Red, White, and Blueberries

Let me guess, you’re going to a 4th of July party with a bunch of hipsters who can’t eat anything yummy (read: burgers and brats), and you have no idea what to bring. Problem solved!*

*Note: Problem not solved if your hipster friends are doing Whole 30 as this summer treat is full of dairy. Problem only solved if your crew likes yogurt in mason jars. 

The main reason I think this would be a good party treat is because it’s so easy to make and super customizable. I made these parfaits look patriotic for the 4th, but you could use virtually any ingredients to make them fit your preferences. (See this post I did on a less healthy caramel apple parfait.) 

Patriotic Parfait Recipe

- Blueberries

- Strawberries

- Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani Vanilla Blended)

- Almond Slivers, Granola

- Honey to taste

It feels silly to even call this a recipe because it’s so easy-breezy. But in case you couldn’t figure it out on your own, I layered the ingredients in the mason jar, beginning with the greek yogurt. I added the blueberries next, and another layer of yogurt then I put strawberries on the top (obviously I should have put the blueberries on the top considering this post is called “Red, White, and Blueberries — oops). On the very top, I drizzled honey and added a few almond slivers.

So really this #shelearnsthings is about meal-planning because I’m so excited to have these yogurts to take to work this week! It takes me a while to warm up to the idea of breakfast in the morning, so I kinda have to force myself to eat something small first thing. (Does breakfast make anybody else nauseous, or is it just me?) My roommate, Merry, takes parfaits similar to these to work weekly and she really likes making (and eating) them. So, I’m accepting her influence and making room for more mason jars in the fridge! Speaking of the fridge, they should last several days when properly refrigerated.

Let me know if you make parfaits for patriotism! I'm going to eat mine now. America!

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Cheesy French Toast Friendship

If you landed on this blog post from a thumbnail photo you saw of a bunch of cheese on french toast and now you're planning on thinking "that looks disgusting" the whole time you're reading this, you're probably not alone. But hey--can't knock it until you try it! This Memorial Day weekend marks the 1-year anniversary of when my supercool roommate Merry and I moved in together. So naturally, we decided to make cheesy french toast.

Last year, we had just finished moving everything up the 3 flights of stairs to our apartment, and somehow Merry started talking about this ridiculous recipe she grew up on in Wisconsin. Merry's mom would often put cheese on their french toast. Yes, CHEESE. I know what you're thinking because I thought it too. Why would anybody ruin french toast by putting CHEESE on it?? And why on earth would anybody ruin cheese by putting it on FRENCH TOAST?? But sometimes, when you combine 2 good things, you wind up with something even greater. Enter cheesy french toast.

So we headed over to the store with our friend Meghan to get things to make french toast…and cheese…and came home on a rainy Memorial Day weekend to eat it, sitting in our new living room with no furniture. But we had friendship, and cheese. It's a great memory for us, so now you can all recreate it because I'm giving you the recipe!

Cheesy French Toast

Makes about 6 slices

- 4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups milk

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1 tablespoon vanilla

- 6 slices bread

- 6 slices sharp cheddar

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla to create batter to cover bread. Dip bread in egg mixture, coating both sides evenly.

2. Cook bread over lightly greased skillet on medium heat until golden brown.

3. Melt slice of sharp cheddar over top.

4. Don't forget the bacon. (It's not technically part of the recipe, but everything is better with bacon.)

Also don't forget the syrup. Mer's mom said she learned how to make french toast this way when she was 7. So, we're not totally sure on the original source for the recipe, but I like to think some brilliant soul in Wisconsin had too much cheese on his hands and came up with this.

I think if they ever reinstate Fear Factor into NBC's nightly lineup, answering affirmatively to "will you eat french toast with cheese on it??" may win somebody a lot of money someday. (We know it sounds weird and looks gross but it's really quite good.) ((Eating bugs on Fear Factor is probably way less enjoyable.)) 

P.S. Thanks to Austin Elliott for doing all the photography in this post and letting me edit 'em and to Merry Tucker for making french toast and letting me eat it and put her recipe on the internet.

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