Banana Bread

¼ c. shortening

¼ c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/3-cup plain yogurt

¾ c. mashed bananas

1 ½ c. flour

¾ tsp. soda

½ tsp. salt

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each.  Stir in banana.  Sift together dry ingredients; add to banana mixture; mix well.  Pour into greased loaf pan. 

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Simple Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen 1/2 cup sour cream 1 large egg

	Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
	In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal)
	In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
	Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form.  Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
	Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar and your choice of blueberries, lemon peel mixed with sugar, brown sugar and pecans, or cream and sugar.  Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart.  Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Caramel Buttermilk Syrup

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick real butter
2 T. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you’d make soup in. Yes, you’ll have way more pot than ingredients (and I’m not referring to the green leafy stuff), but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it’s still bubbling, you’re okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. You’re basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.

When it’s done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it’s not super pretty. If you’re into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

Now eat it however you darn well please.  

This is the caramel I used on the ice cream sundaes and on the lemon poppy seed pancakes.    It's so good on anything!!!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Makes about 12 large pancakes

2 cups unbleached  (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup poppy seeds

zest of 4 lemons

2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

 butter, to serve (and for pan)

To make the pancakes combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. In another bowl the buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Add the wet to the dry. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

I prefer to make mini pancakes and stack with a blueberry on a toothpick as a garnish.  These pancakes are really yummy with caramel buttermilk syrup!!!  

Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake

Mix together:

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. butter

Add:

1 egg

Add:

½ c. milk

3 scoops plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

2 c. flour

½ tsp. salt  

Fold in about 1 cup blueberries

Pour in 9X9” square pan or make into muffins

Topping:

Mix together:

½ c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

1’4 c. butter

¼ c. brown sugar

Crumble on top

Bake 350 for 40 minutes

 

Crepes with Mixed Berry Sauce

2 eggs
1 c. flour
2 T. sugar
pinch salt
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. Melted butter
Strawberries/blueberries
1/3 c. cottage cheese
1 c. sour cream
½ c. powdered sugar


In blender, place eggs, flour, 1 T. sugar, salt, vanilla and milk. Blend
until smooth. Pour in melted butter and blend. Cover and let stand for
at least one hour, preferably 2 hours, or up to 3 days in the fridge.


You can also whisk together the dry ingredients by hand and add the
milk and vanilla, whisking to make smooth. Add melted butter and
mix thoroughly. Precede the same as above.


For chocolate crepes, add 2 T. Dutch cocoa to dry ingredients


Lightly butter a crepe pan or fry pan and heat over medium high heat
for several seconds. Pour in about ¼ c. of batter…quickly tilt the pan
so the batter spreads evenly in a thin layer. Cook a few minutes, until
bottom is slightly browned and edges lift easily. Turn with a spatula
or by catching the edge with your fingers and flipping it over. Cook
the second side for a few minutes.


Combine strawberries, blueberries and 1/3 c. sugar in a large bowl.
Set aside. Using a blender or electric mixer, blend the cottage


cheese until smooth. Add sour cream and powdered sugar and stir
well. Put a small amount of fruit down the center of a crepe and
top with a spoonful of the creamy mixture. Fold one side of the
crepe over the filling and roll it up the rest of the way. Repeat with
remaining crepes, using about 2/3 of the strawberries.
Put in a 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes to warm


Top with mixed berry sauce and sprinkle with additional powdered
sugar, if desired.


Mixed Berry Sauce


1 bag frozen berries (mixed or of choice)
¼ cup water
3-4 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
1½ tsp. cornstarch, mixed with 1 Tbsp water


In a medium saucepan, combine berries, water and sugar. Bring to
a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until most of the berries
have popped. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for an addition
minute, until the syrup thickens slightly. Turn heat to a low simmer
and cover for about 10 minutes

Cinnamon Bread

2-½ c. warm water

1 T. yeast

1 T. sugar

2 T. oil

1 ½ tsp. salt

5-6 cups flour

Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar in large bowl and let sit 15 minutes. Add oil, salt, and enough flour for soft dough.

Let rise in covered bowl until double, about 1 hour

Divide dough in half

Place half the dough on lightly floured surface and roll in rectangle. Let rest 15 minutes.

Spread with half the cinnamon bread filling and roll together into a tight roll.

Hold rolled dough at either end and twist and pull at the same time to distribute the cinnamon filling evenly.

Fold dough and work into a loaf shape and place in greased loaf pan.

repeat with the second half of the dough

cover bread and let raise about 30 minutes or until slightly rounded.

Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes.

Cinnamon bread filling:

1 ½ C. packed light brown sugar

½ c. flour

2 T. cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, cold (cut into pieces)

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

makes 2 loaves of cinnamon bread

This bread makes awesome french toast

Potato Pancakes with Sour Cream and Applesauce

2 lb. russet potatoes

½ yellow onion finely grated

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. sour cream

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

1-cup sour cream

2 cups applesauce (recipe to follow)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 250

Peel the potatoes and shred them on the coursest holes of a box grater. Quickly transfer into a large bowl of cold water. Grate the onion and add to bowl; Let sit for 20 minutes. Place the eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper into another mixing bowl and whisk until smooth; reserve.

Drain the potato mixture into a colander and drain well. Enclose half of the grated potatoes in a clean dishtowel and twist the towel to press out as much liquid as possible. Repeat with the remaining grated potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and add the egg mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir to blend.

Line an ovenproof platter with paper towels. Pour the oil to a depth of ¼” into a heavy frying pan and heat over medium heat to 365 degrees.

For each pancake, ladle ¼ cup of the potato mixture onto the hot surface. Cook the pancakes until brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully turn the pancakes and cook until brown and crisp on the second sides, about 2 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer to the paper towel-lined platter and place in the oven to keep warm; do not cover the pancakes, or they will get soggy. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture to make about 18 pancakes. The pancakes can be kept warm in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve accompanied by the sour cream and fresh applesauce.

Applesauce

4-5 sweet apples such as Rome, Beauty, or Baldwin; 2-3 pounds

¾ cup apple juice

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼-1/2 cup sugar

Fresh lemon juice

In a large, heavy nonaluminum saucepan, over low heat, combine the apples and juice. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the apples are very tender, 20-30 minutes.

Drain the apples, reserving the liquid. Mash the apples with a potato masher until the consistency you like, or pass through a food mill if you prefer a smooth apple sauce. Stir in the cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice to taste, and about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, or as needed to achieve a good consistency.

Transfer to a bowl and serve. The applesauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes 2 cups

Potato Flake Cinnamon Rolls

Put in small bowl or 2 c. measuring cup:

1 c. warm water

2 T. yeast

2 T. sugar

In small saucepan heat until hot:

3 c. milk

Pour hot milk in mixer bowl and add:

Mix well

½ c. oil

1 c. sugar

1 c. potato flakes

Add, beating well after each addition:

4 eggs (room temperature)

2 c. flour

Add and beat well:

½ c. flour

Yeast mixture

Add:

1 T. salt

Enough flour for a soft dough (10-12 c.) 

It should be a little sticky to the touch.

Let rise twice in a covered bowl, in a warm spot

To make into cinnamon rolls, divide dough in half.   Make each half into a smooth ball on a lightly floured surface.  Let dough rest 15 minutes.  Then roll dough into a rectangle and cover with half of the filling recipe below.  Roll dough lengthwise in a loose roll and cut with pastry cutter into cinnamon rolls.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Then turn pan around and continue baking for 10 minutes more.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly, frost with icing recipe below

Cinnamon roll filling:

1 ½ C. packed light brown sugar

½ c. flour

2 T. cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, cold (cut into pieces)

Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium-sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

 Icing for Cinnamon Rolls

In bowl stir together:

1 ¼ c. sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. corn syrup

½ tsp. vanilla

Enough half and half or light cream (1-2 T.) to make of drizzling consistency

 To make cinnamon twists:

After dividing dough in half and resting the dough for 15 minutes, roll each half into a 24” X 6” rectangle.  Sprinkle with the filling recipe on half of the rectangle.  Fold rectangle over and cut into 24 strips 1 inch wide.    Hold strips at both ends and twist.  Place on parchment covered baking sheet.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.    Bake and frost the same as for cinnamon rolls.

Oatmeal With Berries & Cream

4 cups whole milk

¼ tsp, salt

2 T. brown sugar

2 cups rolled oats

½ c. heavy cream

Berries, fruits, brown sugar, nuts, etc.

In heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring milk and salt to gentle boil, about 3 minutes.  Slowly stir in the oats and brown sugar.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered at a gentle boil, stirring frequently, until the oatmeal is soft and the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes.  Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oatmeal boiling gently.  Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 3 minutes.  After the oatmeal has rested, stir in the cream just until blended.

You can also cook this in a rice cooker, set to the Porridge setting. Place all ingredients in the rice cooker, except the heavy cream, and the toppings. Cook until oatmeal is desired consistency (about 20-25 minutes). Add cream and serve with toppings.

Top with brown sugar, berries, peaches, nuts, craisins, or raisins, maple syrup, or any other favorite toppings!

Granola

Mix in large bowl:

5 cups rolled oats

3 cups corn flakes

1 ½ cups wheat germ

1 large bag angel flake coconut

1-cup brown sugar

1-cup cashews

1-cup almonds

You can also add raisins, craisins, and or sesame seeds

In a saucepan, heat the following until bubbly:

½ cup oil

¾ cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla

¾ cup brown sugar

Pour sauce over dry ingredients and mix through

Grease 2 large baking sheets and spread the granola evenly

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through

Cool on foil before storing

German Pancakes

Yield 2 9-inch pancakes

4 eggs

1-tablespoon sugar


1/2-teaspoon salt

2/3-cup flour, sifted

2/3-cup milk


2 tablespoons soft butter

Heat oven to 400°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans well. Put eggs in blender container, cover and process at “stir” until light yellow in color. Push “mix” button, remove cover and add remaining ingredients; process until smooth. Pour into prepared pans and bake 20 minutes; then reduce heat to 350°F and bake 10 minutes. Slide onto hot plates. Serve with lemon slices, powdered sugar and butter, or maple syrup and fresh berries.

Cinnamon Sugar Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

This recipe does not require a standing mixer, but when making the batter, be sure to whisk vigorously in step 2, then fold carefully in step 3. There should be no large pockets of flour in the finished batter, but small occasional sprays may remain. Do not over mix the batter.

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 large egg

1-cup sugar

4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 ¼ cups sour cream

1 ½ cups frozen blueberries

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 T. unsalted butter

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 steps, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 steps, whisking just to combine.

3. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not over mix.

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.

5. While muffins are cooling, mix sugar and ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled five minutes, working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack; serve.

Correct Dough Portions: The batter is thick and heavy and should be mixed just until it comes together. Some small sprays of flour will be visible in the raw dough. We use an ice cream scoop to portion out the dough into a greased muffin tin. For moist, delicate muffins, don't overfill the cups.

Baked Muffins: Perfectly baked muffins have high domed crowns that do not spill over onto the top of the tin.

Blueberry Scones & Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

MAKES 8

It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and work bowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.

INGREDIENTS

16
tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)

1 1/2
cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)

1/2
cup whole milk

1/2
cup sour cream

2
cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface

1/2
cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

2
teaspoons baking powder

1/4
teaspoon baking soda

1/2
teaspoon table salt

1
teaspoon grated lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2-cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.

5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosens dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead: After placing the scones on the baking sheet, either refrigerate them overnight or freeze. When ready to bake, for refrigerated scones, heat oven to 425 degrees and follow directions in step 6. For frozen scones, heat oven to 375 degrees, follow directions in step 6, and extend cooking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

To make lemon poppy seed scones:

Instead of spreading blueberries on rolled out dough, spread with lemon curd and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Roll and cut as instructed above. 

LEMON CURD

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup lemon juice, from 2 lemons

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

½ cup sugar

2 T. unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes and chilled

1 T. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. vanilla

pinch table salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat lemon juice in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Whisk eggs and yolk in medium nonreactive bowl; gradually whisk in sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to cling to spoon, about 3 minutes (see photos, below).

2. Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter until incorporated; stir in cream, vanilla, and salt, then pour curd through fine-mesh strainer into small nonreactive bowl. Cover surface of curd directly with plastic wrap; refrigerate until needed.