Cheesy Garlic Bread

I found this on that website that shall 

remain nameless. 

Well, alright, 

Pintrest.

Basically you take an Italian loaf

cut it diagonally in both directions

so as to make diamonds across it. 

I think an extra pair of hands could be helpful

as the bread gets pretty wobbly

when you are making the second 

side of cuts.

Then you mix up 

6 T. of melted butter,

2T. olive oil, 

fresh minced garlic, 

dried minced onions, 

dijon mustard and

parsley 

and put it over top, getting down into

all those nooks and crannies you've created.

Then take a mix of shredded cheese and shove it all 

on, in, and over.

Wrap it all up in foil and bake for about 20 min. 

What's not to love?

Well, maybe not the dried minced onions and 

dijon mustard the recipe calls for

but that is easily remedied.

Next time.

Because there will be a next time. 

You hear me Christmas Eve?

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I started out thinking I would make

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.

Sounds good, huh?

I saw it on Pintrest and when I went to the recipe

I found it was all in metric.

Not gonna happen. 

Did I mention it was 4:30 AM?

I'm not sure I've got what it takes to convert

measurements and temperatures 

at 4:30 PM, 

I can guarantee I

DON'T

have it at 4:30 AM. 

But I can 

GTS

any time of day and I came 

upon this recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Bread-840

I had the presence of mind to peruse the

comment section.

It seemed unanimous that the 3 cups

of sugar was a little excessive.

So I cut it back to 2 1/4 cups.

There were suggestions of altering the spice

combination as well as adding

dried cranberries.

So I did both!

I left out the cloves and put in

cardamom instead

and added cranberries.

All thoughts of chocolate chips melted away.

I will say it is not overly 

pumpkin-y tasting

but it is very good.

Maybe next time swapping out the spices

for a chai spice blend?

Maybe some time I will get around to those

chocolate chips.

Coconut Zucchini Bread

I found a recipe for this on 

Pintrest.

But it called for whole wheat flour.

#1 I don't have whole wheat flour sitting around.

#2 If I did have whole wheat flour 

sitting around it would be stale.

Happened once.

#3 I really didn't feel this needed to be a 

*health* food.

So I improvised.

In addition to the coconut idea

I also *stole* the idea of putting 

yogurt in the mix.

And since I didn't have a full 1/2 cup 

of plain greek yogurt, I supplemented with

some sour cream.

Generally speaking I am not

inclined to mess with a baking recipe.

I am of the opinion they are more

 *formulas* 

as opposed

to other recipes that I take as

*suggestions*.

But this time I made out OK.

Here you have it:

Combine dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. each baking powder,and salt

1/2 tsp each baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg

1 cup coconut

Combine wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp almond extract

Add

 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

and then mix in dry ingredients just to combine.

Spread in greased loaf pan 

bake 350 degrees

60 minutes.

Mini German Pancakes

Pintrest.

Found them this morning and made them for breakfast.

I make a standard German Pancake.

It's wonderful but not an every day sort of thing. 

These mini ones caught my eye  

because they were so stinkin' easy.

It's 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour

and a pinch of salt.

Mix it up, pour into a greased muffin tin

at 425 and 18 minutes later you have

mini german pancakes!

They are very similar to popovers in taste

and texture. 

And are keepers!

No Guts No Glory

I spent Saturday held captive by Easter baskets.

And in an effort to make the most of my time waiting for

 moms to come by and pick up their baskets,

 I did a little experimenting in the kitchen.

Michael and Michelle were coming for dinner. 

I was making bratwurst stew and I thought 

Pioneer Woman's Cheese Muffins

would be a good accompaniment.

 But how fun would it be to add beer instead of milk?

I even had a few to choose from.

I consulted with my chef in my pocket 

(like how I have taken possession of Chef Brian?) 

and my FB friend and overachieving home cook, Maggie.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggies-Scratch-Bakery-Cafe-at-Home/127269640678700?ref=ts

If you want to be impressed, go "like" her page. 

We all decided cutting back on the baking powder a bit and 

leaving some of the milk in for the fat would be a good start.

Yeah, well, it was a start.

Maybe they could have used all the baking powder?

I would pursue this but honestly, the beer didn't impart that much

flavor. The cheese is the Diva in this recipe and there ain't

no getting around a Diva. 

http://static.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/files/2008/08/figs-cheese-muffins.pdf

There's the original recipe for you.

But here's the glory:

My egg, avocado, wasabi salad in endive leaves.

Duh, Winning!

Sorry, had to. 

These little beauties will be making it to the baby shower next month.

And the good news is, the expectant mother can eat these!

Unlike the apple, brie, smoked salmon tea sandwiches.

....who knew????

Cherry Almond Scones

Or, Almond Cherry Scones.

You decide.

My Bible Study group was have a brunch and
I signed up for a "bread".
Not one to go for the predictable, I decided on scones.

I started out with Alton Brown's recipe and just added my own flavors.
I have found Alton is a pretty safe bet as far as recipes that work,
and he did not disappoint.

My little spin consisted of adding 1/2 t. of almond extract
and about 1/2 cup of rough chopped dried cherries.
I brushed the tops of the scones with cream and sprinkled
slivered almonds on top.

Ina taught me to mix any "chunks" with flour before adding to a
batter to help them distribute better, not clump together,
so I added the cherries to the flour.
I am also a proponent of triangular scones so
I shaped the dough into a circle and cut it into wedges.
One last tip, I made the dough and cut the scones the night before
and baked them in the morning.
Worked out great and I was able to bring warm scones to the brunch.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/scones-recipe/index.html

Brioche 101

Alternatively, Brioche For Dummies.

Lynne and I have a tradition of getting together to

"create" something in the kitchen at Christmas 

as opposed to exchanging gifts.

We were a little late this year. 

We made pepper jelly last year, canning, a first for both of us.

The year before we made apple cider donuts.

This year it was 

Maple-Glazed-Bacon-Encrusted Brioche Donuts.

It was a brian child born of some 

Food Network show.

 We tossed the holes in cinnamon sugar.

Yum, right?

They were and we had a regular party here.

The thing is, the dough is pretty labor and time intensive.

Lynne and I actually had to start the process Friday night,

throw out our first attempt,

 and then drink an entire bottle of wine while we waited 

for all the kneading and all the rising that had to happen

just to get the dough to the point where it could rest overnight!

Here is what we learned;

when the recipe says

 "sprinkle the flour on top and let it sit for 1/2 hour",

that really means, 

let the flour sit on top of the 

spongy mess you have made for half an hour, 

NOT mix it into the spongy mess.

And the flour does indeed "crack".

The dough looks very scary throughout the process.

Just go with it.

Kind of, close your eyes and have faith.

This is the sad mess that goes into the fridge for the night;

But this is what it looks like in the morning:

Pretty, huh?

Even the bowl transformed!

This was my first experience with fresh yeast. 

Just ask someone where it is, you'll never find it on your own.

And one of these is amazing:

It made a huge difference.

Thanks, Debbie!

The other huge difference was having friends here to 

help eat all the donuts.

Thanks, Lory and Ken!

Amazing Mini Corn Loaves

Corn Maze Cookout

Any party invite an adult gets that says

"bring a flashlight and your own bottle"

has got Winner Party written all over it!

I'm so excited to go (just wish I had thought of it!)

The hosts are providing the hot dogs and condiments.

Attendees have been instructed to bring aforementioned flashlight

and bottle, along with a lawn chair, muddy shoes,

and a dish to pass.

The fun starts at 7:30 which in this neck of the woods

is just about dusk.

Can you imagine a corn field full of *happy*

adults in the mud with flashlights?

I AM SO bringing my camera!

So, not to be cannibalistic or anything,

but I have decided to bring mini corn bread loaves.

Carol is bringing a corn salad.

Is there a theme running here?

How will all our *digestive tracks* be in the morning?

You know we can't be the only two with this bright idea.

I experimented and I want to share.

I started with two boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix.

I added the 2 eggs, 1/3 cup milk and then 1/3 cup

sour cream instead of more milk. I chopped up one serrano pepper,

and note to all, they say to take a little taste of a pepper

before you put it in your recipe to check for the heat.

Good idea but, hey have a glass of milk close by, them buggers can get HOT!

I tossed in some roasted corn for, as Ina would say, "depth of flavor"

and a bit of grated chedder cheese.

I mixed some sugar and corn meal together and topped each loaf with the mix

before I cooked them.

YUM!

It worked!

Ok, I'll keep you posted on the outcome of the festivities!

YeeeeHaaaa!!!!

Goat Cheese Scones with a Smile

So, here we are again with my blog having a mind of it's own.

Not only do I have random underlining,

I cannot for the life of me put these two photos in the order I choose.

So, let me say this, I made these scones Saturday because it seemed to make good sense to do a little cooking while I had the time to do it.

I'd take pics and then just archive them for during the week.

That's how picture number 2 came to be.

Then a friend called today

(Hmm, she's a good christian friend and suddenly the underlining disappears)

I digress, yet again.

So, Steph calls and we decide to have coffee on her deck instead of the coffee shop

as we had previously arranged.

I happen to have some fairly fresh scones.

(BTW, they are better the day after you bake them)

Of course I bring my camera because no food is eaten in my presence

without it's close up.

I gotta say, I believe the scones look downright happier in the photo

taken on Steph's deck.

Here's the lesson,

not only do we enjoy our food more when consumed in fellowship,

the food is happier too.