Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast



Ingredients:

Strawberry Syrup:

• 3 cups sliced strawberries

• 1/4 cup sugar

•1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, divided

•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice



Makes: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy


French Toast:

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons nonfat milk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (NeufchÂtel)

• 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 12 slices reduced-calorie wheat bread, crusts trimmed if desired

• 1 cup sliced strawberries

• 2 teaspoons butter

• 2 tablespoons canola oil



Directions:

To prepare syrup (may be done up to 3 days ahead; store in refrigerator): In medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the lemon zest, and the juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the strawberries are soft and the syrup is thickened and reduced by 1/3 in volume, 12-15 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature before serving. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Cooks' Note: If a thinner syrup is desired, strain the hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container and let cool.

To prepare the French Toast: In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a small bowl, gently combine the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, just until blended. Spread on 6 bread slices and top with the sliced strawberries. Top with the remaining 6 bread slices and press around the edges to seal.

Melt the butter in the oil on a griddle over medium heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side, draining off the excess. Place in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with the strawberry syrup.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1 sandwich with 2 tablespoons strawberry sauce): 300 calories, 12 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 310 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Thelma and Louise Road Trip

This is Thelma (Faith)
I am Louise!
(Thelma is a crazy woman driver)
This is the Ludington Lighthouse that we stopped at first.
The Dune grass is so pretty in all seasons! It is so nice to see it the way the wind blows and it flows so gracefully.
We have had such an unusual winter here in Michigan this season. It feels like spring most of the time. As you can see on the above picture there is very little ice built up when normally it is hard to walk on!
Thelma is a bit chilly!
Man that gust of wind was cold!
Louise being her crazy self!
Thelma not driving anymore which is a good thing.
We are on our 1.8 mile walk (one way) to the Big Sable Lighthouse. We did not realize it was tucked way back in. The walk was very nice and good exercise.
This is the Big Sable Lighthouse which is located off of Lake Michigan in Ludington Michigan.
Sure is strange not to see any snow or ice build up along the shoreline in January.
Here's Thelma again. Man that stump is almost taller than her. The funny thing about this stump is that it says, "How old am I?" and points to Thelma. On the other side where Thelma is, it says 127 years. Amazing!
I handed Thelma my camera while I had a potty break and this is what she took.
Great shot Thelma! And that is not a shot with the gun!
In Ludington, while Thelma was trying to find her way out and the way to Pentwater, this is what I spotted. Pretty cool!
In Pentwater, we stopped at the Bitchen Kitchen. This is a cute little store that has all kinds of unique things in it. Mostly things you would want for your kitchen.

So, as you see, Thelma and Louise had a nice day adventure and Thelma did not drive us off of a sand dune and into Lake Michigan. So, we are safe and sound and will probably have to take another adventure some day!