Jam Filled Crescents

A while back I felt like experimenting with a lone can of crescents that had been waiting patiently to be used. I pulled out some jam and put a little in the center of the crescent. I was so surprised at how tasty they were...and simple!

They would be a lovely accompaniment to any breakfast menu! Really, the possibilities are endless. You could try any type of jam...I just happen to absolutely adore apricot. I think nutella would be excellent if you are a chocolate lover! What about some slivered almonds on top? Just put your creativity to work and see what you can come up with.

Ingredients:
1 can crescents
2 teaspoons of jam per crescent

Directions:
Unrolls crescent roll and place the jam in the middle. Roll up and bake as directed on the package.

Cranberry Orange Bread and the Zip Line

I am not an adventurous person as I shared when I was whining the other week about doing the zip line I was dreading. I can do without the adrenaline rush of a thrill, for me those "thrills" just worry me to the point of no longer being capable of functioning and loss of sleep for a few days prior. I made up my mind to do this zip line thing after years of bugging from my adventurous husband, but I have to say that there were several times I didn't think I could go through with it.

We arrived to the smiling faces of the natives and I signed all kinds of waivers...that told me about all of the crazy injuries that could occur. I was suited up...in some very awkward gear that was so tight it felt like it was going to rip my running shorts, but I guess this was so I wouldn't fall out. I hopped in the back of a truck and we headed up a mountain...on a dirt road...adventure enough already. Then I climbed up the rest of the mountain by foot...straight up baby...I am used to running quite a bit...but this...this had me thoroughly out of breath! From there I climbed up a tree...so we were very high at this point...and remember I am afraid of heights.

That is about the time I wanted to cry like a baby and back out. Problem was...there was no way back except zipping down the mountain. I was brave and just went for it...I didn't want to embarrass my husband by crying. I was so proud of my accomplishment. I conquered my fear and actually had a good time.

On to a great recipe you must put on your holiday baking list! This cranberry orange bread is the best ever. Much like honey and lime, cranberry and orange have such an affinity. Some flavors were just meant to be together.

I love to make this around the holiday's when cranberries are abundant and inexpensive. My loaves are usually frozen and saved for Christmas gifts. I love that it is something different to give. Everyone gives cookies and candy...be unique and adventurous and give out cranberry-orange bread!!

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon orange zest
2 Tablespoons shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cranberries, halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Add orange juice, zest, shortening and egg and mix well. Fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn out of pan.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Today is National Homemade Bread Day!! In honor I thought would share my latest homemade bread recipe.

Typical, run of the mill, store bought buns...

I have always thought they were lacking in the flavor department. They look like bread, they feel like bread, but...they usually get a big fat zero when it comes to tasting like bread.

I guess what I am trying to get at, is that hamburger buns aren't the main attraction when it comes to eating a burger. Beef is the main attraction. The buns...well, they are a means to an end!

That was before I made homemade buns...now the bun can finally hold its own!

No more wasted calories...these are calories you will actually enjoy!

I have had making homemade buns on my mental to do list for years now. They seemed like the ultimate goal to strive for. I thought they would be so complicated, like some kind of crazy skill to be mastered.

They really weren't that hard, in fact they were pretty simple.

Honestly, it just left me wondering why the bun had intimidated me for so long.

Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk

By Hand Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine the hot water with 1 cup of the white flour. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, and oil. Whisk together to make a "spongy" dough. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add other 1 cup white flour plus 1 cup of wheat flour to the spongy dough and stir with a wooden spoon. When the dough becomes thick enough, knead it for 6 to 8 minutes on a floured surface bowl, until it reaches the consistency of soft baby skin. Place the dough in a floured or greased bowl and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, the dough is ready to be formed. Grease a baking sheet. Divide the dough ball in half, and then divide the 2 dough balls into thirds. Form smaller dough balls into bun shapes. Remember the dough will rise again, so "flat" buns are okay. Place the buns on the greased baking sheet. Set aside and let the buns rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden on top. Remove the buns from the oven, brush the tops with melted butter, and return to oven for 2 minutes. remove and let cool on a rack. Cool slightly before slicing.

Bread Machine Directions
Place the ingredients in the order listed, except for the melted butter, into a bread machine bowl. Set the machine to the dough cycle.

Once the dough cycle is complete, flour your fingers, remove the dough and place it on a floured surface. Shape into hamburger or hot dog bun sizes. Place the buns on the greased baking sheet. Set aside and let the buns rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden on top. Remove the buns from the oven, brush the tops with melted butter, and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack. Cool slightly before slicing.

Recipe Credit: $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

Emmy's Pumpkin Bread

The search was on the other week. It was beginning to feel like fall outside (unfortunately it didn't last) and I was in the mood for pumpkin bread. I considered turning my pumpkin muffins into bread, but then I found it....this...this very valuable recipe.

You see, I am quite picky when it comes to pumpkin stuff...I either love it or hate it.

I find that most breads are too "spicy"...I am not a fan of a bunch of spicy junk added to my pumpkin. In my humble opinion, it is best left alone.

I also don't like how a lot of pumpkin breads are so "mushy". Some may call it moist, but to me they are often beyond moist and the texture is just off.

I like my pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and more the texture of a banana bread! This one fits the bill perfectly. It was very moist, but not mushy moist, and it tasted better the next day. It sliced wonderfully and held its shape without crumbling. I even froze one loaf and it was just as good when I thawed it out.



1 cup vegetable oil
2 2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream together the oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin, and water. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, stirring to blend, then mix in the chips and nuts.

Spoon the batter into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake the bread in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack. When it is completely cool, wrap it well in plastic wrap, and store it overnight before serving.



Recipe Credit: King Arthur Flour

This post is linked to URS at www.lifeasmom.com

The Best Banana Bread

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Banana bread and I have a real love connection. We go way back...seven years to be exact...

You see, this recipe for banana bread comes from my good friend Betty, Betty Crocker that is.

I love my banana bread so much because it is the first recipe I really tried after getting married. I remember it well, I received the Betty Crocker Bridal Edition Cookbook for a wedding gift.

Before marriage I had visions of a maid doing all of my cleaning and a personal chef cooking all of our meals. Then it hit me...I was knocked into reality with brutal force...the maid and chef...she lived in the house all right...her name was Katie! Yep, that was my new role as wife.

I figured out pretty quickly that I better learn to cook real food because we couldn't subsist on cookies and pies, so I flipped through that cookbook. Before I knew it I was rockin' the banana bread, mandarin salad, and garlic cheese biscuits everywhere I went (those were quickly our favorites from the book).

I think I surprised everyone by quickly becoming a domestic diva!

Through it all I learned that...

I like Betty. We bonded and I learned that she would never let me down.

I like cooking. I learned to love it actually, hence this little blog.

I like cleaning. Okay, I am still working on that one...

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Move oven rack so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until moistened. Stir in nuts. Divide batter evenly between pans.

Bake 8 inch loaves about 1 hour, 9 inch loaf about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.



This post is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap at www.lifeasmom.com

Dana's Coffee Cake

Let me just say that this coffee cake and I go back a long way! I can remember my mom making it many times while growing up. I just loved waking up to the sweet cinnamon smell wafting through the house.

This would be a great thing to whip up on a Saturday morning! It is quick and easy to put together. It is also great because it uses items that most people already have in the pantry!

Cake:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup nuts

Combine oil, egg, and milk. Sift together dry ingredients and add to milk mixture. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

*This post is linked to: www.lifeasmom.com ,Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace, Tuesday’s at the Table @ All The Small Stuff

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

When I read about this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe, I knew I had to try it. Try it I did, about 5 minutes after I came across it. I am funny like that…if I see something I want to try…I want to try it NOW! Ok, really I am like that with everything in life, patience isn’t a strong point for me.


The thing that really lured me in was that you make up the mix and keep it on hand for later (not that I would ever forget to thaw meat out and have to resort to breakfast for dinner ). Once the mix is made it lasts indefinitely in the freezer or refrigerator. All you have to do is add a cup of buttermilk and an egg. Can it get any easier?

The texture of these pancakes is great. Light and fluffy…what more could one ask for? Also, they aren’t too sweet, which I love, syrup has enough sugar for me!

Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the ingredient together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on low speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is right. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will souk up the milk as it sits. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over and finish cooking on the second side.

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4inch pancakes.

The Best White Bread

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, O Bread Machine! I have proclaimed my undying love of my bread machine, but today I want to share WHY! Last Christmas I decided I wanted a bread machine, and that was ALL I wanted…kind of like my roasting pan and rack this year.

I had all kinds of stipulations…it had to make a regularish looking loaf (most are circular and stuff), be stainless steel, and on and on the list went. Christmas came…and I opened up a bread machine….BUT, it was like from the 90’s. Aghhh, so not what I wanted, but I was so excited just to get one that I didn’t care . My parents had bought me a new one, but were trying to play a joke on me. It backfired on them, because I was so excited to get the one they dug out of their basement.

This white bread was one of the first I tried and I will never leave its side. It is so faithful...it is soft, a little sweet, and it always turns out for me. What more could you ask for? I hope if you have a bread machine hidden away in a closet that you will pull it out for this recipe. It won’t let you down!
Small Loaf (1 lb./2 cup machine)
1 cup water
1 ½ tablespoon butter or margarine
2 cups white flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast


Large Loaf (1 ½ lb./3 cup or 2 lb./4 cup machine)
1 ¼ cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 cups white flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon yeast

Directions:
Select loaf size. Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer’s directions. Select white cycle.


Adapted from www.cdkitchen.com

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

I can't say enough about these wonderful biscuits. They are pretty much a knock-off of the ones at Red Lobster. I mean, who doesn't love those?

I can't even tell you how many times I have made these...This was one of the first recipes I came across in that Betty Crocker cookbook I got for a wedding gift. It is truly a go-to recipe for me, and it is so easy that your kids could help make them up.

2 cups original bisquick ( I use Aldi brand)

2/3 cups milk

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Stir bisquick, milk, and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 9 spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder and brush over warm biscuits.