Apple Raisin Bread

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups grated apple
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and oats. Add apple, raisins, eggs, milk, and oil. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Put mixture into the greased pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until done. Cool on wire rack.

Source: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/410/apple-raisin-bread148546.shtml

My Signature

Banana Breakfast Coffee Cake

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup milk

Set oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. For the topping, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in
walnuts. For the cake, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer a medium speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and bananas and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, mixing after each addition only until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle with topping. Bake about 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 10 servings.

My Signature

Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking dish. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift dry ingredients except sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Finely chop half of the apples and leave other half sliced. Cream butter and one cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Add chopped apples and sour cream. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Gently fold in the sliced apples just until they are coated. Pour into prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer. Sift remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 50 minutes or until tester comes out clean and edges shrink from sides of the pan. Makes 16 servings.

My Signature

Cuban Bread

  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1/4-oz)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1 tablespoon salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast, sugar and warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Stir in 4 cups of all purpose flour and the salt and mix well, until dough is smooth and elastic. It will be sticky, but the dough will still pull towards the spoon (or dough hook, if using an electric mixer) as you stir. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. Generously flour a flat work surface. Scrape dough out onto the board and gently knead in additional flour until dough is no longer sticky and forms a smooth ball. You may knead in anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup of flour (high humidity will cause you to need more flour for kneading). Don’t be afraid to let your hands get sticky as you work. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide the dough ball into 4 pieces and shape each into a baguette about 1 1/2-inches thick. Place all baguettes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a clean dish towel. Let shaped dough rise for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake baguettes for 30-35 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the bottom of one of the loaves reads 200-210 degrees. Cool loaves completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes 4 sandwich-sized baguettes.

My Signature

Crusty White Bread

  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
  • 6 cups bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup milk

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the milk, the butter or margarine, 4 cups of the flour and the salt; stir until well combined. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9×5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Mist loaves with water and bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and the bottom of a loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Makes 2 loaves.

My Signature

Vibrant Green Beans

  • 4 leeks, well washed, trimmed, sliced lengthwise into quarters and then chopped into 1/2-inch segments
  • 1/3 cup fresh dill, well chopped
  • 3/4 pound green beans, tops and tails trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • fine-grain sea salt

In a large thick-bottomed skillet of medium-high heat add a generous splash of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and the leeks. Stir until the leeks are coated and glossy. Cook, stirring regularly until a lot of the leeks are golden and crispy. I stir every minute or two in the beginning, and more often as they brown using a metal spatula. All in all it takes me roughly 7 – 10 minutes to brown the leeks. At this point stir in the dill, and then stir in the green beans. Cook for a couple more minutes – just until the the beans brighten up and lose that raw bite. Turn out into a bowl or onto a platter and serve immediately.
Serves about 6.

My Signature

Au Gratin Potatoes

  • 2-3 medium potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Peel potatoes and slice thinly, 1/8″. A mandoline is perfect for this. Rinse and cover with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and saute until tender; add minced garlic and parsley. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk, cooking and stirring over medium-low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted and sauce is smooth. Arrange sliced potatoes in a 2 to 2 1/2-quart casserole, sprinkling layers with salt and pepper. Pour sauce evenly over potatoes. Cover dish and cook at 350∞ for 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Serves 4 to 6.

My Signature

Saint Nicholas Gingerbread

  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • sweetened whipped cream

Using a spoon (not a mixer), blend maple syrup, sour cream and beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients together. Stir into liquid mixture and beat well. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Grease and flour a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serve warm, topped with sweetened whipped cream.

Source: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/389/saint-nicholas-gingerbread148067.shtml

My Signature

Apple Breakfast Bread

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 apples peeled, cored and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix into the butter mixture until moistened. Fold in the apples. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 10 servings.

Source: http://www.dishbase.com/recipe/apple-breakfast-bread/

My Signature

Breaded Tomato Casserole

  • 8 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 8 slices bread, crusts removed and cubed
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3/4 cup grated romano cheese

Arrange tomatoes in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with bread cubes. Combine butter, salt, basil and thyme; drizzle over bread and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

My Signature

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