Still on my Break

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I am so happy the weather has cooled down considerably because it means we no longer have 400 forest fires burning in my province. Instead we have about 260 fires burning with most of them under control. Sadly, it has been a year of great forest devastation but I pray that out of the ashes will spring forth new and vibrant life.

I am not actually back to blogging but I did want to share my weekend baking. It has been so hot that I haven't been able to bake anything or feel much like cooking but I was able to bake some muffins and some one bowl bread today.

The muffins I spotted recently on Katy's Food for the Hungry Soul.  Katy always has scrumptious recipes and photos on display. Once in awhile I get to try them if the recipe looks simple enough and I have the ingredients on hand.

Recently, these French Breakfast Muffins looked so tasty and Katy described them just right so I had to try them and get them ready for breakfast.

Here is the recipe Katy used from Better Homes and Gardens.


1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl combine flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
 
In another bowl beat egg slightly; stir in milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (the batter may be lumpy). Lightly grease muffin cups. Fill cups about two-thirds full with batter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl combine the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Immediately dip tops of hot muffins into the 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine, then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Serve warm.

Makes 12 smaller-sized muffins.

I doubled this recipe and made larger sized muffins (18). I didn't have any nutmeg on hand so added a bit of cinnamon instead of nutmeg.  They taste very good and Katy described them just right.

I also made some one bowl bread which I have made once before. Here is a photo. You can find the recipe here.  They might look a little different. That is likely because I didn't take as much time or care to shape them this time and I added a little less flour.

Enjoy!

Recipes for Christmas

When I was a young girl my mother would make something called dream bars. They were delicious. She got the recipe from the back of a Robin Hood Flour bag. I could not find the recipe any longer in the Robin Hood recipe archives on line but I have inherited the back of the flour bag with the recipe printed on it. I made several batches of these bars this week. One for eating and two for taking to Christmas eve and Christmas Day gatherings.

I have to admit that my version is not as tasty as my mother's. Mom was such a wonderful cook. I find that my base is not as melt in your mouth as her version was but it is still very good, I must hasten to add, lol. My guess is that mom used more butter than called for as she had an intuitive sense for what made a recipe better and she was well known for her fabulous cakes, pies and other goodies.

The other recipe I've provided here is for a type of yeast bread. I like this recipe because it is made in one bowl and doesn't seem to require as much rising time as other breads. I always look for easy recipes whenever I decide to cook or bake.

The bread recipe is from a cookbook entitled "Talk About Good!" which was published by the Junior League of Lafayette, Inc. in Louisiana (copyright 1969). I picked it up in a bookstore as I like the old timey recipes. I found the bread quite delicious in my taste test. It is slightly sweet and I think it will be a delicious addition to the Christmas dinner.  I'm sharing both recipes here as I think you will like them. Let me know if you try them yourself. Happy Baking!

Dream Bars  
Base:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup soft butter

Measure flour into bowl. Add icing sugar and stir well to blend. Blend in butter with fingertips until mixture is mealy. Pat firmly into bottom of lightly greased 7" x 11" oblong pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Topping:

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs well. Then add brown sugar and beat until well mixed. Stir in coconut, walnuts and vanilla. Spread mixture evenly over partially baked base.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden. Cut into bars when cool.


One Bowl Bread


2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup water or milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
4 to 5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in a large bowl with water and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Add water or milk, cooking oil, salt, baking power and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Then add 1/2 cup flour at a time, stirring until a soft dough is formed and all the flour is blended. Stir dough with hands from side to center for about 3 minutes. Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Slightly grease a 14 x 10 inch baking pan. Oil hands and pinch enough dough to make rolls or loaves kneading slightly with hands. Let rise again, approximately 45 minutes and place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Grease top of rolls or loaves and continue cooking in 250 degree oven 30 minutes until bread is done.

Enjoy!