Brown Sugar Molasses Muffins

    Well, Autumn has arrived in Central Texas, early this year.  After a mild summer, by our standards, we seem to be having an early fall.  I have been seeing muffin recipes posted on Facebook for the last few days so I decided to make my own.

     First, lets talk about basic muffins.  There are four basic ingredients and you can add to those as you like.  The batter will be stiff when finished.

Very Easy Monkey Bread (Monkey Balls)

 Wow, it has been months since I posted anything.  I have been so busy with school and work.  But here is a very easy and yummy treat.  I made this one evening for breakfast and it never made to breakfast.
I must share a funny story about this.  When my kids were little, I made this from scratch.  They decided one day to call this Monkey Balls.  No matter how much I tried to dissuade them from saying that, they continued.  It was not like they had not had Monkey Bread, elsewhere.  They just decided to name mine with their own special thoughtful kid-name,  and to this day, when I make this amended version, they both walk in and ask, "Did you make Monkey Balls?".

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

The weather is cold, especially in Texas and what says comfort food better than a bread pudding?    Bread pudding is a delicious way to use bread that would eventually be thrown away.   I used six small hamburger buns that I had previously frozen and three very disappointing pink lady apples.  Pink Lady apples are usually one of my favorites but these were picked too early and very tart, as in not sweet.  The combination of frozen bread and sad little apples turned into a wintry delight.  If you are using frozen bread, remember to thaw it completely before using.

I also used powdered milk to make this recipe.  I mixed the equivalent of a one quart packet of dry milk with 3 cups of water.  You can use 3 cups of milk, half and half, or  cream, if you wish.  I wanted more milk solids and less water than milk would offer and since I used butter, I thought that half and half or cream would be gilding the lily. 

3 small Apples, peeled, halved, cored and sliced
6 Tablespoons of Butter, divided
4 cups of torn Bread pieces
1 Tablespoon ground Cinnamon
3/4 cup of Sugar
1 1-quart packet of Dry Milk
3 cups of Water
4 eggs
Powered Sugar

In a large cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Add apples and cook until apples start to turn brown.  Sprinkle with cinnamon; add 2 Tablespoons of butter and bread.  Using a spoon, stir to coat while butter melts.  Add sugar and last 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Stir to coat apples and bread evenly while the butter melts.  Remove from heat.

In a separate container, mix milk, water, and eggs.  Whisk until blended.  Pour over apples and bread in skillet.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  If you wait to heat the oven, this gives the bread time to soak up the milk and egg mixture.

Once the oven is at 375 degrees,  carefully place the skillet in the oven and cook 45 to 50 minutes, or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean.   Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe combines yummy with convenience and ease.  These delicious cinnamon rolls are made, then refrigerated for 8 hours before baking  You will need to allow an hour or so before serving because the rolls have to be brought to room temperature and then baked. While the rolls are baking you can make the icing which takes about 20 minutes.  Use a stand mixer, if you have one, because the icing needs to be whipped for 15 minutes.  I line my jelly roll pan with foil because it makes my life easier.  You can use a jelly roll pan without the foil, if you prefer. The entire process takes 10 to 12 hours depending on how quickly the dough rises.  This makes a lovely addition to a brunch table because it can be assembled the night before and completed the next morning and it makes about 30 large rolls.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Honey Pepper Whiskey Custard Sauce

Well, it is December 9th and perhaps autumn is finally arriving in Central Texas.and It is 66 degrees outside, hmmm, maybe not autumn, yet. Whether it is cool weather or not, this time of year screams for traditional autumn desserts.  This is one of my favorites. This is what happens to the left over hamburger buns, hot dog buns, and the dried up pieces of bread at my house.  These bits of bread are elevated to a new level of deliciousness.

When Chris tasted this, he said that the custard sauce was not needed and the pudding could stand alone.  While I agree that pudding is wonderful on its own, the custard sauce makes it divine. Which brings me to the Honey Pepper Whiskey Custard Sauce.

Several months ago, Dicorte Liquuor Stores posted a photo of this whiskey and asked if anyone would be interested in trying it.  I immediately responded "YES".  This is the second time that I have cooked with it.  Both times I have been very impressed with the flavor it adds to food.  If you are considering this for sipping whiskey, note that it is very, very sweet.

Fish with Garbanzo and Cantaloupe

I know that you are thinking that I have lost my mind.  But this works wonderfully, together.  Chris questioned my sanity when I started placing the dishes on the tables. He agreed with me, after trying the wrap, this is great.
You will only need a half pound of fish because this is a very hearty and filling meal. You can purchase naan or flat bread, but I have included the recipe.  The seasoning recipe for the fish is also included and only takes a few minutes to mix.  You will have quite a bit left over.  Just store it in a cool place.
I made the flat bread first.  While it was cooking, I prepared the fish, drained and rinsed the garbanzo beans, zested and juiced the limes,  chopped the onions, minced the garlic, and sliced the cantaloupe.  Cooking the bread takes the longest time in this meal.  Once that is completed, the fish and vegetables take less than fifteen minutes to cook. 

Gazpacho with Spanish Style Bread

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This is my version of two Spanish classics.  We enjoyed both.  I cooked the onions and bell peppers and then processed everything to a coarse consistency.  Otherwise, this just tastes like less salty V-8 and that is not what I wanted.

You can process this as much as you like, it is up to you, but you will need to allow time for everything to chill, which is at least 2 hours.  Wait to grill the bread until just before serving the soup, unless you are eating it as an appetizer.

I love bread prepared in this manner.  It was part of the first meal that I had when I visited Spain.  It took me a while to realize that the bread had been rubbed with tomato.  The amount of juice from the tomato did not make the bread soggy, it was just lightly rubbed and added a hint of flavor.  Reserve a couple of slices of tomato to rub the bread.

French Toast with Blackberry-Orange Reduction

This is a great way to start a long weekend with a wonderful brunch that includes a Mimosa or a Peach Bellini. This French Toast uses regular thin sliced sandwich bread. When you run it through the egg mixture, leave it in just long enough to coat the bread.  Do not let it sit and soak up the egg mixture like you would if you were using thick sliced, coarse bread.

Summer Fruit Pancakes

You might think that my parents had health issues because of the amount of bacon, butter, and eggs with which we cooked, but neither had those problems.  I have no scientific evidence to prove my theory, but I believe it was because we gardened organically and all of the meat was organically, farm raised and processed.  We did not consume large amounts of food and we worked hard all year, except December and January.  We ate protein for breakfast and at lunch, on Sundays.
We sat together at the table and we left when everyone had finished.  The first time one of my cousins asked to be excused from their dinner table, I was horrified. Why would they leave the table, I wondered? Was the conversation so boring?  I have always wondered and never asked.
I found the conversation at the dinner table compelling.  All sorts of topics were discussed, except topics that were considered inappropriate for mixed company or the table, including calving, butchering, news that might be controversial, and the like. For the most part, conversations were about funny things that happened during our day or a neighbor coming to visit.  When Debbie and Charlotte Knox or Jimmy Bingham came to visit, or we walked across the field to their house, my sister and I got to  play with them.  That was not often because most families in our area were doing the same things we were doing.

Fresh Fig Bread

The figs are starting to ripen so I have a few.  Not enough to make fig preserves but definitely enough to eat fresh and make this delicious bread.  I leave the figs in larger larger pieces because of the texture that the fruit adds to the bread.  You can add 1/2 cup of  toasted walnuts or almonds, tossed with a small amount of flour, to the batter, if you like.  We do not usually add any type of nuts to quick breads but that is because we do not care for the texture.  This will make either 2 large loafs or three small ones.

Peach Shortcakes

Cindy posted a delicious looking Strawberry Shortcake on her Facebook page.  While in Vermont, she hand picked the strawberries, then made homemade shortcake with fresh whipped cream.  I can not top that so I made Peach Shortcake. 

Strawberry Lazy Day Duff

This is my version of a Lazy Day Duff.  My mom made one with peaches and a different topping. Hers was always delicious.  Maybe I will share her recipe in the future.  For now, this is the one that I am posting.  It is so easy, there is no reason for anyone to run out and purchase a pie. 
I asked Chris if he could identify the topping but he could not.  None of your friends will be able to guess how very easy this is to make (unless you tell them).

Fresh Chilled Tomato Soup with Peach Salad and Parmesan Toast

When I received my shipment of Sepay Groves Olive Oil and Vinegar, Peggy included some new recipes.  This is my rendition of the recipes that she sent. If you can get garden or Farmer's Market produce by all means use that.  Try this even if grocery store produce is all you can get.  It is very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Blender Banana Bread

This is the time of year to buy Bananas, especially if family members are outside in the heat, for any length of time.  If you are like me, you probably buy a few too many.  Once the bananas start to go south, you can make a variety of delicious dishes.  Today I made Blender Banana Bread. You are going to be surprised how easy this recipe is. Use a blender to combine the wet ingredients.  Then sift the dry ingredients and mix together.

Homemade Pizzas

Ever want a delicious pizza at home? If you order delivery, it is just not the same as pulling the pizza out of a nice, hot oven.  And a frozen pizza, no matter how good it is supposed to be, just does not cut it for me.Then there is an issue about the toppings and the sauce, I have yet to get the right amount of sauce to everything else ratio, on a purchased pizza. There was a time when green olives were available for pizza toppings but I have not seen that on a menu for a long time. This recipe makes 2 8-inch pizzas that you can top with anything you like.

Barbacoa

Barbacoa is usually slow cooked on a pit for for several hours.  Once it is done, then the meat is put in a paper bag to cool..  The paper bag creates steam and tenderizes the meat. This sounds a little odd, but it is the same concept as grilling peppers for salsa. 
Because I wanted to visit with my Memorial Day guests, my Barbacoa is cooked in a slow cooker. I was able to throw everything in the pot, then participate in the festivities.  My thanks to Nancy and Karen, who were so much fun this weekend.  Love ya, both!

Poached Egg with Cornbread Dressing

If you follow my blog, you already know how I feel about leftovers and wastefulness.  I do not like either.  So, what happens to all of the food that we do not eat at one sitting?  It becomes something else!  This is what happened to the rest of a pan of cornbread.  It turned out so delicious that it is going on the menu for overnight guests.  It took less than 45 minutes to prepare and turn out beautifully.  I hope that you take the time to prepare it for your family.

Monkey Bread

This started out as breakfast cake for the next morning, but it smelled so wonderful that we each had to sample it after it had cooled.  It is very easy to make if you use frozen bread dough.  Just let the dough thaw in the refrigerator.  Put the frozen dough in a well oiled bowl to thaw, the day before.  Then it will be ready when you are ready to make this. I used Bridgford brand frozen white Ready Dough.

You do need to let the dough rise for about an hour after you roll the dough balls.
This makes a nice addition to Sunday Brunch.

1 loaf of frozen Bread Dough, thawed
3 1/2 cups of Brown Sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of Butter or Margarine, melted (I prefer butter for this because of the flavor)

Prepare a 12 inch springform pan by greasing the bottom and sides. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom, place it in the springform pan, and butter it.  Press 2 cups of brown sugar on top of the parchment paper and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Tear off dough in pieces, about 2 Tablespoons per piece.  Roll each piece of dough in melted butter and then in the sugar and cinnamon mix. Place each piece of coated dough in the pan, on top of the brown sugar.  Leave a little room for the dough to rise.  Continue until all of the dough is used.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm part of the kitchen until the dough had doubled in bulk, about 1 hour in a reasonably warm kitchen.  
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until it is done.  Carefully run a knife around the edge between the pan and the bread.  Turn out onto a pretty serving plate.  BE CAREFUL! The brown sugar is very hot and can cause severe burns, if it touches your skin. Remove the parchment paper and let the bread cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Flour Tortillas

Fresh flour tortillas, made at home are a treat that will leave resturant versions lacking.  When I was a kid, my friend, Francein, lived across the street from school.  We would go to her house to watch TV and drink sweet Ice Tea, after dismissal. There was a show that came on right after school and it took me too long to get home, so I watched it at her house. At some point, she got a recipe

Cornmeal Pancakes with Homemade Pineapple Syrup

These pancakes will put a smile on your face! Easy, delicious, and quick.  I cooked these on a griddle, so before cooking the pancakes, I cooked the bacon and left the drippings on the griddle.  Then I cooked the pancakes. You can use butter or oil for the pan if you do not want to use the bacon drippings, it is up to you.
Make the syrup first and keep it warm.  You can make this with pineapple juice, alone, so I have listed proportions and you can multiply to suit your needs. It is so good you will think about home made syrup the next time that you eat any other syrup.  It also makes a good topping for ice cream :).