Barefoot Contessa Old Fashioned Banana Cake

How were your holidays? Merry and bright? Were they "the most wonderful time of the year"?  I love the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving and ending with New Years. Love the focus on  Christ, family, service, love- lunch with dear friends, smelling the pine tree, nativities, snow, snow, snow, music, and unearthing all of the decor that has been in hibernation for the past 11 months. Love the way the home looks after it's all decorated. So cozy and warm. Love the outside lights. For the past few years one of our neighbors have lit up a huge tree in their front yard.  Hundreds of lights. I'm not sure why, but every time I passed that tree all lit up, it made me smile. That was December.
Now it's January. I wonder, why is it all of the decor, etc. (in my home) looks so wonderful... up until January 2? Then it takes on a different look. The look of CLUTTER. The look of, "put me away, I was so last month". 
Scene in my house right now. It's 10:30 AM, everyone is still asleep. Jake is sick, Brooke and Stephen home from college, were up late. And I'm looking at the clutter. I've come up with an idea to enlist their help in stashing the clutter  decor.  I'll bake something yummy. The smell will waft through the air into their rooms, it will be enough to make them wake up and come to the kitchen. Then, after feeding them something sweet, I'll talk them into helping me pack and clean.  It's a plan.

Had some old bananas sitting on the counter. Found this recipe in Ina Garten's   "How Easy Is That" cookbook Sheri gave me for Christmas. Mixed up in about 5 minutes. Cooked up in about 40. Really moist. Absolutely delish served warm. Will work for food? 
Works for my kids.

Old Fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Barefoot Contessa- How Easy is That cookbook
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3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, after sifting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
powdered sugar for sprinkling on top
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Cream cheese frosting ( optional,recipe follows)
Walnut halves, for decorating

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan, or line the pan with a piece of parchment or wax paper cut to fit inside the cake pan.  Spray the liner and sides lightly with cooking spray. 

MIX bananas, granulated sugar and brown sugar in bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add flour, baking soda and salt. With mixer on low,  mix just until combined. Stir in chopped walnuts if using. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out onto cooling rack.

Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or cool completely and top with Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (1/2 pound)

MIX cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don’t whip. Add sugar and mix until smooth.

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Mel's Kitchen Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Blustery. Perfect word to describe our weather.

Listened to the wind howl.

All.

Night.

Long.

Hello, hot cocoa and warm cinnamon roll morning.

I found these rolls on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Wonderful blog. Melanie describes herself as:

"...very, very average when it comes to cooking."

Hello. Mel. Have you looked at your blog? Average is not a word I would use to describe your cooking skills. She started her blog as many of us do- to keep recipes, pictures, etc. in one place. Mel writes, "Several years later, this blog still houses my favorite tried-and-true recipes as well as the new, dishes and desserts I’ve made and loved.

I was browsing around her site the other day, and found lots of recipes that were tempting. I was curious when I saw her "best" category, and found Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.

There's a reason this recipe is on her "best" page.

Oh, P.S. Remember waaay back, when you wanted to print out a recipe from ABK and had to cut and paste the text into Word, then print? Being the computer genius I am, I couldn't figure out the process. I asked Mel for help. She responded immediately and tutored me step-by-step. Now it's as easy as hitting "print" to get your fave recipe on paper. Thanks Melanie!

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Mel's Kitchen Cafe
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Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not over flour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t over bake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.

*Freezable Recipe: After shaping the rolls and placing them on the baking sheet, cover with lightly greased saran wrap and a layer of tin foil. Store in the freezer. The night before you want to serve them take out the rolls and put them in the refrigerator. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Take out of fridge the next morning and let rise until doubled. Bake according to the recipe.

If you have less time, you can take the rolls out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter – about 4 hours, then let rise until doubled.

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Giving Thanks Menu

Instead of posting another recipe, I'm going to give you a roundup of some of my Thanksgiving fave's from ABK .

And tell you this. If you've been with me for a while you know this is my all time favorite holiday. This year, double bonus. It's my bd and my fave holiday. All on one day. People ask, do you cook on Thanksgiving when it falls on your birthday?? YES. And I love it. Food, family, friends. A pause from everyday rush-rush to eat and give thanks.

I'm thankful for: (the short list)

My family. I am blessed to be a daughter, wife, mom, sister and aunt. Know what I aspired to be when I was young? A mother. I know it sounds trite, but I love being a mom and wife.

Grant. 28 years and counting. We are truly blessed.

My friends. I have been blessed with the best girlfriends. Ever.

Good Health.

Freedom. The opportunity to live in the land of the free and home of the brave. So thankful to Service men and women who are giving up being with their own families to protect mine.

Happy Thanksgiving.

love,

Si

Click on the text for link to the blog post/recipe.

Autumn Brie in Braided Bread Ring

Perfect appetizer for the big day...

You want simple? This is it.

Sweet Fresh Cranberry Salsa

Butternut Squash Soup...

Mashed Potatoes 101

Mom's Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Super Simple Pecan Pie

One of my fave's - Gorgonzola Pecan Crunch Salad

with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Chunky Yams and Apples

Fresh Corn Cakes with Peach Mustard Sauce

Buttermilk Cluster Rolls

All time favorite. Apple Cranberry Pie.

Happy Cooking!

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Carrian's One Hour Rolls

It's two weeks till my favorite holiday of the year. I'm not going to give you the lecture. Again.

Thanksgiving=home made. That's all I'm saying.

One Hour Rolls. Really, one hour?? My review. Easy. Quick. I was skeptical when I saw this recipe on Sweet Basil, another Utah bloggers site. Every other quickie roll recipe I had ever tried left me not quite satisfied with the result. This is the exception. Light, quick, easy, and yummy.

Easy to make a batch, or two, or three on Thanksgiving day. I think the recipe yielded about 18 rolls. I took Carrian's suggestion and shaped the rolls into knots. Loved the way they turned out.

Carrian's One Hour Rolls

Sweet Basil

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1 tablespoon yeast, rounded
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk, scalded
4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading and surface

2 tablespoons melted butter, optional

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water.
Melt the butter in the scalded milk. Stir to cool.
Mix eggs, 3 remaining tablespoons sugar, salt and dissolved yeast mixture to a bowl.

When milk mixture is cooled a bit (not hot), add to egg mixture.
Mix in flour. Knead dough on a floured surface, or in a mixer, adding flour until rolls are no longer sticky to touch.

This is where usually, rolls are left alone to raise for about an hour. No need with this recipe.
Roll out in desired shapes and place on lightly greased baking pan.
Place rolls in draft free place*, brush lightly with melted butter and let raise while oven is preheating. I left my rolls to raise until the rest of dinner was about 15 minutes away from being done.
Turn oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. When oven is preheated, bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips:

-*Remember, when letting items raise on a kitchen counter, best to look for the warmest spot in the kitchen. Maybe it's the top of your dryer? Granite or stone surface counter tops are not a good choice unless you are trying to quickly cool items. Tke your hand and place it on the granite if you don't believe me. Always place a towel (or two) on a stone surface if leaving dough out to raise.

-**To make knot shapes, roll the dough out, cut into strips about 6 inches long, 1 inch wide and about 1/2 inch thick. Take the strip and tie into a loose knot. How loose? Not so loose that you can see through the knot. Snug, but not so tight the dough breaks. Tuck the ends under, place on baking sheet and brush top lightly with butter. It's not as complicated as it sounds. Just experiment with a few and you'll get the hang of it. You'll also discover how large or small you like the rolls.

-Do not add too much flour when kneading dough. This will produce a tough roll. Also, the roll will be hard to shape.

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Elk and Potatoes with Brown Gravy and Beaten Butter Biscuits

Have I told you before Grant is a crazed bow hunter? Well, he is.

Here is our life.

Part of it anyway.

About early April. Grant bumps up his 3-4 day a week runs to 5-6 days a week. He starts shooting his bow about 3 times a week too (which eventually ends up being 5-6 days a week by July). Every night around 10, he calls his brother Brett, (they are like Siamese twins, separated at birth) who lives 1.3 miles away. Yes, they have measured. The convo goes like this:

G- "Hey what's up" nonchalantly.

response I can't hear from Brett.

G-"Did you run?'

response.

G- in an even more nonchalant way- "Did you shoot?"

response.

Now Grant is answering the same q's, Brett is asking him.

Every.

Night.

Why is this relevant?? Years ago, when they started hunting together, they decided to use a point system to see who would get to fling the first arrow on the elk hunt. Here's how the elk hunt goes, when you hunt in a pair:

Typically, one hunter calls in the elk, using a hose type device (kind of like a vacuum cleaner hose) called a "grunt tube" Yes, really, that's what it is called. Usually, it's covered in a piece of camo fabric kind of like a huge scrunchie. They make sounds into the tube. Sometimes it's a "bugle" sound, sometimes it 's a cow (girl elk) sound. In my mind, the cow elk must sound like:

"Honey, I found the remote for you!"

Click here if you want to see a demo. This is serious business.

Anyway, long story short, the hunted elk hears the sounds, comes running to what he thinks is a real animal and the other hunter then takes his shot at the animal.

Getting in to shape- good idea if you are hauling around a pack like this.

So, G & B decided to keep track of fitness and shooting points all summer long. This would motivate them to be in great shape when they needed to hike all over creation to find the elk, deer, sheep, mountain goats, or whatever they were (are) hunting and perfect their bow hunting skills ( like Napoleon D). On the night before the opener, they tally the points to see who will hunt first, and who will call. The person with the most points gets to hunt first. It's suppose to be a surprise.

The only problem is, the nightly phone call keeps them up to date on who is ahead in the scoring system. And often possesses Grant to do midnight temple runs. In the end, it is never a surprise. Does this make sense? Don't answer that question.

Crazy.

Bow Brothers aka G & B, Dit and Dot.

Anyway. Almost every year, we are fortunate :) to have some type of game in our freezer. To date, we have had: elk, venison (deer), mountain goat, moose, big horn sheep, bear, antelope, turkey and duck. No the duck was not shot with a bow. But yes on all of the rest.

My boys love bow hunting as well. They tagged along as when

they were younger, and are now hunters themselves.

The hat Jake is wearing in this pic is called the

"Good Karma Hat". All hunters must put it on their head,

including Brett and his kids, before a hunt begins.

Serious.

Cooking Part:

So, the big question is always - "Do you eat the meat??" or "Do you cook it??"

The answer, yes. Not as often as I should, but yes. Over the years I have experimented with many different cooking methods. My tried and true is a Swiss steak- Ill post that sometime. Wild game is tricky. Unlike beef, or pork, there is very little, if no fat on elk meat, or any marbling of fat. Grant (my no- cooker hubs) recently found the secret to cooking delish wild game. Searing, and not overcooking, only cooking to medium rare, at most. Seems simple. But for some reason, this has escaped me all of these years.

A while ago, I used some tenderloin elk steaks to make this wonderful dish. I'm not a huge fan of wild game, but this was really yummy. Tender pieces of meat, rich gravy, buttery biscuits. You could of course, use beef in place of the wild game, if your hubs is a girly man, and isn't a hunter.

That was a joke.

Let me know if you need some elk steaks, I have about 900 lbs in my freezer.

That, my friends was not a joke.

Elk and Potatoes with Brown Onion Gravy &

Beaten Butter Biscuits

A Bountiful Kitchen

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Beaten Butter Biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup cold milk, whole or low fat

Ina food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse again several times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the motor running add the milk. Continue processing just until the dough forms a ball.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times gently. Pat out to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 425 if serving alone, or if topping casserole, place on top of prepared dish. Bake whole casserole uncovered, at 425 for 15 minutes.

Meat/potato layer:

1 lb elk or venison steak, cubed

3-4 cups cubed cooked potatoes, any type

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

herbs optional- oregano, basil, parsley

In about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, saute the onions in a saucepan until tender. Remove. Turn the heat to medium high, and sear the cubed meat. Make sure to not over cook. Cook just until the outsides are brown. Turn off heat.

Transfer meat, cooked onions and garlic and any desired herbs fresh or dried into a casserole dish. Set aside.

Gravy:

adapted from Ina Garten

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion ( about 2 small onions)
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups beef stock, heated
2 tablespoons red or brandy cooking wine, optional OR

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional

In a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan, cook the butter and onions over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Make sure the onions are well cooked, this brings out great flavor in the gravy.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan, whisk in, then add the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the hot beef stock mixture and cooking wine or Worcestershire, and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add the cream, if desired. Season, to taste.

Assembly:

-Place meat mixture in greased casserole dish.

-Top with gravy.

-Place biscuits on top

-Bake

Tips:

-Don't let the length of this recipe scare you. Start to finish (prep), I can make this dish in about 30-40 mins. Then pop in the oven and bake. Best to make when you have leftover baked potatoes.

-I usually make gravy without a recipe, but knew you would seriously consider opting out of our cyber/blogger friendship if I didn't give specifics. Ina's is a good basic gravy to make and use in this recipe.

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Winner and The Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins

Winner of the $55 CSN online stores gift certificate and the Williams Sonoma cookbook: The Art of Preserving, is Cheryl who said-

"That salad looks oh so delicioso! Best thing I ate this summer -

Tomatoes out of the garden. Does not get better than that."

Email me at ABountifulkitchen@gmail.com and I'll send out your book and gift certificate! You have one week to respond.

Are you a muffin lover? How about bananas and coconut? Yes? This muffin is for you. Loved the crunch of the granola. Loved the little bits of banana and coconut flakes.

A whopping 278 reviews, and five stars on the Food Network site.

I agree. Two thumbs up.

Banana Crunch Muffins

Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)

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3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Tips:

- I used a standard size muffin tin, and the recipe yielded about 2 dozen muffins.

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Artichoke and Oven Dried Tomato Foccacia

Fall is in the air and I love it. Fall=more baking and cooking. Love that.

This Foccacia is a delish side for a salad or main dish. You can top it with as little or much as you want. I had a can of artichokes in my pantry and some fresh tomatoes sitting on my counter. Add a few fresh herbs, a wedge of Parmesan and a little leftover Asiago sitting in the fridge. The possibilities are endless. This was yummy hot out of the oven, and equally good at room temp. Ridicu-licious. Just heard that word on a commercial. Not to be confused with my friend KD's fave word - ridonkulous.

Come back this weekend for a gift certificate giveaway from the nice peeps at CSN online stores (who sell everything from bistro sets to ice cream makers) and another fab cookbook from yours truly.

Artichoke and Oven Dried Tomato Foccacia
Adapted from Food Nework

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2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (start with 3)
1 tablespoon coarse salt, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting (optional)

Toppings:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion (Walla Walla, Vidalia) sliced thin
1 garlic cloves, minced

3 Roma or other small tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 can artichoke quarters, drained, not marinated
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
fresh Oregano, Thyme, Basil, chopped

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add 3 cups flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stove top or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a 18 x 12 sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While preheating, lightly coat a pan with cooking spray or Olive oil and lay sliced tomatoes on pan. Place in oven and bake until tomatoes shrivel and lose shape, about 15 minutes. Remove tomatoes from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 425.

In the meantime, coat a small saute pan with olive oil, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until the onions caramelize. Uncover the dough and dimple with fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add caramelized onions, garlic, artichokes, oven roasted tomatoes, cheeses, salt, pepper, and herbs. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes. If top is not browned enough, transfer to upper part of oven for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly, slice and serve.

Tips:

-I used a 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts, Reeses brand. Mine were not marinated, but marinated would work too.

-You may use any topping you love: fresh spinach, any cheeses, Kalamata Olives...

-I made two, because I knew the kids wouldn't be thrilled about eating artichokes, so a plain cheese foccacia bread for them. The only issue with not using (heavier) items that weighed down the dough was- the bread bubbled when baked. So best to use a few veggie items or pierce the dough before baking.

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The World's Best Fresh Blueberry Muffins

My baby (6'1") turned 14 today. When I asked what kind of cake he wanted, he asked for blueberry muffins. Since it was for his bd, I wanted to make something extra special.

I found this recipe on The Bitten Word. I've made dozens of blueberry muffins over the past 30 years. Same old , same old .

These are different. Here's what sets them apart: Home-made blueberry "jam" on top of the muffin. Seriously yummy. Top that with sugar and a heavy dose of fresh lemon zest. Fit for a birthday treat.

Happy bday Jake. Love, your Mother.

The World's Best Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Cooks Illustrated

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Yield: 12 muffins

Lemon-Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Muffins

2 cups (about 10 ounces) fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk *
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

*If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk.

FOR TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.

FOR MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until combined, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using small spoon, gently swirl berry filling into batter. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Tips:

-I just mixed all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mixed the wet ingredients together, and folded the dry into the wet ingredients. Then folded in the blueberries.

-I was concerned that the mixture would overflow, but they baked up perfectly.

-Best when eaten warm or with in 12 hours of baking.

-This recipe makes 12 large beautifully shaped muffins.

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My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Rolls. Love them. Can't begin to count the number of recipes I have tried. Still on the quest to find the perfect one. A while back I tried Pioneer Woman's. Did I love them because of the maple frosting (really really really yummy) or bc they were the best ever cinnamon rolls, or bc they are baked in a pan coated with melted butter? Not sure. They were exceptional, but (in my weird, food obsessed opinion) still not perfection. They were more of a sticky maple bun, and a little bit of a lighter dough than I prefer. To date, this recipe has been my favorite. The claim is, they taste "just like Cinnabons"... I'm not sure about that. But they are pretty darn delish.

If you have a recipe you love, bring a pan on over, or (lame 2nd option) email me the recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

printable recipe

dough:

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk, I used whole
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon flour

frosting:
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour, mix well. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a dough hook, knead the dough into a large ball. Place the dough in a clean lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has almost doubled in size. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 15 inches long by 10 inches wide. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
To make filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter and flour in a bowl.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.

Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. I use a 9 x 13 pan. Let rise for about 30-45 minutes in a warm, draft free place. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. While the rolls are baking combine the frosting ingredients. Beat well with an mixer until combined. When the rolls are cooled a bit, spread generously with icing.

Tips:

-Be careful about adding too much flour to the dough. The dough should not be sticky when ready to raise. It should be barely coated with flour. When making rolls or bread- I usually add about 1/2 of the amount of flour the recipe calls for- add the remaining flour and then any additional flour the dough may need 1/4 cup at a time.

-I like to frost the rolls with icing a few minutes after removing from the oven, then let the rolls cool almost completely and top with the remaining frosting. If you frost too soon after removing from the oven, the frosting will melt into the pan and rolls. See third pic above, taken after the first frosting layer, first pic was taken after rolls were completely cooled and 2nd frosting layer applied.

-This dough does not raise a lot, compared to most dough recipes.

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Tinker's Fresh Strawberry Bread

Tinker is a long time family friend of Tessa and Emily. The four of us started Recipe Club way back in January of 1995. Tinker is a mom of two beautiful children, world traveler, art collector, eclectic decorator, has a serious china fetish, is a successful professional, and an amazing cook. Over the years the members of our Recipe Club have been the recipients of dozens of her dishes. Some of her grandmother's tried and true, some of her own creations, along with magazine and cookbook adventures.

Love this Fresh Strawberry Bread she made a few years ago. If you're looking for a fresh change from the same old quick bread recipes, you'll love this. Nothing says spring like strawberries and lemon.

My motto: If you bake it, it will come.

Tinker's Fresh Strawberry Bread

printable recipe

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups sugar ( I use 1 brown and 1 white) any combo will work

3 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

grated rind of 1 lemon

3 cups chopped strawberries

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. Stir. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, oil and lemon rind. Spoon the strawberries into the liquid ingredients and stir gently to coat the fruit. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and nuts. Fold (with spatula by hand) until all ingredients are blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow loaves to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool.

Tips:

-I omitted the nuts, and baked the loaves for about 55 minutes.

-If the loaves are browning too much, lay a sheet of foil over the loaves until done.

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Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits

Know how you read a recipe and think I HAVE TO MAKE THIS.

Soon.

I waited for several months until I finally got around to trying Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits. I've never been a huge apple butter fan. But last summer my cute friend Melanie made some home made apple butter with her bumper crop of apples. And Brookie came home from working in Yellowstone, raving about her new found love, apple butter. Then I found this recipe. It was a sign.

I knew this would be the perfect brunch recipe. A little bready. A little fruity, sweet, sticky, buttery. Oh my deliciousness. Absolutely perfect for Easter Brunch.

Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits

adapted from Cookingbread.com

printable recipe

Topping:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup golden raisins

Biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons cold butter
1 medium grated apple
2/3 cup whole milk

Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons apple butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden raisins


Grease muffin tins with a little shortening and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients. Mix together. Place an equal amount into the bottom of each muffin tin (about 2 teaspoons each). Sprinkle the 1/3 cup of raisins equally into each muffin tin; set aside.

Make filling for the biscuits in a small bowl and mix together; set aside.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together and stir. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening and butter till they become small pea size chunks. Grate the apple. Squeeze out the juice and add the apple to the mixture. Add in the milk. Mix together till the dough comes to a ball. Add a tablespoon of milk if needed to allow dough to cling together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough forms a ball. On a well floured surface, roll dough out to a 10 x 8 inch rectangle.

Spread filling on top of rolled out dough (same method used when making cinnamon rolls). After filling is spread over all of the dough, roll the dough, starting on the long side- like a jelly roll. Cut into 12 pieces. Place the slices into muffin tins. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or till golden brown. Allow to cool for 1 minute then remove from tin. Serve warm.

Tips:

-Don't let the biscuits sit in the pan for too long, or they will stick.

-Rolls look best when turned upside down to serve.

-You may use any type of raisin, I prefer golden.

-I used Crisco Butter Flavor shortening.

-If you want to see a great step by step tutorial, click here.

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