Apple Streusel Muffins

I just used a basic muffin recipe, this one is from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook which I love and have made many many recipes from.

2 cups of flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

Mix together well

Add ( you want to just add these in gently you do NOT want to super mix this.. you want it lumpy not smooth )

1 slightly beaten egg

1cup of milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Topping ( I am guessing here on the measurements, I just sort of melt some butter and then mix in a bit more sugar than flour to get a crumbly texture I can sprinkle on the cupcakes )

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor

These are super easy and taste great.. you can add just about anything to them. I love them plain like this with a streusel topping and decided this time to use up a couple of apples I had laying around too soft to eat. I peeled and chopped them up and I was going to add them to the batter like I have done before ( blue berries are awesome in these too ) but decided to go for the surprise factor. I scooped some batter into the muffin tin and then added the apples, sprinkled with a little of the streusel, layered with more batter then covered with the streusel and baked.

( about 350 for about 20 minutes )

~Michelle

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Great way to use up left over mashed potatoes.

1 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 cup flour.. sometimes a bit more.. depends on your potatoes.. you dont want them too sticky.

1 egg

salt

pepper

garlic (I love lots of this.. some people do not want any)

Mix it all together and scoop big tablespoons into a hot frying pan with butter in it (or a healthier cooking spray if you wanted) be sure to pat them down flat. Cook on each side until brown and then serve. I love mine with butter and syrup.

Cinnamon Rolls

I have had this recipe for a long long time..it is now written on a piece of paper that is almost unreadable.... I think it may have come from a church recipe book that I picked up at a garage sale... I tend to grab those a lot as they are only about a quarter and most of them are full of easy, real, good recipes.

This recipe is super easy... almost mess free.. and really good.

Mix in a bowl ( make it a big bowl )

2 cups warm water
2 packages of yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shorting ( I melted some butter)
1 egg

when that is all mixed... add in 6 cups of flour.. and mix it up really good. You do not want it to be too "wet" looking.. but you also do not want to add too much flour.

One thing I do that keeps down on the mess.. is I knead my bread/rolls.. right in the bowl.... growing up we did it on the counter.. but it always ended up with flour everywhere.... so i use a big bowl and knead it in the bowl.....Knead the bread dough until everything is well mixed in and the dough is not sticky any longer... you may need to add a little more flour. I try to keep it under 7 cups total for this recipe.

Now I throw a towel over the bowl and let it rise until it doubles... punch it down....break into two balls...... and roll it out (have not figured out how to do this in the bowl yet ) I use a big plastic rolling sheet for this. when it is all rolled out... I then paint it with butter... then sprinkle it with brown sugar and cinnamon... roll them up... cut them and put them in the pan... you can make both halves into cinnamon rolls or the other half makes a nice loaf of bread.. or rolls to go with dinner. Let them rise again.. and then bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes... when they come out you can brush a little butter on the top and sprinkle sugar on them... you can also make some frosting for them.... I suggest doing it quick... mine always seem to get eaten before I get anything on them :)

Peach Cobbler

My oldest son moved out last week.. and he had been hinting a few weeks ago about how long it has been since I had made any peach cobbler.... so today when he showed up to pick up a few things he had forgotten... I had a pan cooling on the stove for him.... He was so excited and I got the biggest hug :)

First I layer the peaches.. or any fruit... in the bottom of an 8x8 baking pan

8x8... lol yeah right... we always double it and make a 9x13...at least

Then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on... how much depends on the fruit and how sweet you want it.

Set that aside and mix up the topping.

This part is from the Fannie Farmer cookbook that I grew up cooking from and love more than anything.

Cottage pudding for an 8x8 pan

1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

mix that together well then mix in
1/4 pound of very soft butter.

mix until it is crumbly looking.. then form a bowl in the mixture.. into the bowl put
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
mix those two things together until the egg is well beaten then mix into the dough

drop by big spoon fulls onto the fruit... does not need to be even or "nice looking"


bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until the top is just starting to brown and the tooth pick poked in the middle comes out clean.

after it has baked and cooled slightly.... be warned.. the fruit will be hotter than the cake.... you can cut or scoop some out.. flip it over so the fruit is on top.. and enjoy it as is.. or with a little cream.

I love this recipe because of all the things you can do with it.. you can make just the cottage pudding cake.. eat it by itself.. or you can use ANY kind of fruit... and you can use it with a LOT of fruit... a little fruit... mixed fruit... it is so good! I also love it because I grew up with mom making it.. and then her teaching me to make it and I made it for my kids and taught them how to make it... lots of memories when I make this cake and when we eat it. My kids have always called it Berry Cake!