The Longest Blog....EVER

Another good name for this blog would be "Randomnocity"...the name of my husbands blog!Excuse me while I jump all over the place, only because our lives have been all over the place these last 2 weeks...in a good way! So here we go!

Mr. Randomnocity had to work this Valentines Day (yes, he got out of another one!) So we squeezed in a Valentines Day breakfast at 6:00 a.m. on the 14th before he headed to work! The Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup that we had was just way too good not to share, and since this blogger and this one are in to sharing recipes, I thought I'd jump on board too!

Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup
1 baguette (or challah bread works really well too)
6 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pecans
1/2 stick butter plus one teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups blueberries (one cup of which will make the syrup)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

*Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish. Cut bread into 1-inch pieces and arrange in layers in the baking dish. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla and 3/4 cup of the brown sugar and pour evenly over the bread. Chill mixture, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours and up to one day.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*In a shallow baking pan, spread pecans evenly and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Toss pecans with 1 teaspoon butter and salt. (This can also be done in a saute pan on the stovetop).

*Increase the temperature to 400 degrees.

*Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture. Cut 1/2 stick butter into pieces and in a small saucepan heat with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, stirring until butter is melted. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake for 20 minutes, or until any liquid from blueberries is bubbling.

*Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook blueberries and maple syrup over medium heat until berries have burst, about 3 minutes. Pour maple syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on solids, and stir in lemon juice. Syrup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat syrup before serving!

*this is a great 'night before' recipe for those 6:00 a.m. breakfast dates! :)

We did celebrate Valentine's DayFriday night at the Capital Grill! Yummy!

As we were pulling out of the Capital Grill Friday night (in a neighborhood we're in all the time) I noticed for the first time ever a luggage store in the shopping plaza across the street!!

So this ones for you Uncle Tom!! haha! (I warned you guys....this was random!)

And of course...this post wouldn't be complete without another Cook Vacation! This past weekend (President's Day) we headed to one of the greatest places on the map, Breckenridge Colorado! Teddy's college roommate Kevin, and his wife Julia, moved to Breckenridge this past Fall, so you know we had to pay them a visit!

Our timing couldn't have been better, as Jeremy was in Keystone skiing with his youth group for the week! We skied two days and went snowmobiling the third day! We walked main street, shopped, and celebrated Julia's Birthday the last night! It was so much fun, and we might even be back before the seasons over! You never know....

And finally, I leave you with this...the long awaited hummas recipe!

Jamie, Kailee and Mom have all asked for it, and the rest of you out there know you want it too!

Cilantro Lime Hummas

4 - 15oz. cans of chick peas (drained and rinsed well)

entire head of garlic *ROASTED*

2 tablespoons of sesame tahini

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)

1 1/2 cups of good olive oil

juice of 2 limes

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves

enough water to thin to preferred consistency

kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients into food processor and blend away! Thin with water as it runs.

Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to do this in batches.

Makes a TON of hummas. Like 8-10 cups.

Get creative:

chipotle hummas: omit cilantro and add chipotle peppers and lemon (instead of lime)

roasted red pepper and basil: omit cilantro and lime and add 3-4 roasted red peppers and basil leaves with fresh lemon juice

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

~Teresa