Recipe: Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 1 pound dinner rolls, quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 1/4 cups apple juice
• 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apple, cinnamon, and cloves to pan; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar; cook 2 minutes or until sugar melts. Remove from heat.

Place quartered rolls on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 250° for 15 minutes. Arrange rolls in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over rolls; top with apple mixture. Combine apple juice and the next 5 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over roll mixture; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover dish, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until golden.

Cooking Light, November 2007

Recipe: Chicken and Roast Beef Muffulettas

I LOVE sandwiches! All kinds of sandwiches. Various breads, condiments and fillings--I honestly don't have one that's a favorite (okay, BLT is rather high on my list). Classic muffulettas include layers of ham, salami, and provolone cheese but this recipe claims that the olive salad is a hallmark of the real thing. It also recommends wrapping the sandwiches tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerating to help the flavors to meld.

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

Olive Salad:
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Muffuletta:
12 (1 1/2-ounce) French bread rolls
6 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese
12 (1-ounce) slices roasted breast of chicken
12 (1-ounce) slices deli roast beef
6 cups gourmet salad greens

Preparation
To prepare olive salad, combine first 8 ingredients in bowl of a food processor. Process 30 seconds or until finely chopped; chill.

To prepare muffuletta, cut rolls in half horizontally. Cut each cheese slice in half crosswise. Spread about 2 1/2 tablespoons olive mixture onto top half of each roll. Layer 1/2 cup greens, 1/2 cheese slice, 1 roast beef slice, and 1 chicken slice on each roll bottom; cover with top of roll. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Chill up to 8 hours.

Cooking Light, March 2003 via here.