Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups (6 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon zest, or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) mashed strawberries
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the walnuts, flour, sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, eggs, strawberries, and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, whisking until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a rack to cool completely, 1 hour or longer. For best flavor and easiest slicing, wrap the bread while still slightly warm and let set overnight.

Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook and Amber's Delectable Delights

Banana Crumb Muffins

So, every morning before I go to the gym (not that I am good and go every morning) I normally eat a banana or apple. Well, for some reason the banas that I bought got rip way earlier that I had planned on. Therefore, I needed something to make with them that I could grab and eat on my way out. I saw these on a friend's blog and decided that they would be perfect. I took the left overs into work on Monday and the coworkers loved them. they all wanted to know when I would be making them again.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Recipe from April's Blog and Picture from my kitchen.

French Toast Casserole

I made this for my family and they loved it. It will defiantly be used again.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups bread cubes
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com and picture from my kitchen.

Big Blueberry Muffins

My husband loves blueberries. I was a Sam's Club and they had just gotten in a huge shipment of blueberries. I knew that he would love to have some blueberry muffins.




- Makes 12 muffins -

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 3 equal pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried

Directions
1. Be sure an adult is nearby to help.
2. Put the butter pieces in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a pot holder, remove the pan from the heat and set the butter aside to cool.
3. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix with a table fork.
5. In a small mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Using the same fork, beat until well blended.
6. Add the milk mixture, melted butter and blueberries to the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently until the ingredients are just blended.
7. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over the tops.
8. Bake the muffins until they are golden and have risen nicely, 18 to 20 minutes. To test, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
9. Using oven mitts, remove the muffin pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let the muffins cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the pan. Gently turn the pan over, letting the muffins fall out onto the rack.

Source: Williams-Sonoma The Kid's Cookbook, by Abigail Johnson Dodge and Amber's Delectable Delights

Picture from my Kitchen

English Muffin Bread

I was board on Martin Luther King Day so I decided to make something that I could eat for breakfast this week. I was surfing the internet looking for different breads and came across this recipe. My family had it this morning for breakfast and everyone was amazed at how similar it was to English Muffins!


Source: Better Homes & Gardens, New Cook Book, Limited Breast Cancer Edition, pages 143-143

Prep: 20 minutes * Rise: 45 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes * Makes: 2 loaves

Ingredients
Cornmeal
6 cups all purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Grease two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Lightly sprinkle pans with enough cornmeal to coat bottom and sides; set pans aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, water, sugar and, salt just until warm (120 to 130 degrees F). Using a wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour.
3. Divide dough in half. Place dough in prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.

Recipe from Amber's Delectable Delights, picture from my kitchen.

French Toast Casserole

I needed something to make for Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast with the family. I wanted something fun but simple and this seemed to fit the bill. Everyone loved it!!!


Ingredients:
5 cups bread cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Recipe from Allrecipes, picture from my kitchen.

Cinnamon-Sugar-Dipped Blueberry Muffins

Lenny's work was having a Christmas breakfast so of coarse he signs up for Blueberry muffins without checking with me first. So, therefore he had to scour the internet for a new blueberry muffin recipe. This is what he came up with. I doubled the recipe and also made some muffins to take in with me to work and everyone loved them.

Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 1/4 (10 ounces) cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries, preferably wild
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 steps, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.
3. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until the batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and the batter will be thick). Do not overmix.
4. Use a large spoon sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, divide the batter among the greased muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Invert the muffins onto a wire rack, stand the muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.
5. While muffins are cooling, mix sugar and ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt butter in small saucepan. After the baked muffins have cooled five minutes, working one at a time, dip the top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack; serve.

Makes 12 muffins

Recipe from Source: Baking Illustrated picture from my kitchen

Blueberry Scones

My husband loves blueberries so he bought a huge thing of blueberries from Costco. I so far have made Blueberry Waffles, Muffins, and now these. He has loved everything so far so hopefully he will love these too.

Ingredients:
2 c. flour plus 2 Tbsp, plus 1 Tbsp (I did not use the 1 Tbsp since I used fresh berries)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, plus 1/2 Tbsp, chilled
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 c. half and half, chilled (I did not have any half and half so I used this substitution= 7/8 cup milk and 7/8 tablespoon melted butter, cooled )
2/3 c. frozen Maine wild blueberries (I used a cup of fresh)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. (I used my pizza stone instead)
-In small bowl combine frozen blueberries and 1 Tbsp flour and toss to combine. (I left this step out)
-Place blueberry mixture back into freezer. (I left this step out)
-In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
-Take butter out of fridge, cut into chunks and add to flour mixture.
-Cut butter into flour until pea sized or smaller.
-Add vanilla and half and half and mix in with a spoon until just barely incorporated.
-Take blueberries out of fridge and knead into mixture until mixture forms a ball of sticky dough.
-Turn dough out onto floured surface and pat down into rough 9-10 inch circle.
-Cut into 8 triangles and place triangles onto prepared baking sheet at least an inch apart.
-Take 1/2 Tbsp butter and cut into 8 small pieces.
-Place one small piece of butter on top of each scone.
-Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
-Let cool and enjoy.

Source: Good Things Catered

Surprise Hasbrowns

This is a recipe that Lenny's Aunt used to make for all their family get togethers. This was one of his favorite dishes so I decided to make it for him.

Ingredients:

12 oz sour cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can celery soup

1 can cream of potato soup

1 (10 oz) cheddar cheese

1 lb. hashbrowns (the shredded kind) (I actually used almost 2 pounds)

Onion (to taste) (I did not use any onion, because I did not have any)

Directions:

- Mix sour cream, seasonings, soups, milk, and 1/2 of cheese.

- Combine in greased 9x12 baking dish with potatoes and onion.

- Put rest of cheese on top and bake 1 1/2 hour (covered) at 350 degrees.

Source: Lenny's Aunt