Maple Pecan Coffee Cake

Hello everyone,

Here’s another recipe I made up awhile ago. It’s one I made for a river boating company, along with the blueberry coffee cake I have already posted.

Maple Pecan Coffee Cake:

Streusel:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbsp. cold unslated butter, cubed

Cake:

1 stick (4oz.) unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 cups pure maple syrup

2 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce, divided

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. maple extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1-1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. maple extract

2 tbsp. heavy cream

small pinch of popcorn salt

In a medium bowl, combine the first five ingredient’s. Cut in butter until crumbly; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and maple syrup. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in 1/2 cup of the applesauce and extracts. Combine dry ingredient’s, gradually add to the creamed mixture, fold in the pecans. Spoon half of batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan or 2 8×8-inch square pans. Spread the remaining applesauce over batter. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Spread the remaining batter evenly over streusel. Top with remaining streusel. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. For 8x8x-inch pans bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before icing.  Combine glaze ingredient’s together until smooth, and drizzle over cooled cake.

I have had an interesting day today. I had 4 cakes to make and get delivered by today. The deliveries went well and I had lunch with my mom, stepdad and one of their friends. I did a little grocery shopping and came home. 2 hours later I got a call from someone I didn’t know, I went ahead and picked it up just to see who was calling me. Well it turned out it was one of the people I hade made a cake for today. This person at first didn’t tell me who she was, the only thing she started saying was something was wrong with the cake and that her husband is allergic to it. I was confused at first and asked her what her name was and what was her husband allergic too?? He was allergic to dairy! Well the cake I made was a lemon cake with milk, and a cream cheese lemon frosting. She kept saying I just don’t know what were going to do about this?? I was liked what do you mean do about it? She almost sounded like they were going to sue us! I had to keep repeating to her that we are volunteers and I didn’t know there was a food allergy. We try to make cakes for people if they have an allergy or are diabetic. I had to keep repeating to her that we are volunteers and do not get paid, and we pay for all our own ingredient’s ect… She was a hospice patient and I don’t think she fully understood what Angel Cakes is all about. She said you should put down somewhere that you are volunteers, I told her that it’s on our website and on out brochures. The hospice people know that we are volunteers. Well I went ahead and called the hospice office and our director of Angel Cakes to let them know what had happened, and they said they would take care of it. I know it’s not my fault, but I still feel bad for the lady’s husband. I have some food allergies myself,and I told the lady that. I also told her I was sorry and that I hope and pray he gets better. I don’t know how bad his allergy is to dairy products, she didn’t say. Well I just have to wait and see what comes of all this. I have 1 more cake for he VA this week and I’m baking at the Ronald McDonald house this Friday. I just have to take one day at a time… 

Until next time…

Amanda 🙂

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Peanut Butter Muffins with Honey Butter

Hello everyone,

I hope your all doing well today! What a wonderful day that the Lord has made, I can’t go one day without praising Him and thanking Him for all the thing’s He has blessed me with! I just wanted to shout out a praise today!!!

I made up this recipe awhile ago and wanted to post it here today, hope you enjoy it!!!

Peanut Butter Mufffins with Honey Butter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup honey

1 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1-1/3 cups whole milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2-4 tbsp. honey or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 16 standard muffin tin cups. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter, eggs, and milk together until smooth. Stir in the peanuts. Stir in the combined dry ingredient’s just until blended. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, and then remove. Serve warm with honey butter.

To make honey butter: Beat butter and honey to taste until smooth.

I have a lot of baking to get done this week! I have 3 cakes to deliver on Wednesday and one to deliver on Friday, plus I am baking at the Ronald McDonald house again this week. The lady that bakes their most of the time has a work schedule conflict, so I volunteered since they have most of the ingredient’s anyway. I really liked baking there, I don’t k now what I’ll be baking yet. I’m thinking either these muffins or some peanut butter cookies. I hope no one there is allergic to peanut butter or honey, I’ll have to find out.

Well I’ll talk to ya all later…

Amanda 🙂

 

Canning Recipes

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would post a couple of recipes that I received from my canning class. Please refer to the link on my blog to the Home Preservation page for altitude in your area and to can your home canned foods safely. There are also alot recipes there, and lots of information.

Pickled Cherries:

10 cups sweet black cherries

2 cups water

1 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed (or 1/2 cup honey)

2 tablespoons pickling salt

Preparation:  Wash, stem and pit cherries.

Place water, vinegar, brown sugar (or honey) and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and simmer until sugar or honey is completely dissolved.

Pack cherries in pint jars. Pour syrup over the cherries, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Adjust lids and process immediately in a boiling water canner. Follow directions from the Home Preservation site for timing. Yield 4 pints. Store for 2-4 weeks before eating.

Light Berry-Cherry Jam

3 cups crushed strawberries

1/2 finely chopped sweet cherries

1/2 cup crushed blackberries

1 cup unsweetened white grape juice

1 pkg. (1.75oz.) Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin

Sugar or honey, optional

Combine strawberries, cherries, and blackberries with juice in saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Or add sugar or honey according to pectin package, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/2-inch head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process jars in boiling water canner adjusting time for altitude.

For additional information please refer to the link  (National Center for Home Food Preservation) website for times and altitude adjustment. Call your local county extension for the altitude in your area.

Until next time…

Amanda 🙂

 

Ronald McDonald House baking.

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday I baked at the Ronald McDonald house and had a lot of fun! They have a huge kitchen! They had 2 of everything, 2 smoothtop ovens, 2 dishwashers, ect.. The people who work there are so nice and very helpful. I decided to make chocolate chip cookies since they already had a group come in the night before and bake cupcakes. One lady who was staying there starting talking to me about her baby, she has been in the hospital for 3 months! I felt so bad for her I really didn’t know what to say. She talked to me about other thing’s also and I realized even through I have been sick I have a pretty good life with Ray. Even though we can’t have kids, we are doing ok compared to other’s. We thank Jesus everyday for what He has blessed us with.

Food for thought: Instead of thinking about how bad thing’s are for you, take a look around and see others. I see more and more people on the side of the street with signs asking for help. I want to help them, but I wonder if they will just use it for drugs, drinking and or smoking. I know some of them most likely really need the help.  I guess that’s why I work with Angel Cakes, I am giving back to others who really need it. I couldn’t do any of this without my husband!!!

Here is the cookie recipe I used. It was given to me by the director of Angel Cakes. A few months ago when I was really sick she came to my house and it’s along ways from town and her home. She brought me lunch and these amazing cookies! They were softer then the chocolate chip cookies I make. I love soft cookies, hard ones hurt my teeth. It meant a lot to me that she would do something like this for me. Sniff, crying right now…

 Amazing Chocolate chip cookies:

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups Gold Medal Flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

12oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredient’s. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.

I hope you enjoy them!

Amanda 🙂

 

Pepper and Feta Cheese Bread

Hello everyone,

I made up this recipe awhile ago, and I don’t remember what it was for!!! lol… Anyway it’s really good, if you like feta and peppers..

Pepper and Feta Cheese Bread

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper chopped

1 tbsp. dried rosemary

1 tbsp. olive oil

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 cup crumbled feta, flavored with rosemary and garlic***

3 tbsp. butter melted

1 large egg

1-1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet saute pepper’s and rosemary until pepper’s are tender. In a mixer beat the butter, egg, salt, pepper, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the flour and milk in alternating addition’s, mix in the pepper’s and the cheese. Pour into prepared pan, bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.  I hope you all enjoy this!!!  🙂

Ray delivered my cake to the VA home today and all went well. Tomorrow I’ll be baking at the Ronald McDonald house and I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. I only have 2 hours to bake and I’m not sure if they will require me to clean up after? Which isn’t a problem for me I just hope I have enough time!

***Note if you can’t find feta flavored with rosemary and garlic, you can use regular feta and add 1 tsp. granulated garlic or powder, and increase the rosemary by another 1/2 tsp.

Well until next time everyone!

Amanda 🙂

 

Banana Whoppie Pies

Hello everyone,

I came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine some time ago. I have made them a several times, since my husband leaves in a constant supply on banana’s!  Most of you know who follow my blog know what I mean!!! LOL!!! I sent this with my husband to his work one day and they loved them!!! My husband sent me several emails that people sent him at work and told me how much they liked them!

Banana Whoppie Pies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2. tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large over-ripe banana)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 oz.)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pur vanilla extract

2 packages (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Line to baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Combine banana and sour cream in another bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed, until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and 1/2 tsp. vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add banana mixture in 2 additions, alternating with flour mixture. Drop batter onto parchment paper with a tablespoon. (In the recipe it says to use a pastry bag, but I skipped that step.) Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment , with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool. (Unfilled cookies can be stored for up to 1 day.) Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture onto the flat surface of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

I received a thank you card in the mail today from the nursing home I bake for a lot. It said that they loved the cake and that the husband of the lady I made the cake for had 2 pieces of cake! I love getting cards from people it made my day today!!!

I hope your all doing well!!!

Amanda 🙂

 

Crazy Crust Pizza

Hello everyone,

This pizza recipe is a cross between a casserole and a pizza. It has been in our family for years, I have no idea where it came from.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt.

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

2 large eggs, beaten

2/3 cup whole milk

Mix together all above ingredient’s until smooth.

1lb. ground beef, ground turkey or sausage

1 med. onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

1 (8oz package) sliced mushrooms

pizza sauce

1 cup shredded cheese

Brown meat, with the onion, mushrooms and bell pepper.  Lightly grease and flour a 9×13 square baking pan. Pour batter into pan, top with browned meat mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then top with the cheese and pizza sauce, bake another 15 minutes. This recipe is very easy to make and very tasty! You can use whatever kind of pizza or tomato sauce you like on this.

I’m sorry I haven’t been very good at posting the last couple of weeks, I am off the steroids this week and I’m having a hard time with it. I’ve been sick and have been in some pain. It’s going to take some time for my body to adjust to this. We are hoping that the Sarcoidosis is in remission…

I have 2 cakes to bake this week, one I delivered to the nursing home today. My next one is for a vet and he likes telling jokes, so I’m going to need Ray’s help with this. He can come up with some really good idea’s for cakes. My last one is for the Ronald McDonald House, I’ll have to bake in their kitchen. Ronald McDonald house charity’s changed the law that no prepared food can be brought in, it all has to be cooked or baked in their kitchen. I used to bake for them a lot before they changed the law. This will be my first time baking in their kitchen and I only have 2 hours! They like single serving treats so I might be able to make some cookies, muffins, or a quick bread, we’ll see what happens Friday!

Well I better go for now, I need to make supper.

Amanda 🙂

 

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Icing

Hello everyone,

I made up this recipe for a river boating company I made bread for. They had one person who didn’t like bread and they asked me to make some kind of coffee cake for him. This recipe is a combination of 2 different recipe’s. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

Blueberry Coffee Cake:

Filling:

1-1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 small jar apricot preserves, I prefer Smucker’s Simply Fruit.

Cake:

2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks 8oz.) unsalted butter, softened***

1-1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature***

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature***

2 cup fresh blueberries, clean and dry. ***

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan or 2 8x8x2-inch squares pans.

To make filling, place the nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and preserves in a food processor fitted with steal blade. Pulse 6-8 times, until nuts are chopped. Remove from bowl and set aside.

To Make Cake:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredient’s alternately with the sour cream, scraping down bowl occasionally. Gently fold in he blueberries. Spoon 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan or/pans, then add 1/3 cup filling; repeat process until all of the batter and filling is used up. Making sure that the batter is the last layer and all of filling is covered. Bake 9-inch for 45-50 minutes,  bake the 8×8-inch pans for 25-30 minutes. Test cake with a cake tester and they should come out almost clean, some jelly may cling to the tester. Cool completely and drizzle with lemon icing.

Lemon Icing:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 stop. milk

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract.

Mix ingredient’s together until smooth.

NOTE*** Only leave out ingredient’s for no longer than 1/2 hour. To make butter soften faster cut into cubes, this also works well for cream cheese! If using frozen blueberries do not thaw them, add them right from the freezer into the cake batter. Costco blueberries work really well they flash freeze their berries so they don’t stick together. 

I delivered my  motorcycle cake to the young man today and they loved it! It turned out really well, compared to my last one. Today I’ll be baking 2 cakes that need to be delivered Saturday. I decided to make one cake, it’s for a lady, a flower-pot with roses. The cake will be  pineapple cake with a maraschino cherry filling. The other will be chocolate marble cake with chocolate frosting and filling. Since this one is for a man I’m  making a few chocolate candy melt decorations.

Well I better go for now and bake cakes!  I hope you enjoy the coffee cake recipe!!

Amanda 🙂

 

Cinnamon Bread and 4 Cakes This Week!!!

Hello everyone,

Ok here’s the bread recipe I wanted to post today. I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Bread:

Bread dough:

1 tblsp. + 2 tsp. active dry yeast

1-1/4 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1/2  (1 stick 4oz) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 tblsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

(Mix together and set aside)

1/2 cup (1stick, 4oz.) butter, melted and divided

1/4 cup honey

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the butter, honey, salt, eggs, whole wheat flour, and half cup all-purpose flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled,  about 1 hour. Lightly punch down dough. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Lightly punch down dough. Divided in half, roll dough into 2 rectangular squares enough to fit into a 9-inch loaf pan. Brush with melted butter, and evenly sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Roll up tightly and pinch end to seal. Brush 2, 9-inch pans with melted butter, place dough into pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush the tops with butter. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 45-50 minutes, or until when thumped on top sounds hollow. Brush tops with honey butter.

This is a really good bread and so easy to make, with no kneading required!

I have 4 cakes to get done this week, one Ray delivered to the VA yesterday for me. Tonight I’m working a cake for a young man who loves motorcycles. The last 2 cakes are for a nursing home on Saturday. I can’t believe I signed up for this many cakes! Wow it’s going to be a busy week!!!

Well until next time!  🙂

Amanda

 

Taste Of Home Show

Hello everyone,

I’m sorry I haven’t posted much, I have been really tired and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because they have reduced the steroids to every other day now. I have been having some muscle cramps to, ouch…

 Ray and I went to the Taste of Home cooking show tonight and it was a lot of fun. The only complaint I have is that in all the 10 years I have been going I have never won anything! 😦  2 years ago Ray went for the first time and he won something! GGRRRRR! They had a lot of really good and different recipes tonight. Go to one if you can, even by yourself (I went solo 1 year)!

The mission cake turned out great they loved it, and I didn’t get any complaints from people like last time. They kept saying how good it smelled. I made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. The last mission cake I baked was a couple of months ago, and the day I went to drop it off, I could hear someone behind me say (just another fatting thing we don’t need)! He said it a couple of times, and I was really bummed out by his attitude. Ray puts in the money and I put in the work for these cakes and that upset me. For the mission cake it takes 4 cakes mixes along with all the ingredient’s that go along with the cake and frosting.  I guess you can’t please everyone all the time… I’m just really happy that this time was better!!! 🙂

Well I need to go to sleep now, I’ll try to post a recipe tomorrow. I have a really good cinnamon bread recipe that I won 1st place in the honey contest a couple of years ago.

Love ya all,

Amanda 🙂