Strawberry Banana Bread

Howdy!

The other day I found a Pinterest post about Blueberry Banana Bread that had a special ingredient in it - Greek yogurt!  I didn't have any blueberries, but I did have strawberries, so what did I make... Strawberry Banana Bread!  Honestly, I LOVE banana bread.  BUT, banana bread is my baking nemesis.  I have tried dozens of recipes.  Everything from old church lady recipes to modern test kitchen recipes.  It always comes out underdone in the center and usually burnt on the edges.  I HIGHLY recommend this bread.  It was easy and delicious!  AND, it came out perfectly!  This is definitely my go-to banana bread recipe from now on.  Thank you so much, Emily!!!!

The batter is delicious, too ;)

My Family's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Howdy!

We all need go-to recipes.  This is my go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  Everyone that tries them loves them.  Warning:  they are addicting.  Their not overly sweet and they stay soft if you store them properly.  The batch is huge so you can definitely share with friends and neighbors (I took half of them to my new neighbors.  The kids were really excited :)).  I recommend using a cookie scoop whenever you dole out cookie dough.  It's an easy way to make sure that all of your cookies end up the same size and baking evenly.

Yummy Pie

Howdy!

I was jonesin' for something sweet and creamy with caramel and chocolate the other day, so what did I do?  Start rummaging around my kitchen!

(For the record in my throwing this and that together I ended up with a massive amount of this stuff.  Enough for a 9x13" pan.  I divided mine so that I could take most of it to some friends.)

I started by making a graham cracker crusted with chopped pecans throughout, pressing it into the pan, and baking at 400¡.  I used about 2 ½ cups (216g) of graham cracker crumbs, 1 ¾ cups (208g) finely chopped pecans, and 1 ½ sticks of melted butter.

Next I made my caramel.  Melt 2 sticks of butter with 8 oz (227g) by weight of brown sugar (forgot to get a cup measure :/ sorry) on medium low heat.  Once the sugar is dissolved, add to cans of sweetened condensed milk.  Stir this constantly (near the end is much more important that at the beginning) until you get a nice caramel color (basically as long as you can stand to stir the darn thing).  Let it cool just a bit and then pour and smooth it over your cooled crust.

(Next time if actually plan to make this dessert, I will use this method instead)

I cheated on my chocolate layer and used a large box of instant pudding mix.

Lastly, I made homemade whipped cream with heavy whipping cream, vanilla, sugar, and cream of tartar (cream of tartar is essential to your whipped cream surviving and not turning into a sweetened cream mess after a few hours).  Obviously I got impatient and didn't wait for my pudding to set up completely, so it didn't turn out as pretty as most of my creations... BUT it was GOOD!

Angel Food Cake - Revisited

Howdy!

Awhile back I wrote about Single Serve Angel Food Cake.  I had a hankering for some again the other night, but I wanted it lighter than it turned out last time.  So what did I do?  Doubled the egg white mixture and add vanilla for a little more flavor.  It was delicious, but next time I will use two ramekins and just a pinch more sugar.  I highly recommend this method if you want a lighter cake, and especially if you want two small cakes :)

French Toast Casserole

Howdy!

The other evening I couldn't for the life of me decide what I wanted for supper.  So I started rummaging around to see what I had in the frig and pantry.  Then I remembered the Amish Cinnamon Bread I still had half a loaf of. And thought French Toast Casserole sounds great!

I went to searching for a recipe.  I found several, but decided to use this one as my guide.  I used half a loaf of Cinnamon Amish Bread (and did not measure) and an 8x6" casserole.  I used buttermilk instead of regular milk and probably way more vanilla (I LOVE vanilla).  Once I added my egg mixture to to the bread I was like no way this is enough.  So I grabbed three more eggs (all I had) and add the same amount of the other ingredients - again with buttermilk and a little more vanilla than called for.  That brought the egg mixture almost to the top, so I let it soak about 10 minutes before I sprinkled with just enough cinnamon sugar to coat the top (not as much as the original recipe calls for) and popped it in the oven until the eggs were firm and the top was beautiful.

I must say is was nummy nummy.  I had a piece warm with syrup almost immediately and then for breakfast the next day ;)  This would be good with about any bread.  I think next time I am going to include the spice into the egg mixture and possibly use cardamom, too.

Angel Food Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream & Strawberries

Howdy!

Growing up strawberry shortcake was a huge treat (and my mother's favorite), especially when we did it with Angel Food Cake instead of sponge cake.  So when I ran across this recipe for Single Serving Angel Food Cake I knew exactly what was going to happen.  First I made up the dry mix:  1 c cake flour, 1 c powdered sugar, 1 tsp salt.  The original blog doesn't say anything about sifting, but since powdered sugar is always lumpy I sifted the flour and sugar together and then whisked the salt in well.  Then I placed it in a jar with a pretty label :)

Later that night I had a hankering for something sweet so I dipped into the jar.  First, beat 1 egg white with 1 Tbsp sugar and a drop of lemon juice until stiff.  Then, gently fold ¼ c of the dry mix into the egg white.  Place the batter in a greased and sugared ramekin (~2x2x2").  The sugaring is really important otherwise the cake (souffle) can't climbing and rise.  Bake your delicacy at 350* for 20 min (I used my toaster oven).  Cool in on it's side so that it doesn't collapse.

While it was baking I sliced some strawberries and macerated them in a sprinkle of sugar.  Then I whipped a some to DIE FOR chocolate whipped cream.  Place some heavy whipping cream with a drizzle of vanilla in a (preferably) cold bowl  and starting whipping the mess out of it.  Once it starts to thicken up add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, at least a teaspoon of cream of tartar (so that you can store the leftover without it turning into a runny mess), and a healthy helping of sugar (trust me it will take more than you think to cut the bite of the cocoa powder).  And until it is your desired stiffness - I tend to like mine really stiff.  You now have a chocolate whipped cream.  It will taste like a dark chocolate mousse pretty much if you don't have a heap of sugar and just enough to cut the bite.

Once my cake was cool I plated it up with some strawberries and chocolate whipped cream and DUG IN!  It was delicious and will definitely become a staple around here. :)  And it the jar of mix will make great gifts!  I have a label ready to go for you below.  Just right-click, save image, size it to your jar in Word or something similar, print, cut, stick, and your good to go!

Amish Cinnamon Bread

Howdy!

Hubby went back out to work this morning, so I was flipping through Pinterest trying to find a pancake recipe that I could have sworn that I pinned only to come up short >.<  But, I did come across this Amish Cinnamon Bread recipe from RedFly Creations and decided to give it a shot.  Granted, it wasn't for breakfast - that became a bowl of cereal.

I ended up baking this for about an hour instead of 45-50 minutes.  And I will definitely incorporate the cinnamon sugar differently next time.  But, it's still pretty good.  Especially with a little butter ;)

I'm thinking that as I goes stale that it might make some tasty French toast...

Amish Cinnamon Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

Batter:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:

2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs.  Add milk, flour, and baking soda.  Put 1/4 of batter into greased loaf pans.  Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan.  Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping.  Swirl with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min.  or until toothpick tester come clean.  

Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

Tangy Chocolate Spice Cake In A Cup

Howdy!

I love watching Food Network.  It is on pretty constantly at my house, whether I'm watching it or it is just background noise it is my go to around here.  Lately, I have been on a "single serving" dessert kick, hope you don't mind. lol  What happens when these two things mix?  A new dessert recipe that I just had to try... Tangy Chocolate Spice Cake in a Cup!  Paula Deen (one I don't normally watch per se, but I do love her recipes) was making a Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake.  It was a step or two beyond everyday baking and made a HUGE cake.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, I am sure at some point I will make the inspiring delicacy.  But for now I just wanted something small, quick, easy, and scrumptious.  The result is my Tangy Chocolate Spice Cake in a Cup.  See below :)

As far as spices go, do NOT get hung up on using cardamom.  The cake will be good with cinnamon or another spices.  BUT, cardamom is AMAZING and I highly recommend adding it to your spice cabinet.  It is what cinnamon hopes to be when it grows up and it adds a beautiful complexity to this little cake.

Tangy Chocolate Spice Cake In A Cup

½ T butter

2 t  sour cream

3 T sugar

1  egg

splashvanilla

pinch cardamom

¹/₁₆ t  baking powder

2 t  cocoa

2 ⅓  flour          

In at least a 12 oz. coffee mug, melt and cool butter. Whisk in sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Whisk in sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and cardamom (or spice of choice). Add flour and mix well.

Microwave about 90 seconds.

*WARNING*

This recipe grows!  So don't use a small mug. 

Also, it pops out easily (otherwise I wouldn't have ;) )

Brownie In A Cup

Sophie's Brownie In A Cup (much prettier)

Let's be honest, here... Pinterest is a naughty, naughty temptress.  There are all these marvelous pins linked to posts about foods that make you drool all over yourself (or is that just me?), which you then yourself have to re-pin (or is that, again, just me?).  So, then you have these uber full boards of delectable looking yummies just begging to be made.  It was one of these such yummies that I fell prey to making last, shameful, evening and this morning for breakfast - what a girl can indulge, right? ;)

But which one, you ask? I present to you:  Brownie In A Cup! A delectable single serving of sinfulness to be consumed on a whim.  Forgotten are the days of slaving away and waiting agonizing 30+ minutes for brownies.  Now you can have a brownie in less than five!  You don't even have to share if you don't want to ;)  But there is even to split with someone if you're feeling generous.

Below you can find the recipe with a couple of notes :)

Brownie in a Cup
1-2 servings

2 tbsp. oil

2 tbsp. water

1/4 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

2 tbsp. cocoa

4 tbsp. sugar

4 tbsp. flour

Combine cocoa, sugar, and flour.  Mix well.

In the12 oz. mug you plan to eat your final product out of, add salt, water, oil, and vanilla. Whisk well.

Add dry to wet and mix it all up!

Microwave for 60-90 seconds.

In my microwave 75 seconds gave me a uniformly done brownie (first attempt) and with only  60 seconds a molten center was accomplished  {Ooo la la}.  Also note, Sophie didn't specify when to add the salt or to combine the other dry ingredients prior to adding them to the wet mixture.  So why did I?  Well, because my first brownie didn't come out perfectly.  :'(  It had slightly salty bites.  Oh!  Also, I highly recommend a fork for the mixing/whisking.  Tiny whisks work, but not as nicely.  I double checked lol.

Want a card for your recipe box?  Click below for 3x5 for 4x6 inch index card sizes :)

Brownie In A Cup 3x5

Brownie In A Cup 4x6