Cannoli French Toast

From Every Day with Rachael Ray October 2010

4 Servings

• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 12 slices sandwich bread

Sift 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, then stir in 1 cup ricotta cheese. In a medium bowl, beat together 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Trim the crusts off 12 slices sandwich bread and, using a rolling pin, roll out the bread to flatten. Add 1 tablespoon of the sweetened ricotta to each slice, fold over and pinch the edges together. (The edges will seal during cooking.) In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Working in 3 batches, dip the stuffed bread slices in the egg mixture and transfer to the skillet. Cook, turning once, until puffed and golden, about 3 minutes. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar before serving

My Review: This was so easy to make, but felt very fancy to make. I wasn't sure I would like this because I'm kind of iffy on ricotta. It ended up being delicious. The pieces aren't very big. If you have big eaters, you might want to double the recipe.

Boston-Cream Peanut-Butter Breakfast Banana Split

from the Biggest Loser Cookbook

• 1 small ripe banana (about 6" long), peeled and halved lenghtwise
• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter
• 1/3 cup low-fat, artifically sweetened Boston cream pie-flavored yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons crunchy high-fiber, low -sugar cereal (such as Grape-Nuts)

Place the banana halves in a small banana split dish or shallow bowl, with the cut sides facing inward. Spread the peanut butter evenly over the open banana. Spoon the yogurt in the middle. Top with the cereal. Serve immediately

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 294 calories, 8 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 3 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 241 mg sodium.

My Review: I'm always looking for new breakfast ideas! This is a fast and easy combo that's easy to take to work. It left me full for most of the morning. Definite repeater.

Eggs Benedict

from For the Love of Cooking (Click here to see the original recipe with FABULOUS photos)

• 1 egg, poached
• 2 slices of crispy bacon
• 1/2 an English muffin (I used a light English muffin)
• Hollandaise sauce
• Fresh parsley for garnish (I omitted)

Cook the bacon and reheat the hollandaise in a double boiler (add a bit of water to thin it out).

A lot of people poach eggs directly in water but I always put mine in a ramekin. In a large skillet with high sides, add 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add a bit of butter to a ramekin then crack the egg inside the ramekin. Place the ramekin in the boiling water. Reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for 4 minutes then remove ramekin from pan.

Toast the English muffin while the egg is poaching. Place the bacon on top of the toasted English muffin, add the poached egg then pour the hollandaise (as much as you want) on top. Garnish with a bit of fresh parsley and serve.

My Review: Eggs Benedict is definitely my favorite breakfast food. I order it all the time in restaurants but am scared to death to try to make it on my own. This recipe was delicious. This was the first time I've had Eggs Benedict with bacon -- delicious! I poached my eggs the way Pam recommended -- they turned out BEAUTIFULLY. This was a super easy recipe to make. Simon liked it too - so it's boy-friendly!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

from For the Love of Cooking (click here to see the official recipe with pictures)

Serves 4 @ 308 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g fiber (pancakes only)

Cinnamon Syrup:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup water

Stir all the dry ingredients together in a small saucepan. Add the water and vanilla and stir occasionally until boiling. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.

Pancakes:

• 2 cups of Bisquick pancake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp clove

Combine all dry ingredients until well blended. Add the milk and eggs into dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly (there should be some lumps). Heat a bit of butter in a skillet or griddle, over medium heat. Once hot, add a ladle full of pancake batter to the pan and cook for a few minutes; once you see bubbles forming on top of the pancakes, flip. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until done. Serve with fresh hot cinnamon syrup.

My Review: These were delicious, of course! I'm all about pumpkin anything so of course pumpkin pancakes are a big hit. The syrup was yummy too - sweet and spicy!

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

from Closet Cooking

Click here for recipe with photos!

(makes 4 large pancakes) I got 5 servings out of this - 2 med pancakes per serving

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 cup blueberries

Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix the buttermilk, eggs and butter in another bowl. Mix the wet and dry ingredients making sure to not over mix. Mix in the blue berries. Heat a pan and melt a touch of butter in it. Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into the pan and heat until the surface starts to bubble and the bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook the other side until the bottom is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

REVIEW: Yum! These were tasty AND filling. I loved the cornmeal flavor.