Cheater Crepes

Already feeling very shut-in, being pregnant and sick, living in a community that is far-removed from ...everything... we are also surrounded by hills that allow nothing other than three PBS stations to come in on our TV. (THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET OR WE'D BE CRAZY BY NOW!!!) At least one of our three magic stations is Create, a fun channel that is varied in topics and styles. One of the best shows on Create is Pati's Mexican Table. My husband and I look forward to Pati's show because she shows how to cook real Mexican food, the real Mexican way. I love watching primarily to reminisce about the times I had in Mexico, and of course, lust after real food.

Sometimes she does something really different. Last night she made Dedos Gitanos, "Gypsy Fingers". I don't know why they call them this, but pretty much anything named Gypsy sounds fun though =)  I was starving, so as soon as she showed how to make them, my husband ran to the grocery store to get eggs and bread to cook for me! (Isn't he the sweetest?!?!?!) And then today for lunch, I couldn't take it, I had to have more!!! So, I cooked them up, a little different yet, and took pictures for you.

These are basically rolled up French Toasts. My husband described them as "cheater crepes" - very accurate! They are thin and light, sweet and eggy. If you like breakfast anytime of day, you'll love these =)

Roll out 4 pieces of a great country white bread between layers of plastic wrap.

Mix 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, pinch of sea salt, and 1/2 cup heavy cream in baking dish.

My little "helper" sneaking some of the filling -- Chocolate Nougat from my last post =)

Roll bread up.

Roll in egg mixture...

...and leave in dish for baking.

Only 4 fit into my casserole, but if you have a larger baking dish and are making this for more people, just double or triple the recipe proportionately.

Top with small bits of butter; bake at 350 for 28 minutes. You might want to check on them after 20, depending on your oven.

I made whipped cream to top mine. I don't believe in adding sugar to whipped cream when it's topping something that's already sweet, so this is just cream and vanilla.

Whip until it forms waves in the bowl and sticks to the beaters.

It should be a golden brown when done.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, top with more Chocolate Nougat...

...it will melt into a creamy blissful goo =)

Decorate to your heart's content =)

If you want to see the original recipe:

http://www.patismexicantable.com/2012/10/mexican_french_toast_rolls/

"Hole-in-One" Breakfast Grilled Cheese

I LOVE a good grilled cheese!!! I especially love to play around with different combinations and flavors and breads and meats and cheeses and -- oh my! -- there's SO much you can do with a grilled cheese. It's not just white bread and american cheese, cooked in margarine, and served with canned tomato soup anymore! (Because yuuuck!)

I've talked before about The Magic Cheese, and I have in the past made bacon and cheese. I've even made avocado and cheese. One time a beautiful friend of mine in California, named Eve, taught me how to make "The Perfect Grilled Cheese", which incorporates mayo, turkey, and a Romano & Parmesan mix. But I recently bought a Food Network magazine, and in it there was a booklet on 50 variations of grilled cheese. That gave me some great ideas, and I immediately went to town!

Here I share "Hole-in-One". It is a mix of a couple of their ideas, and a couple of mine =)  I think that it's great for a [hearty] breakfast, but perfect for dinner one night when you want breakfast for dinner, but don't want pancakes =)

I will also go ahead and note that (if you've read Chicken Pesto Panini then you can guess that) I don't don't don't don't dig raw meat. Same for undercooked eggs. I know that runny egg all over toast is supposed to be gourmet cuisine, but I find it repulsive and absolutely inedible. It's like swallowing someone else's loogey. That said, here's the recipe:

*Serving stated is for just one sandwich*

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 slices hearty healthy whole grain bread
Butter for grilling
1 egg, whipped up a bit if you're like me and don't eat eggs runny & gooey =)
Salt & Pepper
2 slices of a more mild cheese, like Provolone
1 serving of cream cheese (1/8 brick)
1 serving of your favorite jelly/jam (usually 1 tsp.)
1 tsp. mayo

WHAT TO DO:
Heat butter in skillet over medium-lowish heat. (Make sure you are using a good non-stick pan!)
With a cookie cutter, cut a hole out of the middle of one slice of bread.

Place bread in pan; pour beaten egg in the cutout.
Let cook 1-2 minutes; flip.
Salt & pepper egg. Place sliced cheese on top.
On other slice of bread, spread cream cheese, then jelly.
Place on top of bread/egg already in pan.
Let cook another 1-2 minutes.

Spread mayo on outside of sandwich; flip.
Let cook a minute or two. Turn heat off, rest in pan for another couple of minutes.

COST: If you use cage-free vegetarian-fed eggs, each sandwich is about $1.60

Since I was eating mine for dinner, I ate it with a salad... But it also pairs well with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, or a mango smoothie =)

Cheers!