Recipes to Spice up Your Winter

illustration by Cassy Smithies

illustration by Cassy Smithies

On the Friday night prior to finals week and winter break, RIT Dining Services hosted Late Night Breakfast at Gracie’s as a last hurrah before the holidays. French toast, fruit salad and hash browns were on the menu, and “Elf” was projected on an inflatable screen for the students who came out for the event. Breakfast for dinner was the novelty pick-me-up that delighted us as kids, and even now as 20-somethings. There is something about indulging in a stack of pancakes drenched in maple syrup or a bowl of maple oatmeal at 9 p.m. that makes it seem as though all is well in the world. Breakfast foods got their own distinctive category for Southern Living’s breakdown of the top 101 comfort foods, so there really was no better way to usher in a hectic week of exams and the chaotic holiday season. The event proved to be wildly successful, the promise of pastries, scrambled eggs and coffee attracting not only the freshmen living dorm-side, but also upperclassmen looking for a break from their study sessions in the library.

For these very reasons, we have hand-selected two breakfast recipes for you to treat yourself to this month. If pumpkin spice means fall, then gingerbread means winter, and our favorite gingerbread French toast recipe will help you combat the winter blues. This yummy recipe is sure to please everyone — not just UGG-wearing Starbucks lovers. Also, try out our favorite sweetheart cinnamon roll recipe if you’re looking for an easy way to impress your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day — you don’t even have to make the cinnamon rolls from scratch! 

Winter Recipe: Gingerbread French Toast with Cinnamon Honey Sauce

Total time: 15 minutes

From Julia, HappyFoods Tube

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mixed spices (cinnamon, cloves, star anise, all-spice, nutmeg, ginger)
• 1 french baguette (best if 1–2 days old)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter or non-stick cooking spray
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk

French Toast Steps:

1. Whisk eggs, milk, cream and spices in mixing bowl until well-combined.
2. Slice baguette to desired thickness.
3. Melt butter in frying pan or coat with cooking spray.
4. Dip each slice in batter and place in pan. Cook on medium heat 1–2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip each slice over and cook for an additional 1–2 minutes.

Cinnamon Honey Sauce Steps:

1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Add cinnamon, honey and lemon juice.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Slowly pour cream while stirring constantly.
5. Slowly bring to a boil and stir for an additional minute.
6. Pour over French toast or dip each slice into sauce.

Valentine’s Day Recipe: Sweetheart Cinnamon Rolls

Total time: 30 minutes

From Sheryl, Lady Behind the Curtain

Ingredients:

• 1 package of refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
• Pink, red and white sprinkles

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Carefully unwind each roll into a long strip of dough, leaving center coiled.
3. Coil unrolled end of each strip towards center, making two equal coils.
4. Pull middle of strip down to make a point, forming a heart shape and pinch the point together.
5. Place in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake 13–15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan.
7. Drizzle frosting over warm rolls.
8. Add sprinkles.