Organizing Recipes

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately. (Weird, I know.) And I've been trying a lot of new recipes. And finding so many more that I want to try. I don't want to lose any of these good recipes. And, as it turns out, I'm not very organized. (Okay, maybe this isn't a surprise to anyone...)

Right now I have recipes posted here and there on my blog. I have many links to recipes I find online in my email. I have very few printed or written out. (I'm not opposed to that idea, I just haven't done it.)

I feel like I need to have a system to help me organize my recipes better. I'm curious as to what other people do to keep your recipes organized.

Cap'n Crunch, Part 2

The follow-up blog, as promised. I returned from a weekend in NYC late Sunday morning. My roommates and I planned to make the Cap'n Crunch French toast after church. Woo! I bought all the supplies before leaving, so we were all set.

I've posted the recipe below, along with my notes. It turned out scrumptious! (My friend Kevin also made it this weekend, and adds his stamp of approval.)

What I suspect is that having this recipe up my sleeve will someday make me the coolest mom on the block. Hands down.

Here I am, cooking the French toast on my awesome electric griddle.

Cap'n Crunch French Toast

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal
• 8 to 10 slices thick-sliced white bread
• Butter for cooking

For the topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Your choice of berries
  

Directions:

1. Mix the cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
2. Put the cereal in a storage bag and use a rolling pin or the flat edge of a large knife until it resembles cracker meal. Transfer it to a shallow dish.
3. Dip a couple of slices of the bread into the cream mixture until soft but not soaked. Let excess liquid drip from the bread, then press into the cereal crumbs to coat evenly. Place on a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining slices.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, add butter as needed, and cook the bread until it is caramelized on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total.
5. For the optional whipped cream topping, which may be gilding the lilly: Beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla with a large bowl in a hand mixer to soft peaks. Dollop on top of the French toast and serve with the berries.

Notes:

• Make sure the Cap'n Crunch is munched up enough, but not to dust.
• Butter: USE IT. I kept the wrapper on the bottom half of the stick to protect my hands (sort of) and gave a good swipe with it around the spot where the next piece was going on the griddle. Also, put more butter on that griddle spot when you turn. It makes it actually toast. It's a lot of butter, yes. But it makes a BIG difference. (And come on, if you're making this stuff, are you really worried about all the butter?)
• I didn't time it, but I felt like it took longer than 6-8 minutes per piece. Oh well.
• The cream was thick, but it's supposed to be.
• I eat it with just berries and cream, half the roommates ate it with syrup too. That was too much sweetness for me, but it's a matter of taste, I suppose.
  

Cap'n Crunch, like you've never seen him before

Last week, my roommate Ashlee came into my room and said, "What are you doing next Tuesday?" I asked what time, and she said, "Sometime between the hours of 9am and 3pm." (I'm thinking, "Where is this going?") I said, "Work...though my schedule is flexible." (I didn't want to sound discouraging, in case she needed a ride to the airport or something.) She then said, "Do you want to go to the Blue Moon Cafe and get some Cap'n Crunch French toast on Tuesday?" I've never even heard of Cap'n Crunch French toast, but I knew I wanted to be a part of that.

Ashlee heard about the Blue Moon Cafe (located in the Fells Point area of downtown Baltimore) when it was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network. And she tried it recently, and wanted to go again. We were happy to oblige.

So today Ashlee and I, along with another roommate, Amanda, went to Blue Moon Cafe for brunch. We all ordered the Cap'n Crunch French toast. I was so excited about it, I took a picture.

This stuff is AMAZING. Actually, that doesn't even begin to describe it. Hands down, this is the best French toast in the Universe.

I went to work after brunch and set my status message on Gtalk about it. My friend Kevin got after me for not posting the recipe for such an amazing sounding dish, but I assured him that I didn't HAVE the recipe, but I would investigate it soon. He beat me to it. Within about two minutes, he was sending me links so we could figure out which copy-cat recipe would best replicate it. We (by which I mean he) found this one that we think is it. This recipe is taken from a cook book Guy Fieri (the host of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) put out, so I suspect it's pretty close.

Now, I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I will. My roommates and I are planning to make it Sunday afternoon after church. (Expect a follow up post!) If you decide to try it before then though, please let me know how it turns out! Though please promise me you'll use the thick Texas toast style bread and serve it with whipped cream and fresh berries -- that's how Blue Moon did it.