French Toast Sandwhich

I really love using the stuff lying around the house to make an impromptu and delicious meal. This past Sunday I started out making some French Toast, until I realized we were out of syrup from the pancakes I had recently made. No problem, made the toast, threw some nutella (similar to the pancakes E had) in between, but added some chopped bannanas and whipped cream. Delicious, gooey, sweet breakfast ensued.

A successful pancake experiment

Of course the key to any pancake recipe starts with getting the right mix. Since E, is gluten free, we can't make this stuff from scratch. Bob's Red Mill has an excellent mix that doesn't make me miss traditional pancakes at all. It may not be quite as fluffy, but the taste is excellent. The key is also what you add to the pancakes.
Yesterday I tried adding chopped banana and chopped walnuts. The result was pretty much what tasted like a banana nut muffin. The cooked banana really serves to sweeten the entire mixture, while the nuts, obviously, add a nice crunch. I topped mine with pure maple syrup. E, doesn't love the maple syrup the way I do, so I covered hers with a little Nutella. THe pancake was warm enough that it softened up the normally pretty sticky substance, and it spread easily.
Paired with this, was of course, the mimosa. A festive morning cocktail if there ever was one.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

So I will be trying this recipe again tomorrow evening, but had great success a few weeks ago, so it has been requested that I do an encore.

Ingredients
8 ounces pasta (gluten free, the quinoa stuff is excellent)
1 3/4 cups of milk (we use low fat)
3 tablespoons of flour (gluten free)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or more if you love garlic, or just chop up some cloves)
1/2 tspn of salt
1/4 tspn ground pepper
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1 tspn dijon mustard
Bacon or prosciutto crumbles/cubes
Taragon chopped

Cook pasta (I'm not going to question anyone's culinary abilities by explaining how)
Heat 1 1/2 cups of milk in a large pot, medium high, until it simmers.
Whisk the other 1/4 cups, plus all the flour, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the big pot, returning mixture to a simmer again, whisking constantly for a few minutes until its a little thicker.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheeses and mustard until everything is mixed and melted.
Drain the past and mix with the sauce and bacon.prosciutto.
Toss a little of the taragon on top the mac and cheese when serving.

Note - It is pretty easy to see where the cheese mixture is going, and if you want to add some more cheese, or salt or mustard to enhance the flavor in a particular direction.

Round 2, tomorrow night.