Stuffed Crossiant French Toast

So this recipe actually started two weeks ago and I didn't know it. While grocery shopping I saw a container of kumquats on sale and thought huh, bet I could do something with that. I have never had kumquats and have always been curious about them, so why not. The kumquats sat in the same container in the fruit basket for another week when I finally decided to do something with them. After searching for something to do with them I found an easy recipe for candied kumquats. Sure, what the heck!

Candied Kumquats Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups of roughly chopped kumquats (roughly 1-1½ lbs.)
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of sugar

METHOD

1 With a pairing knife roughly chop the kumquats. Discard any seeds you can that are easy to get too, but they're edible so don't fret if some get chopped up or stay in the fruit. Feel free to leave any small kumquats whole.

2 Heat the water and sugar over high heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add the kumquats and simmer for 10 minutes.

3 Drain the kumquats through a sieve set over a bowl. Return the syrup to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the syrup. Combine the kumquats and 1/4 cup of the syrup together.

Serve or jar and refrigerate. Can be stored for up to two weeks.

Super easy and super yummy! The kumquats turned out super sweet and the syrup was citrusy. The longer it cooled the thicker the syrup became. Now I had to figure out what to do with the finished product. Hmmm...

But now I have discovered that making candied fruit is easy and delicious. So, what else can I candy?? I searched for more candied fruit recipes and saw several but nothing seemed interesting. But I did see candied fruit peel recipes. So as I was peeling my morning grapefruit I thought, why not? So I saved the peel and after breakfast began the process.

Candied Fruit Peel
INGREDIENTS:

3 oranges

3 lemons

1 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

PREPARATION:

Cut peel of each orange and lemon into 4 sections with sharp knife. Remove peel carefully with fingers. Scrape white membrane from peel with spoon (back of peel will appear porous when membrane is removed). Cut peel lengthwise into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Heat peel and enough water to cover to boiling in 1 1/2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes; drain. Repeat simmering process. Heat 1 1/2 cups sugar and 3/4 cup water to boiling in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peel. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes; drain in strainer Roll in 1/2 cup sugar; spread on waxed paper to dry. Store tightly covered at room temperature no longer than 1 week.

I should have either had more water when simmering the peel with the water and sugar, or not let it simmer as long, because when I came back to the pot there was no liquid, just chunky sugar and the grapefruit peel. But this was a good mistake. Now I had grapefruit sugar! It was chunky like rock candy almost. So I took out the peels and then reserved the sugar. The peels were awesome! Almost like the candy orange slices, only better! But what to do with the sugar?

Now I had candied kumquats and grapefruit sugar. Surely I could figure out something for these! Stuffed french toast was sounding really good. So I bought a single crossiant on Saturday night with the intention of turning it into french toast on Sunday morning. I also had cream cheese in the fridge that needed to be used. I sliced the crossiant part way thru creating a pocket. I combined 2 oz of cream cheese (full fat by the way) with some of the kumquat syrup and grapefruit sugar. I soaked the now stuffed croissant in an egg batter. What better to make a nice crispy crust on the croissant than by cooking it in butter! Oh fantastic. The outside of the croissant caramelized to a nice golden brown. I patiently waited for my creation to cook all the way thru and form a nice crispy crust. I plated the croissant and drizzled more kumquat syrup on top along with the remaining candied kumquats and more grapefruit sugar. I had to take a picture, it was just too pretty. But not to0 pretty to be eaten! As I sliced into it the cream cheese began to ooze out. The first bite was brilliant. The crust was crispy, the grapefruit sugar was still crunchy, and the filling was creamy and decadent. As I always do, I saved the center for last. That was going to be the best part, where all the filling was and the best part of the caramelized crust. I mopped as much of the kumquat syrup up as I could using the outside edge of the croissant. The oozing center was begging to be devoured but I slowly and deliberately saved it until the end. It was pure heaven. There was still syrup left on the plate when all was finished, so admittedly I picked up the plate and licked it. Oh sweet goodness. This was absolutely the best thing that I have ever made!

Easiest Cookies Ever!

Dad and I have a tradition. Cookies for touchdowns. Every time the Broncos score a touchdown, we get to eat a cookie. This tradition shows the lengths we will go to to support our team. There have had to be some amendments to this tradition. When the season ends with a 4-12 record, there are not too many touchdowns that we can celebrate. So we added field goals to the celebration. Some games went cookie-less. I believe that there was even a game that we were so desperate that we said first downs earned a cookie.

When we had season tickets and went to every game, Mom would send the cookies with Dad to take to the game. Now we don't have the tickets anymore, and I really can't complain. It took 6 hours out of the day for a 3 hour game. Between getting to the bus to take us to the stadium, the bus ride to the game, getting into the stadium, watching the game, getting back to the bus, the bus ride back to the car and then getting back home, it was an endurance event! Not to mention the weather. I am a fair weather fan. I can take the cold, but once it gets wet and windy you will find me in the bathroom with my hands under the hand dryer!

So, not being one to break tradition, I had to have cookies for yesterday's game. It was a home game, so if we had the tickets we would have been at the game with cookies. Now Dad and I will carry on the tradition, but either at my house or at his house for all home games. I hadn't filled MM in on the tradition of cookies for touchdowns however. So when Dad and I came in from our bike ride I told MM of the necessity and being a loyal Bronco fan himself and not wanting to jinx anything he was very supportive.

These cookies are fast, easy,  and terribly delicious!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Flourless Cookies
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
Combine the above ingredients with a mixer until combined.

Add in 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chunks. I also added 1/2 cup of walnuts and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. You can really add in whatever you want.

If you are only adding one mix-in you can still make cookies instead of bars. Form 1 1/2" balls of dough on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10-12 min at 350.

If you are adding in more than one mix-in, the dough won't hold together as a cookie, so I made it into a bar. Spread all the dough in a 9X13 jelly roll pan, sprayed with cooking spray, that has at least a 1" high edge, or use a cake pan. Press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Begin checking on the cookie at 15 min. Once the center is golden brown it is done. The edges will obviously finish before the center. But the crust is the best part if you ask me!

 For the opening game against the Raiders we didn't have cookies. We had Mom's apple pie. It was probably her best apple pie she has ever made. But the Broncos lost. We had cookies yesterday for the home game against the Bengals. We won. Don't mess with tradition!