Brunch for Lunch...or Brupper for Supper???

Every so often, the kids get a hankering for something different for dinner. Or lunch.

I'm sure everyone has done Brunch for Lunch or Brupper for Supper...essentially having what would normally be a breakfast item for one of those other meals... at some point, right?

I'm not usually big on big breakfasts. And I'm not usually big on having a heavy breakfast. But there's a recipe called Tonga Toast that's really really yummy. And it's worth it every once in a while. It's a feature at the Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

I'm so starving right now...I should not be looking at recipes...

Tonga Toast

2 or 4 slices sourdough bread, cut 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
1 banana
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Oil for frying
Whipped butter and/or syrup

Cut a 1-inch pocket in one side of each bread slice. Cut banana in half crosswise, then split each piece lengthwise. Remove peel and stuff two pieces of fruit in each pocket of bread; set aside. Mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Mix together well the egg, milk and vanilla.

Heat about 4 inches of oil in a pan to 350º F. Dip stuffed bread into egg/milk mixture and let it soak a few seconds to let penetrate bread. Fry bread on both sides in hot oil until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels or wire rack. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve.

Seriously...yumatrocious. You just can't do this one every day if you don't want your arteries to harden.

Enjoy!

Food with a Disney Flair

Oh, yeah, baby. Food at Disney World. There are oh-so-many things that are on the must-have list when we go on vacation there.

You want to know how bad I have this O.D.D.? (By the way that's Obsessive Disney Disorder.)

A lot of times, I plan the to-do list around the dining reservations. Well, okay...to be more accurate...I pick the day we are Magic Kingdom, for example, and then plan the MK day around the dining reservations.

The cool part is that there are some great Disney recipes that you can duplicate at home without a lot of fuss.

One of my absolute favorite restaurants at Disney World is Boma at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Seriously, you need to eat here. The decor is amazing. It's like being in an African marketplace. It's set up like a buffet, but it's different. Instead of having one long line, there are different "pods". So you can do to the pod you want, skip a few, or move along the whole line if you like.

They rotate their menus, but one of the items I love to get there is a Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi. I LOVE Mahi-Mahi. You can actually use whatever fish you want. Lately, they've been using more salmon, but I digress.

Here's the recipe:

Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi

1/2 C cashews, toasted and ground
1/2 C pistachios, toasted and ground
5/8 C pumpkin seeds, toasted and ground - yes, that's not a typo. It's 5/8
1/8 C honey roasted peanuts, ground
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1 T curry powder
1/8 C sugar
1 T cayenne pepper

As far as grinding ingredients, you can use a food processor. If you don't have one, use a food chopper and chop as finely as you can.

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat fish with olive oil. Coat with nut crust. Don't worry; it may be thick. Bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

PS. Curious about Disney World? There are tons of websites out there and several guidebooks.

One website to check out is the Disney Dream Depot.

The best guidebook on the planet is the Passporter. I get one of these every year. I'm not kidding. Every year. I write for their online newsletter from time to time. Check them out.

You'd think we're getting ready for the Super Bowl...

I'm not a huge football fan. I'm more like a football tolerator.

But, you know that everyone in MN is showing their Purple Pride this weekend as the Vikes get going in the NFL playoffs.

When you have football games, you have food. It's a given. A lot of people are having football watching parties this weekend.

You'll have the typical snacks so I'm not going to bore you with that.

I know I've been on a chicken kick. Not totally intentional, but I recognize that it's happened.

In honor of my friend Macaire, I have a vegie recipe for today! Antipasto Vegetable Pizza! While this is a meatless recipe, if you are a meatosaurus, like my daughter, you can add to it.

Antipasto Vegetable Pizza
2 pkgs refrigerated pizza crust
1 T olive oil
1 C grated Provolone cheese
1 jar (6-7 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, undrained - YUM!
1 t Italian seasoning
1 pressed garlic clove - really, you need 2-3 cloves in my opinion
1/2 C pitted ripe black olives
1 small yellow squash or zucchini
2 Roma tomatoes
2 T fresh parsely, chopped
Toasted Pine Nuts (optional - but I SO recommend doing this)

Preheat oven to 400. Now the deal with the pizza crust is to roll both packages out side by side on a Large Bar Pan or cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack and sprinkle cheese over hot crust.

Drain artichoke marinade into a mixing bowl. Add Italian seasoning and garlic. Whisk together.

Chop artichokes and olives and add to bowl.
Cut stem from squash and cut into quarter lengths. If you have a nice slicing tool like a mandoline, that works best. Otherwise, you'll have to make do with your best knife and slice thinly. Once the whole squash is sliced, cut all pieces in half.
Slice tomatoes in half, scrape out seeds and dice.

Add tomatoes and squash to bowl. Mix well until well blended.

Spoon vegetables over pizza, draining off as much marinade as possible. Sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts. Cut pizza into squares and serve.

Note: To toast pine nutes, place 1/4 nuts in a small suate pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted.

YUM! Enjoy!

Coffee...a staple for every morning & used for cooking

I love talking to you all about recipes that are fun and easy. But I know I meander off topic a bit about things that interest me or are going on in my life.

I'm not a big coffee drinker. But I also know I'm in the minority. Those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter know that my family is organizing a coffee drive for Simpson Housing Services in Minneapolis. http://www.simpsonhousing.org

Why? Well, one of their big needs is coffee. They receive a lot of food donations, but coffee is something they frequently buy in bulk. At one shelter, they go through almost 100 cups of coffee a day. Many adults in the shelter get up as early as 3am to take multiple buses to work and coffee helps them get going in the morning. They also have a cup of decaf in the evenings while waiting for a meal.

What would the coffee drinkers of the world do without their morning coffee? I think a lot of times it's taken for granted.

So if this is a small way we can give back and help others, then that's great!

We're about 20lbs short of the goal. And we're delivering the coffee this weekend.

Would you consider donating? If you make a run to the grocery store, consider picking up a bag or can of coffee and let me know where and when I can meet you or pick it up.

And since we're talking about coffee, here's a chicken recipe that actually uses coffee! It's one I haven't used in a while, but was searching my lists and found this one from allrecipes. Even though I'm not a coffee lover, this recipe is actually yumatrocious!

Dave's Mocha Chicken
2/3 C soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C sherry cooking wine - actually real wine gives a better flavor, but use what you have
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee
1/4 C olive oil
6 chicken legs or chicken thighs
Salt & Pepper

Put soy sauce, brown sugar, wine, coffee and 2 T olive oil in a gallon size ziploc bag. Add chicken, remove air and seal. Smoosh it around so it's mixed up pretty well. Let it marinate 3-4 hours or even overnight.

Remove chicken and discard marinade. You can either brown in a skillet until juices run clear or place in a baking dish, cover and bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until juices run clear.

This is also a freezable make-ahead recipe. Take it out the night before and let it thaw before cooking.

Enjoy!

Lemon Greek Chicken

So here we are in 2010.

A lot of people make resolutions of some sort. Many involve eating better, getting more exercise or just being more healthy in general.

I'm going to share my resolutions with you and then a nice tasty and healthy recipe to start off the new year. After all, you shouldn't have to sacrifice great taste to eat right...right?

Here's my bucket list for 2010:

• Eat better. Specifically, watch my portions more. For the most part, I make pretty good choices. But I am such a foodie. I enjoy good food. But I also know that I need to be more disciplined on portions.
• Exercise consistently. I do this now. I'm at the Y 4-5 times a week consistently. But I know I'm lazy sometimes. I wish I could afford a trainer year round, but alas, I need to suck it up and boss myself around.
• Officially launch my Virtual Assistant practice. A little self-promotion here; I'm completing a program with the intent of going through the process of being a Certified Professional Virtual Assistant. I'm so excited about this. If you know moms, micropreneurs, direct sellers or small business owners who could use some behind-the-scenes support, I'd be pleased if you'd share my business with your contacts. Most of you know that I have a serious "can do" attitude. So my VA practice is called Can Do Virtual Assisting. Check out my website at http://www.CanDoVA.com

Ok, now on to the yummy recipe!

Lemon Greek Chicken
2 t lemon zest - this is more of a flavor enhancer than flavor itself. I recommend you use a fresh lemon for the zest and the juice
1/4 C lemon juice
2 T olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, pressed - pressing really gives this recipe great flavor versus chopping
2 t Rosemary Herb Seasoning - this is a specific seasoning that I prefer. You can use dried rosemary if you like
3/4 t salt - optional. If you use Rosemary Herb Seasoning, omit this ingredient as sea salt is included in that seasoning
1/8 t ground pepper
2 medium potatoes - calls for baking potatoes - I like to use Yukon Gold
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into wedges
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges - obviously, this never is in my version
8 oz fresh whole mushrooms - don't slice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix zest, lemon juice, oil, pressed garlic, seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended and set aside. Take potatoes and cut them length wise into 8 wedges. Place in a 9x13 baker. Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Pour 1/2 of the lemon mixture over vegetables and then stir to coat. Place chicken on top of vegetables and evenly pour remaining lemon mixture over the top of the chicken. Brush with pastry brush if needed.

Bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is done. Baste vegies and chicken with juices as needed.

If you are using a Deep Covered Baker, basting is not necessary and time may be reduced to around 45 minutes. If using a Deep Covered Baker in the microwave, estimated cook time is 20 minutes on high.

The nice thing about this recipe is it's pretty well balanced. Yukon Gold Potatoes as a carb are a pretty healthy potato. Add a salad and you're good to go!

Enjoy!