Yummy blueberry muffins

I've been wanting to try some homemade blueberry muffins for awhile, but I'm too cheap to pay much for fresh blueberries. But we got some tonight, so I searched for a recipe. I wanted one with a streusel topping and adjusted one that I found on AllRecipes. The muffins got rave reviews from Zac & Kirsten! Following others' suggestions, I filled the cups and got eight muffins. Get some blueberries and give 'em a try!


INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter


DIRECTIONS

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in medium mixing bowl.

In another bowl, combine oil, egg, milk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat well.

Gently fold in blueberries just until mixed. Drop into paper lined muffin cups.

Combine brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, cinnamon and butter with a fork. Sprinkle generously over muffin batter.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until just done. Let cool and remove from pan. Enjoy!

Creme brulee french toast

I got this recipe from my friend, Leigh, and it has got to be one of the best breakfast foods ever! And perfect for a Saturday night - it has to sit in the fridge for 8+ hours, so it's perfect for popping in the oven on Sunday morning. YUM!!

A few notes:

Zac and I decided that next time, we're going to sprinkle chopped pecans in the pan before adding the sugar mix. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

You can usually find challah or some sort of egg bread in the bakery section of the grocery store. I made my own, I'll post the recipe soon. I also think this would probably be good with one of the hawaiian breads you can buy.

UPDATE!! I made this today for Father's Day breakfast (at Zac's request) and added about 1 cup chopped pecans to the sugar mix. I also used a cinnamon swirl bread. It makes the taste different, but VERY yummy!! And the cinnamon bread might be easier to find at the grocery store...try it out! :)


INGREDIENTS

1 loaf challah/egg bread
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp corn syrup
5 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla


DIRECTIONS

In a small, heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla.

Slice bread in thick slices, and remove the crust.

Pour the sugar mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Arrange the bread slices, over sugar mix, in one layer inside the baking dish, squeezing slightly to fit.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and pale golden. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Remove ALL pieces from pan and turn them sugar side up onto a plate. The sugar solidifies when it cools and is next to impossible to remove at that point.

Onion Lover's Bread

I'd never met anyone I'd consider an Onion Lover.....until I met Zac's sister, Kirsten. I made her a loaf of this bread for one of her birthdays. It's another recipe from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. It's a yeast bread that makes two really pretty, braided loaves! Zac says it tastes kind of like pizza. The first group of ingredients is for the dough, the second group is for the filling. The filling is prepared while the dough is set aside to rise. Typing this is a labor of love - it'll take awhile! :)


INGREDIENTS

1 pkg dry yeast
4 cups flour, bread or all-purpose
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika


DIRECTIONS

Combine yeast and 2 cups of flour in mixer bowl.

Heat water, sugar, salt, milk and butter until warm (about 125°). When butter is very soft (not necessarily melted), add egg and pour all the liquid into the flour. Blend at low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes.

Attach dough hooke and add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a soft dough that forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (Yes, it rises before you knead it!)

While dough is rising, make the filling. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in remaining filling ingredients. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Using the dough hook or by hand, knead dough for about 10 minutes, adding extra sprinkles of flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Allow dough to relax for 5 minutes.

Roll dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Cut into six strips, 9" x 4" each. If strips start to pull back and shrink, let rest for a few minutes, then roll to size.

Carefully spread filling on the pieces, leaving a 1/2" margin around the edge. Roll each piece from the long side. Don't roll all the way to the edge - stop about 1" from edge and lift the edge to the roll and pinch together. This will give a firm seal and keep the filling from spilling out. Lift the rolls onto the baking sheets and braid three rolls together, pinching the ends together tightly.

Cover with wax paper and let rise at room temperature until braids have doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake on middle shelf of a preheated 350° oven for 30-35 minutes, until loaves are a golden brown.

Carefully slide from baking sheet to cooling rack and admire your work!

Pumpkin Muffins

I've never been a huge fan of pumpkin/spice stuff, but I'm kinda starting to get into it. My sister-in-law gave me the recipe for these muffins and they're pretty yummy!!


INGREDIENTS

1 pkg spice cake mix
1 can (about 15 oz) pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 egg
A splash of water, if needed
1/2 cup (total) optional additions: Raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips or any combo


DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Don't add too much water - batter should be thick.

Spoon into greased 12-cup muffin tin. The cups will be pretty full, but don't worry - the batter doesn't rise a lot.

Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Don't overcook, muffins are always better a little moist in the middle!

Super easy rolls

These easy, yummy rolls are from a Paula Deen recipe. They are the easiest things ever - a little more biscuit-y than normal rolls, but a very easy way to have homemade bread with dinner.


INGREDIENTS

2 cups self-rising flour (this is in your normal grocery store, right next to the all purpose. You can also make your own.)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Optional seasonings (ex: garlic powder, cinnamon/sugar, whatever goes with your meal)


DIRECTIONS

Combine flour and milk. Stir in mayo, until just combined.

Spoon into greased 12-cup muffin tin. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes.


Enjoy!!

LOW CAL Zucchini Muffins

I altered this recipe from one that I found on AllRecipes to make it healthier. I'll type the recipe the way I made it, with the original ingredients in parentheses. I scraped the bowl and made exactly two dozen cupcakes....these are sooooo yummy!!!

UPDATE: I figured it up - if you make it my healthy way with walnuts, each muffin is 105 calories. Omit the walnuts and each muffin is 72 calories. Just FYI. :)

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole wheat flour (original: 3 cups flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (original: 1 cup oil)
1 3/4 cup Splenda (original: 1 3/4 cup sugar)
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini, about 3 medium (DO NOT DRAIN - you'll need the moisture)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but highly recommended!)


DIRECTIONS

Sift together flour(s), salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, Splenda and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Stir in zucchini and walnuts until well blended. Spoon into greased muffin tin. (I use muffin liners and lightly spray those.)

Bake at 325° for about 15 minutes. DO NOT overbake or you will lose the wonderful moist texture. Remember: if you use any whole wheat flour, your muffins will already be kind of brown - so you can't just look for the 'golden brown' on top.


These are so good. If you think your batter looks a little dry before baking, stir in an extra dollop of applesauce. Some people stir in chocolate chips, but I kinda like them without it. You can also bake this in an 8x4 loaf pan for about 40 minutes. So good.

Dad's Banana Muffins

My dad got this awesome banana bread recipe from a friend when he was in college finishing his bachelor's degree at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. The recipe is technically for muffins, but we sometimes just make loaf bread instead. It's super yummy!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed banana (about 3)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans)

DIRECTIONS

Cream shortening with sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Combine dry ingredients. Add to shortening mix, alternating with buttermilk.

Stir in mashed banana and vanilla. Add nuts, if using.

Pour into muffin tin or loan pan(s). Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes (muffins or mini-loaves) or about 45 minutes (regular loaf). Let cool on rack.

ENJOY!!

Fresh strawberry bread

I tried this recipe because I had some strawberries that I REALLY needed to do something with. They were a little too ripe to be eaten plain and I didn't have any Cool Whip to make a fun dessert. So, I got this recipe from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads that my Dad got me a few years ago. Holy cow, it's yummy!! Zac is a huge fan of strawberries, so of course he loved it and wants me to double the strawberries!! It's a veeeerrry simple bread recipe, so those of you who say bread is too hard - try it!!

INGREDIENTS

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1 3/4 cups flour (bread or all-purpose)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - recommend walnuts or pecans)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Crush enough of the strawberries to fill 1 cup. Pour into a small saucepan and heat on medium. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Cool. Slice remaining strawberries and chill.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients, except the sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter; then add the eggs and water, mixing until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in the crushed strawberries and nuts, if using. Pour into greased medium (8 1/2" x 4 1/2") loaf pan.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, till pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn onto a cooling rack/towel.

Now, Zac and I are just eating it like it is and it's darn tasty. Mr. Clayton's idea also sounds great - top the slices with softened cream cheese and the reserved, chilled strawberries. Either way, it's definitely "Good Eats." :)