Category: Bread

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast

Fresh Blueberry and Cream Cheese Breakfast Braid

Posted on by lmc

Nearly every Saturday, I peer into my over crowded refrigerator to see what left-over ingredients I can pull together to make a few quick weekend meals. This past Saturday, I wanted to make a warm coffee cake for the breakfast table. As I poked around the fridge and rummaged through various containers, I found all the ingredients needed to make this delicious, fruit-filled braid. If you’re looking for a quick baked treat, this is the one for you.

Fresh Blueberry and Cream Cheese Breakfast Braid

1 package crescent dough sheet

1 pint blueberries

8 ounces package of cream cheese, softened

¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons lemon juice

¼ cup milk

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a slightly floured surface, carefully roll out the crescent dough into a thin, rectangular sheet. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy.

Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the center of the crescent roll sheet. Leaving about an inch and a half of dough on either side of the mixture. In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with the tablespoon of flour, lemon zest, and teaspoon of sugar. Carefully spread the blueberries over the cream cheese mixture.

To prepare the dough, make diagonal cuts into the dough from the exterior and cut about 1 ½” into the center on the long ends of the dough. Make roughly 8-10 cuts on each side. Pull the strips of dough over the top the blueberries, alternating sides. Transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

While it is cooling, whisk together milk, almond extract, and powdered sugar to create a glaze.

When the blueberry braid has slightly cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top and serve.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Posted on by lmc

I just love easy, semi-homemade recipes. Last week, just before the Easter holiday, stores throughout my neighborhood had great deals on baking staples like sugar, flour, eggs, and cake mix. I took advantage of many of the sales buying lots of sugar for our bees and lots of cake mix for easy recipes like the one listed below. This is always one of the first items to go when set along side other items on the breakfast buffet. This cake also travels well so taking it to Easter brunch or a summer holiday party is great. Just slice the cooled cake into 1 ½” squares and serve it right out of an attractive baking dish.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×13 Baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla and sour cream. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then raise the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Spread the cake batter evenly into your prepared pan. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly on top of your cake.

Using a butter knife gently swirl the cinnamon sugar throughout the cake batter. (Ribbons of sugar and spice.).

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake for 15-20 minutes.

In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Pour this over the slightly cooled cake.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Crock pot, slow cooking

Slow Cooker Apple & Cinnamon French Toast

Posted on by lmc

A cold snap bringing a dose of freezing rain and light snow showers has made for an icy, Midwest spring morning. Last evening, before heading to bed, I loaded the slow cooker with a mixture of bread, eggs, milk, cinnamon and spices. I had looked at the forecast earlier in the evening and the weather sure didn’t look pretty for the early morning hours. I thought it might be nice to have a warm and toasty slice of French toast casserole ready for the family upon waking. A fresh pot of coffee and a few fruit & yogurt parfaits would round out the meal.

As the “baking” takes place in the crockpot, the house smells heavenly. The aroma alone acts as a warm hug wafting through the house. A tip that works great; cover the slow cooker with a clean, dry towel before placing the lid on the vessel. This helps to reduce excess moisture making the French toast less soggy. If you so desire, add a handful of chopped walnuts before sprinkling the final product with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Delicious.

Slow Cooker Apple & Cinnamon French Toast

15-20 slices of day old bread

10 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons salt

pinch ground nutmeg

2 small apples, diced

Maple syrup, for serving

Powdered sugar, for serving

Grease a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Slice bread into 1” cubes; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg and beat until well combined. Gently fold bread and diced apples into egg mixture making sure each piece is well coated. Place mixture into prepared slow cooker. Place a clean, dry dish towel over the slow cooker before covering with lid. (This helps to reduce moisture build up and prevents a soggy French toast.)

Cook on low for 2 ½ to 4 hours, until the French toast is warm and cooked through. Carefully lift the entire round out of the slow cooker with a spatula.

Serve warm with chopped walnuts, maple syrup and powdered sugar.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch

Cherry Jubilee Scones

Posted on by lmc

I just love when the kids return home for the weekend. After graduating, they seem to have settled into different parts of the United States. This weekend, our town held their annual spring run making this a great kickoff to one of my favorite seasons.

Friday evening, after a long week of work, I was disappointed in myself as I hadn’t had the opportunity to plan a few meals and gather some groceries. This morning, as my pack of runners was out enjoying the spring race, I jumped into action and scoured the freezer, fridge, and pantry. To my surprise, I actually had the fixings for a great mid-morning breakfast. My pantry was chocked with items that I had unknowingly pushed to the back of the shelf over the course of many weeks. A tall container of old fashioned oats, an unopened package of dried “cherries jubilee” and some turbinado sugar sat on the shelf. I quickly opened my baker’s cabinet and scooped up the flour, sugar, almond extract, and leavenings. I remembered a blueberry scone recipe that I had so I rummaged through my blog of past posts and tweeted the recipe to make it work. To round out the breakfast, I found a bag of frozen hash browns, a pound of bacon, a carton of eggs. Opening the carton, there were only three… Grabbing my phone, I quickly sent a text to the group requesting they stop by a mini-mart to purchase two cartons of eggs. Scurrying around the kitchen, I completed each dish. I would then quickly cook the scrambled eggs as everyone showered after returning home. Laying everything out on the kitchen counter, plates were filled and tummies were satisfied.

What a delight… the scones were a hit… everyone enjoyed the meal as they slathered a good dose of butter on the warm scones and gobbled them up. Before they disappeared, I set aside a few for a Sunday visit with extended family. I’m sure I’ll be making these again.

…Great memories shared as we welcome the first days of spring!

Cherry Jubilee Scones

1 1/2 cups whole oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine oatmeal, flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry cutter or two forks and cut in the butter with the flour mixture until crumbly and well blended. Stir milk and extract into the flour mixture until just combined. Lightly fold in the pecans and cherries. On a lightly floured surface, collect the dough into a ball and pat into a large circle about 1″ thick. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of turbinado sugar (optional). Cut into 8 wedges, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Cake

Banana Crunch Cake

Posted on by lmc

This semi-homemade recipe is a true winner. A few simple ingredients are combined with a basic cake mix for a light and lovely dessert. Oats, brown sugar, and walnuts are combined to make a tasty crumble. While, eggs, sour cream, bananas, and a few extracts are combined with a basic cake mix to form a simple batter. I stock overly ripe bananas in my freezer for just such an occasion. All of these ingredients are layered into a tube pan to make a beautifully textured cake.

Banana Crunch Cake

½ cup flour

1 cup rolled oats

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup margarine or butter

1 ½ cups (2 large) very ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup sour cream

4 eggs

1 teaspoon butter extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 yellow or white cake mix

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10″ tube pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and pecans; mix well. With fork or pastry blender, cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine bananas, sour cream, extracts and eggs; beat at low speed until smooth. Add cake mix; beat until fully combined. Spread 1/3 of batter in prepared pan; sprinkle with 1/3 of brown sugar crumble mixture. Repeat layers 2 more times using remaining batter and brown sugar mixture, ending with brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan; place on serving plate, crumble side up. Cool completely before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Casserole, eggs

Sausage and Broccoli Quiche

Posted on by lmc

I’m not sure how many of you use your library card on a regular basis, but if you do, your bound to find an endless array of options when borrowing items these days. One of my favorite library options is the online platform set up so that I can borrow books, movies, music, or magazines on my iPad. Recently, I borrowed the winter edition of the Taste of Home magazine (one of my all-time favorite magazines). One of the ads within the holiday edition depicted a festive page with a recipe for Sausage Quiche. I quickly bookmarked the page and added the required ingredients to my grocery list.

When I first made this simple recipe, I used a 2-quart, round baking dish that was quite deep. I followed the recipe exactly as written. When I served the quiche to my family, we thought the original recipe was a bit bland. When making another for a New Year’s breakfast, I added a bit of hot sauce and some broccoli. I also used my deep-dish pie pan.

This isn’t just for breakfast… I found my children grabbing a slice and munching on it cold. I also wrapped a wedge in cellophane and popped it into my husband’s lunch to be heated later. Served warm for brunch is also a great way to enjoy this dish. Happy New Year, Everyone.

Sausage and Broccoli Quiche

1 lb. package ground pork sausage, browned

½ cup onions, minced

1 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 cup all-purpose baking mix

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sausage in lightly greased 9” round, deep-dish pie plate (2 qt. baking dish); top with broccoli, onions and cheese.

Beat eggs, milk, half-and-half, hot sauce and baking mix with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over cheese.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges.

If you don’t have a 2-quart baking dish, you can substitute a 13×9” pan and bake for 20–25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I’ve pasted the link for the original recipe below:

https://www.jimmydean.com/recipes/breakfast/sausage-quiche

Posted in Beef, Bread, Crock pot, Instant Pot

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Posted on by lmc

I recently bought an Instant Pot as I had been hearing so many wonderful things about its quick cooking ability. I am a huge fan of the slow cooker so it’s taken me a while to accept this new appliance. I had a chuck roast in the freezer and felt trying my Italian Beef recipe using this new method. I usually cook the roast in the crock pot for several hours. The Instant Pot would allow me to have a meal on the table within 1 1/2 hours. I especially liked that I could sear the outside of the roast before adding the remaining ingredients to the same pot. This brings added flavor to the dish and is a step that can’t be accomplished in the slow cooker.

The sandwiches tasted great! I’ll be using this pressure cooker much more as I continue to experiment and discover new recipes.

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

1 chuck roast (approximately 3 lb.)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup beef broth

8 oz. sliced pepperoncini peppers with juice

6 sandwich rolls

Slices provolone cheese

Season roast with salt and pepper. Drizzle one tablespoon canola oil in the Instant Pot. On sauté setting, sear roast on all sides. Remove roast, add beef broth. With a wooden spatula, scrape bits of beef from the bottom of the pot. Return beef roast to pot and top with pepperoncini peppers with juice.

Place lid on Instant Pot, turn vent to SEALING position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 70 minutes. Pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure, then cook for 70 minutes; listening for final beep. Allow 10 to 15 minutes natural release, then do quick release to release remaining pressure

When pin drops, open lid, and shred or slice beef. Return meat to pot to soak up more juice, or spoon over sandwiches. Top beef with provolone cheese and mild Italian giardiniera mix.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch

Gingerbread Waffles

Posted on by lmc

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter took the train in for a weekend visit. On this crisp fall weekend, she decided to rise early to make a bountiful breakfast for the family. The Gingerbread Waffle recipe was on the menu. The aroma in the kitchen was enough to pull everyone out of bed saying, “What is that delicious smell coming from the kitchen?” Sure enough, she had a tall stack of delicious looking waffles perched on the kitchen counter and ready for the taking. Eggs, coffee, and hash browns rounded out the meal. It’s always fun to have M come home for the weekend! She’s an excellent cook and we so enjoy seeing her.

We’ve made this recipe several times over the last couple of weeks. They are great to keep in the fridge to microwave for weekday mornings. Top them with homemade apple butter for an autumnal treat!

This recipe is from the cookbook entitled, Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts, by Kitty and Lucian Maynard. I’ve made some changes to the recipe to add a little more flavor and of course, to substitute our own homemade maple syrup; removing the corn syrup in the original recipe.

My daughter doesn’t have a waffle iron of her own… So, guess what Santa may be bringing to her this year? Ho,ho,ho… gingerbread waffles!

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, Food

Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Loaf

Posted on by lmc

This week, I scheduled a community meeting that was to take place at a local library. After rechecking my calendar invite, I realized that I had arrived a bit early, so I took this opportunity to stroll through a selection of cookbooks that had been carefully selected for a main aisle display. My eyes immediately fixed on an older book showcasing recipes from quaint country inns and bed & breakfast establishments. Thumbing through the pages, so many of the recipes seems quick, easy, and scrumptious. Knowing that my meeting would be starting soon, I grabbed my library card and borrowed the book entitled Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts by Kitty and Lucian Maynard.

Returning home, later that day, I realized that I wanted to make so many of the recipes, I simply had to purchase the book. I typed the title of the cookbook into the Amazon search bar… low and behold, they had several used copies for purchase (priced very low). I bought the first and second editions and I am waiting on their arrival.

This recipe comes from the page pictured below. The only change that I made was to add a handful of chopped walnuts to the already simplistic ingredients. I am always looking for recipes that will help to use up the stash of overly ripe bananas that I have tucked in my freezer. This one fit the bill. Lots of flavor with very little fuss…

This is a great loaf to freeze or slice and package. My daughter was heading back to Chicago on the train, so I sliced her a few pieces to nibble on throughout the week.

Posted in Bread, breakfast, Uncategorized

Hearty Apple and Oatmeal Pancakes

Posted on by lmc

  
One of our daughters took the train home from college this weekend. She said she was missing mom’s home cooking and the quiet of the country. We are always thrilled to have her home and I was up to the task as I whipped up some of her favorite foods.  

Her request for oatmeal pancakes had me thinking of a new combination of flavors that I knew she would love. I had just made a batch of homemade applesauce and my husband had several jars of pure maple syrup that he had processed after tapping our maple trees this spring. I quickly mixed up the batter for the pancakes and as they cooked on the griddle, I carefully added some of the cinnamon applesauce.

 A quick flip of the pancake to finish the underside, and they were done. I made several batches so that she could bring a few back to school when she returned on Sunday. 

   

 I received a lovely text when she arrived back in Evanston. A big thank you with lots of “heart” emojies covered my screen. She said that she was having the pancakes for dinner. Somehow, I think she’ll be having them for nearly every meal until she finishes them up. Then she’ll be back to eating the ole’ college favorites of pb&j, canned soup, and boxed macaroni and cheese.

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup canola oil

Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, and extracts. Stir into dry ingredients; just until moistened. Pour batter onto lightly greased, hot griddle. Flip pancakes when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Continue to cook until underside is golden brown. 
 Chunky Homemade Applesauce
8 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large pot, combine apples, sugars and cinnamon. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes; while stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Mash apples to desired consistency. Refrigerate until ready to serve.