Oatmeal Pancakes

Always eager to try new ideas for Saturday morning breakfast, I found this one. It was pretty delicious and it's definitely one we'll be bringing back to the table some other Saturday. 

• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
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• In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda and sugar. Combine the egg, buttermilk and butter; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Cook in usual pancake fashion on your griddle or frying pan. We topped them with some cooked fresh peaches.
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Blueberry Syrup

We have been looking for alternatives to generic pancake syrup. We picked some blueberries a short while ago and so decided to give them a try at the job. We've had our pancakes with these a few times now and it's pretty delicious.

• 3 cups or more blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Combine the blueberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook at a boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom as needed to keep from burning. Reduce heat to low; simmer the mixture until thick, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
I have stored mine in a mason jar in the fridge for later use and it's turned out well, albeit cold.

English Muffins

• Phil is out of town for a little bit so I have some extra time to fill. That's exactly how these came to be. I did not dust them with cornmeal and mine, substituted about half the flour with whole wheat flour and didn't take nearly this long to cook. If I would have left them they would have been charcoal muffins. Overall they're pretty good. They don't nearly have the big nooks and crannies, though. We used these for dinner tonight to put BLT's on. 

1 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
  cornmeal for dusting
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  Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
  Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
  Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 5 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast.

Baked Donuts

I finally found a baked donut recipe I liked. I tweaked it a little. I will probably continue to tweak it as I use it. This time I tossed in some chocolate chips to fulfill my "chocolate chip bake donuts" on my list. I frosted them with a thin ganache. If I were to make these again I would leave out the spices if I were using chocolate with it. The spices were good but it was too much with the chocolate. A powdered sugar glaze would be great on donuts with the spices included. I could also see substituting some of the milk with pumpkin in the fall. Yum!  

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon oil
  
  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a doughnut pan.
  In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and shortening. Beat together until well blended.
  Fill each doughnut cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake 15 or so minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
  

Bagels

While at Dunkin Donuts one morning I looked at the shelves and had a realization. If I could successfully make pretzels which are a boil then bake recipe... I could probably make bagels too! So here we are! 

I mixed in about 1/2 whole wheat flour attempting to feel less guilty about eating these. 

Oh and for the record, I did try my recipe for chocolate chip donuts but was completely unimpressed. I'm checking it off the list, but I won't be making that particular recipe again.

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• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

1. In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Crumpets

We took a trip to England years ago and it is still one of our favorite vacations we've ever taken. We have found packaged crumpets at the grocery store a few times and fell in love. This week I tried making them on my own and they were delicious! This recipe is from allrecipes.com. Now I just need to buy more metal rings so I can make them again!

Oh... and no picture... because we ate them all. They were seriously good!

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup warm milk 
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
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In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon butter and egg; mix well. Add flour and salt; beat until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Brush griddle and 3-in. metal rings or open-topped metal cookie cutters with remaining butter. Place rings on griddle; heat over low heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter into each ring. Cook for 7 minutes or until bubbles begin to pop and the top appears dry. Remove rings. Turn crumpets; cook 1-2 minutes longer or until the second side is golden brown. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack and toast before serving.

PW Cinnamon Rolls... Oh my!!

**I'm editing this recipe to a half batch since I keep messing up reading it as a whole one. 


I am a big fan of cinnamon rolls and a big fan of Pioneer Woman, so it was only a matter of time before I tried her recipe. Why have I waited so long?!?!
I had a friend ask me to make him cinnamon rolls for his birthday. Perfect excuse! This make a HUGE batch of cinnamon rolls, which works out, since you want to eat a million of them. We just sent a big pan their way, finished off a pan ourselves and I have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!
This recipe is so deliciously flavorful. The best cinnamon rolls I've ever made... and I've made more than my fair share of cinnamon rolls!

2c Whole Milk

1/2c Vegetable Oil

1/2c Sugar

1 packages Active Dry Yeast

4c (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

1/2t (heaping) Baking Powder

1/2t (scant) Baking Soda

1/2T (heaping) Salt

Plenty Of Melted Butter

1c Sugar

Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

(I just made a glaze from powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, but someday I want to try her glaze with them.)

MAPLE FROSTING:

1/2 bag Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoons Maple Flavoring

1/4c Milk

1/8c Melted Butter

1/8c Brewed Coffee

pinch Salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. 

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

I'm definitely an imperfect person. I have many, many faults. One of them is never being content with a recipe, even if it's absolutely delicious. That is what brought me to this recipe for banana bread. I'm really glad I kept trying different recipes, though. This one was delicious!
I found it at an Eat at Home website I found.

3/4c butter
8 oz. cream cheese
2c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2c of mashed banana (about 4 bananas)
1/2t vanilla
3c flour
1/2t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer bowl. Mix in the sugar, then the eggs, bananas, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add them to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into 3 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2T orange juice
(The recipe called for 3 T but I found 2 to be sufficient.)

Apple Bread

I LOVE this apple bread! This time I used pecans instead of walnuts only because that's what was already in my cupboard.

2c flour
1t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1/2c chopped walnuts
1/2c butter, softened
1c white sugar
2 eggs
1t vanilla extract
2+c apples, peeled, cored and shredded (I used 2 apples cut in chunks and 1 shredded)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nuts.
In a large bowl beat margarine, sugar, one egg at a time, and vanilla. Stir in apples.
Add dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes (it took mine over an hour by toothpick test). Let stand 10 minutes then remove from pan.

Pumpkin Bread

This makes 3 loaves, so freeze one or give it away. For us we tend to eat our way right through it. It's good stuff!

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

 

Perfect Pancakes... Not Kidding!

Stealing this recipe from Mommy's Kitchen. I found that using skim milk does not yield the best results. I mixed some whipping cream in with the skim and they were perfect. You could use whole milk or buttermilk instead. These have definitely won me over from using a packaged mix!

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons butter (melted)

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined. Melt butter in the microwave and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine. Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup.

Crepes

Crepes are near and dear to our hearts since our first experience with them in Old Gaeta when we lived in Italy. Il Molo only made them during the cold part of the year and filled them with all sorts of yummy things like Nutella or strawberries. This was my first attempt making them at home. They take a bit of practice but I know we'll be making them again!

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.
Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. Using a serving spoon or small ladle (I use a small round measuring cup), spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.