Super Healthy and Moist Banana Nut Bread

I usually make banana bread with a cup of butter or crisco, bleached white flour, and white sugar, and have been trying to find a great healthy recipe.  I have tried a few different recipes lately, and finally found one I really like by combining bits and pieces of different recipes.

HEALTHY BANANA NUT BREAD

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour ( I use King Arthur brand)
1/2 cup demerara raw sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
4-5 mashed bananas (approximately 1 and 1/2 cups)
1 cup no sugar added applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mash the bananas, add applesauce, beaten eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, oil and vanilla in one bowl.  In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and walnuts. Combine the two mixtures well.  Stir and pour into a loaf pan and bake at 325*F  for 70 minutes.  I always test my breads and cakes by using a bamboo skewer, I suggest testing at the 60 min mark.  I like a lot of chopped walnuts in my bread but you can reduce this to 1/4 cup or replace with mini chocolate morsals.  I saw one recipe that replaced it with miniature reeses cups.  This makes a darker and denser banana bread but a very moist one.  I find that wrapping it up tight in plastic wrap and letting it sit at least 24 hours makes it taste better.

Gourmet Valentine's Day Present Ideas for under $20 - Beat the Recession 2010!

I just got an email from overstock.com that was suggesting unusual, unique, and affordable Valentine's gifts and I didn't like any of their suggestions.  So, I thought I would come up with a list of my own that were very inexpensive gourmet thoughtful gifts.

Asian Pork Potstickers (AKA Gyoza or Dumplings)

 We ate these for dinner tonight over some Botan Calrose Rice steamed in a rice cooker with a small piece of kombu (seaweed).  However, we usually just make these for parties.  They are very impressive looking, very easy to make, and taste delicious!   Instructions sound complicated but once you do it once, it is so much fun!

ASIAN PORK POTSTICKERS


Potstickers: 
1 lb. ground pork
1 tblspn soy sauce
1/3 cup sliced green onions (3-4 stalks)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground ginger
1 cup freshly grated carrots (2-3 carrots - don't buy already grated ones, they are too long and thick)
1 package dumpling wrappers (find in most grocery stores, always in asian groceries, you can also use won ton wrappers or pierogi wrappers, don't use egg roll wrappers)
olive oil


Equipment:  mixing bowl, teaspoon, small cup filled with water, small pastry brush or very clean paint brush, wok or saute pan with tight fitting lid


Dipping Sauce: 
1/4 cup soy sauce 
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sesame seeds




Go ahead and mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, cover, and put in the fridge so the flavors can mix well.  Mix all ingredients for dumplings except wrappers and olive oil together and mash up together with your hands - this just works better that mixing any other way to make sure all the carrot bits are fully incorporated.  Cover this bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30min before you begin making the potstickers.   Take each potsticker wrapper and spoon a heaping teaspoon of the pork mixture into the center.  Take the small brush and lightly brush a bit of water around the very edge of half the wrapper and fold over.  Pinch together the sides very tightly being sure that no air bubbles are trapped next to the meat, and that all edges are sealed.  Once this is done you should end up with around 30 dumplings.  I always end up with extra filling to make one or two delicious asian porkburgers!  If you are not making these for a party, but for a meal, you can freeze the rest of the dumplings for up to 6 months.  Now heat your wok or pan up to a medium low heat with a tsp - tblsp of olive oil in your pan (depending on how large your pan is) place 5-8 dumplings in the pan and let fry for about 1 min.  Then add several tblsp of water (about 3) and cover the lid tightly.  Wait 3 min, and open the pan again.  If all the water is gone, turn all dumplings over and let the other side slightly brown and crisp up again (about 1 min.)  Remove and plate.  


Some people like to add  about a cup of chinese cabbage (nappa cabbage) to this mixture or to replace the carrot with it.  I like the carrot because they taste sweeter.  You can also just steam these in an asian bamboo steamer and leave out the oil to make them healthier!  

Prep

Before Steaming and Pan Frying

Asian Porkburger made out of leftover filling

Finished Product!  Yummy!

Below is the amazon link to the brand of soy sauce that I use - so you will recognize it in the store.  As usual, this link is to soy sauce in bulk (6 bottles) which is a very good price. I much prefer this brand to Kikoman or others.  Also a link to a very good bamboo steamer and a package of kombu, which is a dry seaweed that you can add to white rice while cooking to give the rice extra flavor.  Then you discard the cooked seaweed piece. 

Raw Oysters - Wintzell's Nude Oysters at Happy Hour

Yay for Wintzell's Happy Hour!!!!  This was dinner tonight! Happy Hour at Wintzell's means a dozen raw oysters for $4.50, $1.50 drafts or $5 pitchers, and $2 well drinks.  Oysters are so good and healthy for you.  They are full of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and D.  They also contain all recommended daily doses of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese, and phosphorus.  They are very low in cholesterol and have a lot of protein.

If you have never tried eating raw oysters before, you are definitely missing a treat!  I like to eat mine on crackers with a bit of lemon juice and crystal hot sauce.  Others like to eat plain without crackers and/or use the center container of horseradish they give you and make your own spicy cocktail sauce.

Their motto is Fried..... Stewed....& Nude!   If you have never been to Wintzell's, their regular menu can be kinda pricy, but the happy hour prices are worth coming back for time and time again.  Right now they have 10 locations in Alabama and 1 in Mississippi!

http://www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com/

More Apartment Pictures

Some of my antique knick-knacks

Main bookcase full of law books (top), archaeology books (middle) and cookbooks (bottom) topped with 1940's radio and old wooden large spools.

Lemon Caper Chicken and Spanakopita

Well....... this is what we had for dinner! I tend to make some type of version of this chicken dish frequently.  Usually I make up a batch of brown or wild rice to serve it over. 

LEMON CAPER CHICKEN for two

2 chicken breasts (I like to use Tyson frozen breasts, I buy them at Sam's club in big bags)
1/2 can Linsays natural green olives (nothing but olives and sea salt) (save the rest as a snack)
1 heaping tblsp small capers
1tblsp chopped garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Cavender's Greek seasoning
1 chopped small yellow onion
1 cup white wine (used Beringer Pinot Grigio)
2 tblsp olive oil

In large saute pan put in olive oil and put on medium high heat.  Sprinkle greek seasoning on chicken breasts.  You can cook in one piece, or chop up into smaller pieces.  Place in pan along with garlic and onion and saute for 5 min.  Add wine, lemon juice, capers, and olives and saute another 10 min.  If the pan gets too dry add a few tblsp water, you want the chicken to be covered in a nice pan sauce.  I like to drain the can of olives, and then let them soak in a bowl of water for at least 10 min to get a pit of the tinny taste out of them.   I have also added artichokes, chopped roasted red bell peppers, and sweet snap peas to this.  Tonight we served it with spanikopita.  We buy party packs of individual spanakopita at Sam's club.  Really cheap, and way easier than making it yourself.  I tend to bake it at a lower temperature for longer so that they will be a bit crisper.

Chocolate Orange Pound Cake (From mix with alterations)

Today, I made a chocolate orange pound cake from a mix I bought at TJ Maxx for 2.99.  It is delicious!  I made a few alterations though.  I reduced the cooking time from 60 min to 45 minutes because my tester came out clean, and instead of the glaze they recommended I made a glaze out of the juice of two oranges, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.  Mix well with a fork, and then to get remaining lumps out, microwave glaze for 30 seconds.  Pound cake turned out with a few cracks in the top, but the taste is great!   This is such a moist gooey chocolate cake.  The company lists it as a pound cake mix, however I don't think it has quite the consistency to be a pound cake. I think this would be wonderful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or orange sherbert!  

Update:  On a silly note, I just realized that everything I have pictured came from TJ Maxx:  plates, tablecloth, and mix!

This is what the glaze looks like.

This is what my finished cake looks like.  I got over excited and took the cake out of the pan too quickly so that is why there are so many cracks!

You can buy this same mix in bulk (6 packs) on amazon.

Healthy College Cookbook (Spicy Edamame Snacks, Thai Coconut Red Curry Soup)

Two years ago I entered a recipe contest for the new Healthy College Cookbook.  I submitted around 12 entries, hoping that one of them would make it.  They picked 4 of my recipes!  Below are 2 of the recipes and info on how to get the cookbook.

SPICY EDAMAME SNACKS

1 10 ounce bag frozen, shelled edamame beans (soy beans)

1 tblsp chile oil (sesame seed oil infused with red chilis)

2 tblsp low-sodium soy sauce

Edamame is another name for green soybeans.  These tasty beans are low in fat and calories but rich in protein and fiber, and they are incredibly delicious.  Place the edamame beans in a microwave safe dish with a lid.  Add the chili oil and soy sauce to the beans.  Place the lid on the container and shake well to coat seasoning on all beans.  Open 1 corner of the lid to vent.  Place container in microwave and heat until all of the beans are thawed and not raw to the taste.  This is about 3 minutes for me but you will have to experiment.  Eat hot or cold.  Great as an appetizer for parties.      Then the cookbook people magically came up with serving size and calorie intake so here it is:  4 servings = 120 calories, 7g fat, 4g fiber, 8g protein, 8g carbohydrates.  I disagree with their fat and calorie content but oh well.

THAI COCONUT-RED CURRY SOUP

2 (13.5 ounce) cans light coconut milk

1 (32 ounce) container low sodium chicken broth

2 tblsp packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1 tsp to 1tblsp red curry paste (asian section of most grocery stores) depending on your spice tastes

1 tblsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 pound shredded cooked chicken or cubed tofu (optional)

1 sweet potato, diced (optional)

1 small sliced zucchini (optional)

1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)

1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained (optional)

1 tblsp lime juice

2 portabello  or white mushrooms sliced

3 scallions, chopped

1 pound cooked shrimp (optional)

This delicious spicy soup is quite flexible - you can add whatever vegetables or meat you prefer.  It tastes even better warmed up the next day!  Choose combinations of meats and veggies.  Shake up the cans of coconut milk (sometimes the fat separates from the rest of the liquid) before opening them.  Combine the coconut milk, broth, sugar, curry paste, fish sauce, and sesame oil in a large pot.  Bring to a simmer over medium low heat.  Add the meat and veggies (except mushrooms and green onions) and simmer for 15-20 min.  About 5 minutes before serving, add the mushrooms, onions, and lime juice to the soup.  Serve hot.

I also put an amazon link to what the curry paste jar looks like in case you have never heard of it, or can't find it in your grocery store.  Jar lasts a long time in fridge!

New to Blogging - Cooking, Decorating, Archaeology, Traveling

I am very new to blogging and I am still trying to figure it out.  I have been reading a lot of websites giving tips on how to attract viewers that you don't know, and one of the main tips was to talk about yourself, show the things you love, and to show where you live.   Well, I am a graduate student at the University of Alabama working on my masters in archaeology.  I have finished all the course work and tests required for this degree and am just working on my thesis.  Hopefully I will be finished in May or August.  I love to collect antiques, especially art, so I thought I would post a few pictures of paintings, prints, and lithographs that I have.  More pictures to come of my collections.  I love to cook, and can't wait to have a real house so I can have a bigger kitchen and get the rest of my furniture out of storage.  My fluffy Norfolk terrier Lucy always follows me around when I am cooking and generally is my shadow everywhere I go, she will probably turn up in several pictures.  If anyone has any blogging suggestions for me I would love to hear them.

Replica French Mushroom Metal Plates (TJ Maxx Find!)

Reproduction Prints bought in Oxford, England of the Bodleian Library Outside and Inside

Original Antique Oil Painting Bought at an Auction when the lights went out! Nobody could tell what it was other than us, because that was the item we came to look at! Got it for a steal I think. This painting is huge (5 feet X 2 1/2 feet)  My most precious buy ever!  The oil had so much dust on top of it that you could barely see the boat on the lake, when my mom and I cleaned it off, so much detail popped out including two people standing on a boat.  Artist unknown though I have found several similar to it by a Scottish artist from 1850-1915.

French Print

Lithographs I collected in Oxford, Edinburgh, and Windemere

Moroccan Cous Cous with Fish

This is what I made for dinner tonight!  We make it all the time with variations.  I will list all variations below.  This meal takes less than 30 minutes. Really easy, super cheap, very healthy!

1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can quartered non-marinated artichoke hearts
1 can drained olives (Ihave tried green, black, and kalamata, above I used kalamata but my favorite are Lindsay's Natural Green Olives - they taste very nutty and buttery)
1 can drained chick peas
2 cans chicken broth or reconstituted chicken bouillon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
1 small jar or 1 small package pine nuts
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp. Cavender's Greek seasoning
1 1/4 cup dry cous cous
4 small portions of your favorite fish (usually I use tilapia, but today I used wild salmon because at walmart they were selling frozen bags of wild caught salmon fillets for $4, each bag comes with four fillets, they are wonderful)

Prepare fish with 1 tblsp olive oil and Cavender's Greek seasoning and  pan fry or bake  in the oven. If you don't have cavenders use salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring all but pine nuts, cous cous, and fish to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Once it reaches a boil, stir in dry cous cous well.  Cover pan and turn off the heat on the stove.  Let sit 5-10 min.  In toaster oven, place pine nuts in a pan and toast on lowest setting for just a few minutes, you will have to watch this carefully and not let them burn, this nut burns so easily.  Use a fork to fluff up the cous cous.  Serve it up in a bowl, top with fish fillet, then top with toasted pine nuts, and finish with a small drizzle of olive oil.

We use Cous Cous so often that I buy the large canisters of it at the store, you can also buy them on amazon in flavored variety packs and whole wheat.  Below are my links to them.  These really are great prices for them and they last a long time.

Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa..... My Favorite Cookbooks

Just thought I would throw these out there.  These are the cookbooks that I cook from all the time!  They are wonderful!  Relatively simple recipes with great taste!  These make great gifts for people!

Below are amazon links to buy them...
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple IngredientsBarefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home

Piernik and Placek (Spiced Honey Cake and Apple Cake)

I have found so many interesting pastry recipes in the recent ebay lot I bought that are Polish.  Here are two of the cake recipes that I really want to try soon.

PIERNIK (SPICED HONEY CAKE)

3 cups flour
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp. baking soda
5 eggs
1 cup walnuts
1 tsp. allspice
2 tblsp. carmelized sugar
1/2 cup margarine

Grease, then flour a 12X9X2 pan.  Use heavy skillet to carmelize sugar - 3 tblsp sugar, brown and add 3 tblsp water and bring to a boil.  Sift flour, cream margarine and stir egg yolks, sugar, honey, baking soda, carmel, allspice.  Add 1 1/2 cups flour.  Beat egg whites, mix with batter.  Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, blend well and stir in walnuts.  Preheat oven to 350*F and bake for 1 hour.  Remove cake from pan.  When cool, cut into three layers and insert filling.
Filling:  Cream margarine by itself, cream 6 egg yolks with 2 cups powdered sugar until light.  Blend with margarine.  Melt 2 ozs bakers unsweetened chocolate on hot water, cool and add to cream mixture.  Add 1 ounce rum.  (She doesn't really say how much margarine to use in the filling, I would personally use butter for both and probably use 1/2 stick for the filling.  Sounds really interesting though)


PLACEK (APPLE CAKE)

1/4 lb. margarine
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream
2 apples chopped fine
1 pear chopped fine
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and margarine, add vanilla and eggs adn beat well.  Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda together.  Add to egg mixture and alternative when adding sour cream.  Fold in pear and apple.  Grease a 12X9X2 pan and pour in the mixture evenly.  Topp with 1tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tblsp margarine, and 1/2 cup nuts.  Combine mixture and spread on top of batter.  Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes.  (Once again I would replace with butter, would probably mix all ingredients together including the topping, bake in a bunt cake instead of a sheet pan, and top with some sort of powdered sugar glaze).

Request for Sam's Club and Costco Tips

Yay!  I was asked if I knew any great Sam's Club or Costco tips to share.  I go to Sam's Club once a month generally and always go there if I am about to have some sort of party.  I think I will have to break my tips up by sections in the store and I know I will think of more later....

Cheese - The hardest thing I have to give up on my diet right now is cheese. I am a Turophile!!! Yep, that's my bonus word of the day, I am a cheese lover.  Sam's club really does have a great selection of gourmet cheeses.  Their gourmet cheese section tends to change brands frequently. Last week I bought an Irish White Cheddar marbled with Port, it was delicious.  I always buy my parmigiano reggiano there because they carry an authentic Italian one for a great price.  Also, two cases over by the cheese section near the refridgerated sausages they carry a Sam's club brand fresh jarred pesto that is amazing.  We use it on pizzas, pastas, appetizers, and I added it to a white bean soup once.  When you use a bit at a time out of the jar, you may need to add extra olive oil to the top of the jar to keep it fresh longer so the basil doesn't oxidize as fast.

Frozen - For parties, I like to get their mini spanikopita because I hate working with phillo dough and they are so delicious and very well priced.  Also, they carry Cheesecake factory frozen cheesecake for around $10 for plain, they also have a great 3 type sampler for around $15.  This one changes flavor too but right now it is godiva chocolate, white chocolate raspberry, and dulce de leche.  For home, I like to get their Ajinomoto brand chicken fried rice, it has a very different flavor and has edamame instead of green english peas.

Unfortunately, there is not a Costco I can easily get to.  Occasionally I go to the one in Huntsville, and they have an amazing Mango juice in the refrigerated section.  Unlike Sam's club, Costco does carry themed lean cuisine packs (asian, italian, mexican, american). In their cheese section, Costco carry's the Elkmont, Alabama produced goat cheese Belle Chevre!  I still can't believe that my hometown, where I went to the same school for K-12, a town that when I lived there had two restaurants, one Piggly Wiggly, one bank, and no stop lights now has a gourmet goat cheese farm that has now won over 50 national awards and is known internationally! http://www.bellechevre.com/index.php  You can also buy this cheese at Bruno's and at Whole Foods. For one of the Anthropology Department parties I made this recipe...

PESTO GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI
1/2 jar Sam's club Pesto (or make your own and use 1 cup)
1 large log of Belle Chevre goat Cheese (11 ounces of Montrachet style creamy goat cheese)
4 ripe plum/romano tomatoes ( I also like to use compari tomatoes but they are more expensive)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1tsp fresh minced garlic
1 crusty french bread baguette
1/4 cup olive oil

De-seed tomatoes, dice, and set aside on top of paper towels so they can dry a bit.  Combine pesto, goat cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl and set aside.  This is easier if you allow the goat cheese to come to room temperature.  Slice the baguette into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slices.  Use pastry brush to spread a thin coat of the olive oil on each side of the baguettte and place into a 325 *F oven for 30 min.  You could also grill these on a grill pan or George Forman just long enough to get slighly crisp.  Spread a Tablespoon or so on top of each and top with chopped tomatoes.

Cookbook Lot from Ebay

Over Christmas break, I had a terrible cold that knocked me out for 3 days and I laid in bed surfing the internet........ through my NyQuil stupor I bit on a large 1950-1970s cookbook lot containing 25 cookbooks, 1 binder full of recipe scraps, and 1 journal style collage of recipes (some handwritten, some typed, some newspaper clippings). Days later when I realized what I had bid on I died laughing and hoped since there were 10 days left in the auction that perhaps I would get outbid since I only signed up for the minimum price. Well, I ended up being the only bidder and I recieved them in the mail today!!!! The seller didn't know much about them and said the box came with something he bought at an estate sale. I haven't had time to go through most of it yet but they are so interesting. Whoever this lady was, she had a penchant for collecting slavic, german, polish, and english recipes with an emphasis on pastries!!!!!!! When I find really interesting ones I am going to post them. Especially some of the handwritten ones. She put so much time and effort into clipping and pasting recipes from newspapers and from friends! So cute! So far I haven't found her name written on anything. More to come!

Comfort Soup

So, January in Alabama can mean freezing cold temperatures or shorts and flip-flops. I recently tried out a new recipe for some soothing comfort soup. This takes very few ingredients and if you have an immersion blender it turns out wonderfully creamy!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CURRY SOUP

1 halved and scooped butternut squash (use large knife to half and grapefruit spoon to scoop seeds and stringy stuff)

1 package baby cut fresh carrots

1 sweet vidalia or yellow onion chopped

1 package S&B Golden Curry medium hot sauce mix (found in asian section of most regular grocery stores)

1 can light coconut milk

1 tblspn olive oil

1 carton low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson)

Spread olive oil on cut sides of the butternut squash and place cut side down on a baking sheet and place into the oven at 350*F for 40 min. Remove pan and let cool. When squash is cool enough to handle, scrape all meat out of the tough skin and place into a crock pot set on low heat. Place all other ingredients into crock pot and let this cook all night long or do this in the morning and it will be ready when you get home from work. I like to blend this soup with an immersion blender to get a creamy consistency. You could use a regular blender or leave it chunky. Best served with good crusty french bread or over asian style white rice. Leftover portions can be frozen.

A Southern Gal's Quest for the Gourmet Life - Creamy Baked Artichoke Dip

Hello! And before you ask...... yes I was inspired to write this blog after I watched Julie and Julia, which is a wonderful movie if you haven't already seen it. This is my first day writing and I hope eventually someone will find it interesting or helpful. I aim to provide simple cooking tips, money saving grocery buying tips, time saving tips, and sharing my personal experiences cooking dinner for my family, friends, and parties.

Tip: Target has an amazing fresh prepared stuffed Mahi-Mahi that could not possibly be made for the same price or less and it is absolutely delicious and I am now obsessed with it. It is a macadamia nut mango curry stuffed fish medallion. Buying 2 portions costs around $5-7 depending on the daily sale. Main ingredients are macadamia nuts, mango, curry powder, Japanese bread crumbs, eggs, green onion, cilantro, red bell pepper, and crabmeat (perhaps imitation). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TARGET BUY!

Tip: Last night had an amazing girl's night at Yazoo Courtyard Bar and Grill in Tuscaloosa. Tuesday nights are half price wine night (off a selected menu) and half price appetizers (they also made our salads half price which was amazing). One of their appetizers that we tried was a creamy cheesy artichoke dip with crostini. I feel certain that my recipe is almost the same, just as good, and less than their price so here it is. Great Party Food or Girl's Night Fare!

CREAMY BAKED ARTICHOKE DIP

2 cans drained and chopped artichoke hearts

1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese plus 1/4 cup extra for topping

1/2 block low fat Philadelphia cream cheese

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp fresh finely minced garlic

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients together and place into a small baking dish. Bake at 350 *F for 25 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden brown. Serve with crostini, bagel chips, pita chips, wheat crackers, or tortilla chips. I personally like the crostini. Also, you could substitute the Parmesan cheese for an Italian cheese blend including Romano.

Below are Amazon links for Nonni's Italian Toast.  These are prepared crostini and you can also buy a large bag of these at Sam's club for around $3.50.