Japanese Milk Bread French Toast

Once I get wind of a new food trend I love hunting it down to give it a try. Bubble waffles? Check. Gold glitter lattes? Check. There is something exhilarating about trying new foods. Therefore, when I read you could only get your hands on the famously fluffy milk bread in New York or it’s homeland, Japan, I knew I only had one option – to make it at home.

Seeing as Ian is the bread maker in the house, I requested his help in the kitchen. We followed the recipe provided by The Little Epicurean and got to work. Surprisingly, the multiple step process went smoothly and before we knew it, we were pulling out our milk bread loaves from the oven.

Rumor has it, milk bread is traditionally served with sweet and condensed milk. Apparently, the Japanese use this as a spread rather than a baking ingredient. I’m always fascinated by these cultural differences! To add our own spin on this milk bread, we decided to turn it into french toast. With a drizzle of sweet and condensed milk and a few fresh raspberries, this dish was well worth the hours spent in the kitchen.

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Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Welcome back to regular scheduled programming! While it’s been nice reminiscing about our recent travels to Greece, it feels good to be back in the kitchen whipping up summer recipes and creating new DIYs to share on this space. First up, are these mouthwatering lemon shortbread cookies.

I baked a batch of these cookies as a midweek surprise for Ian. While most people argue whether Thin Mints or Caramel Delights are the best Girl Scout cookies – Ian strongly believes Lemonades come out on top. I was hesitant to join him on this polarizing view, but after enjoying a Lemonade cookie on a warm summer’s night, I could see where he was coming from.

Sadly, since Lemonades are not a crowd favorite, Girl Scout stands only carry a small number of boxes. Ian tried to get his hands on as many as he could manage, but still came up short. Therefore, being the loving wife I am, I decided to attempt baking a batch of my own Lemon Shortbread cookies.  If you have a Lemonades lover in your life, make their day and follow the recipe below!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 C. flour
  • 1 C. powdered sugar
  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs. milk

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 325˙
  • In a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth
  • Slowly add in 1/2 C. of powdered sugar until smooth
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and salt
  • Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture
  • Mix until the dough sticks together when pinched
  • Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
  • Lightly flour your surface and roll out the dough to be 1/4 inch thick
  • Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies
  • Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden
  • Remove from oven and let cool
  • Mix together the lemon glaze by adding 1/2 C. powdered sugar in with the lemon juice and milk.
  • Drizzle cookies with the glaze and set aside for 30 minutes for the glaze to set.

Month in Review: May 2019

May was a month where some dreams came true and others were crushed. It may sound dramatic, but it was a month of high highs and low lows. These extremes are not unique in life, but they are mentally and emotionally draining. Therefore, Ian and I were grateful to have a holiday weekend nestled within the month to regroup and start June on a fresh note.

May started off in the best way possible – on an airplane to a dream destination. I’ve had Greece on my travel bucket list for years and I was over the moon to finally visit. Ian and I spent a glorious week exploring the ancient ruins in Athens, soaking up the sun in Mykonos,  and watching the sunsets in Santorini. It was a magical trip that reignited my love for travel.

While it was difficult to leave Greece, I was grateful we made it back home in time to enjoy all of the spring blossoms. Ian and I made a mini date night out of driving around town to look at the blossoming trees. It doesn’t get more beautiful than this!

Towards the end of the month, we were giddy with excitement since we thought we found a house to submit an offer on. We have been house hunting for four months and haven’t fallen in love with a home like this before. Then we received a phone call from our relator that said the homeowners accepted an offer from a family friend and they were not looking at outside offers. Our hearts broke. We know this is a tough housing market and there are many more heartbreaks ahead of us, but that didn’t soften the blow.

Luckily, Memorial Day was right around the corner and we were able to enjoy a day at the beach to get our minds off of the house hunt. We chose to drive to a suburb of Milwaukee to get away from the crowds and soak in the sun. It was a quiet afternoon snuggled up on the beach, reading books, and playing card games.

With the start of each month, there is a sense of hope and excitement. It’s a fresh start to tackle your goals, make memories with friends, and enjoy your surroundings. As we look ahead in June, we are ready to make this month one to remember.