Egg Nog French Toast

I was off work today, so I made myself french toast for breakfast. I had some egg nog creamer that I substituted for milk. It was yummy!

1/2 cup egg nog creamer
2 eggs
teaspoon of vanilla
I added some freshly ground nutmeg

Weekend Menu

We are having some family come visit on Saturday. Whenever I am having company, I like to plan out my menu in advance. It makes things so much easier. Here is what we are having:

For dinner on Saturday night, I am going classic Americana; burgers and brats. I am going to make my mother-in-law’s famous cheesy potatoes and a classic pasta salad. As an appetizer, I am going to make homemade salsa and cheese dip. The cheese dip is another recipe I inherited from my mother-in-law, it's so easy. I use a small block of Velveeta, a can of Rotele, and a can of chopped green chili’s. I’m sure most people know about it, but just in case, I thought I would share. It's always a hit at bbq’s.

For desert, Coca-cola cake. This is one of my favorites. Here is the recipe I will be using, courtesy of Southern Living.

Then for breakfast on Sunday morning, I am planning to do a traditional breakfast casserole. Anyone have any suggestions? Please show me some comment love.

Mama Loves a Cocktail Party!

I love both going to cocktail parties and hosting them. You know what a cocktail party means . . . a new cocktail dress! In September, the man I live with (yes, that’s my husband) and I are having a cocktail party. We are having some of his work associates over.

Over the past few years I have learned that behind every great party is a great plan. Great planning has to start early. We decided to have hors d'oeuvres and obviously cocktails. I haven’t decided what kinds yet. Does anyone have any ideas? I also don’t know if I should go with a theme . . . thoughts on that?

As long as we’re on the subject of party planning, I bought this book recently. I love it! I often find that when I get a new party-planning book they recite basic etiquette, such as, you should always greet your guests at the door. Um, thanks for the tip, I never would have thought of that! This book has a lot of clever ideas and easy solutions. One idea they have is for a table protector under a tablecloth. They write about how normal table protectors are often bulky and uneven, I couldn’t agree more. They suggest using a thin fleece blanket. I plan on doing this – I just haven’t found the right blanket yet.

Catfish Beignets . . . yummy, yummy

My brother and his girlfriend came home this past weekend, so saturday night we went over to my parents' house. My mom and I planned a Cajun-themed dinner. My mom made jambalaya and I did the gumbo. I found this awesome recipe in Southern Living for Catfish Beignets - they were a huge hit! They were also super easy :) (I posted the recipe at the end of the post).

After dinner, we played this game. Its really fun and a good way to get to know people!

Catfish Beignets

Prep: 20 min., Bake: 25 min., Cook: 10 min., Stand: 5 min., Rise: 30 min., Fry: 4 min. per batch. Beignets, time-tested New Orleans pastries, are usually sweet. We created a savory version that includes the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery that are considered the "holy trinity" in recipes with Louisiana roots.

Yield
Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, divided
3/4 cup frozen diced onion, red and green bell pepper, and celery
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/3 cup beer (not dark)
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 dashes hot sauce
3 egg whites
Vegetable oil
Zesty Tartar Sauce
Lemon wedges (optional)


Preparation


1. Sprinkle fillets evenly with salt and 1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning. Arrange fillets on a lightly greased rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan.

2. Bake at 425° for 20 to 25 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork and is opaque throughout. Finely chop fish.

3. Cook diced onion, bell pepper, and celery in 1/2 Tbsp. hot oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.

4. Cook beer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 105° to 115°. Remove from heat; add yeast, and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer yeast mixture to a large bowl; stir in vegetables, milk, flour, hot sauce, catfish, remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, and remaining 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning.

5. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes.

6. Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into catfish mixture.

7. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven or electric deep-fat fryer; heat to 360°. Drop batter, by heaping tablespoonfuls, into hot oil; fry, in batches, 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce and, if desired, lemon wedges.

Note: Keep beignets warm in a 225° oven for up to 30 minutes.