Welcome Back!

Wooh!
It's been a while since I've been here. In the past few months, I have started a new job which has required A LOT of travelling and general craziness, but I'm happy to be back. I've changed my old blog a bit, updating it to a cooking-only blog, so welcome! I hope you find something to suit your tastebuds.

Happy Sunday!
This morning, my sweet little dog woke me up at 7:30, so I figured I'd tackle an apple-stuffed strata to enjoy with the windows open and the sun shining through.

This recipe originally came from a December 2012 Cooking Light issue, intended as a Christmas morning breakfast, prepped at night for minimal AM kitchen-slaving - leaving you to enjoy time with you family. But it doesn't have to soak over night. If you've got a leisurely weekend morning, why not?

Apple-Stuffed Strata

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes; Serves 8

• 2 t. butter
• 4 c. sliced peeled Golden Delicious apples
• 6 T. granulated sugar
• Cooking spray
• Cinnamon swirl bread, slices cut in half diagonally
• 3/4 c chopped pecans, 
• 1 1/2 c. low fat milk
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 5 large eggs
• 1 T. granulated sugar

Preparation

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add apple and 1 T. sugar to pan. Saute apples 8 minutes or until apple is tender and lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Coat a glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange half the bread in the dish, top with apples and a sprinkling of pecans. Arrange rest of bread over the pecans.

I used a 2 1/2 quart ceramic Le Creuset dish. This dish is perfect for casseroles, as well as cooking longer veggies like asparagus and marinating meats.

Combine 5 T sugar, eggs, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread, making sure to press the bread down to coat it in egg. Here's where you'd cover and chill overnight, if you're starting this at night.

When you're ready to bake, sprinkle the remaining pecans and 1 T of sugar over the strata. Bake at 350F for about 50 minutes and eat!

I bought my cinnamon bread at the Farmer's Market on Armitage yesterday. I wish I could tell you which vendor made it, but I forget. It was delicious. I ate a good third of it while slicing. I'm looking forward to this left-over hunk toasted with lots of melty butter.

 

Have a great day!