French Toast Bake

 

This is insanely delicious. I used to believe that there should be a law that does not allow you to mess with cinnamon rolls in a can. They come already seasoned. You pop the can open with a spoon or smash it against the side of the counter, because let's be real you can never pull the paper off and it pops. Kind of like the macaroni and cheese box that tells you to push that triangle at the top of the box in and pull back. If you have ever been able to do that successfully without using a knife or scissors please comment below. I have NEVER been able to do that and I used to go hard core on some macaroni and cheese after school. Give me some spiral with butter and a splash of milk mixed with that yummy powder. Call me gross if you want..That stuff was great!

I Digress.....

Oh and Trader Joe's Cinnamon Rolls....Yeah I can eat 3 in one sitting. It's madness! If you haven't tried them yet you are missing out on life. They need to be eaten at night, in front of the TV, in your pajamas or yoga pants. And you cannot feel guilty about eating them. Because moderation people...mod-er-a-tion.

Luckily you can use this recipe and also eat them in the morning because you need to buy two packs..Why?? Because you will hate your life if you just buy one. My Trader Joes is far. Like get in the car and drive 20 minutes far. At least that's far to me. 

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls knock my socks off too, don't get me wrong. I will go hard with those too. But to me those are breakfast only Rolls. They both work so pick your poison favorite.

This French Toast bake adds the richness of butter, eggs, and milk to the mix. Then topped with the yummy frosting right when it comes out of the oven. 

I've tried this recipe with Trader Joe's Cinnamon Rolls and Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. Trader Joe's are a bit bigger and have a more cinnamon taste. Either one will work. 

 French Toast Bake

1 can cinnamon rolls 

1/2 C. milk

1 egg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp. butter (I used Land O Lakes) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and put in an 8x8 Pyrex dish or whatever dish (similar size) you have with sides. Mix milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and egg together. Open can of cinnamon rolls and slice each roll into 8 individual pieces. Place all the pieces in the egg and milk mixture and stir to combine. Put into the 8x8 dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown on top and done in the middle. Heat frosting that came in the cinnamon roll pack for a few seconds in the microwave. Pour over the French Toast. Serve warm. 

You can top with roasted pecans or walnuts and/or add some hot maple syrup if you really feel naughty. 

Enjoy!

Lemon - Berry Rolls

Sometimes you have ingredients in your refrigerator and think....

"What should I do with all of this stuff?" 

Well you go to google, put in the ingredients that you have, and miraculously recipes appear.

I found this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything. 

It is a blueberry and lemon crescent ring. The recipe calls for a can of crescent rolls and delicious sweetened cream cheese with just the right amount of lemon juice for a kick. This is good friends. 

Here is the sweetened cream cheese. You have to mix it really good to give it a nice whipped and creamy look. 

Once you stretch out the dough, spread the cream cheese mixture all over and place the blueberries on top. I had to push the blueberries into the mixture a bit so they wouldn't slide when I rolled the dough up. 

Once the dough is rolled, slice using a serrated knife and place in a circle like above. 

Bake these puppies up at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Once they come out spread the icing on top. 

Blueberry and Lemon Crescent Rings

adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 tbsp. lemon zest

1 can Crescent rolls

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. fresh blueberries

Glaze

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. milk 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper. In small bowl, combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Mix until well blended. Unroll the pack of crescent rolls and pinch the separation areas to make the dough combine and lay flat in one rectangular piece. 

Spread cream cheese mixture all over dough and top with blueberries. Push the blueberries into the cream cheese mixture a bit to make sure they won't move when you roll up the dough. Starting with the long side, roll the dough up until if forms a roll. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices. Place each slice on the parchment lined cookie tray, overlapping ever so slightly. Bake for 20-30 minutes. 

While this is cooking combine your powdered sugar and milk to make the glaze. 

Once the crescent rolls are done, remove from the oven and pour the glaze over them. 

Enjoy!

French Toast

I didn't forget to take a picture this time! Be proud....be very proud! It's a phone pic....but its a pic so don't get all judgy. I think the phone pic looks pretty good. I would cook this meal and eat it. Ha! 

We bought the bread at Costco after tasting devouring 5 slices with melted butter from the little vendor/samplers. Those people are dangerous. I pretty much purchase all the food they beg me to sample. It's a psychological thing that Costco does. Don't believe me...read this. 

The bread sat in the bag for about 2 days until I decided to slice it up, soak it in some egg and milk mixture, and fry it up in butter. I love my arteries. 

*Just wanted to mention that I use a large black cast iron skillet to make my french toast in. I find that it makes a better crust and cooks the toast better. 

*When adding the butter to the pan, be sure to turn down the heat each time you add more. If you add butter to the already hot skillet, it will burn the butter and your toast. You want to melt the butter, increase the heat, then add the bread. 

French Toast

4 slices of  2-3 day old french bread

1/2 c. milk (I used soy)

1 egg

1 tbsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter

Fresh Fruit of any kind

Syrup (warm this in the microwave or pan)

Powdered Sugar

Mix the milk, eggs, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Place 1 slice of bread into the mixture coating each side. Place in the hot skillet and cook on both sides. Repeat with remaining slices, stirring the milk, egg, and cinnamon mixture each time. Add butter to the pan as needed. Serve warm, topped with fruit, powdered sugar, and syrup.