Totally Delicious Banana Walnut Muffins

This recipe is simple and the result is well worth it! These were about the best banana muffins I have made and surprise! I actually had all the ingredients in the house! If you can't eat nuts, they are just as good without them but there is something about bananas and walnuts that is almost magical...

Totally Delicious Banana Walnut Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (plus a couple of tbsp to dust pans if necessary)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 6 tbsp melted butter: sweet or salted
• 2/3 c brown or golden brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 - 1 c chopped walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips (if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a medium muffin pan by either spraying it with cooking spray, using cupcake liners or using melted butter to coat each cup then dusted with enough flour to just coat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together . Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Using a spatula or wooden spoon (or mixer if you prefer), mix in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract and milk.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the moist ingredients and continue stirring until combined and no dry bits remain. Then add nuts and/or chocolate chips. The batter will be quite thick.
5. Spoon the batter into cups (prepared as directed in #1), distributing evenly. It will come just below the top of each cup of the tin, which will give you a nice rounded muffin top.
6. Baked at 425 for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees without removing the muffin pan. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, depending upon your oven, or until a toothpick or thin knife blade comes out clean. 
7. Remove from oven, wait a few minutes and then transfer muffins to wire rack to cool. If using butter/flour, you may want to gently brush off some of the coating from the bottoms before serving.

NOTE: Not all ovens are created equal and some run hotter than others. You learn that by experimenting. Our gas range runs about 10 degrees hotter than our electric oven did, so test the muffins a bit earlier to ensure they don't overbake. Lowering the temperature after 5 minutes (as instructed) gives the tops a nice crusty rounded finish that is the benchmark of a good muffin. Make sure to allow a good amount of time to preheat the oven to begin with so you ensure that it has reached the correct temperature.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe at allrecipes.com, one of my favorite go-to sites. It is perfect for potlucks, family dinners and with a bit of tweaking (see below), is just right for large gatherings (2 pans). This is the perfect dish to prepare the night before and bake the following day. And yes, I had to taste it for "quality control" <koff koff>.

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes (or 6 regular)
• 1/2 pound lean bacon (or Real Bacon Bits)
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 3/4 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
2. Poke a few holes into each potato using a toothpick.
3. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until fully cooked, about 1 hour. Cool for about 15 minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.
5. Cut a thin slice from one side of each potato; carefully scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl. Discard skins. Mix 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter, chives, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder with potatoes. Spread potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish; top with 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
7. 
   

*Let the 'tweaking' begin. I baked 5 lbs of potatoes and, after letting them cool slightly, I scraped the contents into a big bowl and chopped them up with my spoon. I added a full bag (8 oz) of sharp cheddar, 1 1/2 c of sour cream, 2 tbsp of dried chives, half bag of Kroger 'real bacon bits', ground pepper and salt (didn't measure, just poured some on my hand and then into the bowl). I didn't use garlic salt because the chives provided sufficient seasoning). I used about a cup of milk and about 4 tbsp of butter. The potatoes were still hot enough to melt the butter when mixed in. I folded everything together, put it in one larger foil lasagna pan and one smaller, more shallow aluminum foil cake pan (about 8.5" by 12.5") for us. I used another half bag of shredded sharp cheddar to top the two pans and sprinkled liberally with dried chives and about half the pack of bacon bits. The casserole was moist, not wet, before baking and because I like my casseroles well cooked, the small one took about 25 minutes to warm through with bubbly cheese. I will probably cook the large one for about 30-40 minutes. Turned out tasty, slightly puffy and smelled delicious!*

Sausage & Egg Cupcakes

Sausage & Egg Cupcakes

 

Sausage & Egg Cupcakes (Cupcake Quiches)

Bottom of Form

INGREDIENTS

• ·         8 ounces low-fat sour cream
• ·         1/4 cup salsa
• ·         1/2 pound sweet or mild Italian or pork breakfast sausage
• ·         ¼ c finely chopped sweet onion
• ·         1 tbsp light pancake syrup or maple syrup
• ·         6 eggs
• ·         12 fl oz. can (1 1/2 c) non-fat evaporated milk
• ·         1 teaspoon paprika
• ·         Salt and pepper, to taste
• ·         Cooking spray
• ·         1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the sour cream and salsa in a small bowl. Place the mixture into a small plastic sandwich bag and put in the refrigerator to cool so that it firms up (optional).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a frying pan, cook the sausage and onions over medium-low heat, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as you go. Stir in syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
   
   
4. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and beat until combined. 
5. Spray a 12-cup cupcake pan with cooking spray and place approx. 1/4 c of the sausage mixture and a pinch of the Cheddar in each cup. Pour the egg mixture into each cup, filling them just about to the top.
   
6. Bake in the oven until the eggs are cooked through and golden brown on the top, about 15 minutes. 
7. Run a knife around the cupcakes to loosen and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the egg cupcakes from the pan and let cool for about 5 minutes. 
8. Meanwhile, take the plastic sandwich bag out of the refrigerator and cut off one of the corners so that there is a ½-inch hole. Pipe the sour cream icing onto each egg cupcake (if desired), and top each one with minced scallions or green onions. 

Note: I wanted something a little lower in calorie than the original recipe, which called for heavy cream, so I substituted the canned non-fat evaporated milk. You may want to sprinkle each filled egg cup with 1 tbsp of frozen diced hash browns or chopped parsley for variety before baking and skip the topping. If you don't like sausage, you can use finely cut up fried bacon instead. Good with ketchup, too.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

This was seriously one of the easiest and quickest monkey breads I have made. I simply used 2 tubes of buttermilk biscuits, some sugar and cinnamon and some apple pie filling that I had made a few weeks ago. Oh, I forgot .... I also drizzled some caramel topping on to make it have that caramel apple flavor that we like. Once you tip it out of the prepared pan, it's ooey gooey goodness personified. And the kitchen still smells great (just like fall!)
                                             Caramel Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

                                
Ingredients:

• 2 tubes of buttermilk biscuits
• 1/2 c sugar
• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon (or so)
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• approx. 20 oz of apple pie filling (home-made or canned)
• Caramel topping (I used Smuckers)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 loaf pan with cooking spray
3. In a medium bowl, toss unbaked biscuits in 2 tbsp butter or margarine to coat. Place sugar and cinnamon in a Ziploc bag and add biscuits, toss to mix thoroughly.
4. In the same medium bowl, combine biscuits with apple pie filling, stirring to mix.
5. Spoon  into prepared loaf pan and drizzle with caramel topping.
6. I had a bit of left-over canned cinnamon syrup and drizzled that on top too, just because.
7. Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes - until biscuits are golden and any syrup on bottom has been mostly absorbed.
8. Let stand for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the loaf pan to loosen the loaf and upend onto a wax paper coated cookie sheet (I cheated and reused the Ziploc bag for this).

Ours turned out a bit gooey because of the extra cinnamon syrup, but mmm boy! what flavor! I ate too much for lunch with some cheddar cheese <shhhh>. 

Note: The original recipe called for 4 tubes of biscuits! Really! I used 2. If you don't toss the biscuits in the melted butter and before coating them with the sugar, the loaf will be somewhat drier. We like gooey better. You can also cut the biscuits in half or quarters before doing the coating. Whatever floats yer boat. I was lazy and in a hurry so I just left them whole :)

Muffin Cup Pancakes

I have recently discovered the joys of 'muffin cup cooking.' The portion control is perfect for those of us trying to control our calorie intake and the possibilities are pretty much endless. One of our favorite forays into this new way of making stuff was "Muffin Cup Pancakes." Why pancakes in a muffin tin? Why not! They freeze well and can be removed one or two as a time and drizzled with reduced calorie syrup for a tasty snack or breakfast. And even better,  you can top them with everything from fruit and chocolate chips to <gasp> bacon!

Muffin Cup Pancakes

Muffin Cup Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 c. commercial dry pancake mix (I used buttermilk)
• 1 1/4 c water
• Toppings: Frozen blueberries, chopped cooked bacon, thinly sliced peeled apples sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, etc.

Preparation

1. Spray medium muffin cups well with cooking spray
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Mix pancake mix and water until large lumps break up. Batter will not be smooth.
4. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of pancake batter. 
5. Top with your choice of toppings. As you can see, I used bacon, apples and blueberries, all in the same tin
6. Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes, until knife inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove from  oven and let cool a couple of minutes. They should pop right out of the muffin tin.
8. Drizzle with reduced calorie syrup or caramel topping or warm jam before serving. 

*You may want to cool and then freeze some of these 'muffins' for future use. I kept half out and froze the other half for a quick treat another time.

The finished product!

Strawberry Fritters

This recipe is delicious with any fruit, from a fascinating website that gives 21st century flair to traditional French and British dishes. This is actually a French recipe, and it looks amazing. I could only imagine the taste! Another one on my 'to do' list!

Strawberry (or any seasonal fruit) Fritters

Ingredients

• 1 lb. all-purpose flour
• 5-8 oz. of white wine
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. brandy
• zest of two lemons (approximately 2 tsp.)
• 2 lb. strawberries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 lb. of lard or peanut oil

Preparation

1. Make a batter with the first four ingredients. Add the lemon zest. The batter is right when it resembles a medium pancake batter and can make a rope or a figure eight in the bowl as it drips from a spoon.
2. Dunk the strawberries in the batter and then set them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. When the pan is full, put it in the refrigerator for about an hour.
3. Melt the lard in a frying pan. When the lard has reached 360 degrees on a thermometer, fry the strawberries in the hot fat.
4. Fry them a nice brown, then dust them with sugar.
5. Put the sugared strawberries under a broiler for a minute or two to melt the sugar.

Scones

Scones are traditionally served at British tea, with clotted cream and preserves (as pictured). Alton Brown's recipe (The Food Network) seems simple, tasty and would serve this purpose quite nicely. Tea anyone?

Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1 egg
• Handful dried currants or dried cranberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. 
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit size rounds. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

Ham & Swiss Quiche

While some say "real men don't eat quiche," my hubby would disagree vehemently! Especially when it includes left-over Christmas ham and his favorite Swiss Cheese, that is! Quiche is NOT difficult. It just takes a light touch and the right ingredients. And yes, once again, I "cheated" with a commercial crust.

Ham & Swiss Quiche

Simply 'yum'

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 c milk (I used low-fat). If desperate, you can use 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 water
• 1/2 c Swiss cheese (cut into small pieces)
• 1/4 c diced sweet onion
• 1/8 - 1/4 c dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or regular pepper)
• approx. 1/4 c grated Parmesan/Romano Cheese for topping
• 1 commercial or home-made pie crust 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Whisk eggs in medium bowl until light and frothy. Add milk and continue whisking until blended. 
2. Stir in Swiss cheese, salt and red pepper flakes, onion and parsley flakes until mixed. It will be a bit chunky.
3. Place pie crust in 9" pie plate and pour in the mixture. 
4. Top with Parmesan/Romano mix.
5. Bake in oven for approximate 20-25 minutes, until knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean and dry. A wee bit of moisture may remain - that's ok!

Note: You  may prefer cheddar to Swiss, and you may prefer to mix the Parmesan/Romano into the rest of the mixture, but we really enjoyed it just as it turned out. The top 'crust' was really tasty and looked attractive. A delicious accident, since I made it this way by forgetting to add those cheeses! Whoops.

Roll Kuchen

There are many recipes for this Mennonite Cruller, otherwise known as "Rollkuchen" - or rolled cookies. As so many others, it's real farm food with eggs, flour, butter and milk as the main ingredients. As always, it's better when you add just a bit of sugar to it, and of course, most farm families would use either sweet milk or cream to prepare the treats. This recipe seems like a nice compromise:

Roll Kuchen to be served with Arboose (watermelon) 

Roll Kuchen

• 1 tsp salt
• 3 c flour
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 milk warmed with 1/4 c butter to melt

Form quite a stiff dough and roll out as thinly as possible, cutting slits in the middle and pulling one end of the rectangle through the slit. This forms the traditional Roll Kuchen shape. Fry in deep hot fat until golden. Serve with preserves or (in summer) watermelon.

Fruit 'n Nut Spread

Do you sometimes get tired of plain, everyday spreads? I know I do. Sometimes I want a little 'something-something' to go on my bagel or toast, or even on some flatbread or crackers. This is definitely a treat to try next time you are looking for a change. It's especially good for a family brunch during the Holiday season (or any time).

Fruit 'n Nut Spread

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (chopped)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Assorted crackers, bagels or breads

Directions

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and orange juice until smooth. Fold in the chopped cranberries and pecans. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Serve with crackers, breads, bagels or rye bread toast.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups.

Note from The Little Cook: You may wish to use other dried fruit combinations such as craisins or candied cherries with chopped walnuts or slivered almonds; dried blueberries and chopped roasted hazelnuts or pecans. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Easy Crescent Danish Rolls

My boss at work gave me this recipe and said I "had" to try it (Thanks, Kathy!) and she was right! Easy Crescent Danish Rolls was the Pillsbury Bake-Off Winner in 1978 and it hasn't lost an ounce of ooph since them. Chock full of ooey gooey deliciousness (as you will see from the photos) it's a winner from start to finish. Best yet, it's quick to prepare even when you make you own apple filling, like I did (recipe included). Great with my afore-published breakfast patties for a totally decadent, yum-filled brunch of champions (or something like that).

Easy Crescent Danish Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz package of Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less calories than cream cheese)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cans Crescent seamless dough sheets
• 4 (or more) tbsp of your favorite fruit preserve (my recipe follows)

Icing

• 1 tsp vanilla (I used rum extract because I had no vanilla in the house)
• 1/2-1 c powdered sugar (depending on how runny you like your glaze)
• 2-3 tsp milk (I used about a tablespoon or 2 with about 1 c of powdered sugar)

My imperfectly perfect spiral coils

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, blend Neufchatel, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Roll out crescent dough, one can at a time, and cut into 4 rectangles.
3. Spread rectangles of dough with about 3 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Starting at long side, gently roll and twist at the same time until the roll is about 10 inches long. Coil loosely into spirals with seam inside. Seal ends (ok, I am not a perfectionist and my rolls aren't all that neat, but they sure look good!)
5. There should be an indentation in the middle of the coil, but use your thumb to make it slightly larger and fill with half a tablespoon or so of preserves (we like lots of filling).
6. Arrange on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes (until deep golden brown)

The cream cheese is oozing out - more ooey gooey deliciousness!

Mix the powdered sugar, rum or vanilla extract and milk. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!

Jealous yet? Yum!

Apple Filling

Peel, core and finely chop 2 Granny Smith apples. Place in small saucepan with enough water to cover the apples. Cook on 'medium' heat on stove until the apples are tender (about 15 minutes). Add 1/2 c sugar, 1-2 tsp cinnamon and 2-3 tbsp cornstarch, mixed into a paste with 1/2 c of water. Cook mixture together on 'medium' heat until thickened - approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop from sticking and scorching. Remove from heat and use to fill the danishes. Since you will only use half, the rest can be canned, frozen or kept in the fridge until you need apple preserves for pancakes, waffles or (most likely) another go-around of this recipe!

Totally Tasty Brunch Patties

Totally Tasty Brunch Patties

Tasty, totally yummy deliciousness

Getting creative in the kitchen can sometimes yield some pretty yummy treats. And then again, sometimes not. These were on the totally tasty side of things. With sausage, mashed potatoes, squash, peppers and onions, not to mention grated cheese and seasoned bread crumbs, you get the full blend of everything lovely for breakfast, brunch or a light lunch or dinner. For breakfast, these patties are delicious with sliced apples, pear and peaches, or even a fruit compote. For lunch or dinner, a side of spinach or green salad (or even a nice tart coleslaw or Waldorf salad) would be ideal. Like Mike said, "It's everything in a patty." Yes, indeed.

Ingredients

• 4 medium to small potatoes, cubed, boiled in lightly salted water until tender
• 2 medium butternut squash: halved, seeded and baked in 350 degree oven for half an hour (until tender).
• 1/2 small sweet or white onion (about 1/2 c) - finely chopped
• 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 c light golden (or brown) sugar
• 2 c fine Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2-3 mild Italian sausages
• 1/2 c grated mixed cheese (I used Mexican cheese blend)
• 1/4 c evaporated milk mixed with 1/4 c water
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp canola oil + 1/2 c canola oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or red pepper flakes)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Shaped patties just begging to be cooked!

1. Prepare potatoes and squash as directed. 
2. While they are cooking, remove sausage meat from casings and break into small pieces, placing in cold frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, along with 1 tbsp canola oil, chopped onion, chopped yellow pepper, sugar, garlic, parsley, thyme and ginger. Cook until no pink remains in the sausage, and the onions are cooked through and translucent (about 10 minutes). Add apple cider vinegar, stir thoroughly and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes. Drain and let stand.
3. Let squash cool for 10 minutes before scooping out the flesh and chopping into cubes. Mash together with mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, meat mixture, margarine/butter, egg, evaporated milk and water, and grated cheese
4. Stir in 1 c finely crushed Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
5. Let cool in fridge for approximately half an hour. This makes it easier to handle
6. Spread remaining bread crumbs on a sheet of waxed paper. Remove mixture from fridge and shape into 8 patties. 
7. Place approximately 1/2 c canola oil  in a medium frying pan which has been sprayed with Pam or an alternate cooking spray. It should just cover the bottom. Heat on medium high. 
8. Dredge each pattie in the bread crumbs, patting gently before flipping to the other side, and place carefully in frying pan. Cook on high for approximately 1-2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second, until the pattie is golden and sizzling. Press pattie gently as it cooks so it holds together. You should be able to cook 4 at a time in a medium frying pan.
9. Place patties on absorbent paper (paper towel) or preferably parchment paper (so no sticking) for oil to drain. You want the flavor, not the grease!
10. Voila! Let patties drain for a couple of minutes before serving. Warning: It smells so delicious it's difficult to keep your fingers off them before they cool slightly!

Especially decadent with Crescent Danishes with homemade apple filling - recipe in next blog entry. The total brunch experience.

Strawberry Banana White Chocolate Chip Loaf

 Strawberry Banana White Chocolate Chip Loaf

That's quite a mouthful for a loaf, but as delicious as this creation of mine is, it's well worth the effort! Here you get the scrumptious blending of fresh strawberries with bananas and white chocolate chips. Are you drooling yet? I am. A fresh take on an old favorite - banana bread. I wanted one to eat (of course) and what to freeze (what restraint) so I used a smaller aluminum foil loaf pan and a smaller round bundt-type pan that I happened to have lying around. I placed both on a cookie sheet to bake and they turned out beautifully. I love it when that happens!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup granulated white sugar

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 3 mashed bananas
• 1/3 cup mixed berry or plain low fat yogurt

• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries, tossed in 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan (preferably Pyrex) with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, and rum extract; beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture; just until moist. Don't over-mix. Stir in the white chocolate chips and then gently stir in the strawberries. 
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick (or knife) inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully run a knife around the inside edges to loosen, remove from pan and cool completely on a parchment paper-covered wire rack.

One wasn't enough. I made one in a 4c bundt pan and one in a small loaf pan

Note: To make it easier to remove the loaf without cracking, you can place parchment or wax paper in the loaf pan, overlapping the edges to use as a "handle." Spray with cooking spray before pouring the ingredients in. Then you can just lift it out when it's baked. The pans were flimsy, so I placed them on a cookie sheet, 10 minutes on a lower rack in the oven and then 20 minutes or so on the middle rack to cook evenly without burning.

Raspberry Banana Milk Chocolate Loaf

Raspberry Banana Chocolate Loaf

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 50 min

A combination I couldn't even imagine until I created it. Sometimes you just have to use what you have on hand and go for it with gusto! Just how much goodness can one loaf hold? Try it out and see for yourself!

Raspberry Banana Milk Chocolate Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup granulated white sugar

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 3 mashed bananas
• 1/3 cup mixed berry or plain low fat yogurt

• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 cup milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (I used milk chocolate)
• 1 cup halved fresh raspberries, tossed in 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Fold, don't stir and make sure the raspberries have been dredged in flour before adding

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan (preferably pyrex) with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, and rum extract; beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture; just until moist. Don't over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chunks and then gently stir in the raspberries. If you want, you can sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips and raspberries on the top.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick (or knife) inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully run a knife around the inside edges to loosen, remove from pan and cool completely on a parchment paper-covered wire rack.

Note: To make it easier to remove the loaf without cracking, you can place parchment or wax paper in the loaf pan, overlapping the edges to use as a "handle." Spray with cooking spray before pouring the ingredients in. Then you can just lift it out when it's baked.

Fresh Peach Crumb Coffee Cake

I found this recipe online and thought....wow! I love peaches and am a crumb coffee cake aficionado, so it seemed ideal. The problem is, with 13 pounds lost, I am not willing to gain weight over a piece of cake (even though it is as easy as a piece of cake to gain weight, if you get my drift). So I made the recipe "my own," cutting calories where I could by using reduced fat or no fat ingredients. This is the result, and let me tell you, delicious doesn't even begin to describe this delightful bit of decadence!

Fresh Peach Crumb Coffee Cake with No Sugar Added Ice Cream

Fresh Peach Crumb Coffee Cake 

INGREDIENTS
Topping

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c firmly packed golden brown sugar
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c (1 stick) reduced calorie margarine (instead of butter), melted

Cake

• 1/2 c (1 stick) reduced calorie margarine (instead of butter), softened
• 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c golden brown sugar (loosely packed)
• 1/2 c reduced fat sour cream
• 1 large egg + 1/4 c egg substitute (2 large eggs if you don't have the alternative)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 lb (3-4 medium) ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 inch casserole or deep round cake pan LIBERALLY with cooking spray.
2. Place topping ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to make a very dense, smooth dough (they're not kidding!); set aside.
3. To make cake batter: cream the margarine and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (I just used elbow grease instead of the mixer) until smooth. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla and beat well. Measure the flour, baking powder and soda on top of this mixture, stirring well to combine. It will be a medium thick batter.
4. Smooth the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange peach slices on top, more-or-less in a single layer to give even baking. Grab topping mixture in big chunks and place n top of the peaches. 
5. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out with crumbs clinging to it, but no streaks of raw batter. The peaches make the cake very moist, but you want to make sure it's baked through. This can take from 45 minutes to an hour (I kept mine in for an hour to be sure it was baked). Cool slightly before cutting into 8 wedges.

Yummy deliciousness

                                                       

Cheater Cinnamon Buns

Sometimes even those of us who love to bake enjoy a little cheat or two <shhhh>. Yesterday I had the craving for cinnamon buns but lacked the flour and shortening to make them. "Aha!" went a little voice in my brain (that happens occasionally - nothing to worry about). I remembered the loaves of frozen white bread dough in the fridge, left over from a project with my cooking class. One loaf was made into an excellent loaf of bread, of course, the other....well, let's just say I created some:


Cheater Cinnamon Buns

Cheater Cinnamon rolls, un-iced, of course

Ingredients

• Rhodes white bread dough (thawed at room temperature for approx. 2-3 hrs)
• Butter, softened
• Golden brown sugar, approx. 1/2 c
• Raisins, approx. 1/2 c 
• 2 tbsp (or more) ground cinnamon
• Pam cooking spray for baking (for pans)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

1. Place dough on a floured surface and roll into an 8x12 rectangle (this is approximate, depending upon how elastic the dough is. If it's smaller than that, it's ok - don't worry about it!)
2. Spread the dough with softened butter. Spread brown sugar evenly on top. You may need a bit extra to cover the dough. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, keeping a 1/2 inch bare space around the circumference of the dough.
3. Roll the dough as for a jelly roll, working from the long side of the rectangle. Cut into 9 rolls (larger size - 9x9 pan) or 12 rolls (smaller size - 9x13 pan) and place into greased pan sprinkled with additional brown sugar, butter pieces and a bit of cinnamon.
4. Turn off oven. Place a 9x13 pan of boiling water on lower rack (carefully) and place the buns (uncovered) on middle rack. You can add a loaf of white bread in a greased loaf pan like I did, if desired. This gives it the moist heat it needs to rise and turn out well.
5. Let rise approximately 2 hours, until fully risen (double the side)
6. Take the pan of water out of the oven, and while leaving the pan of cinnamon buns in the oven turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Check for done-ness after 20 minutes (knife should come in clean when put into the middle rolls). They should be golden and lovely.
7. Ice with commercial vanilla icing or create your own with confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, butter and cream.

The bottom will be slightly crispy/gooey from the brown sugar and butter mix, while the rolls themselves are fluffy and golden, with that delicious vanilla frosting. Not bad for a "cheater!"

The other loaf as bread - enough to drool about!

Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

These mini turnovers are a whole lot of delicious. Time to buy some phyllo dough and get some truffles from Ethel M chocolates, because it's Turnover Time!

Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers (Women's Day)

Ingredients

• 12  sheets phyllo (fillo) dough (each about 14 x 9 in.), thawed if frozen*
• 18 Ethel M's milk or dark chocolate truffles
• 1/2 pint(s) fresh raspberries
• nonstick cooking spray or melted butter

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Have a baking sheet ready. Unfold dough; cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
2. Remove 1 sheet phyllo; lightly coat with nonstick spray or brush with melted butter. Fold in thirds lengthwise; lightly spray or brush top. Place 1 piece chocolate about 1/2 in. from bottom end of strip; top with 1 raspberry. Fold lower right corner over filling, forming a triangle. Continue folding triangles to other end of strip. Place on baking sheet. Repeat to make 12.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Melt remaining 6 pieces chocolate in microwave; drizzle over turnovers. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with remaining raspberries.

*Note: You can also use puff pastry or croissant dough for these. Follow package directions.