French Puffs

Basically a muffin, rolled in butter, cinnamon and sugar! 

Easy to make and even easier to eat!

 Lets make a batch...

Muffins:

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 400*

Grease bottoms of muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Beat milk, oil and egg.

Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix just until flour is moistened, batter will be a little lumpy.

Divide batter in muffin cups.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While muffins are baking, melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine, and in a separate bowl mix cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Remove muffins from oven, and as soon as you are able to handle them, roll in butter then cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Serve 'em up to hungry people!

Source: my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook!

Applesauce Bread

When Drew was home a of couple weekends ago, he took some pumpkin bread back to school that I had made ahead and popped in the freezer. He called a few days later to say how much he had enjoyed having a couple slices for breakfast. He likes  being able to have something in his room to eat and not go to the dining hall every morning. So, I decided to get back to baking and make a few loaves to send to him. He can keep them in the freezer until he is ready to cut into them. 

This is a new recipe and I think it turned out great. Wonderful with a cup of coffee, a tall glass of milk or in my case a Green Monster.

1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350*

In a mixer bowl, mix the oil and sugar.

Add eggs and beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Mix in half the dry mixture with the batter mixture, then add half the applesauce.

Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and the last half of the applesauce, mixing well.

Pour into one regular size loaf pan, or two small loaf pans. If using a large pan bake for about an hour. For the smaller pans, about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Banana Bread

A little early in the season for the baking mood to strike, but when you have overripe bananas, you either pitch them in the trash, or bake up some banana bread! I chose to bake and put it in the freezer to take to Caleb next time we see him. He likes it...a lot! It's easy to make and boy does it ever make your house smell good.

1/2 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2-3 overripe bananas, smashed
2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till well incorporated.

Mash your bananas.

Add eggs, banana and vanilla, continue to mix until mixture is creamy and well combined.

Add flour, one cup at a time, along with baking soda and salt, mixing as you go until all dry ingredients are mixed well.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and transfer batter to pan. The batter will be very thick, take a knife and even it out, making sure to get in the corners.

Bake in a 350* for 1 hour or until done. Stick a knife in the center to check for done-ness. Pop back in oven for a few minutes if not completely done.

Slice it up warm for a real treat or cool completely and wrap it up  to share with someone you love!



Baking tip....

I really don't know if this serves the same purpose as sifting, but when a recipe calls for sifted flour, this is what I do....I grab my wire whisk and "whisk" the flour in the canister. It becomes much lighter and  is so much more simple than actually sifting, which I can  make a mess with! And it's kinda fun...okay, maybe I need to get out more!

No Knead Bread

3 Cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Mix well, dough will be very wet.

Cover and let rise over night 12-18 hours.

Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on your countertop.

Shape and preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it sit for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, put your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove the (very hot) pot from oven. Holding towel, turn over and dump wobbly dough into pot, using your hands to get the dough off the towel. Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake pot to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.

Slice with a sharp bread knife, butter it up and enjoy.


I first saw this on Kristen's blog and have made it many times and it is always great. It requires a little thought to get it started the day before, but totally worth!

You can also find a great little you tube video by Mark Bittman on Google.

Zippy Garlic Bites

Here's what you"ll need for some super-easy, super-flavorful little bites of bread that are a snap to put together and easy to adjust the seasonings for your family.

1 tube of refrigerated bisuits
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
Grated Parmesan Cheese
onion powder
garlic powder
parsley flakes

In the bowl you melted your butter, add the other ingredients, except the biscuits. Amounts depend on your families preferences. I don't even measure,  I give one shake of onion powder, 2 or 3 shakes of garlic powder, a good pinch of parsley flakes and a couple generous shakes from the Parmesan cheese. Change it up to meet your needs.

Stir it all together...

On a cutting board, cut your biscuits into quarters...

Drop the biscuits in the bowl and roll them around to coat them thoroughly.

 Then place them on a lightly sprayed baking sheet or break the rules and use a cast iron skillet.

Bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve them up with your favorite Italian dish....and watch 'em disappear.

I found this recipe years ago in a Quick Cooking or Taste of Home magazine. It has evolved over the years and I'm not even sure how close it is to the original recipe!

7 Up Biscuits

4 simple ingredients is all it takes to make scrumptious biscuits.

2 cups baking mix

1/2 cup sour cream, as usual I use "light"

1/2 cup 7 Up, yeah I know it's Sprite...same difference at my house

1/4 cup butter

Place butter in 9 X 9 inch baking pan and melt in oven while it preheats at 450*. Remove when melted.

Meanwhile cut sour cream into biscuit mix, then add 7 UP and combine well.

Dough will be very soft.

Sprinkle a little baking mix on pastry sheet, or the counter top.

Pat dough to about 1 inch thickness and cut with biscuit cutter or a small drinking glass turned upside down.

Place biscuits on top of melted butter in baking pan, return to oven and bake until golden brown. About 10-12 minutes.

I found this recipe on the Plain Chicken blog...I really like her blog and am looking forward to trying more of her recipes.

I don't use a lot of baking mix, so I was excited when I found this 
Heart Smart Bisquick mix at the store. 
And it's really good! 

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
3/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup (8ounces) sour cream
1 cup fresh blueberries (can use frozen, also)

In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix and 3/4 cup sugar.

In another bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream; stir into the dry ingredients just until combined.

Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These are sooo yummy and sooo easy. I use light sour cream and it works great! 

This recipe is from Quick Cooking, June 2003.

No Knead Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1-12 oz bottle of beer

Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 375* for 50 - 60 minutes. Top should be brown and center should be done when knife is inserted in it.

Rub top of loaf with butter

Slice and serve warm.

This is actually a pretty new recipe for us.  I probably wouldn't make it for company, but for an easy dinner bread, it can't be beat!

Pumpkin Bread

a great mid morning or after school snack...yummm!

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, soda and salt, stir until well blended.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add remaining ingredients; mix well. I find my large wire whisk works well to do the mixing. Pour batter into two greased (or sprayed)regular sized loaf pans, or 4 small loaf pans.

Bake in 350* oven for 1 hour for regular size and 40-45 minutes for the small pans. Check done-ness with a toothpick inserted in the middle. Bread is done when it comes out clean.

Everyone except Jonah likes this bread....he just hasn't come to appreciate a warm slice on a cool morning....I have hopes he will one day!

Poppy Seed Bread

2 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use canola)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons poppy seeds (in the baking aisle with the spices)
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon butter extrat

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients until blended.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk just until moistened.

Spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour batter onto pans. Bake at 350* for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm loaves.

Cool 10 minutes until removing from pans to wire racks.