Cinnamon Buns with Vanilla Icing

This recipe comes from Michael Smith of 'Chef at Home' on the FoodNetwork. I really like how simple it was, considering they look like they came from a gourmet bakery. You won't be able to stop at one!
One note I would make is that the filling was not quite enough for me. I would like more cinnamon goo in the middle. So the only thing I would change is to make 1.5x the filling.
Also, if you have traditional yeast and not instant, warm 1/3c. of the milk seperately and sprinkle the yeast on top with 1t. sugar. Use the remaining 2/3c. milk to make the milk mixture.
Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls
Michael Smith - Chef At Home

Dough

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 package instant yeast - 2 1/4t.
  
• 4 eggs

Filling

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Glaze

• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a small pot gently warm the milk along with 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, the vanilla and the salt. Don't bring to a simmer, warm just enough to melt the butter. Meanwhile measure half the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the yeast. Add the warm melted milk butter mixture to the flour, beat with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth before proceeding. Switch to a dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead until a soft dough forms that is no longer sticky to the touch, about five minutes. Rest the dough in a warm place, covered in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles in size, about one to two hours.
2. Knock the dough down and let rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile thoroughly mix together the room temperature butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon. Flour your work surface, the dough, your hands and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle shape, about 18x12-inches. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the top of the dough leaving an inch or two uncovered along one long edge. This will help a seal form. Roll tightly into a long cigar shape from the covered long edge to the uncovered long edge.
   
3. Slice the dough log into 12 or 16 sections (I ended up with 16 - 1" sections). Turn each on its side and position evenly in an appropriately sized lightly oiled baking pan. Rest, uncovered, until the dough doubles in size again and the rolls swell into each other.
4. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350. When the dough is ready, bake for 40 to 45 minutes (they took me 30min.).
5. When the cinnamon rolls have cooled enough to handle stir together the glaze ingredients and drizzle all over them.
   

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Ok so this is not a whole wheat recipe and I didn't try to make it one. It sounded too delicious on its own and there was oat bran in the recipe so it is a little bit healthy. This gem is out of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry because this book just can't steer me wrong. I love everything I have tried!

As with the banana bread, carefully folding in the dry ingredients and not overmixing is the key. The bread was moist and lemony and didn't need a glaze at all which surprised me because I find most lemon breads do. It made a sticky glazed top all on its own. I almost sliced the top off the loaf and just ate that.

Enjoy!

Poppy Love
Eat Shrink and Be Merry

1 1/4c. flour
3/4c. sugar
1/2c. oat bran
1T. poppy seeds - I added 2T.
2t. baking powder
1/2t. salt
1c. milk
1/4c. melted butter or oil - I used oil
1 egg
2T. fresh lemon juice
2t. grated lemon zest - it was the zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x4" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, oat bran, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes (mine took the full 45) or until loaf is light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean.

Banana Bread

Not much to say. This one was super easy and delicious. You must fold in the dry ingredients and don't overmix or it will be tough and won't rise. I used whole wheat flour and skipped the pecans but will definitely add them next time.
Enjoy!

Sweet Home Alabanana
Eat, Shrink & Be Merry

1 3/4c. flour - I used whole wheat
1/2c. oatbran
2t. baking powder
1t. baking soda
1t. cinnamon
1/2t. salt
2 eggs
1/2c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2c. mashed bananas - I used 3 large
3/4c. buttermilk
2T. vegetable oil
2t. vanilla
1/2c. chopped pecans
1/3c. mini choc. chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 8x4" loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, oatbran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and brown sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer for two minutes. Add bananas, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat again until well blended.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not use an electric mixer for this step. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. Do not overmix batter.

Divide batter evenly among the loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 35 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8 slices per loaf - 173 calories each

Whole Wheat Waffles

My aunt has always made delicious healthy food so it was really no surprise that her waffles are my go-to breakfast choice. They are golden and fluffy and freeze so well. If you are in a hurry, whisk in the eggs whole. If you have the time, beat the egg whites separately. It does make a difference in the texture.
Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Waffles
My Aunts Recipe
2c. whole wheat flour
1/3c. wheat germ - I added this, optional
1/3c. brown sugar
1 1/2t. baking powder
1t. baking soda
1/2t. cinnamon
2c. buttermilk
1/3c. butter, melted
1t. vanilla
4 eggs, separated

Beat the egg whites on high speed until fluffy.
Mix the dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir. Fold in the eggwhites carefully.
Spoon 1/4c. batter onto each square of the wafflemaker and bake 3 minutes.
Serve hot or cool completely and freeze for up to one month.

Cornmeal Whole Wheat Waffles

This recipe has been retooled from it's original form as I found it on the internet. I reduced the sugar, used whole wheat flour and used cracked cornmeal from Bob's Red Mill. The lemon zest could easily be omitted but I can't believe how fresh it made them taste! We ate them with butter and maple syrup but a compote of blueberries, cinnamon and nutmeg is in the fridge ready to be used this week for quick breakfasts. Two dozen golden delicious waffles are in my freezer. Well worth the work.
Enjoy!

Cornmeal Whole Wheat Waffles

1 1/2c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2c. cornmeal
5 t. baking powder - yes this is correct, you need this much to give them the fluffy texture
2c. buttermilk
4 eggs
4 T. brown sugar
1/4c. melted butter
zest of one lemon

Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, brown sugar, butter and lemon zest. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Fold in the wet ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes while the waffle iron heats up. The more the batter rises, the fluffier the final waffles will be. Cook for 3 min or until golden brown.
Makes 12

Dozens of Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries do eventually go a little squidgy - yes, that is a word - and, while I can drown out the ripened texture with yogurt for breakfast, you must admit when a fruit is going bad and bake something with it. Unfortunately, I only had 1 cup of fresh blueberries so I had to add some wild frozen ones but that only made the batter slightly blue and had no bad effects.

These muffins are more like a spice cake, think coffeecake maybe. But they were absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe to ensure there were enough for Josh's entire office and by noon 2 dozen had been consumed. I count that as a success.

My alterations were slight. I had less than a cup of buttermilk so I substituted heavy cream for the rest. Calories, calories. I think milk in general will work because the real point of the buttermilk is to add liquid to the dense batter. If I had milk in my house I would have tried it for sure. I also used a cup of whole wheat flour, you know to offset the cream effects. I don't think using all whole wheat flour will work because it is so dense and you might end up with bricks but the half and half method worked really well and added a nutty undertone.

All in all a successful night in the kitchen. I am very pleased. By the way, Josh took the pic in his office, note the floppy discs in the background.
Ciao!

Blueberry Cinnamon Muffins
Yields 18 muffins
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh wild blueberries or frozen wild berries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners.
In large bowl or electric mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat in vanilla.
In separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add flour mixture to batter in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake in centre of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched and a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Do Not Open The Oven Door

Josh has been making shakes for breakfast at work. Maybe not a well rounded meal, but liquid breakfast is better than none at all. Trouble is we have issues with deciding how many bananas one person can consume in three shakes a week. Obviously eight is too many. Suffice it to say, I have so many bananas in my freezer that I am consumed with finding new recipes to use them in.
This muffin recipe was highly rated on Allrecipes and I can never turn away from a popular recipe. I didn't eat one but the guys devoured them and that is usually a good sign. I also used mini chocolate chips which I think are better in muffins, they don't overwhelm the same as the big ones.
As for this posts title, and you will notice in the picture, I opened the oven door one too many times and they sunk in the middle. It makes them look terrible but didn't hurt the flavor. I think my oven needs to be tested, the temperature is constantly off by five or ten minutes of bake time, hence the opening of the oven door.
Ciao!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.
Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Banff

I know I promised to make granola, cookies and a cake this weekend but only the granola ended up happening. Not because I am lazy in any way. The grocery shopping was done, the kitchen clean and I was just about to start when Josh surprised me with the news that we were headed to Banff for the weekend.

What a great time we had! I have never stayed in a hotel like the Rimrock before so I felt very rich and pampered. We ate amazing food, sat in a beautiful lounge to watch the Flames game and then came home rested and refreshed for the work week.

I did attempt the granola later on Sunday evening and I would like to show you the finished product but I burnt it. Yes, my gorgeous honey and cinnamon granola shrivelled up and smoked after only 20 minutes. I am still getting used to a brand new stove and I never know what temperature to make my usually tried and true recipes. I really did try to salvage it but the cranberries were black and the whole thing made our yogurt taste burnt as well so I wasted yogurt, I wasted granola, got very angry and gave up on the whole thing. Tonight I am going to try again, underbaking this time, because I really don't think I like crunchy granola. As for the recipe, I use whatever nuts and dried fruit I have on hand. Just make sure the total amount of ingredients is the same or you will end up with an oily sticky mess.

Ciao!

Granola

Letters, Gourmet, November 2006. Adapted from Calle Ocho, New York city

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I use a thick cut oat like Bob's Red Mill)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup sliced almonds (1 oz)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (I used sunflower seeds)

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup mild honey

Pinch cinnamonPinch salt

1 cup tart dried cherries

½ cup dried blueberries

½ cup dried pears (¼ inch dice)

½ cup diced dried apricots (¼ inch dice)

1/3 cup golden raisins

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Spread mixture evenly on a large (17-by 12-inch) shallow baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 minutes.