Deux

This Monday morning is quite a special one for me because, it is my day off from work!!!!!! Having a break is typically a weekly celebration because I'm at the restaurant 6-days/week anywhere from 9-12 hours a day. *So please don't hesitate to join me in my day off dance*

Since, putting on my big girl blazer and beginning my path as a career woman I quickly realized that I only have time to cook on my days off, which is very disappointing , yes! But it's nice to gear up the whole week to finally have culinary relief on a day that it so well deserved.
Plus, the anticipation is usually well worth it for myself & my roomate!

I began my day by reading the NY Times: Food & Dining Section (I do weekly), and I felt very inspired to make breakfast.

I do enjoying taking my time by planning meals, pickling vegetables weeks ahead, and marinating meats hours before, to enjoy a well executed creation. Although I have come to the scientific conclusion that I prepare my best at the spur of the moment. There's nothing quite like using ingredients that you just happen to have. Today's Banana Bread French Toast w/ Maple Marscapone was a result of exactly that!

Items I Just Happened to Have

• Banana Bread (I made this months ago & froze it)
• Over-ripe 1/2 banana
• Brown Sugar
• Marscapone Cheese
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• "Maple" Syrup
• Butter

Being in Middle East tends to cause major home sickness when it comes to food. Many restaurants try to emulate what Americans think of as comfort food; but honestly they don't usually hit the nail on the head. Which I COMPLETELY understand, so in turn I create most American favorites, I have the urge for right at home.

The base of this french toast happens to be banana bread which, made the dish a little dense for breakfast yet, filling. The 2 slices I cut was plenty! I used the old defrosted, banana bread because after baking it and tasting the original, the finished product was quite dry, not very sweet and un-enjoyable without toasting it. And to be honest, that thing needed some butter, while sipping on coffee, it was dry to say the least! This could have been because I used whole wheat flour and/or my ghetto oven doesn't have a temperature gage on it. (This is common in Kuwait, I have no idea why).

Anyway, I stuck it in the freezer until I could come up with a better solution. The bananas were simply caramelized with the brown sugar, butter, and spices. I combined the marscapone with a small amount of maple syrup for some sweetness as well as a light, tart taste to contrast the dense bread. I toasted the bread cubes in brown butter for some crunch and nutty flavor. The ONLY thing that would of made this breakfast the bomb.com would of been some crispy, smokey, sizzling bacon :( but I guess my flavorful Arabic coffee was a decent runner-up as the accompaniment.

Now Im off the enjoy the rest of my afternoon, HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!
xo Find Food