Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It seems food guilt is everywhere these days. Every month there is a new article meant to scare people about the dangers of various foods. You thought soy was good for you, wrong, same goes for eggs, butter, and almond flour. Then 6 months later the opposite. Oh wait, eggs aren't as bad as we thought, maybe agave syrup isn't as great as we stated 6 months earlier. Honestly, we all need to calm down a little. It seems that a constant state of panic is what many people thrive on today. Food companies and various interest groups have picked up on this panic and made millions of claims. We all want to live longer, but if you are constantly worrying about the foods that you eat your stress level will be higher, which is not a good thing. For me personally, I eat a small amount of everything. Over the years I have been a vegetarian, a vegan, and an anorexic. I gave into the hype in my 20's and my relationship with food was horrible. I spent so much time obsessing about what I should or should not eat that I didn't each much of anything. Currently I have a great relationship with food. I am thin, in great shape, and my cholesterol levels are as low as non-meat eaters. Most of all I don't limit any foods, I just don't overdo any of them either. I do have one piece of cake, not three, but the one piece of cake that I do have I enjoy every moment that I'm eating it. Food should be enjoyed, not obsessed over. None of us remembers the food we didn't eat, but almost all of us remember at least one great food memory.

Almond flour has had a bit of a controversy in the last 10 years. Some people love it, others have a list of reasons why it should be avoided. I'm not going to list either side here. I use it occasionally. If I buy a bag for a recipe I experiment with the remainder of the bag in baked goods. The texture is different than other gluten free flours and it can be a bit expensive, but you can make your own almond meal (flour) in a food processor and most recipes take less than a cup. My advice with anything gluten free is to try all the options and then pick the one that works best for you. None of us are the same and neither should our food choices. With that said, the following is a recipe for Almond Flour Banana Bread/Muffins.

Recipe adapted from Jan's Sushi Bar.

Almond Flour Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the almond flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients.
4. Beat until combined.
5. Pour into a 9 X 5 inch greased loaf pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
7. Tent the top of the loaf during the last 15 minutes of baking if needed.

Tips: 

• You can add chocolate chips or walnuts if desired. 
• This recipe can also be made as muffins (as seen in my pictures above). Just make sure to decrease the baking time to 15-20 minutes of total time. Also muffin liners are best since the almond flour tends to stick a little without a liner. 
• If you don't eat butter, coconut oil can be used as a replacement. The same goes for the granulated sugar, date or coconut sugar would also work. 
• As with all bread recipes check the loaf after it has cooked for approximately 40 minutes. Tent the top with foil if it starts to over brown and check the middle of the loaf for doneness before taking out of the oven. The total cooking time can vary greatly based on a number of factors so don't be alarmed if your bread takes longer than the total stated time. 

Lemon Raisin Scones Using Homemade Baking Mix

So I have a weird fear. It's a fear that I've had as far back as I was 18 and hasn't gotten much better. I hate voting in person. I know it's sounds weird, but as soon as I was old enough to vote I voted by absentee. Since I grew up in Washington I never had to have a reason to want an absentee ballot. Now that I live in the state of WV it's another story. You can't vote by absentee unless you have a reason. I would love to say that I have voted in every election and am a great citizen even though I have a panic attack every time I try to vote in person. I don't. I vote in presidential elections, but in-between I am not a great voter. My kids are growing up already going with my husband to vote, and love going to the court house to early vote like they did today. I'm hoping that they will grow up without my anxiety associated with voting. I inherited it from my father and having the behavior stop with me would be a  good thing. It's a weird fear, but I hope by sharing it that other people that share my anxiety will feel a little less alone.

So I shared a homemade baking mix last week that can be used for a variety of baked goods. My kids are in love with the baking mix since it can be used for pancakes, scones, biscuits, you name it. Pretty much anything you could use Bisquick for, except that this mix has fresh butter in it. Here is a recipe for Lemon Raisin Scones using Homemade Baking Mix.

Lemon Raisin Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups homemade baking mix
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup chopped raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Combine baking mix, granulated sugar, raisins, and zest.
2. In a separate bowl combine cream and egg.
3. Stir into dry mixture until it comes together.
4. Add more cream if neccessary.
5. Hand pat into a 6 inch round.
6. Cut into 8 wedges.
7. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.
9. Let cool on a wire rack.

Tips: 

• If the mixture doesn't come together well, add more cream. Keep adding cream until a usable dough comes together. 
• Try not to overwork the dough. The less the dough is worked the fluffier your scones will be. 
• If you don't like raisins, Craisins would also work. 

Moist Double Chocolate Muffins

I had a baking fail kind of day today. Everything that I touched seemed to end badly. I tried a new Food Network Magazine for S'more Bread and it was a disaster. It didn't rise, was greasy, and ended up having to be thrown away, which I absolutely hate. I hate wasting food and my time on recipes that don't work. Most recipes I try at least work, they might not be great, but they work. However, then there are days like today where everything I try to make ends in utter disaster. Two separate recipes were complete failures and I felt like throwing in the towel half way through the day. Luckily I was able to bake a loaf of Banana Eggnog Bread that turned out great this afternoon and my stir-fry for dinner was delicious. Hopefully things calm back down tomorrow. Regardless never feel bad when you have recipe failures, they happen to all of us, including me. Just keep trying in the kitchen and in time you will have fewer failures, but don't feel bad about the failures that happen. Oftentimes a magazine or online recipe just isn't great, even if you make it perfectly.

So with that in mind, on to the recipe. I make a lot of muffins (most of which turn out). My kids love them and I love that muffins are easy for little hands to hold and eat. Chocolate is always  favorite in my house and these Moist Double Chocolate Muffins are moist and full of chocolatey goodness.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Moist Double Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1 egg
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients (first 4 ingredients) in a bowl and stir.
2. Combine oil, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and milk in a separate bowl.
3. Stir.
4. Stir dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients.
5. Add 3/4 cup chocolate chips, stir well.
6. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full with batter.
7. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the tops of the unbaked muffins.
8. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
9. Let cool for 10 minutes in pans and they move muffins to a cooling rack.

Tips: 

• Muffin liners can be used instead of greasing the muffin cups. This saves time and if you are making them for a party keeps hands cleaner (plus they look great on display). 
• I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips for baking, but dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips can also be substituted. I have not tried these muffins with peanut butter chips, but I bet the combination would be delicious! 
• I have used both Greek yogurt and regular in these muffins and both types worked. I often bake with Greek yogurt since it's higher in protein and the fat free version works well in baking (I prefer to eat 2 percent if it's not being used in baked goods). 
• I have not made these muffins gluten free, but I have tried similar recipes with success using an all-purpose gluten free baking mix and xanthan gum (1-2 tablespoons). 

Banana Muffins Made with Homemade Baking Mix

The men in my family can't seem to find the clothes basket or the trash can. When I wake up in the morning most of my first hour of the day is spent picking up dirty clothes from the living room and bedroom floors. I have tried training them and it lasts for about a week. Then they are back to leaving things throughout the house. It's almost like they are Hansel and Gretel and need a trail to find their way between the bathroom and their bedrooms. My husband isn't much better than my kids. He normally keeps his clothes in one pile, but he has pairs and pairs of shoes all over the house. Seriously the man changes his shoes 3-4 times a day. I tried charts to modify their behavior and honestly the charts became more of a chore than picking up the mess. Maybe I need to train myself to not pick up after them so they start doing it themselves. Realistically though I can only go a couple of hours before it would start to drive me nuts.

My kids run in the house every afternoon and ask what I made for their after school snack. They are always starving after school and will literally eat everything in the cupboard if I gave them the chance. I try to make foods that are easy to hold such as muffins, crackers, etc so they can do their homework while eating. Having a baking mix made up ahead of time is a nice way to save time, making it so I only have to spend less than a half an hour in the kitchen. This recipe for Banana Muffins is made using a Homemade Baking Mix that can also be used to make scones and biscuits (recipes to come).

Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart Living. 

Homemade Baking Mix

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 sticks frozen unsalted butter, grated
• 6 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Cooking Directions

1. Combine sugar, baking powder, salt, and flour.
2. Stir in butter, making sure there aren't any large clumps.
3. Store in fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups homemade baking mix, room temp
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large egg, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Combine baking mix, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Break up any large butter clumps with your fingers.
3. In another bowl combine milk, eggs, and bananas.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
5. Stir well until completely combined.
6. Divide batter into a greased (or paper lined) 12 muffin cup muffin pan.
7. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way full.
8. Sprinkle each cup with granulated sugar.
9. Bake muffins in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes.
10. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Tips: 

• This is a very versatile baking mix. You can also use it to make scones, biscuits, and pancakes. 
• If you want to add a little chocolate to your banana muffins this recipe would work well with dark chocolate chunks or with a few tablespoons of peanut butter. 

Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

I seem to have an unstable neighbor. She was somewhat normal until she had her kid, now it's a 180 degree turn. Yesterday she felt the need to throw eggs at our 12 year old dog with arthritis. I heard our dog whimpering and found eggs in our backyard. Needless to say I wasn't happy. She has also forgotten to pick up her kid at the bus stop multiple times forcing me to walk him home so he doesn't get hit by a car. I feel bad for her since I think she might have post partum depression that isn't treated. However, I also am beginning to lose my patience with the entire situation. At the bus stop in the morning she allows her kid to stand in the street and push my children, while I calmly try to explain to my own kids that there is a difference between raising your kids to survive to adulthood and raising your kids to be successful members of society. I miss the 80's when I was growing up. If I acted up at the bus stop my mother would have gotten phone calls from all our neighbors and I would have been grounded or had my tv privileges taken away by the time I got home. Apparently modern parenting isn't something that I do so well with.

One thing that I have learned to do well is to make biscuits. Growing up my mother never made biscuits, we ate them at restaurants, but even those were few and far between. When I moved to WV it was a whole different story. There is a whole breakfast chain that just serves biscuits (and a few other items). Over the years I have learned that there is a right and wrong way to treat your biscuit dough. The following is a recipe for Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits.

Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Fluffy Buttermilk Southern Biscuits

Recipe Type: Side

Preparation Time: 0h, 15m

Cooking Time: 0h, 12m

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk

Cooking Directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients.
2. Cutting the butter into small pieces add it to the flour mixture.
3. I use a small knife and cut off chunks above the bowl and then add the chunks using either a fork or your hands.
4. Add buttermilk to the mixture and stir just until the dough comes together, any longer and it will be tough.
5. Pat the dough into a circle approximately a 1/2 inch thick.
6. Using a 2 inch biscuits cutter cut out the biscuits.
7. Make sure not to twist the cutter in order to get the biscuits out, it will lead to tough biscuits.
8. Place the biscuits a couple of inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I seem to be having a string of bad luck. For the last three weeks my family has been fighting hand, foot, and mouth disease. My youngest had it first, then my husband, and today I had to pick up my oldest who seems to have come down with the high fever and sore throat that begins the illness. During these three weeks my father managed to fall and break his hip requiring surgery 2500 miles away. That's a whole other story for another day. To add to it all my oldest was formally diagnosed with ADHD this summer (after three months of appointments) so we have been adjusting our lives to deal with the diagnoses. I'm feeling a little burnout out and as most of you have probably noticed my blog has taken a back seat. I though that once my kids were both in school that I would have more time during the day, that has failed to come to fruition so far. I'm hoping that things will calm down soon and I will be able to go back to blogging more regularly.

When I'm stressed out I bake. I find baking to be almost therapeutic, it helps me to calm down and feel more like myself when life gets crazy. My kids love banana flavored anything so this week I made a new recipe for Banana Crumb Muffins. The recipe is as follows.

Adapted from Taste of Home.

Banana Crumb Muffins

An easy banana muffin recipe with a delicious butter crumb topping. Great way to use over ripened bananas.

Yield: 10 servings

Calories per serving: 243
Fat per serving: 9 grams

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Cooking Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mash bananas either with a fork or a blender/food processor (I prefer this method).
3. Add bananas to sugar, egg, and butter and mix well.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix).
5. Grease a muffin pan.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.
7. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and flour for the topping.
8. Add butter and mix until crumbly.
9. Sprinkle topping mixture over the tops of the muffin batter.
10. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
11. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.

Tips: 

• I have not tried making this muffins gluten free so I can't attest to whether they would turn out or not. 
• The butter may be substituted for canola or vegetable oil. 
• You could also experiment with using Greek yogurt instead of part of the butter to reduce the fat and increase the protein. I do this frequently with muffin recipes and it works well. 

Banana Crumb Muffins

Preparation Time: 0h, 15m

Cooking Time: 0h, 20m

Total Time: 0h, 35m

Banana Pancakes

I am not a kid person. When someone that has a baby assumes that since I have kids I must love all babies, then hands me their tiny infant, I cringe. Don't get me wrong I don't hate kids, I just don't go crazy over every one that I see. I never have. Growing up I never wanted kids, the thought of raising tiny humans was never something that made sense to me. I hated babysitting, it was horrible and babysitting boys was the worst. They destroyed things, they never sat still and honestly I always thought I should be paid more to deal with them. As an adult I still don't enjoy the company of many kids. There are always the exception, but they seem to be few and far between. I seem to be in the minority given the fact that I love my two boys, I don't want to try for a girl, and while your kid might be cute I don't feel a biological attachment to them. Maybe growing up in the late 80's/early 90's has just left my generation a little more jaded, for better or for worse I am the way that I am.

One thing that always makes me happy is pancakes. I love pancakes, I could eat them three times a day (if it wasn't nutritionally a horrible idea). My kids are pretty much the same way, but they love waffles and pancakes about equally. Since my household is also banana obsessed I make a lot of banana pancakes. The following is a recipe for banana pancakes (they freeze very well!).

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Preparation Time: 0h, 5m

Cooking Time: 0h, 10m

Total Time: 0h, 15m

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Cooking Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Sift dry ingredients through a flour sifter (this step isn't necessary, but it really does make for fluffier pancakes).
3. Mash bananas either by using a potato masher, food processor, or blender. Using the blender or food processor makes for a better consistency throughout the pancakes and reduces the possibility of part of the pancakes staying uncooked.
4. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, butter and bananas.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
6. Don't overmix, the batter will be a little lumpy.
7. Heat either a frying pan on medium heat or a griddle with melted butter or oil.
8. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancakes onto the griddle.
9. Cook until middle is set and pancake is browned on each side.

Tips: 

• The melted butter can be substituted for canola or vegetable oil or if you are watching your fats applesauce. 
• I have made this with 1 percent and non-fat milk and either one works fine. Whole or 2% would also work, I have not made it with almond or other non-dairy milks. 
• The sugar could be substituted for honey, agave, or the sweetener you prefer. 
• I have made this gluten free before by making my own oat flour. Making oat flour is very easy, just place whole oats in a food processor and process until finely ground. Homemade oat flour is a great homemade gluten free flour (make sure the oats you are using are gluten free and there are some people with gluten issues that have sensitivities to oats, so be careful if you just found out you have celiac disease etc.). 

That's it! The pancakes in the photo I added dark chocolate chips and melted peanut butter. Just place peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and it pours easily over pancakes (and it's great with ice cream and other desserts too-yummy!). 

Bread Machine Homemade Bagels

I am a dog person. However, my husband and oldest son love cats.....so we have three of them. The cats and I get along, somewhat. I am the one that cleans their boxes and spends most of the day with them. Yesterday our oldest male cat pushed me when I was trying to figure out what a smell was around his food dish. Not just a little tap either, he was seriously trying to push me over. I think the cat is a little too smart. Whenever he is mad at me he does sneaky little things to annoy me. He knows exactly what buttons to push. Then when my husband comes home he acts all sweet and nice. It's a cat conspiracy. I prefer our dogs. If one of them annoys me, I put them outside or in their crates. Easy enough. If one of the cats gets upset my furniture or rugs suffer. So I definitely prefer my dogs, cats are a little too much like angry sneaky humans.

I have one more week of my two boys being home for summer break. Trust me I am literally counting down the days until school starts next Wednesday. Since I have two growing boys home everyday I have been making a lot of bread and baked goods. We can go through  whole loaf of bread in a couple of hours (no joke). This week I tried a new recipe for Homemade Bagels from Allrecipes.com.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Homemade Bagels

An easy bagel recipe that can be made with a bread maker, mixer, or by hand. Freeze well so they can be made in big batches.

Bread Machine Homemade Bagels

Recipe Type: Bread

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Cooking Time: 0h, 20m

Total Time: 3h, 20m

Yield: 12 bagels

Calories per serving: 196
Fat per serving: 2.8g

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 4 quarts water

Cooking Directions:

1. Add the first 6 ingredients to your bread maker in the order recommended by your bread machine (for mine I add wet ingredients, flour, and then yeast).
2. If you have a bagel cycle select it, if not select the regular dough cycle (on my machine the only difference is that the bagel cycle has a longer rise cycle - 1 1/2 hours).
3. Check the dough while the cycle is kneading, oftentimes more water or flour need to be added. The dough will come into a nice ball and stretch when it has adequate amounts of both.
4. Alternatively if you don't have a bread maker this recipe works by hand or in a mixer.
5. Add all ingredients to you mixer (or a bowl if making by hand) and knead 8-10 minutes.
6. Oil a bowl (I prefer glass since it doesn't get cold like metal) and place dough into a ball.
7. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 2 hours (skip this step if you are using a bread maker since the bread machine does it for you).
8. Take the bread dough out of the bread machine and punch it down.
9. Divide into 10-12 pieces (you can make your pieces bigger or smaller depending on the size of the bagel you prefer).
10. Roll each piece into a ball.
11. Place your thumb through the middle of the ball, making a hole, and pull out to make a round doughnut shape (use your other 4 fingers and other hand to help with the pulling).
12. Alternatively you can roll each piece into a 6 inch rope and then join the ends (I prefer the first method since my ends never seem to stay together).
13. Cover the bagels and let them rest for 15 minutes.
14. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
15. Bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil.
16. Drop the bagels in the water and allow to boil 30 seconds on each side.
17. Move the bagels to the baking sheet.
18. If you want to add toppings do so now (poppy seeds, sesame seeds etc.).
19. You can also add an egg wash in this step: 1 tablespoon of water and one egg white. Combine and then brush on top of bagels. Then add toppings. 
20. Bake bagels for 20 -25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Notes: 

• The amount of flour and water can vary greatly depending on how liberal you are with measuring the dry ingredients and how accurate your liquid measuring cups are. I always check my dough during the kneading cycle and add more water/flour in order to achieve a dough that stretches and doesn't break with pulled gently. 
• Play around with the toppings, I have tried everything from bacon to chopped nuts and they all are delicious. The toppings are where you can really make the bagels something special. 
• These freeze very well. Just slice each bagel in half, place halved bagels in a freezer bag, and store for up to 3 months. They are great for weekday breakfasts since they can be placed in a toaster straight from the freezer. 

That's it. I love making homemade bagels. They are much cheaper than the store version and are delicious topped with cream cheese, butter, or jam. 

Whole Wheat Beer Biscuits

In a week and a half both of my kids will be in school. My youngest is super excited about starting kindergarten and has been talking about it non-stop for pretty much the last two months. I'm excited, but also nervous. I have stayed home with my kids for 8 years and for the first two years after graduate school I looked for work and found nothing. So basically for the last 10 years I have stayed at home. I'm more than a little nervous about both of my kids being in school. Originally I had planned on going back to work when my youngest started kindergarten. However, my area has absolutely no jobs besides fast food and Wal-mart, and when I factor in the additional amount my student loans would go up and child care I probably would probably only break even. So for now I will be staying at home. It will be a time of transition for both my youngest and I and I'm hoping that the next couple of weeks bring lots of positive changes for my whole family.

My family loves biscuits. They are one of their favorite breakfast foods and my youngest will eat two at a time if I let him. I try to add whole wheat flour into my family's diet whenever I can and this morning I made Whole Wheat Beer Biscuits.

Adapted from The Sunset Cookbook.

Whole Wheat Beer Biscuits

Whole Wheat Beer Biscuits

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Summary:

An easy biscuit recipe using beer and whole wheat flour.

Preparation Time: 0h, 5m

Cooking Time: 0h, 20m

Total Time: 0h, 25m

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup beer

Cooking Directions

1. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. With your fingers or a pastry blender cut in the butter.
3. Beat egg and then add to flour mixture.
4. Add beer and mix just until dough comes together.
5. Pat dough into a 1-inch thickness.
6. With a 2-inch biscuit cutter cut out biscuits.
7. Place on a greased or parchment papered baking sheet.
8. Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Notes: 

• If your family isn't a fan of whole wheat flour this recipe would also work with white whole wheat flour. It's an easier transition to whole wheat for kids and has a rise similar to regular all-purpose flour. 
• Make sure to not overwork your dough. The difference between great biscuits and mediocre is all in the amount of kneading. Biscuit dough needs a light touch. Never use a rolling pin, hand pat the dough out, and only mix the ingredients until they just come together. Anything more and your biscuits will be tough and won't rise. 
• I have also tried this recipe with only 1/2 cup of butter and had similar results. I try to cut down the amount of butter my family consumes when possible and while the biscuits weren't as rich, my husband and kids didn't notice the reduction in butter once the biscuits had jam and/or butter on them. 

That's it! They have a beautiful rise in the oven and are great either with butter or jam. Any type of beer would work, I used a wheat beer that I already had in the fridge. Have a great week everyone. 

Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins

I hate to eat at restaurants. A food blogger that hates restaurant foods sounds strange, but it's very true. I can list the number of restaurants I have ever thought wow this is great on one hand. Five fingers, that's it. Half of the list has been in other countries, whether for the company, the food or both, I'll never be a hundred percent sure, but they still make my top five. I have a much, much longer list of restaurants I have really disliked. The same restaurants that people have told me are so great, you must try them. I have and they weren't that great. So much of food has to do with the experience, not just the food on the plate. It's hard for one person to have the same feelings for a restaurant as another. Some of my favorite memories are associated with the Thai restaurant growing-up that was near our house. While the food was decent, the memories of eating with my mother makes me remember the restaurant as great.

My kids are eating me out of house and home recently. I haven't had as much time online, but I have still been cooking and baking up a storm. Last week I tried a new recipe for Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins from the April 2014 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 35 minutes of which is active. I made two versions of the original recipe, one gluten free and one as written. For the gluten free recipe I used a homemade rice flour blend. For the wheat flour muffins I used all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. I found that both sets of muffins worked better cooked at 350 for 25 minutes instead of the 400 degrees for 15 minutes suggested by the recipe. I hate cleaning muffin pans so I used muffin liners on both batches. The clean up is much easier and that way my kids can just grab an individual muffin off the counter.

Both types of these muffins turned out well. They were best re-heated with butter or marmalade if you ate them after the first day. Fresh out of the oven the gluten free muffins were perfect and had a great light taste. As with most gluten free baked goods if eaten after the first day they needed to be warmed in the microwave for approximately 15 seconds. My kids really liked the regular muffins and thought they were best with jam and butter.

For the recipe go to Toasty Whole Grain Orange Muffins. 

Savory Smoked Salmon and Potato Chip Brunch Muffins

I love breakfast foods. There is something comforting and great about a giant stack of pancakes, whether they are eaten at 6 in the morning or 6 at night. Breakfast also always reminds me of my mother. Growing up weekday mornings where always rushed, but weekend breakfast were perfect. My mother would cook, we would talk and everything seemed right in the world regardless of what was going on outside of our family unit. Now as an adult I try to carry on this tradition with my own family. One of my family's favorite breakfast foods is smoked salmon, they love it with eggs, omelets, you name it. Today I tried a new recipe for Savory Smoked Salmon and Potato Chip Brunch Muffins from the April 2014 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes, 25 minutes of which is active, and makes 12 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. Since I was making this for my family and not myself I used regular all-purpose flour. I chose to use parchment to line the muffins as suggested by the magazine and I found that my muffins took 25 minutes at 350. I turned down the heat to make sure they browned without overcooking.

Since I couldn't eat this recipe I called in my guinea pigs/family for their opinions. My husband really loved these muffins. He said that the taste of the dill and salmon worked well together and they were a nice size to grab out of the fridge for a snack. My oldest son is a huge smoked salmon fan and was very pleased with these muffins as an after school snack. I am a fan of any recipe that uses a muffin pan, I love my muffin pan. Baking and cooking in a muffin pan is a great way to have portion control and makes for easy snacks for kids to be able to grab without help.

For the recipe go to Savory Smoked Salmon and Potato Chip Brunch Muffins.

Homemade French Toast

There are certain behaviors and topics that get me overly excited or irritated. Respect or lack there of is a big one with me. Normally I can ignore most things, but last weekend my family and I went shopping in the capital city of our state. I don't know if everyone in the particular store had woken up on the wrong side of the bed or what, but everyone was rude. One women went so far as to push me in the checkout line and then rudely tell my oldest son 'excuse me'. This is a store which is a national chain and we shop at the location near our house frequently. At the location near us people are always friendly, but not this location. And I'm sorry to say it hasn't been just one time, it's every single time we shop at this location. I think people in this store location have had a little too much caffeine or lack thereof. It's funny how geography can make personalities completely different. By the time I leave the store I seem to be far less friendly and a lot more angry.

When I get stressed, or angry, or just because, I tend to make breakfast foods. I love breakfast foods, there is something so comforting about eating a big plate of waffles or pancakes. Last week I tried a new recipe for French Toast from the Food Network.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I only changed a few details from the original recipe. First, I used homemade challah bread (leftover from my giveaway). Second, I served the French toast with butter, not maple syrup. My youngest refuses to eat maple syrup, so I used butter and powdered sugar instead. Finally, I increase the amount of vanilla to a teaspoon and added a slight bit more of nutmeg.

This French toast turned out really well. It browned beautifully on the griddle and my youngest loved it so much that he ate 4 pieces as soon as it was done. I froze the leftovers and they re-heated well in the microwave (or you can use a toaster oven) for a quick weekday breakfast. This recipe would also work well for a brunch party or a holiday since it looks so nice on the plate and you could make big batches at once and keep them warm in the oven.

For the recipe go to French Toast.

Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Television seemed more exciting to me when I was younger. The same goes for movies, I used to love going to see new movies every Friday evening in my twenties. I would get addicted to television shows and be excited for the next weeks episode. Now in my middle thirties television and movies just don't seem to hold the same appeal. A big part of the change might have to do with the Internet and the way that I watch movies and television. My family dropped cable years ago, we now rely on Netflix and Hulu. It's cheaper and we don't miss having all pointless channels that have nothing to watch on them. However, I also seem to not enjoy television the way that I used to. I get bored halfway through a lot of episodes and more than a couple of seasons of any show is just a little too much. There are exceptions, there are some shows that I have watched for years, but they are the exception not the norm. Maybe my expectations for television and movies have gotten higher the older I get. I have far less time to waste hours watching a movie that I hate. Maybe I just haven't watched anything great lately. Whatever the reason I have preferred books to television and movies for years and the trend seems to get only stronger the older I get. Hopefully I'm not alone.

Last week I was having a strong craving for pancakes. Gluten free pancakes can be very hit or miss, some are great, others barely edible. I decided to try a new recipe for Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes in order to utilize the large amount of oat flour I had in my cupboard.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 pancakes. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First I had a large container of coconut oil so I used it in the recipe. I warmed it in the microwave and I had no problems with it re-solidifying (like the recipe mentioned). I also cheated and didn't let the batter sit for 10 minutes. It was breakfast and I was hungry and I just wanted to eat. Not letting the batter sit didn't seem to change the outcome of the  pancakes. They were still fluffy without the wait time. Finally, I doubled the recipe and made my pancakes a little bigger than the recipe suggested so I ended up with 12 pancakes total.

These pancakes turned out very well. I topped the servings with melted peanut butter (which is delicious on pancakes and waffles - just heat peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and it pours like syrup). The pancakes had a great banana taste and rose well on the griddle. They were delicious with peanut butter, but would also be great with butter or syrup. The only change I would make would be to add a small amount of vanilla extract the next time.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.