNSWEETENED, add 1 tsp sugar as well)

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp gelatin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar

Optional:
1/2 cup finely shredded cheese


In a large bowl combine yeast and milk(and sugar if needed) allow to sit for 5 minutes until nicely foamy











In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients and whisk well.












Add olive oil and vinegar to the yeast mixture and mix well, then slowly add the dry ingredients, beat for 3 minutes on high. (If using add the cheese in the last 30 seconds of mixing)









Turn dough onto a surface dusted with cornstarch.












Cut dough into 12 equal portions.
Rinse and shake off the hot dogs(you want them damp but not dripping)









Flatten a dough piece into a rectangle slightly larger than the hot dog piece....place the dog in the center and roll up,  folding the sides down and tucking under, rolling it gently , press all seams to seal.











--If you are not putting cheese in the dough(or even if you are LOL)You could do a small amount of cheese(about 1/2 a slice per dog and just wrap it around) in each roll too.









Place on a greased baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough/dogs.


Allow to rise in a warm spot for 15 minutes.

Make a mixture of 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 TB milk(or milk alternative or even water) and brush each dog lightly.








Preheat oven to 400.




Bake dogs for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

In the last 5 minutes you can re-brush with the cornstarch solution then sprinkle with salt. Brush then sprinkle each one, it dries VERY fast!! (salt is optional of course, or other seasonings would be good....dried garlic or onion flakes, poppy seeds ETC)

Chicken, Bacon and Spinach Crescent Roll-Ups

Yummy, easy lunch or dinner for the kids, or anyone! These freeze fantastically for easy pull out meals too!

Crescent Rolls:(of course you can use pre-made dough if you want to omit this step)
2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter ,melted (or butter flavor shortening, omit salt if using)
4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar  in warm water, allow to stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.











Stir in eggs, butter, salt  and 2 cups of flour, mix well

Add remaining 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to the dough hook when it starts to hold together.
Knead until smooth and elastic.









Place in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat, cover and allow to rise to doubled(about 1- 1.5 hours)

Filling:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1 loosely packed cup baby spinach , chopped fine

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in a bowl and set aside.

(this photo is with 4 oz cream cheese, I decided I wanted it creamier and added more)











Preheat oven to 375

Punch dough down and divide into 3 sections.

Roll section into a 12 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.

Place a few TB of  filling on the wide end













 roll up, pressing edges slightly to seal.

Repeat with remaining dough sections and filling.

Place on greased baking sheet and brush with a little melted butter if desired.








Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.











Great with a cream of mushroom sauce to top it, but sauce-less is great too.
1 can  condensed cream of mushroom soup(homemade)
1/2 cup sour cream
milk to thin
Mix soup and sour cream  in a saucepan and heat through, mixing well, thin with milk as desired.


To Freeze:
Cool Completely and freeze in a single layer on cookie sheets. When fully frozen place in a ziplock freezer bag and return to freezer.

To Reheat:
Preheat oven to 400, bake 12-15 minutes on a cookie sheet. Or you can cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes, it will just be a little softer.

Easy Potato Gnocchi

I had an extra pouch of Betty Crocker Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes leftover from a Cafemom Influencer Program. I did not want to make regular mashed potatoes again so I dug up an instant potato gnocchi that I found on TasteofHome.com.... I just modified it a little bit to include the flavored potatoes


1 pouch(1 cup) Betty Crocker potato flakes( I used Roasted Garlic but you could use any flavor)
1 cup boiling water
1 beaten egg
approx 1.5 cups flour
if you are using plain potato flakes season them to your taste:
(basil, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper, salt or seasoning salt, onion powder ETC)
alternately you can use 1 cup of your homemade mashed potatoes, just omit the boiling water and season to your taste if they are not already pre-seasoned. Great use for left over mashed!

In a large bowl add potato flakes and pour in boiling water, stir well and add beaten egg.











Slowly mix in flour until you have a
dough.

Turn on to floured surface and knead well.

Divide into 4 sections













Get out your playdough skills and roll each section into a 1/2 inch thick rope.

Gently cut into approx 1/2 inch pieces...you can go bigger or smaller to suit your needs, just remember they grow a bit when boiled.

With a fork press each piece and gently roll them to create a grooved little roll shape.

Repeat with the other sections.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce heat to a gentle-medium boil. Drop the gnocchi in by batches(about 1/3 of the total at a time depending on your pot size)









Boil them for 1-2 minutes until they rise to the surface.

Remove them with a slotted spoon draining well and set on a plate.











Top with your favorite sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and you are all done!!

I even threw some in the turkey stew in place of potatoes this evening!  Turn out quite tasty!

GNOCCHI FREEZES VERY WELL!!

You can make a big batch and pull them out as needed. Freeze (don't boil first) them on a cookie sheet then put them in a freezer bag. Pull them out an toss them in the boiling water until they float!

They CAN be frozen after you boil them but the texture is a little softer.