Orange-Spiced French Toast with Pomegranate-Orange Syrup

So, I got a big box of POM pomegranate juice in the mail several weeks ago (thanks again POM!). It's probably no secret to you that pomegranates are nutritional powerhouses, particularly for their antioxidants.

It's potent stuff, too. Steve and the girls loved drinking it straight-up, but not me. I'm kind of sensitive to sour things (I can't even handle eating Jolly Ranchers) and it made my face implode a little. It makes my glands tickle just thinking about it.

It is, however, great when it's mixed up in a smoothie or made into popsicles. Pomegranate juice reminds me a lot of cranberry juice. And since cranberry + orange = bliss, I thought that pomegranate juice would probably pair well with oranges, too. Oh, they did.

I'll definitely be making this one again. Maybe for breakfast next time. :)

In my perfect food blogging world, I would have thrown on a few pomegranate seeds for garnish and placed it on a white plate so the color of the syrup would really pop. But my world on the day this photo was taken had two cranky-hungry little ones, no clean white plates, and about 15 seconds to get a picture of this because there wouldn't be any leftovers. My world is OK, I think. On most days I wouldn't trade my kids for pomegranate seed garnish.

Orange-Spiced French Toast with Pomegranate-Orange Syrup
by Natalie, inspired by Bon Appetit

5-6 large 1/2-inch slices of rustic Italian, French, or sourdough bread (I used a round loaf)
5 eggs
1 c milk (preferably whole)
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 c + 2 T brown sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c pomegranate juice
butter

First, get the syrup going by combining the juice from both oranges (about 1/2 c), 1/2 c pomegranate juice, 1/4 c brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low. Allow mixture to boil gently until reduced by about 1/2 or until it thickens slightly. This should take 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, 1 tsp cinnamon, vanilla, 2 T brown sugar, and zest from both oranges in a shallow baking pan. (A 11x7 casserole works well.) Lay 2-3 slices of bread (or as many as you can fit) in the pan and let it soak for a minute or two. Turn and soak for an additional 30 seconds or so. Transfer soaked bread to a large nonstick pan heated to medium-high heat (adding a bit of butter before, if you like. I like.) Cook for about 5-7 minutes, flipping once, or until both sides are golden brown and french toast is firm and cooked through.

Serves 4.

Nat's Notes:
1. If you remember to, zest the oranges before you squeeze the juice out of them. It's easier that way. :)

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Zuppa Toscana

Though a popular soup at Olive Garden, this isn't meant to be a "copycat" recipe. It might taste pretty close, but I can't even remember the last time I had this soup, let alone ate at OG. (Not my favorite place. Carino's stole my heart.) I ran across a couple of recipes lately and combined them according to my liking and this is what I ended up with.

This soup is rich, creamy and the flavors just pop, for lack of a better word. The type of sausage and chicken broth you use are important as the majority of the flavor in the soup come from those two. So get good quality broth and sausage that you like.

This soup also has kale in it. If you've never had kale, here's a (slightly wilted. . . the kale, not the photo) shot of this good-for-you green:

Never used kale? It's easy to prep, just take a hold of the stem like so:

rip off the leaves from the stem, then chop them up however you want. Easy. One of the things I like about kale is that it's a tough green. Tougher than spinach and won't turn slimy when you add it to soup -- even after 20 minutes of simmering. And don't be afraid to use a lot. Like just about all greens, the mountain you have sitting on your cutting board won't take up that much space once it's cooked.

Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup)
compiled from multiple sources

1 lb uncooked Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (see note)
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups fresh chopped kale, about 1/2 bunch
4 cups chicken broth (or 3 1/2 cups chicken broth + 1/2 c white wine)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon to the pot and cook for about 4-5 minutes until it starts to render off its fat. Remove sausage from casings and crumble into pot. Cook until the sausage is well-browned and the bacon is crisp, about 5-6 more minutes. Remove sausage and bacon from the pot with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Add onion to the pot and saute until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add 1/2 c of the chicken broth (or wine, if using) to the pan and stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining broth, potatoes, kale, water to the pot. Return the sausage and bacon to the pot as well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty French bread if you like.

Serves 6.

Nat's Notes:
1. If you use spicy sausage, take that into consideration when you add the red pepper flakes, holding back if necessary.

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Hearty Cheeseburger Soup

Here's the second of three soup recipes I want to share with you. This one's pretty straightforward.

Soup that tastes like a cheeseburger with fries in it. For reals.

Both girls happily gobbled this up that night and for lunch a couple of times later in the week. So did we. :)

Hearty Cheeseburger Soup
adapted from BHG.com

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14-oz cans beef broth
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or American blend), about 8 oz
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c pickle juice
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 cup whole milk
Toasted buns or rolls
Toppings such as pickles, onions, mustard and/or ketchup

Crumble beef into a heavy 4-qt pot over medium heat. Stir and cook until browned. Remove from pan and drain fat if necessary. Return pot to the burner, still over medium heat, and add onion and celery. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Stir in broth and potatoes. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Return cooked ground beef to the pot and add tomatoes, cheese, tomato paste, ketchup, pickle juice, mustard, and Worcestershire. Cook and stir until cheese is melted and smooth an soup comes to a simmer. Stir in milk; heat through. Serve with bread and toppings, if desired.

Serves 6.

Nat's notes:
1. The pickle juice is odd, I know, but it brightened the flavors in the soup. It didn't taste too pickley.
2. Speaking of pickles, diced pickles were our favorite topping.

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Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, Pioneer Woman's new recipe community. I've met so many wonderful people and found some absolute recipe gems on that site. Go check it out if you have a minute. Angela from Your Everyday Mama submitted this recipe to the site and was lucky enough to have it featured on the front page for a day! She also has a gorgeous food blog.

This soup was sweet and smoky with just the right amount of heat. I froze half of the soup (it makes a lot) and was grateful to have it a few days ago for a quick, easy dinner. I also roasted a couple of extra potatoes to save for waffles later in the week! (recipe coming. . .)

Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
adapted from Your Everyday Mama via Tasty Kitchen

4 whole sweet potatoes, roasted and cubed
2- ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
8 slices bacon
1 cup leeks, sliced and rinsed well
1 whole sweet onion
2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 2 tsp dried
2 boxes chicken stock (32oz each), divided
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped
1- ½ cup heavy cream

Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour at 375 degrees F, until fork tender. Once soft, peel and cube.

Fry bacon in a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pot. Once crispy, remove and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot. Add leeks, onion, corn, thyme and marjoram to the pot, stirring constantly until tender. Add cubed sweet potatoes, 1-1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock, and chipotle peppers; simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend 1/2-1/3 of the soup. (Or transfer to a blender and do the same. You'll want to leave some of the corn and potato cubes whole.)

Simmer chowder for another 10 minutes, then add heavy cream and combine well. If your chowder seems too thick, add more chicken stock and/or water to thin until you reach the desired consistency. Top with crumbled bacon.
Tips: Serve with corn chips or a nice crusty french loaf.

Nat's Notes:
1. Try freezing the remainder of your chipotle peppers to use later. Take an ice tray and place one pepper inside each compartment. Add some of the sauce to each so it freezes neatly. When they're frozen, remove from the ice tray and place in a freezer bag for storage.

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Fruit 'n' Yogurt Pops

My girls love these yogurt pops. I made them all summer, and everyday Sophie asks me, "pop-aco affer nap?" (Popsicle after nap?) They're a great incentive for her to take a nap. Otherwise she drives me batty all evening. Like last night.

So it's November and I'm still making them. And when we run out, she tells me we need to make more. No more yogurt? "Go to store. Get yogurt." Yogurt pops are going to be a year-round staple for us, I imagine.

After making these pops over the summer, I created one that was easier, less time to make, and a bit healthier. I've had a few people ask me about these and what I put in them, so I thought I'd post it here. I like using plain, whole milk yogurt because I can control the sugar content. Some fruit is sweeter than others, so sometimes just a smidgen is needed to take the edge off the yogurt. (Although Sophie will eat bowls full of that stuff plain. Sour cream, too. She's nuts.) Try to find organic or at least preservative-free yogurt, free of hormones. I like the Mountain High brand or the organic European-style they sell at Trader Joe's. Making it yourself would be even better. That's on my list to do eventually.

No, she doesn't have a lazy eye. She just looks that way in pics sometimes.

They feel awfully good on teething gums, too.

I made them the same way I made the other pops, but without the layers. If you want to see more photos and instruction, check out that post.

Fruit 'n' Yogurt Pops
an original recipe by Natalie

2 c. plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 - 2 c. smashed fruit or 100% fruit juice
up to 1/3 c. sugar or honey (to your liking)
1/2 tsp vanilla

12 popsicle sticks
12 3-ounce paper cups (the "bathroom" ones)

Place paper cups into a freezer-safe container that you will put into the freezer. Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a medium-sized bowl, then ladel into paper cups. Place a piece of aluminum foil over top (it's easier if you line up the cups into a square). With a sharp knife, make tiny slits over each cup, then place the popsicle through the slits. (If you just shove the popsicles in without making the slits first, the foil will probably tear and your sticks won't stand up straight.)

Freeze for several hours, or until frozen solid. Remove foil and place pops into a gallon-size freezer bag. Begin bribing your children.

Makes a dozen pops.

Nat's Notes:
1. Using more fruit juice will yield icier pops. Smashed fruit seems to keep them creamier. So does using whole-milk yogurt.
2. You probably know this already, but don't put honey in these if you're giving them to a baby under 1 year of age.

Here are the variations we've tried. Not to be cliche, but the possibilities really are endless. . .

Orange Cream: 1 1/2 c. orange juice + 1 tsp. orange zest
Orange Pineapple: 1 c. orange juice + 1 c. pineapple puree + 1 tsp. orange zest
Strawberry Lemonade: 1 c smashed strawberries + 1/4 c. lemon juice + 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
Peachy Cream: 5 smashed peaches + 1 tsp lemon juice
Mango Cream: 2 smashed mangoes + 1 tsp lemon juice
Blackberry Cream: 1 1/2 c smashed blackberries + 1 tsp lemon juice
Pomegranate Kiwi: 4-5 smashed kiwis + 1/2 c pomegranate juice + 1 tsp lime juice

(If you're wondering why I add lemon/lime juice, it gives the pops a "brighter" flavor.)

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Spicy, Citrusy Black Beans

I feel like I need a de-tox. Ah, Halloween . . . the kick-off for "candy season" as we call it here. It seems from Halloween to Easter there's a steady stream of candy and sweets that enter and v-e-r-y slowly exit our house. I guess only some things exit slowly. We usually have Halloween candy until after Valentine's Day, but anything baked gets scarfed within a day or two. There's no shelf life to baked goods -- they'll go stale! (read: I have no self control.)

I think a batch of these beans could get me back on track, though. Beans, especially black ones, are very good for you. I've been leery of using dry beans for a long time because they ALWAYS take longer to cook than I anticipate, and they end up tasting very bland, but this recipe won me over. These beans have SO much flavor, you could eat them plain as a vegetarian chili. They're great as a side dish to any Mexican or Southwest-syle dinner, a flavorful addition to soups, nachos, or salads.

It filled my 4.5 qt pot to the rim and I froze them in 2-cup (a little more than a can) servings to pull out later.

Spicy, Citrusy Black Beans
from Simply Recipes

4 cups dried black beans
2 ½ quarts (10 cups) water
2-3 fresh sprigs oregano, or 1 Tbsp dried
3 bay leaves
6 small or 3 large sage leaves
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions
2 chopped peppers – bell pepper, Anaheim, or jalapeño (your choice, depending on taste for heat), seeds, stems and ribs discarded
6 cloves crushed garlic
2 tablespoons Ancho red chili sauce, or chili powder or Tabasco to taste
1-2 teaspoons of puréed chipotle in adobo, chipotle Tabasco, or chipotle powder (to taste)
1 tablespoon cumin, (crushed whole toasted cumin seed is best, if possible)
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate or 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Prepare the beans. Rinse and sort the beans, discarding any stones or shriveled beans. You can soak the beans overnight in cold water (cover with several inches of water) to speed up the cooking process. If you soak, discard the soaking liquid after soaking.


Add beans to a large pot with 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) of water. Add oregano, bay leaves, and sage. Bring the beans to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are soft, but not quite done. The time will vary depending on how large, dry, or old your beans are, and if you have pre-soaked them, from anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.


While the beans are cooking, sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add chili puree and cumin, and garlic. Sauté until spices are fragrant.


Remove and discard the bay leaves, stems of oregano, and sage leaves from the pot of beans. Remove, but reserve, extra cooking liquid until there is about 1/2-inch of liquid above beans. Add the onion mixture and salt to the pot of beans. Cook another hour or so until thickened. Add reserved liquid if needed.

Add half of the orange juice, and simmer. Adjust chili heat at this point – you may or may not want to add more of your chili paste. Just before serving, add remaining orange juice, lime juice, and vinegar. Salt to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. 
Serve with corn tortillas, and/or rice, sour cream, and salsa.


Serves 8.


Nat's Notes:
1. You could also divide the beans into 1 1/2 c portions (about the size of a can) and freeze in a resealable freezer bag to use later.

Vampire Cookies

Aren't these rad? I wanted to make these last year for Halloween, then for the Twilight movie premier (no regrets there - the movie was weak), but didn't. I was 8 months pregnant. That's my only excuse.

These were pretty easy to put together. That's coming from someone who despises rolling out cookie dough. (They ALWAYS stick to the counter. ALWAYS!) The dough is much easier to handle when it's chilled, so working quickly is a must. I also got to try out my new silicon baking liner on these. LOVED it!

Taste? They were good, but weren't amazing -- just a simple butter cookie with strawberry filling. These are definitely for looks. I'm surprised that I made them at all because I'm usually more concerned about what something tastes like than fussing over appearance. (Which is why the Wilton cake decorating class fell on my deaf ears. Buttercream made with shortening is disgusting. Especially when you're pregnant. The end.)

Vampire Cookies
from Baking Bites


3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

approx 1/2 cup red jam (raspberry/strawberry)

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and a bit airy. Beat in egg and extracts. 
Add flour and salt to the bowl and mix them into the butter-sugar mixture at low speed until dough is just combined.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.


Preheat oven to 325F. Divide dough in half and keep the portion you are not using in the refrigerator.
 Roll dough out on a floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out 2-inch rounds.


Place rounds on a baking sheet, put a teaspoon of jam on each of them and cover with another round of dough. Press edges down lightly, sealing the edges together. Use a toothpick and poke two small holes (like a vampire bite) in the top of each cookie.
 Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set.


Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
 Dip a toothpick in some extra red jam and re-insert in the “bite” holes you made before baking to emphasize them, if not already red. Draw a blood trick down from one of the bites with the jam, if desired.
Cookies are best the day they are made.

Makes 2 dozen.

Nat's Notes:
1. I don't like almond extract, so I left it out.

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