meals and mother's day

S A V O R Y   F R E N C H   T O A S T!!!

Hello friends, I hope you all had wonderful weekends! What did you do for Mother's Day? I had a very gluttonous day. First, we made a Parisian-themed lunch for Dusty's mom, grandma, and other family. Dusty and I made croque-monsieur french toast (recipe from this blog), greens with vinaigrette, and mixed berries with citrus whipped cream. (Recipes below, except for the greens and vinaigrette which can be found here).

After the huge lunch we went over to my mom's house where her boyfriend had cooked up loads of lamb, chicken, and beef kabobs, as well as an assortment of other goodies. By the end of all the eating I was totally stuffed so I tried to work off some of the calories by playing Just Dance (for Nintendo Wii) with my little sisters. The game is super fun-- and as long as you're okay with looking like a complete fool then I highly recommend it. All in all in was a wonderful day. Happy Monday! (image from this blog)

Croque-Monsieur French Toast (From A Cup of Jo)
Serves: 4-6 (Makes 6 sandwiches)

Ingredients
12 slices sliced country bread
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup French mayonnaise
12 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices prosciutto cotto
12 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. grated nutmeg
2/3 cup full-fat milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Special equipment: 1 ovenproof dish, 11 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches

Spread 6 slices of bread with mustard and the remaining 6 slices with mayonnaise. Layer each sandwich, beginning with a slice of mustard bread, then two slices cheddar cheese, then one slice prosciutto, and top with the mayonnaise bread. Repeat to make 6 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half. Place the sandwich triangles into the ovenproof dish.

Beat together the eggs, salt, nutmeg and milk. Then, pour the mixture over the sandwiches, tightly packed in the dish. Cover the dish with cling film and let it soak for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Sprinkle entire dish with the grated Gruyere. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

**Note: I used Trader Joe's rustic country sourdough bread and regular mayonnaise and it came out great! Also, I topped the dish with fresh basil (which I think is what that green stuff is in the photograph).

Mixed Berries with Citrus Whipped Cream (My own recipe)


Ingredients
Serves 8-10
3-4 cups fresh mixed berries (I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries) washed, and cut as desired
1 pint whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or to taste)
1 tsp orange zest (or to taste)
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Put berries in a bowl and place in refrigerator to chill.

2. Pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat cream on high speed. As the cream thickens add the sugar, vanilla, orange juice, and zest. Beat until the whipping cream becomes whipped cream, or until stiff peaks form.

3. Fold in the sour cream, serve the berries on dishes with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!