Biscuits

These are our favorite biscuits for dipping in hot chocolate. We also love them with Jam and butter.

3 C. flour
1 1/2 tbs. baking powder
3 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¾ C. butter
1 C. milk

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk all at once. Stir just till dough clings together.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for 10 to 12 strokes. Roll or pat dough to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter*, dipping cutter into flour between cuts.
Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or till golden. Serve warm.
Makes 15.

*One thing I have learned is that when you cut them out, don't twist the cutter, just go straight down and then straight back up. That way they rise more evenly in the oven instead of half of them staying somewhat flat.

Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens

Pumpkinita Apple Spice Muffins

1-2/3 cups flour
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1/ 4 t salt
1 c canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
1 c sugar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 c butter, softened
1 t pumpkin pie spice
3 T sugar
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl combine pumpkin, butter and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in apple and spoon into lined muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Combine 3 T sugar and 1 t pumpkin pie spice and sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen regular size or 40+ mini muffins. These freeze great.
Everyone I have made these for has loved them.

(Kenzie's Recipe)

Garlic Bread Sticks

These are so easy and so fast! We really like them.
· 3 cups flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon garlic powder
· 1 tablespoon dry parsley (optional, for decoration)
· 1 tablespoon baking powder
· 1 cup milk
· 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
· 1 more teaspoon garlic powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Begin with your favorite big bowl. Measure your flour, salt, garlic powder, parsley and baking powder into it. Stir the dry ingredients together so that the salt, garlic powder, parsley and baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Now pour in your milk. Stir with a big spoon until you get a ball of dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. You may have to dust the ball of dough with a little flour if it seems sticky to you. Gently knead the ball of dough right there in the bowl about 5 or 6 times. Now place your dough on the counter. You may place a sheet of waxed paper under it you like. Using a rolling pin or sturdy bottle roll the dough out into a rectangle shape. If the edges get all scraggly then use your hands to press them back up into main rectangle. Sometimes I simply take the dough and press it into the pan to form it's shape and then remove it. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Meanwhile place the margarine in a 9 by 13-inch pan. Place the pan in the oven at 425°. Allow the pan to preheat and the margarine to melt. When the margarine is melted, carefully remove the pan from the oven. It will be very hot, so don't burn yourself. Sprinkle the second teaspoon of garlic powder and the 1/2-teaspon of salt into the pan. You do not have to use the extra salt.

We like our bread sticks salty so I always use it, but it isn't vital. Now, very carefully lay your rectangle of dough into the pan, over top of the margarine. Next cut the rectangle into narrow strips. I use a pizza cutter for this because it seems to work the best. A sharp knife will work too though, so use what you have available. My method of cutting is to cut the dough in half and then cut each half in half and then each quarter in half, going on and on until I have a lot of narrow strips of dough. The margarine will creep up between the strips. This is normal. It is what gives these bread sticks their texture. After cutting your strips, place the pan in the oven, still at 425°, and bake them for 20 minutes. They will be brown and crispy when they are done.

I got this recipe from this site:
http://www.grouprecipes.com/22356/quick-easy-garlic-bread-sticks.html
(Mackenzie's Post)

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

I had a recipe just like this but couldn't find it, so thought I'd try a new one. These turned out moist and delicious. They remind me of the bran muffins I used to buy at Westminster my freshman year. Yum!

*Makes 48 muffins

4 cups wheat bran flakes or plain wheat bran
2 cups bran buds (look like little pebbles) or all-bran (look like little twigs)
2 cups boiling water
1 quart (4 cups) buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter, melted
½ cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Place the wheat bran flakes (or plain wheat bran) and the bran buds or all-bran in a large bowl (I used my kitchen aid and it worked great). Pour the boiling water over the bran and mix well. Stir every couple of minutes while the mixture cools to room temperature. The mixture will become very thick and sticky.

After the mixture cools, add the buttermilk, melted butter, applesauce, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well to combine all the ingredients together.

The batter can be covered well and kept in the refrigerator for up to 30 days. To bake, scoop the batter into greased or lined muffin tins. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for about 14-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

From: My Kitchen Cafe

Banana Crunch Muffins

These are my all-time favorite muffins...I love them!

1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C ground flaxseed
1 1/2 C sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled (Dairy free margarine for dairy free)
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk (rice milk for dairy free)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola (If you don't have granola, just use quick oats or old-fashioned oats)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (I grind mine in a coffee grinder so the texture is better)Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flours, flaxseeds, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over mix.
Fold the walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Gluten Free Banana Crunch Muffins

(Gluten and Dairy Free)

½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup millet flour
1 cup sorghum flour
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup coconut flour
1 ½ tsp. zanthum gum
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound dairy free margarine, melted
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas): we just pureed all three bananas
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola (If you don't have granola, just use quick oats or old-fashioned oats)
1 cup sweetened ground coconut (you can used shredded, I just prefer ground because of the texture)
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted margarine and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.
Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, walnuts, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

White Pizza Crust

I used this pizza crust for calzones and breadsticks and it was delicious, and so quick and easy. It is my new favorite white pizza crust!

1 c warm water, divided
1 tsp sugar
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
3 Tbsp oil (olive oil or vegetable)
2 ½ c flour
1 tsp salt
Put 1/2 C. warm water in bowl. Stir in sugar and yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. Stir in rest of ingredients. Mix until a ball, knead 10 minutes. Put additional oil in bowl and let rise in oil bowl for 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours, until risen.

From: The Sisters Cafe

Chewy Soft Pretzels

Makes 8 pretzels

Dough:
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
7/8 to 1 cup (7 to 8 ounces) warm water

Topping:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth, and quite slack.

Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes (see pictures below).

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it will make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown. I only bake one baking sheet at a time and let the other rest while the first is in the oven.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.Recipe Source: from My Kitchen Cafe

For dairy free, use dairy free margarine instead of butter.

From: mykitchencafe.blogspot.com