Cinnamon French Toast Bake

I love cinnamon buns and french toast, so the idea of creating two in one was a no brainer! This recipe is from Pillsbury's website. Very easy to prepare and great for a breakfast or bunch party!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Butter, melted

2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing

6 eggs

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1cup Chopped Pecans (or any nuts you like)

1 cup maple syrup (I used 1/2 cup)

Garnish

Icing from cinnamon rolls

Powdered sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired (I only used 1/4 cup)

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.

• In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.
• Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

Note: make sure that the egg mixture is completely absorbed by the roll pieces. If not, you might get a thin layer of " cooked egg" at the bottom of your dish.





Rack of Lamb with Chili Garlic Sauce



I've never really worked with lamb before and I was inspiried after watching "rack of lamb" as a featured main dish a thousand times on food network. It looked SO good on the screen, I thought "how bad could this be?" ;)  This recipe is my own and I hope you give it a try, it was simply delicious and makes for a very pretty presentation for you next dinner party!

Ingredients:

Rack of Lamb (I used only 1 rack)

1 heaping tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary (if you have fresh go with that and use a bit more)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with the olive (this is the marinade). Take a plastic storage bag and place the rack of lamb in and pour the entire mixture into bag. Massage the meat with the marinade and place in the fridge for a couple of hours (longer the better).

Take meat out 30 mins prior to cooking to allow the meat to come to room temperature. Bring 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium/high heat in a large sautee pan (use a pan that is oven safe). Place the lamb fat side down to get a good sear. Flip over after 3-4 mins. Place a sheet of foil over the lamb loosely and transfer pan to the oven. For medium, cook for 20 minutes. For medium-well 35 minutes should do it. Allow meat to rest for 15 minutes (with foil) to allow the juices from the meat to redistribute. Slice and serve with garlic chili sauce (below) and with your favorite sides!

Chili Garlic Sauce

1/2 cup of good quality mayo

2 tablespoons of thai garlic chili sauce

1 teaspoon of sirachi hot sauce

1 tablespoon of water (to help thin out the sauce)

Mix it all up and drizzle it over the meat. (Its a great sauce to dip anything in really!)