Holiday French Toast

What better way to celebrate a three-day weekend than with a scrumptious, eat-it-in-your-pajamas breakfast? In honor our day off, I cooked us up some vanilla French toast (topped with maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar, of course) and served it along with some peppered bacon from my local meat market. I do use real sugar in the batter (just a tablespoon!), because it helps the toast caramelize in the hot pan. A little almond extract gives it that extra bit of pizzazz, and serving it is easy—just let eaters dress their own from any range of toppers. Oh, and this dish is gluten-free, too. (Thanks to the folks at Rudi’s Organic Bakery for making such versatile, non-dry gluten-free multigrain bread.)

Tropical Dark Chocolate Bark

Well, it's 2011 and I didn't wake up with a kill-myself hangover on January 1. I think that qualifies as starting on a positive note. I'm back in Oregon after visiting family for the holidays and, oh my, is it freezing here. (I mean, not THAT freezing since I'm a hearty cold-weather person now...) 

I’ve been on a cleaning frenzy since I got home (thank GOD for getting home), and I think it would take me approximately three more days to actually make a dent. I know I'll lose my momentum once I'm working all day, but I'm trying to deep clean the whole house, donate old stuff, and rid my life of clutter. That’s what we’re supposed to do for a fresh start, right?

Another 2011 goal for me is to focus on quality over quantity in my food consumption. For example, instead of a dessert made of white flour and sugar that only leaves me wanting more, I’m hoping to create sweets that satisfy in smaller portions. My first attempt at that is some dark chocolate bark, sprinkled with organic dried fruit I picked up on the cheap in the bulk bin aisle.

Ingredients

3 cups dark chocolate
1 cup dried pineapple, chopped (low sugar or no sugar added)
1 cup dried apricots, chopped (no sugar added)

1. Melt the chocolate according to your melting preference. I poured mine in a dish and melted it in the microwave, taking it out and stirring it every 30 seconds to prevent burning. It could also be melted in a double boiler on a stovetop.

2. Spread the chocolate across the bottom of a greased baking dish, smoothing it in a shallow layer.

3. Sprinkle the chopped pieces of dried fruit across it.

4. Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares.

No-Bake Chocolate Oat Bars

Now officially working three jobs, my baking time has sadly dwindled into a few remaining evening and weekend hours. (You know, the ones that are also occupied with walking the dog, preparing meals, fitting in exercise, time with friends and family, and catching up on my reality TV marathons). Luckily, summer days are longer and, hey, I’m getting paid to teach elementary school kids—that thing I’m trying to do as a career (until I open my own bake shop).

Like many of my recipes, this was inspired by one that my mom often made in the warm summer months for my sister and I. It doesn’t require an oven—just the melting together of cocoa, sugar, and (in my case) coconut butter on the stove before stirring in a few other basic ingredients. From what I can gather, no-bake cookies are a Midwest thing, usually with peanut butter and butter, and dropped in dollops onto cookie sheets to harden. Besides the obvious axing of the butter, I opted for almond butter over peanut (it’s just what I had on hand) and poured it all into a square baking dish, resulting in even-easier-to-make bars. The first time I made them they lacked a little something, so I added chopped nuts for more texture and kick of flavor. Go ahead, try them!