Peachy Buttermilk Muffins

During the Summer Season when fresh fruit is abundant. Peaches are delightful and sweet. I love using buttermilk or yogurt in any of my baking recipe's. Either one always makes any cake, cupcakes, muffins so light and moist. 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup soften butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups freshly diced peaches

Preheat your oven to 375 degreez

The first thing you want to do is mix the eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla.  In a large mixing bowl add these ingredients and mix this up until the sugar has dissolved. 

I run my finger through the mixture and taste the granules should have dissipated.

Now you can add your yogurt and butter milk to the mixing bowl. As a side note there are more ways to make muffins then you could imagine. I have done my Banana Muffins for years with half the ingredient's but I love to experiment and these were worth it.

Chop your peaches. Use fresh the frozen are to wet for muffins or baking. I always chop more than needed and freeze for other recipes. It is good to do while they are in season.

Once this is all mixed well move on to sifting your dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Sift the flour, baking soda and powder and the cinnamon. I always sift my dry ingredients together this way everything is mixed evenly.

Now is the time to add your peaches. Add the peaches last and mix by hand. I like to mix by hand because this way I do not smash or rip the peaches I want whole bites of peaches.

Once well mixed you can pour the batter into greased muffin tins. Bake for 18 minute's or so. Keep an eye on them as every oven is different with the amount of heat it generates. This recipe should give you about 24  standard muffins or 6 to 12 jumbo muffins. 

An added bonus on these muffins is to add a crumble top. You want to add the crumble prior to cooking them. The ingredients are as follows and so easy adding a crunch on top of your already delicious muffins.

Crumble Topping

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup flour 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbl white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together and top the muffins. Top muffin's prior to putting them in the oven to cook. 

Banana Toasted Pecan Cake

This cake looked so delicious in the book and I happened to have a few left over bananas from smoothies. I am giving you the picture of what the cake should look like and what it actually looked like at my home. Now mind you I baked it 2 different times to make sure I had it right.

For me this cake turned out more like a Banana Hockey Puck. I am giving you the whole recipe word for word so hopefully someone will please prove me wrong. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. melted
• 1 banana peeled and mushed
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 
  

Toast your pecans and let them cool. 

Line the bottom of a round pan that fits the Instant Pot (bought separately) Lightly grease the sides of the pan and place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom and set aside. 

Sift together the dry ingredient's all but the brown sugar.

In a bowl combine banana and the butter mix thoroughly. 

Beat in the egg, vanilla and brown sugar until well blended. 

Yes indeed that is a hand blender. 

Add the flour mixture until it is completely absorbed. 

Last mix in the pecan's

Pour the batter into your pan 

Preparing your Instant pot. Put 2 cups of water into the Instant Pot. 

Lift  your cake pan and place it into the Instant Pot you can place a wire rack with handles to lift it out (bought separately) but not necessary unless your pan leaks. 

You could use aluminum to make a sling/lift type thing to put around the pan to lift out. Get creative. 

Secure the lid of your Instant Pot and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Keep in mind the Pressure Release Value and Sealing Value (same valve) are very flimsy you will think this is not right but it is ok. It has a lot of give. 

Select the Manual Setting and set the cooking time for 30 minutes at high pressure. This setting and buttons took me a LONG time to get right. It is more like a timing thing do it right away. 

Once the timer has gone off let the Instant Pot sit for about 15 minutes and then move the Sealing/Pressure Vent to Venting and release the remainder of the steam. Open your Instant Pot carefully remember it is full of Hot Air so twist to open and tip the lid away from you to open. 

Once open you will see your finished cake. I went onto shock thinking the cake was a wet blob of dough. I touched the top and it was cooked. 

So I removed the "cake" and let it cool for 15 minutes. Once cooled I took it out of the pan and place it on the plate. Humm interesting. 

This cake was a circle of what I could have used as a walking stone in the yard. Trust me no amount of whopping cream or butter could have soaked into this. 

The picture next to this is mine compared to the one in the book. Now this was an Instant Pot Book made for Instant Pot by an Instant Pot user. 

I am going to make another few recipes from the book but do not want to bash a book that I personally think is crap because others may do great with it. 

Ok next I am going to attempt to steam a few vegetables. Simple enough you would think! 

Lynsie Hallah

So Apron Strings girlfriend Lynsie now wife made a Challah (bread) and for a first attempt it was fabulous. The recipe came from the Food Network Magazine one of their contests. The winner was Aliza Schwartz of New Jersey. Yummy my babies use to get their Challah every Friday night which is Shabbat kind of of the Sunday dinner for the Jews. Alright so let us get right to the bread.

Now a couple of tips this bread was so big I think you could split the dough and get two loafs instead of one. But if you are having a family gathering or taking it to a party then one big one is okie dokie. Or freeze one.

Oh and get your ingredients all measured out ahead of time it is so helpful to have your stuff ready. It is what the chefs do and the cooking schools do. Either way this bread is delicious.

Chocolate Chip Challah Bread

2 packets active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup sugar, plus a pinch
7 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Mix the yeast, a pinch of sugar and 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Set aside while you measure out the other dry ingredients, or until the mixture is foamy.

2. Whisk 3 1/2 cups flour, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Add 1 egg, the vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water: stir until combined. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour until the dough starts to come together. Mix in the chocolate chips.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

4. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a ball, then roll each ball into a 1 1/2-to2-inch-wide strand, about 16 inches long. Lay the strands side by side on a piece of parchment paper and pinch together at one end.

5. Braid the 2 strands: Cross the right strand over the middle strand. Then cross the left strand over the middle strand. Repeat crossing the strands until all the dough is braided. Pinch the end together.

6. Slide the loaf (with the parchment paper) onto the baking sheet. Beat the remaining egg with one tablespoon water in a small bowl, then brush the egg wash all over the loaf. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Homemade Scallop Potatoes

This recipe made me do a lot of research because I wanted to know more about cheese. This will be in a further post on melting and the taste of cheeses. I made the scallop potatoes with some Baby Back Ribs. Another great and easy recipe. The ribs just sit in the oven and bake until you serve them and they are fall off the bone delicious. 

Ok stay focused Lani. Let us get started by having all your ingredients and tools ready. Set your oven to 350 degrees.

You will need an 8x8 pan to bake the potatoes in. 

The most painstaking part of this recipe is the cutting of the potatoes. If you have a mandolin it is easy peazy. If not cut your potatoes into thin slices no bigger than a 1/4". A small pot to melt the cheese butter and flour in. Add a bowl of cold water to place the potatoes in once slices. This helps get rid of some of the starch in the potatoes.

Ingredients

4 cups of thinly sliced baking potatoes

3 tablespoons of butter

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1 dash of cayenne pepper (I use a bit more for the bite)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese (divided 1 cup and 1/2 cup)

First task is slice those potatoes and place them in a container filled with cold water. Once that is done the rest is a breeze. Get your pot on to the stove and melt the butter keep this on low and add your flour and make a thick paste. Like a roux. 

Now whisk in the milk and add the seasonings. Keep stirring while adding the one cup of cheese until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. 

Grease the bottom of your 8x8 pan prior to adding your sliced potatoes. Now the sauce is done, potatoes sliced, pan greased. Add half of the potatoes and cover evenly with half the cheese sauce on the potatoes. 

Take the last of the potatoes place them on top of the cheese in the pan and cover with the remaining sauce. Top it all off by sprinkling with the 1/2 cup of cheese left. I also sprinkle smoked paprika on top cause it looks good. 

Now pop that pan in the oven set at 350 degrees and let it cook for approximately 45 minutes. Check them after 30. I added 15 minutes because I like mine crispy on the top. 

And Wa-La here they are ! 

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

These are delicious cookies. Just enough crunch and the taste is delicious. I love lime and I adore coconut. Well I know you are hungry for
something sweet so here go.

Not much of a story with these cookies just the love of coconut. Emphasis on the "nut"

I do a lot of caning and lime is one of my favorite citrus to work with so this did come from that bag of tricks also

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup one stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp lime zest (I added extra i love love love lime)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup shredded coconut



Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.




In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and 2 of the tbs of the granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg, lime zest and lime juice.

• Mix in 1/2 a cup of the coconut. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
• 
  
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup coconut and the 2 remaining tbsp of granulated sugar.
• 
  
• Drop rounded tbsp of dough into the remaining coconut roll around and coat them forming balls.
• 
  
• Drop them on the cookie sheet and space 2 inches apart.
• 
  
• Bake until set and the edges are light golden brown. 14 to 18 minutes depending on your oven temperature. Cool on a wire rack. Males about 20 cookies.

* I took half the coconut that was to be put into the mixture for the dough and toasted it. I love toasted coconut. But do not do anything to the coconut that you coat them with it toasted itself.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

This truly is what I thought at first as hard desert bar to do. Last night I made it for the second time. One because blueberries are everywhere and two they were scrumptious. Turns out I must have been tired the first time I made them because this recipe was so simple last night. I made a batch to take to the rehab that my Mama is at. Yes it is a Thank you, keep up the good work cookie tray for the workers. I made Coconut Lime Sugar cookies to I will post those later.  The original recipe is from Woman's Day magazine. Enjoy different name and a few tweaks. Oh and of course using our Blueberry Jam since some of you will not have my jam I have shown the recipe using fresh blueberries always the best!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

3 cups of all purpose flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg
4 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice



1. Heat the oven to 375*

Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides

2. In a food processor , pulse the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, orange and lemon zest, salt and ¾ cup of the granulated sugar to combine.














3. Add the butter and egg (* I whisk the egg up prior to adding it) and pulse until crumbly. It should look like wet sand. Reserve 2 cups of the mixture and press the remaining into the bottom of the parchment lined baking pan.

4. In a large bowl toss the blueberries,lemon juice and remaining 
¼ cup of granulated sugar .

Spoon the blueberry mixture over the crust in the pan and crumble the remaining dough mixture over the top.










5. Bake until golden brown, 40 - 45 minutes. Let it cool completely in the pan.

6. Using the overhanging parchment paper, transfer the  crumb bar to a cutting board and cut into pieces.

Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Seedless Rye Bread was a must this Irish Holiday. Mama lives here now and she has diverticulitis no seeds. I have a small breads book and one of many that had rye bread recipe's. The book is called Homemade Bread by Nell Nichols. Part of the Farm Journal .

Ingredients for Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shorting
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degree to 115)
2 1/2 cups rye flour
3 1/2 cups sifted white flour

* This makes two loaves


Combine brown sugar, molasses, salt and shortening into a large bowl.

 




Pour in the boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Set aside to cool to lukewarm.





Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and stir to dissolve.
Sift the rye flour prior to measuring it.
Measure it and add it to the sugar-molasses mixture beating well.





Stir in the yeast and beat until it is smooth. *I did this bread by hand and half way through I wished I had used my Kitchen Aid.










Mix enough of the white flour, a little at a time, first with a spoon and then with hands. Make the dough smooth soft dough.

Turn onto lightly floured board. Knead until satiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn the dough once to grease top.
Cover and let it rise in a warm place until dough is doubled .This takes about 2 hours.

 Once it has risen punch it down. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide in half. Round up the dough to make 2 balls. Cover and let it take a 10 minute nap.


Shape the dough and place into loaf pans. Cover and let them sit for another 2 hours again let it double in size.  The loaf in the pan is half of the original . Let your oven 375 degrees and bake the loafs for about 30 minutes. If they get to brown on the top just cover them with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes of baking.

If you want a softer crust brush the loafs with melted butter while they are warm.

Also you can always add the seeds I had to do seedless for Mama! 

Homemade Pop-Tarts

Homemade Pop-tarts

Being at my mama's right now is making me think outside my box. She has a mobile home and a small kitchen so cooking is well unique to say the least. I will be staying here during the week until she and my sister are done with their treatment.






They live 6 doors down from one another and I adore being with both so up and down the street I go with baking or cooking at Mama's and running samples down to Sister Casey to test and approve. Here is a project my Mama and I did we did not have the original recipe.




The story goes when I was in Oakland my daughter took me to a great little breakfast place in Oakland called Kitchen 388 the link is not a website but Their FB page if you are up in the area or just passing through go there.

So they make their own pop-tart's thus the idea to duplicate them. Now they use Nutella and I never tasted Nutella. I thought euuu that is about as appealing as spam sandwich...  but  ... I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious they were.   I froze one brought it home to Pa that is the pretty one you see at the start of the post. Thank you Kitchen 388 and here we go.

The main difference is mine were much thicker so with your puff pastry you need to roll it out as thin as you prefer. I like to just slightly roll it because I like the larger pop-tarts as people will eat theirs and not need another. Right!


Ingredients

1 box of puff pastry
1 jar of Nutella - Or filling of your choice
Powdered sugar
Flour for rolling
Cookie Sheet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To defrost your puff pastry use the package directions I let mine sit in the frig overnight. One sheet for three pop-tarts two sheets for six.

Lightly flour your surface that the puff is to be rolled out on. Lay your puff pastry on the floured counter one sheet at a time. I cut the sheet into three equal square (see pictures)



I well actually then Mama put about one tablespoon of Nutella on each of the three  squares. Spread it on the square about an 1/8" you do not need much. I notice the last batch I thought I had not used enough then the next batch to much. With all cooking it is a go figure this is an experiment.







But a good thing is less is better to start. Now you have three squares with their Nutella on them take the plain three squares and place them on top of the Nutella ones.

Now take a fork and crimp the edges about 1/4" in all the way around.




Place these three on the cookie sheet and move on to the next three. Once you have them all on the cookie sheet then pop them into the oven for no more than 15 minutes at 350'.




Keep an eye on them they should look brown on the top and have grown puffy and yummy.





I warmed up some nutella and decorated the tops.

Just take any sandwich baggie and cut a oh so little end corner and wa-la you have a pipe-in bag.








Now enjoy and if you are in Oakland go to Kitchen 388 and try theirs.

Yummy and thank them for this recipe....