Raspberry French Toast

Saturday morning.  A late lazy start, which probably would of been even later if the cats hadn't decided it was way past time for us to get up to feed and play with them.  A cup of freshly brewed coffee while watching chef Lynn Crawford on Pitchin In milk her first ever goat, and then a delicious plate of raspberry jam filled french toast.....mmmmm, if only every Saturday were like this....

Raspberry French Toast
2 servings

6-8 slices bread (any bread you have)
raspberry jam (I had homemade, but use your favourite)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter
icing sugar to sprinkle

• in a deep dish mix the eggs, milk and cinnamon until well combined and set aside.
• spread the jam onto half of the bread slices and top with the other bread to make sandwiches.
• submerge the sandwiches in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides.
• meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat until bubbling slightly.
• transfer the egg coated sandwiches to the skillet and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each side.
• serve, sprinkled with icing sugar.

 I had plain white bread, but experiment with all kinds.

don't use too big of a dish, you want the depth of liquid so that the bread can get coated on all sides.

mmm....jam sandwiches

alternate the sandwiches so that each is coated sufficiently.

use a big enough skillet so that you can fry them all together if possible.

delicious also served with crispy bacon or a fruit salad.

Spaghetti Carbonara

The past couple of days have been a little hit-and-miss in the kitchen department to be honest, with late appointments for both myself and hubby so it's been take-out, a quick purchase from the store on the way home from work and last minute digging in the freezer, so tonight it was back to the pots and pans.  Saying that though, I still wanted something quick and fairly light, so here's just about one of the quickest pasta dishes you'll find.

Spaghetti Carbonara
2 servings

1/2 lb spaghetti
4 rashers of bacon (cut into inch pieces)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated + extra for sprinkling
1/4 cup half-and-half OR full cream
salt and pepper

• boil the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until al dente.
• while the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet cook the bacon pieces over a medium heat until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, and keep the skillet on a low heat to keep warm.
• meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and half-and-half / cream. Set aside.
• drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water in case you need to thin the sauce, and return the pasta to the warm skillet.
• working quickly, add the egg mixture and bacon to the pasta, season with salt and pepper and toss all to combine.  Add some of the reserved pasta water if you want a thinner sauce.
• serve immediately sprinkled with additional parmesan cheese.

 get that pasta boiling.

let the crispy bacon drain well.

eggs, cheese and cream - serious decadence.

smooth and creamy - yum.