Six-Week Raisin Bran Muffins

Now here's something I don't think you see too much anymore--six-week refrigerator bran muffins.

And that's a shame really.  Granted the recipe makes a huge amount; you will definitely have to find your very biggest bowl to mix it and a good amount of space in your fridge to store it (at least in the beginning), but the convenience and specialness of homemade, hot raisin and bran muffins with melted butter is something you just can't buy at your local coffee shop.

Perhaps it's me because I'm getting older, but I value those quiet moments at home, not standing in line with twenty-five other non-morning, likely grumpy people, grins.  And if you're in that morning grump slump, we all know how annoying it can be to have that little bluebird of happiness just chirping merrily away.  So much better to be at home, get one's footing, and then go out and face the world.  These will help.

Six-Week Raisin Bran Muffins

1 (15 ounce) box Raisin Bran cereal (about 9 cups)
3 cups sugar
5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 quart (4 cups) buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix cereal with raisins, sugar, flour, soda and salt in a very large bowl. Add oil, eggs and milk. Allow to rest before use.  Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Store in a covered container and use as needed.

COOK'S NOTE:  Yep, this does in fact last six weeks.  I stirred the batter off and on in between, sniffing to make sure that it was still okay.  I could make six muffins or a dozen, whatever time and appetite allowed.

There's Nothing Like Corn, Corn, Cornmeal Pancakes in the Morning

I'm still kind of laughing about this.  Sweetie Pie, who is the meat eater in this household, put back his ham steak to grab some more cornmeal pancakes.  Just when you think you've seen it all and miracles never happen on a Sunday morning, this happens.

We love pancakes and eat a lot of them for weekend breakfasts.  I've shared my favorite pancake recipe here.  Sweetie Pie grew up with cornmeal pancakes; I had never heard of them until I met him. I've made cornmeal pancakes in the past, usually they included a can of corn, but I'm thinking this my new favorite recipe and will be retiring the other.  

CORNMEAL PANCAKES

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
pancake syrup of choice

In a medium sized bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk to combine.

In a large measuring cup beat together the eggs, buttermilk, honey and butter.  Add to the cornmeal mixture and stir but do not overmix.

Heat a griddle or large cast iron skillet over medium.  Give a light coating of cooking spray or oil.  Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, gently swirling the batter to make into a nice circle.

Fry until bubbles appear, about 2 to 3 minutes each side.  You're probably going to make this in batches so have a baking sheet on standby and oven preheated at lowest possible temperature, to transfer the pancakes to while preparing the rest of them.

COOK'S NOTES:  I used an electric fry pan, set it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and I found it cooked them too fast on the outside.  I reduced the heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and wiped out some of the oil, and they came out much nicer.  I use a little stainless steel gravy ladle to scoop out the batter, pouring it into a circle and using the side of the ladle to even out the edges and thickness.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

Oooh boy!  If you like cinnamon rolls for breakfast, fresh and hot from the oven but you don't like working with yeast or don't have the time to wait for rollin' and risin', then I hope you give this recipe a try.  Have mercy, these were a winner.

I had another recipe for biscuit cinnamon rolls, and it was just like it sounds, biscuits with cinnamon.  Not horrible mind you, but clearly deserving of their biscuit claim, and they were not something I rushed to make again.

So I saw this recipe, hemmed and hawed, reflecting on my past experience, and passed over it several times.  Don't ask me what drew me to it--probably the buttermilk that needed using and the fact that we love pastry type items for our weekend breakfasts. And I don't discount the fact that I have been a huge fan of Mel's Kitchen Cafe for years and years.  She is totally amazing!

And may I say these far exceeded expectations.  While not as light and fluffy as a yeast roll, these were amazing on their own.  Definitely fluffy and tender and full of cinnamon deliciousness.  And huge.  The original recipe said serves 12 to 15.  I am not advocate of puny cinnamon rolls so I made 12.  Just let me say a single roll would easily be more than enough for someone who was wasn't a part of the super-size crowd.  Ahem.  Both Sweetie-Pie and I had two.  What can I say; that's the way we roll.

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT CINNAMON ROLLS
Discovered on Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Biscuits:

4 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

1/3 cup  granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

13 tablespoons very cold butter

2 cups buttermilk (plus a few tablespoons more, if needed)

Filling:

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Easy Vanilla Glaze
From the good folks at King Arthur's Flour

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is like coarse meal and the butter is in small, about the size of a pea.
3. Pour in the buttermilk and mix until just combined. The dough should start to come together but don’t want to overmix the dough. If there are lots of dry patches throughout the dough, add a bit more buttermilk, just a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough comes together.
4. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter.
5. Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin!) the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Gently fold the dough in thirds (as if folding a letter), repeating three times and pressing gently to 1-inch thick after each fold. These folds, combined with the cold butter, are what help to create flaky layers.
6. With a lightly floured rolling pin (or pressing quickly with your hands), roll the dough into a 1/4-inch rectangle, about 18" x 10". It's important to not overwork the dough if you want tender, flaky biscuits.
7. Spread the melted butter over the top. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly over the butter.
8. Start rolling up the cinnamon rolls, beginning with one long edge, rolling tightly without pulling and stretching the dough.
9. Pinch the seam and reposition the long roll until it is seam side down.
10. Cut into 1- or 1 1/2-inch rolls. Tuck the loose end of each roll underneath and place an inch or so apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
11. At this point the rolls can be covered and refrigerated for up to two days. To bake immediately, bake for 12-15 minutes. If baking straight from the refrigerator, add a couple minutes to the baking time.
12. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes or so before drizzling with the icing.

For the Vanilla Glaze:
Stir the ingredients together, adding extra liquid or confectioners' sugar to adjust the consistency as needed. Yield: about 1/2 cup glaze.  This made just about enough to lightly glaze all the biscuit rolls.  If you lot a lot of glaze, consider doubling the recipe.

Lemon Crumb Muffins

All righty then.  If you love lemon and you have some time and you want to spend it on making some of the best lemon muffins Sweetie Pie and I have ever eaten, then this is for you.  These are puckery, sweet, lemony globes of deliciousness. They are not cakelike, definitely of the muffin variety, with a heavier, but not dry, crumb. This is the kind of recipe that could anchor your reputation as a top-drawer cook, believe me.

And another good thing?  The batter makes two and a half dozen but can last up to a week in the refrigerator!  How great is that.  Pretty darned great. Enough for a breakfast treat at home and enough to share at work.  I'm not so sure I want to share, though...

Anyway, enough small talk.  Here's the recipe.  It's a three-parter: batter, streusel, and glaze so I suggest you read through it first.  And it's not a mistake--there really is no baking powder in this.  I'm supposing it's a chemical reaction between the baking soda and lemon juice that gives the batter its rise.

LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS
(from the Granary at Pine Tree Barn)

Batter 
6 cup all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (4 sticks) butter (melted)
2 cups (1 pint) sour cream
8 large eggs

2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 fresh lemons (washed, dried, and then the rind grated without the pith, set aside)

In a very large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together.  In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon juice and eggs.  Whisk until smooth.  Fold in the lemon rind.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend well.

Streusel
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup butter, softened


Sift flour and sugar together.  Add softened butter and work into dry ingredients until well combined.

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Stir together until sugar is dissolved.

Spray muffin tins and fill with lemon muffin batter.  Top with streusel.  Bake at 350*Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes or until tests done with a toothpick.  Allow to cool.  Poke muffins with a toothpick.  Spoon glaze over muffins.  Remove from muffin tin.  Store in airtight container.

Makes 24-30 muffins.

COOK'S NOTES:  I am a pokey cook, so this took me some time to put together so plan on spending some preparing this.  I grated the lemon rind first and just kept it aside in one of a small custard cup.

The only thing that I did do differently was I heated the sugar and lemon juice in the pan I melted the butter in to make a lemon simple syrup because I can't stand sugary grit.  I heated it over medium just enough to dissolve the sugar and then set it aside to cool.

Creamed Eggs and Ham over Biscuits

Creamed Eggs and Ham Over Biscuits

Well here was a nice country-style breakfast and a departure from our normal fare.  As I wrote that first sentence, I wondered what our normal breakfast fare is.  How dull and routine we must be in our real lives, grins, always in a hurry with toast and a quick cup of coffee to get us started for a new day.  A slow breakfast is a luxury reserved for our days away from work.

This would be a perfect breakfast for those after-Easter boiled eggs and leftover ham feasts and now you're looking for a new way to serve them.  I buy the small packages of boneless ham slices, usually four or six to a pack if I recall correctly.  It's just enough for the two of us for a couple of meals:  eggs Benedict, ham and potato casserole, our favorite breakfast quiche, among others, and now this.

You have to have a pretty good appetite as this is filling.  Nice warm biscuit  baked with a sprinkling of cheese, creamy eggs and ham to bathe them in and sop up some of that deliciousness, mmmm!


CREAMED EGGS AND HAM
(over toast, English muffins or biscuits)

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
1 cup diced cooked ham
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
4 biscuits

Directions

Melt butter in a deep, medium sized fry pan or a saucepan over low heat.
Stir flour, mustard, salt, and pepper into butter until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add milk.
Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil until mixture thickens, about 1 minute.
Stir ham and eggs into milk mixture and cook until heated through.
Spoon creamed ham and eggs onto biscuits.

No Knead, Whole Wheat, English Muffin Batter Bread

I love my no-knead breads.  I love my kneaded breads, too, of course, but there are times, especially in the mornings, when I just want to get a dough in the oven without a lot of fuss and bother, and have a result that is beautiful, hearty, full of glory, grins.

My Sweetie-Pie surprised me a while back with a gorgeous bouquet of lilies, for no reason, just because he saw something beautiful and he thought of me.  How sweetie-pie is that?!  I'm telling you.  So, of course I had to bake him something that he particularly likes, whole wheat bread.

I'm an early morning riser, he tends to be a sleepyhead so it's no effort for me to have this ready and cooling by the time he finally makes it out to the kitchen.  Usually it's the aroma of something wonderful that awakens him and I see him standing there rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, sniffing the air, and mumbling, "What is that wonderful smell?"  Too cute sometimes.


NO KNEAD, WHOLE WHEAT, ENGLISH MUFFIN BATTER BREAD

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat gluten (optional but gives a higher rise)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cornmeal, for sprinkling the pan

Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening. Roll and shake the cornmeal around the sides and bottom of the pan.  Shake out any excess. Set pan aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, vital wheat gluten flour (if using), brown sugar, yeast, salt, and baking soda.

Combine the milk, water, and oil and gently heat until the liquid reaches the temperature directed by the yeast manufacturer, usually between 110*-120* Fahrenheit, but check package for manufacturer's recommendations. Stir the liquid together well before taking the temperature, and for best results, use an insta-read or digital read thermometer.  If you don't have one, temperature should be pleasantly warm but not hot.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients, then beat the mixture on high speed for one minute. The dough will be very soft, somewhat sticky, and moist, kind of goopy. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, then gently stretch it with your impeccably clean hands to make it as even as possible.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray or a clean kitchen towel, in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough just barely rises over the top rim of the pan, about 1 hour, depending upon the temperature of your kitchen. (Alternatively, you can place the loaf in your refrigerator to rise overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking.) Towards the end of the bread’s rise time, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400* Fahrenheit.

Once dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, until it is golden brown and the interior temperature registers 185*-190* Fahrenheit, or sounds hollow when given a good thump with the back of  your knuckle. Check the dough at the 15-minute mark—if it's browning too quickly, lightly tent the pan with foil, then continue baking until the bread is done.

Remove the bread from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes in the baking pan. Gently turn the bread out from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing.

NOTE: I live in the desert, my kitchen is always warm and almost always no humidity, grins. Cooling a kitchen to 75* Fahrenheit is a lot different than heating it, grins.  My flours are parched! There was not nearly enough liquid so I ended up adding close to another 1/4 cup of lukewarm water.  The rising time for my dough was only about 40 minutes.

Creamed Spinach and Baked Eggs Breakfast

Every now and again we get a little bit (for us, grins) adventurous and we try something that we'd never thought we'd eat in a hundred years.  This time it was spinach for breakfast.  With eggs.  I suppose on the surface the combination does sound disconcerting when one has a long history of presweetened cereals or eggs simply prepared with no spinach. We love all the ingredients but just had never put them together for a breakfast meal.  So it took a bit of doing to work up the courage to try it, but this was definitely worth the test.  We are converted!  This is company worthy, would be marvelous for a brunch or special occasion.

CREAMED SPINACH AND BAKED EGGS

6 slices bacon (or more depending how many you're serving)
1/2 onion, diced
15 ounce bag of frozen spinach
salt and pepper to taste
4 to 8 large eggs (depending on how many you're serving)

1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
plain bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 400* Fahrenheit.

In an ovenproof skillet, fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined dish.  Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from the frying pan.

Add onion to the bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until light golden and softened.

Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Carefully pour off some of the liquid.  Season the spinach with the salt and pepper.  Add the cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Using a spoon, make wells in the spinach, one for each egg you are going to serve.  Crack an egg into each well.  If the eggs slightly flow into each other, that's fine.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Transfer to the oven and bake 6 to 8 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny.

I sprinkled with bread crumbs towards the end for a little extra color but that's totally optional.

Spoon onto plate to serve with the bacon.  Toast points are a nice addition to dip into the soft yolk.  YUM!

Breakfast is Ready

Darned Good Salsa on Cheese Omelet and English Muffin Batter Bread

Breakfast Burrito

No new recipes, just messing with my camera.

Previously posted recipes are here though.  Some recipes I just have to make over and over because they're that good.

https://cactuskateskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/04/darned-good-salsa.html

 https://cactuskateskitchen.blogspot.com/2017/09/english-muffin-batter-bread.html

Just a word about that salsa on the egg and cheese omelet.  Stop the train!  It was so darned good with the "darned good salsa."  Never thought I'd eat salsa on eggs, but boy am I glad I tried it.  Oooh the flavors. Swoon.  Swoon.  The salsa definitely kicked up the omelet to new heights.  I question whether I'll ever be able to eat a "plain" omelet again.  We've since been out to breakfast and I ordered the restaurant's omelet and salsa special, and all I'm going to say, in all humility, is they do't have anything over on me.  Going to save myself a bundle and make it at home.  Plus I get to eat breakfast in my pajamas.  Win-win all around I'd say.

And, of course, I love the buttery crunchiness of my English muffin batter bread and warm yeasty aromas.  It's a bread that has substance, not air.  Mmmm.  If I want to spoil myself, a little jam goes great.  My Sweetie Pie likes to dob on peanut butter and let its melty goodness just sink into it.

Nothing fancy with the breakfast burrito.  Just some scrambled eggs and diced ham rolled up in a tortilla.  A burrito makes everyday items look kind of fun and fancy, plus it's convenient to eat.    

30 Seconds to Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

30 Seconds to Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

We love Eggs Benedict; it's our special occasion breakfast.  It's our going-out-for-breakfast breakfast.  It's our breakfast when we just feel like indulging ourselves because we feel as if we earned it, grins.  And if I really want to make it special, I make my no-knead English muffin batter bread.

Now the one thing Sweetie Pie laments about is the restaurants don't give him enough sauce. He wants every bite to have that lemony goodness on it.  When I make it at home, he'll go back to the pot and just eat the sauce straight from the pan.  Yep, he loves Hollandaise.  And so do I, of course, but goodness there has to be limits.  Or not.  No one's looking; no one here's going to judge you.  Have what you want, as long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else, I mean.  Those kinds of limits.

So the question remains:  can you make a perfect Hollandaise sauce in thirty seconds?  And the answer is a resounding yes.  But (and isn't there always a but?), you are going to need an immersion (stick) blender.  I don't use my stick blender nearly enough and when I saw this, I just had to try it.  And in a whizz, it was done.  Less than thirty seconds.  More like ten.  The other twenty seconds must be for tossing  the simple ingredients in the blender cup.

30 SECONDS TO PERFECT HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)

Separate the eggs.  Put the egg yolks, salt, butter either in an immersion blender cup or a wide-mouth Mason jar. 

Heat the butter until melted; allow to cool slightly and add to the jar.  Immediately insert your blender and turn it on, using a slight pumping action to give it a good churn, combining all the ingredients until thick and golden and creamy.

Taste and adjust for seasoning.  I add a pinch of cayenne pepper to mine.

COOK'S NOTES:  Hinkey about using raw eggs?  I don't blame you.  Pasteurized eggs are available at many supermarkets and you can pasteurize the eggs yourself at home.  It's a bit of a song and a dance but no one needs Salmonella in their life.

Jewish Coffee Cake

Jewish Coffee Cake

I find that as I am getting older, I look for shortcuts in cooking.  Simpler ingredients, fewer steps, less time.  But I still want deliciousness; it's not enough to be convenient.  I have to have some standards, grins.

Truth be told, for a very long time I was a cake mix snob.  Never did I dream the day would come where I would make anything that started with a cake mix.  Well, I've gotten over myself and that ridiculous notion and hail the invention of the boxed cake mix.  While, no question in my mind that homemade is better, the occasional boxed cake mix can become the basis for something delicious and delightful.  Hence this wonderful coffee cake.  From the first whiff of cinnamon-y aroma while it baked till we took our first mouthful, we loved it.  Yep, I'll be making this again.  I have two boxes of cake mix on hand just for that purpose.

JEWISH COFFEE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix  the kind without the pudding mix already in it (I used white as it's what I had)
1 package, 3.5 ounce, instant vanilla pudding powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

In a separate bowl combine and set aside:
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients together on medium speed for about two minutes.  Pour half the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle half the sugar mixture over the batter.  Pour remaining batter over the sugar mixture.  Top with remaining sugar mixture.  Run a knife in a swirly pattern through the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes or until tests done.

Let cool a bit before cutting and enjoying.

COOK'S NOTES:  I did not use all the sugar mixture, though I regretted it later.  I think it would've looked prettier if I did, but I balked at consuming so much sugar.  It's a trade off.

The batter is a little tricky to "pour" as it doesn't pour; it glops.  So, I spooned like 12 mounds in the pan and took two forks and pulled/stretched the dough into place.  It doesn't have to be perfect but it the cake is meant to have two layers of a sort, grins.

Cake remained moist and delicious for a couple of days, well wrapped.

Tomato Gravy and Biscuits

Tomato Gravy and Biscuits

So here's a little something that you don't see everywhere, except maybe country diners and country kitchens, and that's just a shame because it's mighty satisfying.  Maybe tomato gravy and biscuits is a little too humble for the latte and cappuccino crowd, but for those of us who know good cookin', who may have a family to feed on a budget, or just crave a little nostalgia of simpler times, this is a plateful of delight.

My favorite no-fail biscuit recipe is here.

TOMATO GRAVY

4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons bacon grease (reserved from frying above 4 slices)
1 cup of onion, well chopped
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 15-oz can of diced tomato (I think current can sizes are 14.5 ounces)
1 cup of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a large skillet, remove, crumble, and set aside.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.  Add the onion and saute until the onions are translucent or with the tiniest bit of golden color.  Sprinkle in flour and add butter, stir and continue to cook until the flour is absorbed.  It's going to look a little lumpy but fear not it'll smooth out.  Add the remaining ingredients except the milk/cream and bring to a tender boil, stirring occasionally to smooth out the gravy and the gravy has thickened.  Add the crumbled bacon and milk/cream and heat through.  Adjust seasoning to taste and scoop generous portions over some nice hot biscuits.

Blueberry Tea Cake

Blueberry Tea Cake

I cannot tell you how many times I've made this little cake over the years.  It's been an old favorite and when I'm craving a little something special, a little blueberry, and definitely easy, this is what I turn to. 

I found the recipe in one of those self-published church cookbooks or something similar and I bless the person who shared this humble, perfectly delightful recipe.

It's a nice weekend family treat.  Keeps well for a couple of days if well covered.

BLUEBERRY TEA CAKE

5 tablespoons shortening
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed, drained, picked over, then tossed in a little flour and sugar
Extra sugar for sparkle

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease and flour an 8" x 8" baking pan.

Cream the shortening.  Add the sugar, eggs and milk.  Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Gently add the blueberries, folding into the batter.

Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with a bit of sugar.  Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center tests clean.  You might have to cover with a bit of tin foil if the center isn't cooking as fast the rest.  Let cool a bit before cutting.

Nice with a melting pat of butter.  YUM!

COOK'S NOTES:  I've made this with both fresh and frozen blueberries and both work equally well, so you don't have to limit yourself on when you want to enjoy this.  I find if I'm using frozen berries, I rinse off them off to remove any ice crystals and dry them quickly on a couple of paper towels.  You may have to cook the cake longer if using frozen berries.

A Platter of Pancakes and Blueberriest Blueberry Syrup

I've eaten a fair number of pancakes along the way, have tried a number of different recipes, and never complained.  It's pancakes, right?  They're all good.  But this recipe is very good.  Good enough to eat without syrup or butter.  Good enough to eat while they're so hot they'll burn your tongue good.  So good, this is my go-to recipe for pancakes.  When I crave pancakes, these are the ones I'm dreaming of.

I guess what makes them so good is they have more sugar than other recipes and less salt, so if you like a sweeter pancake, you'll like these.

However, a little syrup does go so nicely, and I want to share my favorite blueberry syrup of all time.  I've made it for years and have never strayed from it.  I swear, the blueberry flavor in this is so vibrant it's even blueberrier than fresh blueberries.  Doggone it's good!

SWEET, FLUFFY PANCAKES
https://www.graceandgoodeats.com/best-ever-pancake-recipe/

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar
• Melt the butter and combine with the egg and milk in a small bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Mix together, pulling dry ingredients from the sides to the wet center, until just combined.  A few lumps are perfectly acceptable and expected.
• Allow the batter to rest a bit (giving an opportunity for the baking powder to work its magic and) while your greased pan or griddle is heating over medium high heat.
• Once heated, use a 1/4 cup scoop, measure batter onto the griddle.  (Give the batter a little swirl with the side of your measuring cup, starting from the center, working outward to help shape the your pancake into a more perfect circle, optional, but nice!)
• Cook each side until light golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.

BLUEBERRIEST BLUEBERRY SAUCE

In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, a good pinch of ground nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.  (That equates to about 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg and even less than that for the salt.)

Stir in 1/2 cup of boiling water.  Cook and stir until mixture becomes clear and thick and bubbly, about two minutes or so.

Add one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and cook and stir, bringing mixture back to the boil and the blueberries begin to burst.

Remove from heat and add one tablespoon lemon juice and stir.

Serve warm.

COOK'S NOTES:  The first time I made these, I burnt them.  Yep, sure did but they were still good.  I was overzealous with the heat.  It's my thought that since these tend to be a little thicker pancake, they needed to be on a lower heat to give the pancake time enough to cook through.  Even these aren't as quite as golden brown and picture perfect as I would've wished, we loved them anyway.

I've since bought an electric skillet and it has done wonders to improve the appearance of the pancakes; I'm supposing it's because the heat is even, with no hot and cold spots that happen with my griddle on my glass-cooktop stove.

Frost-on-Apples Apple Cider Cake

I had promised myself that I would not become silly over this cake.  I mean it's just a simple breakfast cake after all, right?  It wasn't going to be a big deal.  Until...

I took that first bite and all the scents and aromas and memories of a New England autumn flooded my mouth and I was transported back to a time of golden meadows and golden days, frosty mornings and those first crisp apples.

Our local library used to have an apple cider doughnut and coffee bazaar.  Piles of fresh doughnuts delighted the eye and the warm scents of spices and cider and steaming coffee and hot chocolate filled the air.  Community members would gather 'round to exchange pleasantries while stuffing their mouths with big mouthfuls of doughnuts and hot drink.

So, I found this keeper recipe on a blog I have been following for years, The Circle B Kitchen, and have made several of her recipes and once again her recipe did not disappoint.  I followed it as she wrote it, and I would not change a thing.  Well I did change the name of it, because when I looked mine and I was admiring the simple sugar coating, all I became wistful and thought, geesh, that looks like the old apple orchard we had after the first frost.

There's a few steps to this, none of them difficult, but read through so that those ingredients that need to be at room temperature are ready and waiting for you.  Take the time to enjoy the experience, maybe enjoy the luxury of a little reminiscence.  Reward awaits.

APPLE CIDER CAKE


1 large apple (or 2 small), about 8 ounces total, peeled, cored, diced
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CINNAMON SUGAR COATING

6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

Position rack to middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease Bundt pan well, making sure to get all the crevices and the middle tube.

In a medium-sized saucepan add the apple cider and chopped apples and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat a notch to medium and allow mixture to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the apples are easily mashable with a fork.  Letting this cook about few minutes longer (say five to eight minutes) will deepen the apple flavors.

Remove from heat and allow to cool in the pan.  Once cool enough to process, puree with a stick blender or mini food processor if you want something smooth.  I used a regular ole pastry fork and gave it a good mash up.  Measure out 1 1/4 cups of the puree and combine with the milk; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and mace; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the 1/2 cup softened butter with the two sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Decrease mixer speed to low, and slowly add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the apple puree mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Use a rubber spatula as necessary to scrape down batter to ensure it's all combined.  Increase mixer speed to  medium and beat until just combined, about 20 seconds.  Add vanilla and beat about 10 seconds, just to combine.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit 35 to 45 minutes, rotating cake midway during baking, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Transfer cake to cooling rack and allow to rest for about ten minutes before inverting directly on the cooling rack.  Coat the cake with the sugar coating while cake is still warm.

For the cinnamon sugar coating, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  I used a pastry brush to gently work the coating over the entire cake, and once the cake was covered, any remainder was generously sprinkled over the top.

COOK'S NOTES:  This cake keeps well for several days if well covered and flavors only get better.
I rarely have unsalted butter in the house so I use 3/4 teaspoon salt with the difference being made up more or less in the butter.  If you don't have mace, you can just increase the amount of nutmeg used.  I happen to have it in my cabinet, so used it plus the higher amount of nutmeg and don't regret it, grins.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Oh, boy, this is sweet, sweet, sweet but good, good, good.  If you want something a little extra special to go with your morning coffee, this is a good choice. This looks like a lot of work, but really with an electric mixer and a couple of quick washes in between, it goes pretty quickly. And I'll think you'll note several of the ingredients are used are used in each layer, so the ingredient list really isn't as long as it might appear.  Simple pantry items combine to make a company and holiday worthy treat.

CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE

Grease and flour a 9"x 13" baking pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the cake:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt  (I use salted butter so added only a pinch of salt)

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add remaining dry ingredients gradually to wet mixture and mix well.
Batter is thick and heavy, almost like a sugar-cookie dough consistency.
Spread a little more than half the batter into a 9"x13" baking pan and reserve remaining batter to the side.

Filling:
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and spread upon the bottom crust.
Spoon reserved batter over filling, just dropping it over the filling.

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick butter

Combine sugar and flour and cut in butter until crumbly, either using two knives in a scissor motion, a pastry blender, or rubbing between the fingers of your impeccably clean hands.  Scatter the topping over the coffee cake.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick tests done.

When slightly cooled, top with a little simple glaze.

GLAZE
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combined all ingredients and stir until smooth.

COOK'S NOTES: The batter for the bottom crust is pretty thick and doesn't like to spread with a knife or spatula. I spooned several gobs of batter evenly about the bottom of the pan and then used my fingers to spread it evenly to form a bottom crust.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

Mmm, I love a nice muffin or gorgeous pastry or bread at breakfast. Nowadays I'm not so much about making time-consuming recipes; time rushes like water over a dam.  We try to hold it back and yet it flows ever forward.  A beautiful muffin and good coffee have become a joyous, slow way to start an otherwise busy weekend with my Sweetie Pie.

This was very good and so simple to make.  Nothing fancy here.  The recipe calls for canned pumpkin, which is 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has all the added ingredients to make, well, pie.  I only ever buy the puree and keep it on the shelves, even when I make pies, because I follow a time-honored New England recipe for pie, and the canned pumpkin pie filling just isn't it.  But that's a story for another time.

Anyway, here's the recipe for the pumpkin muffins.  These freeze like a charm, which is a good thing, because the recipe makes just over two dozen beautiful muffins.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
 Combine in a large bowl:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

 Add to dry ingredients until just blended:
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree (solid pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare two muffin tins by lining with cupcake liners, or spraying with cake release, or greasing with shortening and flour and shaking out any excess.

Fill muffin cavities two-thirds full and bake 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

For a little decadence, these can be frosted.  I haven't tried it, but I think making these muffins in one of those super-sized muffin tins and frosted, oh, be still my heart.

Bisquick "Danish"

Bisquick "Danish"

The older I become, the more I appreciate simpler things. Perhaps it's a sign of maturity and gained wisdom or more the result of my body getting older and just tiring more quickly. Grins, it doesn't matter. What I can say with certainty is these "Danish" are delightful. Of course they aren't going to taste like Danish made with puff pastry, but if you want something with a lot of wow power with little effort, these are for you.

I made two flavors, apricot and raspberry, and took them to work, and before I knew what had happened, people were cuing up to sneak away two at a time. No concerns about leftovers because there weren't any. However, when I make them for home, we do need to store leftovers overnight and wrapped in a tight container they are as good the next day, maybe a little softer, but still quite delicious.

EASY DROP DANISH

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups Bisquick (or similar brand or your DIY copycat mix)
2/3 cup milk (or half and half for a richer flavor or a mixture)
1/4 cup of preserves (of your choice)

Mix butter, sugar, and biscuit mix together until crumbly.  Stir in milk just until dough forms, probably like 25 strokes.  Don't overwork the dough or the biscuit can become tough.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls on greased, or parchment lined, sheet.  Make a shallow well in the center of each biscuit and fill the well with a teaspoonful or so of the preserves.

Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are a pleasing golden brown.

Drizzle with glaze while Danish are still warm from the oven.

Glaze
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon warm water (or enough to liquid to make the glaze easy to drizzle)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I drizzle the glaze from the tines of a fork.

Irish Potato Pancakes

Irish Potato Pancakes

Our weekday mornings are typically crazy, looking for that first cup of coffee, and searching our souls to find that first cheery word and hint of smile. We always do of course, but some days it takes a while.  One thing that brings immediate cheer is a hearty, country-style breakfast, a rare indulgence, but when we pull out all the stops and treat ourselves, there are, afterwards, sighs of contentment and insincere promises of never eating such a big breakfast again.

A hearty breakfast that includes Irish potato pancakes and no-knead English muffin bread

I have the most amazing friends, Jackie McG, and her dear husband John, who visited me and Sweetie-Pie one March day and Jackie taught me to make Irish potato pancakes, the way her beloved mum taught her.  I still don't make them as good as that day as Jackie stood there watching me, her red haired head tilted and her blue eyes bright with a twinkle and a beatific smile as she watched me muck about in the mashed potato.

Even without her gentle coaching to add more flour, you're making a dough, don't be afraid of 'em, these turned out very well and are a satisfying addition to a meal.

IRISH POTATO PANCAKES

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1-2 large eggs
1/4 cup flour, more or less to make the mixture dough-like
a bit of finely diced onion (or chive or green onions/scallions)
salt
pepper

sour cream or creme fraiche or (optional but nice)
enough oil or shortening to fry the patties in

Mix the first six ingredients together.  The flour part can be kind of tricky on exactly how much to add.  You're looking to make a dough of sorts, so it's thicker than a pancake batter but probably not quite as heavy as a biscuit.  Depending on the type of potato you use will affect the amount of flour you need, so it's hard to give an exact amount.  Pat the dough out into patties.

Preheat your skillet, adding enough oil or shortening to fry the patties but not drown them because you'll be cooking on one side until golden brown and then turning and cooking the other.  If you're making a big batch, put cooked patties on an oven-proof plate and put in a 200*Fahrenheit oven.  I put them on a paper towel to soak up any additional grease.

No Knead English Muffin Batter Bread

No Knead English Muffin Batter Bread

If you're new to baking and just a little timid of working with yeast, this is a bread I highly recommend starting with.  There's no kneading, a single rise, no fussy shaping, and the results far outweigh the effort.  This bread is toothsome and yeasty and oh so delicious and makes the crunchiest toast.

NO-KNEAD, ENGLISH MUFFIN BATTER BREAD
Makes 2 loaves

5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour  (more or less) (divided)

2 tablespoons active dry yeast (yes, tablespoons, not teaspoons) 

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water 

Cornmeal for sprinkling inside baking pans and on top of loaves

Start by greasing two 8" x 4" baking loaves and sprinkling enough cornmeal inside and tipping and rotating the pan to leave a light coating on the sides and bottoms of the pans. Lightly tap out any excess.

In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Give it a good stir.  

Heat milk and water to a temperature that falls between 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour liquids into the dry mixture and stir; what you should have is something that is about as thick as pancake batter.  Add additional flour as needed.  (See notes below)

Divide the dough between the two pans. Stretch the dough to fit the pan.  Sprinkle with a little corn meal and allow to rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1/4 inch over the edge of the pan.

Depending on how fast your dough is rising and how long it takes your oven to preheat, somewhere during this time, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until when thumbed with a knuckle it sounds hollow.

Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan and allow to finish cooling on rack.

COOKS NOTES:  Now you're going to have to use some judgment here.  Recipe says more or less 5 1/2 cups flour.  I can tell you depending on the brand of flour, the age, if it's spring or winter wheat, if it's summer or the winter, the alignment of the stars and if the day of the week you're making this has a "y" in it, you're going to need some judgment on how much additional flour to add.  I add a half a cup at a time and give it a stir until I end up with something that is gloopy (is that a baking term?), and stretchy.  You may not need the full amount; you may need to add a bit more.  This time I only needed 5 cups of flour and it was absolutely fine.

Recipe says to allow dough to rise for 45 minutes.  Well, it's the beginning of September, I live in Arizona, the sun is beating down on us, and my house is cooled to 75 degrees, grins, so needless to say 45 minutes of rising time is out of the question.  I checked at 35 minutes, and the dough was at the near perfect point.  It only takes a few short minutes to heat the oven, and we were good to go.

Mmm, homemade English muffin batter bread for breakfast!

 

 

Wicked Good Blueberry Muffins

Wicked Good Blueberry Muffins

There is truth to the adage that less is more, except when it comes to bank accounts maybe.  But in the case of recipes, simple, straightforward, no added extras, can be the recipe that pleases family and friends and become the keepsake recipes we return to again and again.  This 150-year old Maine blueberry muffin recipe is just that one.  No spices, no extracts, no sour cream, no crumb topping.  Just a beautiful, big blueberry-flavor muffin that delights. 

Wicked Good Blueberry Muffins (original recipe here)
Grandmother Hinckley's Blueberry Muffins

3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt**
1 to 1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed, picked over, dried with paper towel
Coarse sugar for sanding or regular table sugar (optional)

Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake-muffin papers.
Preheat oven to 350*F

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the beaten egg and milk.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the wet mixture.
Add the blueberries and gently fold them in, stirring the batter from the bottom and bringing it over the berries.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin wells and sprinkle a little sugar, just enough to give it a little sparkle.
Bake on the center rack in your oven for 20-25 minutes or until it tests done with a tooth pick.

**Because I typically use salted butter, I reduce the amount called for in the recipe to a slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon.

I've used frozen blueberries for this and they're still great.  I rinse the strawberries first to take off any ice chips, dry on paper towels, and follow the rest of the recipe.  The batter may turn blue, but that's fine.  Muffins are still lovely.  It may take a couple of extra minutes baking time to allow for the berries being frozen.