Sweet French Toast Bake

I'm a total breakfast girl. I wake up and I am HUNGRY. I love breakfast because it is the start of a brand new day, and the wonderful smells of coffee, pancakes, eggs, pastries, sausage, oh the list goes on and on--- well they're just the best thing ever to wake up to. 

Since we've been on the quarantine, I've had so much more time to try new recipes and cook--- all the time. This recipe I found really great, especially if you have old bread lying around and you don't want to throw it away. It was SO good, and your kitchen will smell amazing! Buon Appetito!

Ingredients

(For the toast)

 4-5 Bread Slices  

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

butter for the pan

(for the topping)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons butter
maple syrup for serving

fruit for topping serving

               

let's make it

                                    

1.  Butter the baking pan with a few tablespoons of butter.
 
2. Tear/cut the bread slices into cubes, and distribute evenly in baking pan. 


3. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour over the bread in the baking pan. Then place it in the fridge to cool as you preheat the oven. 

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. For the topping: mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and some nutmeg in a bowl. Add a few slices of butter, and mix everything together until the consistency is like pebbles. 

6. Remove the baking pan from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the bread. 

7. Bake for around 40 minutes.

Formaggio in Casa

As often as I can, I write down old family recipes in my recipe notebooks. I want to make sure I have every little detail down so I can continue preserving my family culture, foods, and traditions.

I always loved the simplicity and taste of when my nonna made her own cheese. So I made sure to ask her how to make it and document it. We had lunch and then a nice espresso as we waited for the cheese to curdle on the big pot she had put on the stove. She laughed the entire time that I wanted to record this and save it as she explained the process to me. Here is the recipe and my photographs!

Ingredients

1 gallon of whole milk

1 tablet of Junket Rennet Tablets

 Salt

                          Cheese Molds                     

let's make it

                                    

1.  Place a large pot over low heat and pour the entire gallon of milk in the pot.
 
2. Place 1 tablet in a small cup with a teaspoon of water and break it apart with a spoon.


3. Place the broken apart tablet in the pot with milk and stir.
 
4. Place a lid over the pot and cook on low heat until the tablet begins to curdle the milk and chunks start to form. It is around 1 and a half hours. Be sure to check on it occasionally.
 
5. Once all of the broken up cheese rises to the top, take a kitchen skimmer and take the cheese out of the pot and onto a plate.
 
6. Take the cheese and place it in the cheese mold to cool for about 1 hour.
 
7. Once the cheese has cooled, you can slice the cheese into pieces for everyone to enjoy. 

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

I grew up with pasta. I mean obviously, I am indeed Italian. But I won't lie, sometimes pasta can get boring for me. Gasp! I know, I know, I admitted it. Which is why I love when pasta dishes have a different flair to it!

Don't get me wrong, I would never trade our pasta with fresh homemade tomato sauce... but sometimes I want something a little more extra. 

So here is my Papa's (he has his own youtube cooking show now: Pasta Fazool!) Bucatini all'Amatriciana. He whipped it up one night for his episode and of course, I snagged the recipe. 

It's super simple with lots of flavor and will truly wow your next dinner guests ;) Buon Appetito! 

 

 Ingredients 

 

1 lb Bucatini pasta

 2oz extra virgin olive oil

 1 med onion chopped

 6 oz smoked bacon chopped

 2-3 oz of you favorite white wine

 12oz can of peeled tomato (San Marzano) preferred

 Salt and chili pepper to taste

Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

 

let's make it 

1.  Pour 2 oz. of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat. 

2. Chop up one medium onion and place it in the pan with the oil. Stir frequently to not burn. 

3. Chop up about 6 oz. of bacon and place it in the pan with onions. Let cook and sizzle until light brown. 

4. Add the peeled and squished tomato sauce. Let ingredients cook and simmer. Stir occasionally.  

5. Add the white wine, chili pepper, and salt. Stir and cook for around 20 minutes. 

6. Boil Bucatini pasta in another pot as per box instructions (al dente preferred. ) 

7. Once pasta and sauce are cooked, drain the Bucatini. 

8. Scoop enough sauce to pour over Bucatini pasta and mix it well.

9. Before serving each dish, add another spoonful of sauce over the pasta.