I think I’ve been converted. As I told both my Brother and my Best Friend…we will never go hungry – Lyn knows how to make BREAD! Why is it that I did not take the plunge sooner? Every bread recipe that I see now, I take a second glance to see if its one that I can do. My husband has even started to request bread with specific ingredients. Well, ‘scuse me Mister! When did I become the bread lady? Ok fine…*taking notes* He knows I’ll try
I am a true lover of bread. Give me bread and butter and I’ll be okay. I grew up in a bread household. If there was anything that we always had – it was bread. And for that, I’m thankful. I’m also thankful for the Kindle book that I got from Amazon with all these wonderful bread recipes. Its called Easy Fabulous Bread Making. A Collection of quick, no knead, homemade bread recipes. I feel that it has helped me jump right into bread making, giving me the confidence as a beginner to make fresh bread at home! I like the technique, so when I’m good with this, I can move on providing that my wrists can take the pressure. Bring on the BREAD!
Today I’m sharing a bread that we fell in love with. The texture, the flavour – it was lovely. I forgive myself for the really thick slice that I cut for a late night snack. Portuguese Sweet Bread – I heart you!
In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar and eggs until combined.
Add milk, then mix.
Add activated yeast mixture. Mix to combine.
Gradually combine flour and salt until fully incorporated
Transfer to a large bowl and cover loosely with saran wrap
Store in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours up to 5 days
When ready to bake
Preheat oven to 375
Remove from fridge and place on a well floured surface. The dough will be sticky.
With well floured hands, stretch ends underneath a few times to create a boule. Place the boule seam side down on a well oiled baking sheet. Cover for about 30 minutes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
This bread seemed easy enough to just mix by spoon. But it was a breeze using my standing mixer. This dough takes no time to come together.
The exterior is crusty but not hard. The bread itself – soft, chewy, slightly sweet and an absolute delight to the palate. Perfect with butter or cream cheese.
I love that I just popped a slice in the toaster and topped it with cheesy scrambled eggs. Breakfast has never been so satisfying. One centre slice goes a long way!
Toasted Portuguese Sweet Bread, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon
Funny how bacon seems to be making an appearance quite often these days…
I didn’t get to indulge in my usual #MuffinMonday this week. Sadly I’ve had to deal with 2 sick kids plus I’m trying to get over a little cold/cough. It’s the season to share in a little more than just holiday spirit. I believe we are on the mend and this means I’ll be back in the kitchen, whipping up something great for you. I do have a muffin recipe that I wanted to share that I made a few weeks ago but didn’t get to post it. I’m so glad that I got to use up some pureed pumpkin that I had in the freezer.
I get so much junk mail delivered to my door, and I usually just recycle. But there was a flyer for a local business that caught my eye. The photograph on the flyer had me drooling. It had a recipe that looked so delicious, I went ahead and made it. And it was so good! I have no idea where the original recipe came from so I have no reference for it. But here it is!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffin
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Ingredients
Filling:
4oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
Muffins:
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose, Unbleached Flour
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, egg and icing sugar. Mix until fully blended. Set aside
Line muffin pans with paper liners
In a medium bowl, add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Combine with a whisk.
In a large bowl, add eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Mix on low-speed until fully combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and blend just until incorporated
Fill each liner with 2/3 batter
add 2 Tsp of the cream cheese mixture in top of the batter
Bake for 15 minutes
Notes
This recipe yields 15 muffins
3.1.09
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins – cream cheese on the batter
This was such a moist muffin ~ and absolutely delicious!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
These muffins disappeared in no time. The cream cheese was such a great companion for the pumpkin muffin.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going wonderful so far!
Cookies! Last year, I wondered if I could make them. I did …and they came out great! this year, I’m all in! I’m experimenting and finding tons of awesome cookie recipes. I’m not going to get to try them all but I’m building up a nice collection! That’s what makes this #SundaySupper so awesome! This weeks theme is Holiday Cookie Exchange! The titles are wonderful and I can’t wait to see everyone’s cookies!
Who doesn’t love a good cookie? We love cookies at my home, but I don’t buy them often. I feel much better making them myself, even if it’s just for the season. It also brings me comfort that they are home-made, and made with love. And a few chocolate chips. After all, chocolate is love, right? Check out my Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies and Ginger Molasses Cookies. Crowd pleasers!
The cookie I’m sharing with you has been tested by me twice. I guess when I say “me”, I really should be saying “us”. The first batch was good, it was finished quickly and you know that’s a good sign.I made some slight changes on the second batch. I used a bit more cocoa powder and used white chocolate chips instead of dark. That’s all. And that’s what I’m sharing with you today.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies for #SundaySupper
Recipe Type: Cookie
Author: Lyn via Best Cookies
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
These cookies are sweet with a hint of tartness. A wonderful combination and very festive.
Ingredients
1 Cup Wholewheat Pasty Flour
1/2 Cup Dutch Processed Dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
1 Cup White Chocolate Chips
3/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F
In a small bowl, sift in flour and cocoa powder. Combine with a whisk. Set aside
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and baking powder until combined
Beat in egg until combined
Beat in as much as the flour with the mixer
Fold in chocolate chips and cranberries with a wooden spoon or spatula
Using a cookie scoop, take up rounded portions and roll into a ball. Flatten then round the edges.
Place on a parchment lined cookie tray with about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest in the tray for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
Notes
This recipe yielded 33 cookies
Store in an air tight container for 3 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months
3.1.09
I’m no cookie expert. In fact, I’ve made cookies that could compete with a rock. I kid you not. I didn’t give up though. I had to really learn about the importance of cooking time, and not necessarily how they look when they come out of the oven. Baking for too long, is just a no-no. The good thing about cookies is that once you get the hang of it, its smooth sailing after that!
Scoop, roll, flatten, shape.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies – Ready for baking!
To make these cookies, I did a test run first with about 3 cookies. I learned that they do not spread much. I found that they came out better if I hand rolled and formed them. I used a cookie scoop so the cookies were very similar in size. Who ever came up with those scoops is a genius.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies – Freshly baked
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
These are great for giving as gifts!
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
My family really enjoyed these cookies. The inclusion of cranberries really made it festive and even more delicious.
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
#SundaySupper has a special host this week, who knows all about Cookies ~ Janet Keeler, Food & Travel Editor for the Tampa Bay Times and Author of Cookielicious. Janet be joining us with tips on baking for the Ultimate Cookie Exchange and to answer any of your baking questions. Grab a glass of milk and join us for The Ultimate Cookie Exchange during #SundaySupper this week. We are giving away 5 signed copies of Cookielicious with 150 fabulous recipes to bake and share.
The Sunday Supper Favorite Cookie Exchange Cookies:
Do you have a favorite cookie to take to a Cookie Exchange? Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on December 9th. In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our #SundaySupper Ultimate Cookie Exchange live chat.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We’d also love to feature your recipe for The Ultimate Cookie Exchange on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.
This weeks #SundaySupper theme is Favourite Celebrity Chef! Wow! How can a food blogger ever choose!!?? We are all so very excited about this weeks #SundaySupper. Our host for this week is Tammi from Mommas Meals. I am eager to see what everyone has made and also to see what celebrity chef has inspired them. I was a bit indecisive in the beginning because I adore so many Chefs on television. It is reasonable to say that I don’t have one specific chef as my favourite, since they each offer their own unique style and culinary flair.
For a long time, The Food Network is where I got most of my inspiration. It all started in 2007 when I was home for a year on maternity leave with my son. I was tired of just making sure the meat was merely cooked. I was especially tired of making cakes from a box. I really wanted to make a change in how I prepared meals for myself and my husband. I wanted to cook and I wanted to bake, and I wanted to do them well. This was something that was, and still is very important to me. For a while it was all about Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, Michael Smith, Giada De Laurentiis, Anna Olson, Laura Calder, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, and Ina Garten. I’ve made recipes from all of them. I watched their technique, learned about ingredients that were unfamiliar to me, and also I learned about dishes from other cultures. I still draw inspiration from them to this day. My appreciation for food, and for the culinary craft continues to grow. I don’t watch as much Food Network anymore, as my time is very limited. But when I do get the chance, I ask not to be disturbed. In time, I will acquire their cook books and continue to be inspired.
After the birth of my daughter, I decided to stay home with my little girl and her big brother. I discovered and watched Everyday Food which came on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). I don’t believe I missed an episode. In fact, you’ll find that many of my earlier recipes came from The Food Network or Everyday Food. Everyday Food is no longer a part of my cable programming for whatever reason, but their website is still a very good resource for me. Can you imagine being one of the chefs in that test kitchen?
I got to thinking… who offers a selection of recipes that really appeals to me? …Martha Stewart. I buy her books, I bake her cakes, I follow her on Pinterest, I trust her recipes! I also love that she introduces and collaborates with other awesome celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse. Aside from the fact that Martha is a MOGUL in her own right, she is also a teacher. She is the epitome of culinary excellence as well as classic home cooking and entertaining.
Today I’m sharing with you a recipe that I adapted, simply because I wanted to try it with other ingredients. This is a great cake for the season, and also it is my most recent recipe from Martha Stewart that I have made. I made the original recipe first ~ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares, and it was amazing! Then I made it my way, and guess what? It was amazing!
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chips Squares
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Squares for #SundaySupper
Recipe Type: Cake
Author: Lyn via Martha Stewart
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
A delicious cake made with sweet potatoes and chocolate chips
Ingredients
2 Cups All Purpose Flour, Unbleached
2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Tsp Baking Soda
3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
1 Large Egg
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Sweet Potato Puree
3/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Preheat Oven to 350F
Line the bottom and sides of a 9X13 inch pan with foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda. Add salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar until combined.
Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
Beat in the sweet potato puree
On a low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips
Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Push the batter into the corners as best as possible.
Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
Allow to cool completely in the pan
Cut into squares, serve and enjoy.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/336431/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-squares
3.1.09
Well, of course the cake smells amazing. It was firm but moist to the touch. Cut into portions using a very sharp knife. I made 15 squares but you can cut them a lot smaller if you wish.
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cake – fresh out the oven!
One thing for sure – the colour and texture of this cake is awesome. Moist and chewy. Certainly something to consider for gatherings over the holiday season. It’s so easy to make and also very easy to transport.
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chips Square
How about this tasty little treat for your friends and family?
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chips Squares
Please enjoy the recipe selections from the #SundaySupper bloggers:
Starters or Snacks :
Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog - Oyster and Brie Soup and Wine Pairings for Celebrity Chef #SundaySupper
Linda at The Urban Mrs. - Inspired by Bobby Flay, Lobster Chowder with Roasted Corn Salsa
Please join on us via Twitter for #SundaySupper on December 2, 2012, throughout the day. In the evening, we will meet at 7 PM EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
These muffins were destined to be baked. I’ve been wanting to make Rum & Raisins muffins for a while now. The time just didn’t seem to be right, until now. I was so determined to make these muffins that I made 2 batches before I actually got to the one you see here.
Determined.
Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Muffins
You see, the first batch I made was…well, lets just say I didn’t want to eat them. I realized afterwards that I had too many ingredients, or not enough moisture. Either way, it just was a disaster. I had a good laugh at myself. I don’t often throw anything away but I’m well aware that it can happen. I was a little bit annoyed though, as I don’t like to waste food/ingredients. I couldn’t save them. When I realized where I went wrong, I had renewed confidence and proceeded with a big grin.
And then as soon as I carefully placed the muffins into the oven – I saw a main ingredient on the counter. I forgot to fold in the raisins!!!!! Argh!!!!! Ok, now I was MAD! How could I have forgotten to add the raisins!!!???? I could have continued and called the muffins something else. But I really REALLY wanted raisins! So…I proceeded for the third time to make my muffins.
Has this ever happened to you? A bad baking day that turned out great?
Today’s #MuffinMonday recipe comes from King Arthur Flour – Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins. Of course, my own spin made it a tad bit risqué. I think I may have created a filling. Butter, sugar, cinnamon and Jamaican Appleton Rum. I’m going to call it Rum Butter. How’s that for festive?
Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Muffins for #MuffinMonday
Recipe Type: Muffin
Author: Lyn via King Arthur Flour
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
A Cinnamon infused muffin with rum soaked raisins, and a rum butter centre
Ingredients
Topping:
1/3 Cup Turbinado Sugar
1/4 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Tsp Cinnamon
Rum Butter:
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Dark Rum
Batter:
6 Tbsp Sunflower Oil
3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup 2% Milk
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Allspice
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Dark Rum
Instructions
In a small bowl, soak raisins in 1/4 Cup rum for about an hour
Preheat oven to 400F
Line 2 muffin pans with 15 paper liners
Topping: In a small bowl, combine turbinado sugar, cinnamon, oats, flour and butter until crumbly. Set aside.
Rum Butter: Combine melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and rum in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you are ready to add to the center of the batter
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, allspice and cinnamon. Combine with a whisk. Set aside
In a large mixing bowl, beat oil and sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
Add some of the milk and mix to combine. Gradually add flour and milk, mixing between each addition until fully combined.
Fold in the rum soaked raisins
Into each liner, add 2 tablespoons batter. Scoop 2 teaspoons of the rum butter into the centre of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter.
Sprinkle the batter with the topping, gently pressing down to keep the mixture in the batter
Notes
This recipe yields 15 muffins
3.1.09
This was from the second batch. They came out great, minus the rum soaked raisins. I guess these were Rum Butter Muffins.
Rum Butter in batter
The rum butter oozing out of the muffin. The aroma in my kitchen. Just lovely.
Fresh out of the oven
A sweet and crunchy topping, for your Monday morning delight.
Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Muffins
Moist muffins with a hint of rum.
Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Muffins
Happy Monday!
Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.
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