Buttermilk Bran Muffins

Do you ever crave bran muffins? I do. I love a good bran muffin, and it's hard to get one in Btown. Last week, I was on the hunt for one. After trying 4 bakeries or shops that should sell a bran muffin in the morning hours, I gave up and decided to go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients to make a few batches at home. After a couple of tries, I came up with this combination. The result? A not too heavy, not too light muffin that has just the right balance of sweet, fiber and flavor. Way better than anything sold on the shelf of a store. Oh, and unless you are buying from a local store, it was probably baked in Wisconsin. Not that I have anything against Wisconsin. 
Make two batches and freeze one, just in case you get a craving and want a good bran muffin for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.
You're going to love these.

Buttermilk Bran Muffins
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups All Bran cereal
1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups raisins
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wheat Bran or Wheat Germ for sprinkling on top (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a twelve muffin cups.
In a large bowl, combine oil, All Bran cereal and buttermilk. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Add eggs, raisins, molasses, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir just until ingredients are incorporated.
Add to the large bowl: wheat and white flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Fold into the wet ingredients.
Scoop batter into greased muffin cups. Fill all cups evenly, as full as possible.
Sprinkle with wheat bran or wheat germ.
Bake at 400 on center rack for about 15-18 minutes, or until muffin springs back when touched lightly.


Tips:
-These muffins are sweet, slightly from the cereal, sugar and molasses. The raisins also add sweetness. If you aren't a fan of raisins, but would like to have the natural sugar, you may grind the raisins in a food processor and then add to the batter.
-This recipe freezes well. Bake as directed and let cool completely. When cooled, wrap individually, freeze for easy take and eat while at school, work, etc. Or place in one large Ziplock bag in the freezer.
To thaw quickly, place on a paper towel, and microwave for about 30 seconds.

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Erin's Cali Granola

Last year one of my favorite people in the whole wide world sent me an email and told me I had to make this super delicious homemade granola. I've been on a granola and yogurt kick for the past year, and love to top yogurt with granola, so I decided to give this one a shot.
The only thing standing between you and really, really simple and yummy granola is a few ingredients, a little time, and a couple of jelly roll pans. The only danger in making this is you'll never, ever, be satisfied with store bought again.

 

Erin's Cali ('cause she lives in Cali) Granola
print recipe

6 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not quick oats)
1 1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup wheat germ
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
½ cup canola oil
1 ½ cups honey

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

In an extra large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon (if desired), coconut and sunflower seeds. In a large glass measuring cup, stir together the oil and honey. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Pour over the oat mixture, and stir to coat evenly.

Using two half sheet baking pans with sides, line each with heavy duty foil and spray the foil with Pam or use a Silpat liner if you have one. Spread out granola mixture, splitting evenly between the two pans, and smooth it out.

Bake for 20 minutes in the 325 degree oven. Pull the two trays out, stir thoroughly, and put the pan from the bottom rack onto the top rack, and the top pan on the bottom rack. After another 10 minutes, stir. If it is to desired brownness, take out of the oven. Otherwise cook for about 10 more minutes, watching it carefully to avoid over browning.

Take out of the oven, and continue to stir the granola as it cools. This will keep it from sticking to the foil, and from forming large clumps. Let it cool completely on the pans, and then transfer to large Ziploc bags or airtight containers to keep crisp.

Tips:

-The great thing about making your own granola is you choose the ingredients. If you are not a walnut lover, substitute pecans, or another nut. 

-Sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are found in more than one place in the grocery, if you hunt around a little, you will often find sesame seeds are considerably less expensive in the Asian section than in the spice section. Same goes for sunflower seeds. They are often sold in the bulk section for a fraction of the price in the nut/baking section of the grocery. 

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Cowboy Christmas Breakfast

As a little girl, I looked forward to helping my mother decorate for Christmas each year. My favorite decoration was the nativity.  I loved putting all of the figures in place, and finally placing the angel (with the "Gloria" banner across her chest) on top of the manger. The nativity was always set up on the fireplace and survived years of my brother and me playing with the pieces. One year, the angel was somehow lost, so we packed up the nativity without our little angel . A few months later, while dad was cleaning ashes out of the fireplace, he scooped up our little (now soot covered) angel! We wiped her off, and she was reunited with the nativity once again. 
Last year, I read a story in a book entitled  "A Christ Centered Christmas" by Emily Freeman. The story is about a young mother who sets up a nativity in the living room, and each day tells her little boy Caleb not to touch "Mommy's manger". She finds the figures in disarray day after day and finally and asks her little boy why he keeps rearranging the figures.  Caleb responds, "because they can't see Jesus." 

I love what the author writes next: 
The mother looks at the nativity and sees that there was some order to the arrangement by her son. His little hands had placed every figure in a circle around the most important piece in the set, the baby in the manger. Crowded into the stable, each had a perfect view of the baby. Everyone could see Jesus.

I loved this little story and have thought all year about arranging my life so I can focus less on the world, and more on the Savior.
Thanks to  each of you who teach me each day about Christ-like love and the wonderful gift we celebrate this time of year.
Merry Christmas!

loves,
Si

The recipe:

I've tried several breakfast casseroles on Christmas over the years, this is our family favorite. This recipe originated from Gourmet magazine back in 2004. I tweaked it and use store bought rolls for the bread layer. The result is a dish that tastes more like a savory bread pudding, than a breakfast casserole.  Perfect with some home made salsa, fruit and coffeecake.

Cowboy Christmas Breakfast

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, 2004
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8-10 thick white rolls, split in half and buttered on the inside (any type works, Costco rolls, homemade, etc)

1 ½ lb Italian or spicy sausage

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped

2-3 cups grated cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or a combo

10 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper

The night before serving, grease a 9x13 pan.

Lay the split and buttered rolls in the prepared pan, buttered side up.

Brown the sausage and pour the cooked meat into a dish lined with paper towels.  Let the grease drain from the sausage. Using the pan the meat was cooked in, place the pan back on the stove at medium high heat, and cook the chopped onion for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the clove of garlic and cook one additional minute.

Place the cooked sausage, onions, garlic on top of the rolls in pan.

Top with grated cheese.

Beat the eggs and milk together in a blender or bowl. Add the dry mustard, salt and pepper.

 Pour this mixture over the rolls in the pan. Cover with foil that has been buttered on bottom side and store overnight in refrigerator.

The next morning, remove casserole from fridge, pre heat oven to 375.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, then carefully remove foil and bake until top is slightly puffed and custard is set in center, about 30 minutes more.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, cut into 12 squares and serve immediately.

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Jo and Nick's Gingerbread Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

This recipe comes from our dear friends and neighbors Jolene and Nick Cash. I could list pages of times they have had an impact on our family. They're ordinary people, just like you and me. They've taught almost all of my children in church.  Jo was a Young Women leader for Brookie during her teenage years. Nick served for years as the Primary Chorister, teaching our boys the love of music each Sunday from the time they were in nursery until they moved on from Primary when they turned 12. Jake was in diapers when Nick and Jo started teaching him. There's an inside joke about this subject, not appropriate for a food blog...
Nick and Jolene have the biggest hearts. Nick cries at the drop of a hat. We all love him for it.  The two of them have spent their lives loving, feeding and serving everyone around them.  If I remember correctly, they were high school sweethearts. Through all of their years together they've figured out the recipe for a happy life. They love the Lord, and it shows in the way they share their time and talents with others. They know its better to give, than receive.  Good lesson to remember this time of year :)


Oh-the recipe. You know how I love breakfast! Love pancakes. Love syrup. Especially home made syrup. I made these on Saturday for breakfast. Could not stop eating them. This recipe is perfect for Christmas breakfast. If you love gingerbread and cinnamon, this one's for you.



Gingerbread Pancakes
Nick and Jo Cash
print recipe

2 1/2 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder, (yes 5 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup raisins

Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in a large bowl. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in raisins.
Cook on hot, greased skillet. Cook until bubbles appear, flip pancakes. Once. Do not pat down. Do not flip more than once. Pancakes are done when center of pancake springs back after poking the pancake with a spatula.
Makes about 18-24 3-4 inch pancakes.

Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream

Stir together everything except the cream. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over moderate heat and boil for 2 minutes. Syrup will thicken as it cools. Remove from heat and stir in cream.
Makes 1 1/3 cups, store in fridge.

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Buttermilk Scones and Cookbook Giveaway- CLOSED

One of my long time favorite cookbooks has been the Heritage Salt Lake Jr. League Cookbook. First printed in 1975, it has become a cookbook classic. I know with the age of computers, blogs, online magazines and websites, purchasing cookbooks may seem silly to some. But there is absolutely nothing like holding a good book in your hands. Even though I have an electronic device for reading books, I still like to thumb through pages, mark them, and stack them up next to my bed. The last real book I read was The Help, almost two years ago.
I know.
Two years since I've finished a real book??  It's because I spend my time reading cookbooks :) The latest in my stack of cookbooks was Miette, "recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop."  It's a beautiful book with darling scalloped page edges. The photos of the shop and the cakes are inspiring to say the least. It makes me want to hop on a plane and be in SF by lunchtime. Soon I'll make a cake and share my Miette cooking adventures!
So yes, I do love the Internet, and I have fun blog and site jumping. But nothing will ever replace my cookbooks. It's been a while since I've done a cookbook giveaway, so today, I'm having a little pre-holiday-get-inspired to cookupastorm giveaway! I thought about giving these books away to several people, but then decided- wouldn't it be so wonderful to win all four??? So fun.
One winner, four books!

Here are the books:

Miette, recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop
Truly a beautiful book.

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible 
Paula's newest cookbook.

America's Test Kitchen "Menu Cookbook" 51 Menu's for every occasion
Holiday ideas and more...

Southern Living Christmas Cookbook 2011 
Gift ideas, food, entertaining, such a fun book. 

Here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Leave a comment. Tell me your favorite cookbook of all time.
2. Two entries if you are a follower.
3. Know how I'm teaching/organizing cooking classes at South Fork Hardware's Kitchen Center? Here's our new blog, with class schedule, recipes from classes, etc. Become a follower on the South Fork's blog and get another entry.
After your initial entry, you may enter each day after, one time per day.
Winner announced in one week: Wednesday, Nov 9th.
Good Luck!


Yikes. I almost forgot the recipe!

We made these on Halloween. Our Halloween tradition has been chicken noodle soup and scones for years. These are my very favorite. They come from the old  SLC Jr. League Heritage Cookbook. The  recipe comes from Donna Lou Morgan, Food Editor of the Salt Lake Tribune for years. Her professional name was "Bonnie Lake".  How cute is that?

Bonnie Lake's Buttermilk Scones
Salt Lake Jr League Heritage Cookbook, 1975
print recipe

2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 quart buttermilk, warm
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 cups flour, approximately

Soften yeast in warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Mix warm buttermilk, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt, baking soda, 4 cups flour and dissolved yeast.  Beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour to make soft dough.  Cover. Let rise until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Just before frying, roll out on a floured surface.  Cut into  2 1/2" x 3 1/2" rectangles and fry in hot (365 degrees) fat until golden brown on one side.  Flip over.  Brown other side.  Drain on paper towel.
yield: 4 to 5 dozen scones.

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Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls

Last week at The Fork we had Curt Cutler from Cutler's Cookies teach us how to make cinnamon rolls. He and his lovely assistant Tatyana mixed, rolled, shaped and baked their way into our hearts. I think I've sampled enough cinnamon rolls in my lifetime to say this was one of the best I have ever eaten. Certainly the best to come out of a kitchen in Bountiful. Too bad they don't sell them at Cutler's Cookie shop.  Curt says they only have about a 12 hour shelf life. Twelve hours? That long? :)  If he sold these at the store, I think their name would have to be changed to Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls (and Cookies).










Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls
Cutler's Cookies
print recipe

Dough:
1/4 cup warm water
1 (.25 oz) package yeast

1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup warm milk
1 egg

1/2 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding, dry
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Filling:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar ( or 1/2 cup brown, 1/2 cup white)
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (this says optional, but I think it should say required)

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Proof the yeast  by placing the yeast in the warm water, set aside.
Place the melted butter, milk, and egg into bowl of mixer fitted with paddle or dough hook attachment. Mix well.  After the yeast has started to bubble, add to the milk mixture. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Add all of the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth and dough no longer sticks to sides of bowl. You may need to add a little more flour.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes to one hour.
Meanwhile, mix together butter, sugars and cinnamon for filling, set aside.
When dough is ready, roll out onto floured surface into 24x10 inch rectangle.
Spread filling ingredients on top of rolled out dough, sprinkle with nuts.
Roll up dough beginning with long side. Take care to tuck the dough tightly and evenly. Go along the dough a little at a time, tucking the dough as you roll. When finished rolling, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place on a greased pan, let rise until doubled, or about 45 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until light golden color.
Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.
While rolls are cooling, Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.
Mix until smooth. Spread frosting onto rolls while still warm.

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Pumpkin Butter

Hope you have a great weekend. We are looking forward to upper 70's here in B-town!

Here's a super simple recipe for Pumpkin Butter. It was passed on to me from my dear friend, Laurie. We served this at the open house last week at South Fork. People couldn't get enough of it!  Wouldn't this be a great little gift for a friend spooned into a jar and tied with a ribbon? 

I almost forgot! If you are close to Holladay, Utah and want to go to an amazing boutique filled with the best of Utah's handcrafted gift and decorative items, check out this art show: 

Pumpkin Butter 

print recipe

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix 1 cup canned pumpkin, ½ cup sugar, and 1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice in saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Chill before serving.
Good as a dip for apples or a spread on waffles, pancakes, crackers, or baguette slices.

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Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

My October Secret Recipe Club assignment is: CRUMB, a blog written and photographed by Isabelle, a "thirty something from Canada".  Isabelle loves food. She loves cooking, eating, writing about and taking photos of food. She also loves collecting vintage cookbooks, talks about food almost non stop (her words) and even dreams about food. I think it's safe to say, Isabelle is a foodie. Too bad we don't live closer to each other, I have a feeling she would be a great lunch date!
Confession time. I totally forgot about this assignment until I checked my email Sunday night at 6 pm. Yikes! It was a crazy month. My dilema (back in September, when I received my assignment) about which of Isabelle's wonderful recipes I would try out, was changed to- what could I make in 5 minutes or less, and photograph before it was dark! Naturally, I turned to breakfast items. Isabelle volunteers at a local museum on Sundays and treats herself to these pancakes before heading off to her volunteer job for the day. I'm sure the oatmeal in the pancakes not only make the cakes more healthy, but more filling too. Thanks Isabelle! Great recipe.


Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Crumb
print recipe

1 1/2 cups quick cook oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and oats, let sit for about 5-10 minutes until oatmeal is softened.
After the oats are soft, add the eggs and oil, and whisk together.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients together just until ingredients are incorporated, batter should be lumpy.
Fold in lemon zest and blueberries.
Heat griddle or pan to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter or oil spray. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto heated and greased griddle. Let cook until bubbles start to appear, then flip pancakes ONE TIME. Let the pancake cook until pancake springs back when lightly poked in the middle. Do not pat the pancake down. Do not flip pancake more than once.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with  pure maple syrup and additional fresh or frozen berries on the side.

**Remember to enter A Bountiful Kitchen's amazing KitchenAid Stand Mixer giveaway sponsored by South Fork Hardware! Go here to enter!**

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Butterscotch Sticky Buns

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’
‘What’s for breakfast?’ said Pooh. ‘What do you say, Piglet?’

‘I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?’ said Piglet.

 Pooh nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s the same thing,’ he said.”
- A. A. Milne, ‘The House at Pooh Corner’

I made these a few weeks ago. I think Pooh would have approved :)

Butterscotch Sticky Buns
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, 2011
print recipe

Dough
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter—6 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecan halves,  (optional)

Glaze
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons cream
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon  vanilla
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave until warm, 1 minute. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the warm milk and the yeast. Add the granulated sugar and the 6 tablespoons of softened butter and mix at medium speed until the butter is broken up, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and salt and mix at low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 2 minutes longer. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more flour. A little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.  Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 9-by-24-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar with the cinnamon. Brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Beginning at a long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible and pinch the seam. Cut the log into twelve 2-inch pieces and set them in the muffin cups cut side up. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Set the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, condensed milk, cream and corn syrup to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and baking powder.
Unmold the buns. Pour the glaze over the hot buns and sprinkle with the pecans if using. Let stand until the buns have soaked up some of the glaze and are cool enough to eat, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips:

• I had to make a few adjustments to the original recipe. This could be due to the fact I live in a very dry climate. Baked good such as rolls and breads tend to bake quicker at our (4400 ft) elevation.  I reduced the amount of flour in the original recipe(it called for mixing in 4 cups of flour).  I felt like 3 1/2 cups, then adding additional flour , a little at a time worked better than adding 4 cups all at once.
• I also decreased the baking time. The original recipe called for 25-30 minutes. We (my resident taste testers) thought the sticky buns were dry, even though they were drenched in glaze. So I reduced the cooking time in the recipe above. 

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Amy's Bread Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins

Zucchini. Have you had any show up on your front porch lately?  A couple of weeks ago, I walked into my kitchen and found three zucchini on my counter. No idea how they got there. Pretty sure I didn't grow them in my batting cage... When my kids came home, I asked them about the mystery z.
Jake said Chris, my back-door neighbor handed them over the fence (thanks Chris). Probably when he was out back, hitting plums from the deck into the batting cage.

They sat on the counter for a few days, and eventually ended up in muffins. I chose this recipe because I had two ENORMOUS bags of carrots in my fridge. In a moment of stupidity, I bought this warehouse-great-deal bag of carrots.  Enough carrots to feed a small country. I think it weighs twenty pounds. I was making a carrot cake at the time and thought it was a good idea. So a month later, I still have 19 pounds of carrots in my fridge. Well, after this recipe maybe 18.  Let me know if you need any carrots.
Oh, the muffins. Wonderful. I love Amy's Bread.  If you love carrot cake, you'll love these. They are dense, not too much sugar and are made with veggie oil instead of butter. I added raisins to the batter, since I love raisins in my muffins. Great texture. A meal in a muffin.














Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins
adapted slightly from Amy's Bread, NYC
print recipe

3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups peeled grated carrots
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled
2 cups granny smith apples, grated
3/4 cup walnut pieces, or 3/4 cup golden raisins or both

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
In large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder, whisk together.
In another medium size bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add grated carrots, zucchini and apples. Stir together, until all fruit and vegetables are mixed well.
pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Fold until all incorporated. Fold in nuts and raisins   if using. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into greased muffin pan using a large cookie scoop. Or use a large spoon or measuring cup. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top to insure full, rounded muffin tops.
Bake at 400 for ten minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Check the muffins by inserting a toothpick in center, if it comes out clean, muffin is done.
Leave the muffin in the tin for about ten minutes, then loosen edges with a butter knife and remove from pan to cool.

Tips:
-I used unpeeled, cored Macintosh apples.
-I did not add the nuts, but added golden raisins. You may add one or both, or neither, if you wish.
-The original recipe calls for 12 large muffins. I thought the muffins would be too big as a large muffin, especially since these are dense, filling muffins. I baked the muffins in regular size muffin tins. The recipe yielded about 22 regular size muffins.
-Since I did not make the muffins into 12 large muffins, I cut the baking time. The original recipe calls for 400 degrees- ten minutes, rotate the pan, lower temperature to 350, then bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Maybe this was a misprint? That would total at least 32 minutes.  Way too long. My muffins were done baking in 16 minutes flat.
-Super moist. Great texture. These freeze well.

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Goodbye Summer Fresh Tomato Toast

My mom in law introduced me to tomato toast years ago. Her favorite breakfasts are: a Diet Coke and a brownie, or a Diet Coke an a piece of tomato toast. So I guess you can say this is an old family recipe :)
Whenever I can get my hands on tomatoes out of the garden, I make tomato toast. Jake and I make entire meals out of this. He eats four or five, I eat two. If my baby will eat this, maybe yours will too...
Essentials: Fresh tomatoes, mayo, fresh ground pepper, and preferably, kosher salt. It seems silly to post a recipe, but I decided this qualifies as a meal under our Seriously Simple and New Beginnings college and missionary meal category.
Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. WAAAAY better than ramen.

Now this is loving your neighbor. Sharing tomatoes. Thanks Susan :)

Fresh Tomato Toast
print recipe

1 fresh garden tomato
Best Foods or Hellman's mayo*
fresh ground pepper
dense whole wheat bread (my local fave is Aspen Mills)

Slice the tomato, thick, about 1/4 inch slices.
Toast the bread.
Spread mayo over bread as soon as it comes out of the toaster.
Lay on two to four thick slices of tomato, depending on size of tomato.
Top generously with fresh ground pepper and salt.

Tips:
*-It's Best Foods west of the Mississippi, Hellman's east of the Mississippi. Same product. 

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Pioneer Woman Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

So by now, you know who the Pioneer Woman is, right? Funny lady who likes to blog, home school her kids, take photos of food, her kids, her ranch and her man. Just got her own gig on the FN. One of my friends introduced me to her a few years ago. I've made a few of her recipes: Olive Cheesy Bread, Marlboro Man Sandwich and my favorite- her Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls. The maple glaze sets these rolls apart from your average cinnamon roll. That and about a pound of butter.  Try these, I know you're gonna love them.





Pioneer Woman Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Pioneer Woman 
print recipe

6-8 inch round disposable cake or pie tins

1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 ounce packets or 4 1/2 teaspoons
9 cups, separated, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon  baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup soft, room temperature butter
1 cup sugar each: white and brown, mixed together in a bowl
4 tablespoons cinnamon

Maple Glaze:
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
1/2 to 3/4 cups milk or half and half
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but not hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl together. Set aside.

After rising for at least an hour, add the remaining flour mixture to the dough.  Stir mixture together. At this point, you may cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary*.

Prepare pans:
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Don't skip this step. It's the other thing that sets this cinammon roll recipe apart from the rest. Lots of butter.

When ready to prepare rolls:
Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half of the dough and form a  rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, into a rectangular shape.  With a knife or spatula spread 1/2 cup soft butter over the dough. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mixed sugars over the butter followed by 2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Starting at the long side, roll dough until all of the dough is formed into a long, tight roll, jelly-roll style. Cut with a sharp knife or use dental floss to make 1 inch thick rolls. Lay rolls into buttered pans. You should have room for about 7-8 rolls per pan.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 18 minutes.  Let rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then prepare frosting.

Frosting:
Mix together all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Tips:

-*Storing the dough in a large plastic sack helps contain any raising the dough will do while stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. I have used a large white plastic garbage sack (clean of course) with a little flour shaken inside before placing dough in sack. I loosely twist the sack closed, allowing room for the dough to expand.
-Make sure to buy disposable pans and give away a few pans of rolls. Otherwise, all of the rolls will end up in your kitchen. And you will have to start unbuttoning the top button on your pants WAY before Thanksgiving. 

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Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes

For breakfast on Jake's 15th birthday, I surprised him with one of his favorite treats in the world, chocolate chip pancakes. He LOVES chocolate in his pancakes.  I'm not a fan. But I do love fresh fruit in my cakes, so I threw in some raspberries I had in the fridge and sprinkled with chocolate.  Topped with Buttermilk Syrup. The result? One happy birthday boy.


Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes
A Bountiful Kitchen
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1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh raspberries, or 1 cup thawed frozen berries
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini)

In a medium bowl beat egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla together with whisk.
Add all of the dry ingredients and mix once. The batter will be a bit lumpy. If it's too think add a little water.
Heat griddle to about 330-350 degrees or if using a pan on the stove about medium high heat. Grease the pan and add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and raspberries, I broke the berries in half and placed the berries on the pancakes. Cook until bubbles rise and start to pop, then flip the pancake. Once. Do not pat down. Cook (about 2-3 minutes). To test, use the corner of the spatula and poke the cake in the middle.  If the pancake is done, it  will spring back.
Serve immediately with more chocolate chips, fresh berries, and home made Buttermilk Syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup butter (not margarine)

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
2  teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat butter, buttermilk, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until boiling. Boil for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda (this will foam up, so make sure your pan is big enough to accommodate). Stir until combined. Serve immediately over pancakes or waffles.

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Mango Blueberry Coffee Cake

I love this time of year. No rushrush to get school work done before games or other activities. Love to water the flowers outside in my bare feet before anyone gets up. Love to watch baseball games with a big iced drink. Love that I can swing into a farmers market, or the regular old grocery and find almost any fruit my heart desires.
I had some fresh mangoes and blueberries in my kitchen last week, and thought what better way to use them, than put them in a coffee cake. I used an Emeril recipe, that I lightened up a bit by subbing yogurt for sour cream, and added a few spices. Simple, fresh, delish. Loved the result.

Fresh Mango and Blueberry Coffee Cake
A Bountiful Kitchen
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Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ginger, depending on your taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup berries, rinsed and patted dry (I used 1 mango and enough blueberries to equal 1 1/2 cups)

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch Spring form pan. Preheat oven to 375 and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.  Add yogurt and blend well. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the berries and mangoes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Prepare the streusel topping by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and run a knife around the sides of the Spring form before detaching the side form.

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