banana bread muffins. number two.

if you liked my other banana bread muffins...i promise you will LOVE these, too! i didn't think i would find a recipe for banana bread that i would love as much as the one i posted here. 

i was wrong.

these are great. they are a little sweeter than any other banana bread i have had. that's not a bad thing. 

they are also a little lighter in color. and kind of crunchy on top. fantastic. 

i had buttermilk left over from the muffins i made these weekend and i knew i had a couple recipes in my stash that i wanted to try that called for buttermilk. i also have bananas left over as well. so this was the perfect recipe for me. 

i think matt ate six of them when he got home from work. and there were even pretzel m&m's in the house, if that tells you anything. he swears these are his favorite muffins now. we'll see. 

p.s. the woman, aunt marilyn, who is credited for this recipe is amazing. i don't know her but i love her. 

every.recipe.i.have.made.of.hers.is.awesome. 

banana bread + printable version 

-- recipe from mel's kitchen cafe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup mashed bananas

4 tablespoons buttermilk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash baking soda

in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. in another bowl, mix dry ingredients. add dry ingredients to banana mixture. mix well. divide batter into greased floured bread pan or prepared muffins tins. bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes for loaf or 20-25 minutes for muffins.   

**i made these without using liners and they were kind of a pain to get out even though i sprayed the pan...next time i will just use liners.

lemon sugar crusted blueberry muffins.

it is no secret that i love to bake. when i am stressed, it calms me down. when i am sad, it cheers me up. and when i am in a good mood, it makes an even better one. i also love to bake for other people.i am fascinated by the idea that food can bring such warmth and love to relationships. i know it sounds dorky but i really feel like i can show my love to others with my baking.

sorry to ramble on here but honestly, if i could bake for a living, i would totally do it. except for the fact that i really, really want to be a teacher. anyway, sometimes i like to fantasize that i have my own bakery, especially after seeing shows like DC cupcakes and cupcake girls but i also realize how much hard work and dedication it would take and decide i am perfectly content with it being a dream. 

a couple months ago, when i started this blog, i thought to myself that i would really love to bake as a side job. just for fun, for others. and i am happy to say for the first time in my life, i can actually say that i was paid to bake! 

so matt's mom, donna sells mary kay makeup. she called me this week to ask if i would bake some muffins for her muffins and makeover party. of course, i said i would. so i decided to bake up the banana bread muffins i posted here and i also made some blueberry ones i found over at mel's kitchen cafe. 

i feel a little silly for being excited about this but i am...oh well!

lemon sugar crusted blueberry muffins + printable version
--recipe found at mel's kitchen cafe

lemon-sugar topping:

1/3 cup sugar

zest from one lemon

stir lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. set aside for later. 

muffins:

2 cups frozen blueberries (or 2 cups fresh)

1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preheat oven to 375 degrees. spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners. rinse one cup berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry. bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. the batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour. don't over mix.

fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. using a skewer or a toothpick, gently swirl the berry filling into the batter. sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.

bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool. 

cinnamon roll sugar cookies.

cinnamon roll sugar cookies, um...yes please?!

i love, love, love cinnamon rolls. they are definitely one of my favorite things to eat. but to be completely honest, i don't really love making cinnamon rolls. i hate waiting for the dough to rise and then rise again. usually when i want something sweet...i want it right now...not two hours from now.

so when i saw this recipe on the picky palate i thought the idea was fabulous. and don't get me wrong, IT IS. it just isn't as easy as i originally thought it would be. however, they are still delicious and totally worth making.

i decided to make these for cookie club this time and i thought i would cheat a little bit by using pre-made sugar cookie dough. um...yeah, that didn't work out so much. i'm not sure if i could have fixed the issue but the cookie dough seemed to "dry" to roll and kept cracking so i could never get it to roll up into the cinnamon roll log. luckily, i had all the ingredients for the sugar cookie dough recipe posted on the original recipe so i scraped my first attempt and moved onto the next. the dough is great...soft and fluffy BUT you have to let it chill for at least two hours...SO you might as well be making actual CINNAMON ROLLS. so, like i said earlier...these are worth making if you have the patience and the time...

cinnamon roll sugar cookies + printable version

--recipe found on picky palate 

sugar cookie dough**: 
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

cinnamon roll filling: 
12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

in a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

in two batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches.

spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape.  using a sharp knife (or dental floss), cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. remove and let cool for five minutes before removing from baking sheet.


cream cheese frosting:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin

beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency.  frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  

**according to jenny over at the picky palate...these are 100% times better after they have chilled in the fridge for at least thirty minutes...i honestly enjoyed them fresh out of the oven and chilled...so just do whatever you want!

**makes at least six dozen - so i made the entire sugar cookie dough recipe (it makes a ton) and after i divided it into two batches to chill, i only used one half for my cinnamon roll sugar cookies. i divided it into thirds, like the recipe says and ended up with three dozen cookies. for the filling that means i used half of what the recipe states...and for the frosting i ended up using a half batch of the cream cheese frosting i posted here.

creamy scrambled eggs & ham.

so i am pretty sure that in another life i was the daughter of paula deen. i had to be, right? or maybe i'm just hoping i was so that i can explain why i worship at the house of butter. 

seriously.

if you haven't noticed, i am not exactly the health nut type. i prefer to go the full fat food route. if a recipe calls for butter, bacon, cream, or sugar, count me in! i'd be in heaven, for sure, if it called for all four. 

so now that i got that off my chest, it only makes sense as to why i had to make this recipe.

eggs + cream + butter + ham + cream cheese = perfection. 

honestly, i get it. i know what you are thinking. isn't it just a little overboard to use cream AND cream cheese for eggs but PLEASE try it. you can thank me later.

plus, it's not like you are going to eat these every day, right? 


creamy scrambled eggs & ham + printable version
--recipe found at real mom kitchen

8 eggs
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup cubed fully cooked ham -- i just used chopped up deli ham and i have no idea how much i put in...i just tossed in whatever i felt like...
1 green onion, chopped -- i didn't use these b/c i don't really like them
dash salt
dash pepper
4 teaspoons butter
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed -- make sure to cut them pretty small...it will help them melt better, unless you like your cream cheese in chunks...more power to ya.

whisk eggs and cream in a large bowl; stir in the ham, onion, salt and pepper.

heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet or pot. 

add egg mixture; cook and stir until almost set.

stir in cream cheese. cook and stir until completely set.

oh and if you have leftovers -- they are awesome reheated, that is if you can get someone to share!  
  

french toast.

i love this french toast. usually i don't use a recipe for something simple like french toast or eggs. and if i don't use a recipe, i always forget to write down what/how much i used. i'm my mother's daughter. i also love cookbooks but i don't always use them as much as i probably should. so one day i decided to use the leftover bread from the week to make french toast and i decided to even use a recipe from one of my cookbooks. and i am so glad i did. this is now my go-to recipe for french toast. it's perfect every time. 

and i know this isn't really a baking recipe. i have a bunch of recipes i want to share but they aren't just sweets so i'm not sure if i should or not. 

french toast + printable version 
-- recipe from the better homes & gardens new cookbook


4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons orange liqueur, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) challah, brioche or dry white bread 
2 tablespoons butter
maple syrup, optional 

in a shallow mixing bowl, beat eggs together with milk, sugar, and vanilla. if using optional ingredients, add now.**i always use cinnamon and nutmeg but i haven't tried it with the orange liqueur yet. it is not an ingredient i always have on hand...and i can't really justify buying it just for this recipe. if you do try it...let me know how it is! 


in a skillet or on a griddle melt 1 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat. dip bread slices into egg mixture on both sides. shake off any excess. add as many slices as your skillet will hold (i can only do two or three, if i am lucky). cook for 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your bread, or until golden brown. repeat with remaining butter and bread slices. if desired, serve with syrup. 

**i always halve the recipe because it is just the two of us...but because matt likes everything a little sweeter, i still use 2 Tablespoons of sugar. it is sweet enough for him to not use syrup.