012: blueberry lemon bread with glaze

here's another bread recipe that was just a fun mix of flavors. yum! prep time was about half an hour and bake time is an hour.




equipment:
medium and large mixing bowl
standing mixer (though you can probably use a hand mixer or do it by hand)
measuring cups and spoons
cheese grater


ingredients:
3/4 c. softened butter (or margarine)
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. lemon juice (i found that it is better to actually squeeze the lemon for at least half of the juice rather than something like realemon for the whole thing. i don't know why this makes a difference, but for some reason it seemed to...)
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 and 1/2 c. dried blueberries (you can probably use frozen as well, but be sure that they are frozen when you fold them into the dough--don't let them thaw!)


steps:
1.) preheat the oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a standing mixer until it is fluffy.

2.) add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each one.

3.) add lemon juice, sour cream, zest, and vanilla until blended.

4.) in a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. add this to the wet ingredients a bit at a time until just mixed. fold in blueberries.

5.) put in greased loaf pan(s) and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.


glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T. lemon juice


mix together these two until it has the consistency of melted wax. poke holes in the top of the bread, and when loaf(ves) is/are cool, spoon the glaze over the top.


time: 30 mins prep time, 60 mins bake time
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 stars out of 5)


enjoy!
-kl

009: cranberry apple oatmeal cookies

how about something sweet? mmm cookies!! and all things considered, they are not terrible for you. prep time is about half an hour, and bake time is 10-12 minutes each sheet. yield is 30-36 cookies.




equipment:
medium and large mixing bowls
measuring cups and spoons
cookie sheets


ingredients:
1 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. applesauce (i used chunky applesauce with cinnamon in it)
2 T. canola oil
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 and 1/3 c. dried oats (dry oatmeal)
3/4 c. dried cranberries (craisins)


steps:
1.) heat oven to 350 degrees. in medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

2.) in large bowl, mix applesauce, oil, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. add flour mixture to this and mix well.

3.) fold in oats and craisins until well blended.

4.) drop dough onto greased cookie sheets in teaspoon sized quantities. place them 2 inches apart on the sheet. bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

5.) let cool on sheet 2 minutes, then loosen and transfer to rack.


time: 30 minutes prep time, 10-12 minutes bake time
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦◊ (4 stars out of 5)


enjoy!
-kl

004: plátanos fritos (fried bananas)

this is another popular spanish dish, and is typically served as a dessert, though it could also be a snack or side as well. it is super easy, and pretty darn scrumptious. *NOTE: i have this recipe set up on a per banana basis, though you could feasibly expand it to pretty much any number of bananas you want. a note, though: only prepare as many as you can eat, as they do not store well.* prep time is about 5 minutes, and cook time is less than 10.



equipment:
skillet
knife
1/4 c. measuring cup
small bowl
spatula


ingredients:
1 T. margarine or butter
banana (still slightly green--barely ripe)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. orange juice


steps:
1.) melt margarine or butter in skillet while cutting banana into 1/3" chip like pieces.

2.) add banana chips to melted margarine or butter.

3.) let simmer for 3 minutes, flipping once. mix brown sugar and orange juice in separate bowl and add to banana in skillet.

4.) let simmer 5-10 minutes or until mixture is caramelized. serve hot.


time: 15 minutes
difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 stars out of 5)
serving suggestions: serve with any or all of the following: drizzled in honey; sprinkled with cinnamon; sprinkled with nutmeg
suggestions for variations: try with pears, pineapple, even oranges. be creative!


enjoy!
-kl

001: cranberry orange bread with glaze

this is a fun, fast bread recipe that does not require the hassle of yeast, kneading, and waiting for rising time. it is also delicious! prep time took me about 30 minutes, and baking time is one hour.


equipment:
measuring cups and spoons
standing mixer (though you could honestly probably do it hand mixed as well) with wire whip
large and medium mixing bowl
spatula
3 mini loaf pans (5 1/2" x 3 1/2")


ingredients:
3/4 c. softened (unsalted) butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. orange juice (i used pulp free, but i'm sure it does not matter)
1/2 c. sour cream (i used lean)
1 T. orange zest
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1/2 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 and 1/2 c. dried cranberries (craisins)


steps:
1.) preheat oven to 330 degrees (yes, i know it's a weird number, but it works).

2.) cream butter and sugar in standing mixer about 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy.

3.) add eggs, one at a time, making sure they are well mixed before proceeding.

4.) add orange juice, sour cream, orange zest, and vanilla extract until well blended.

5.) in a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). add to wet ingredients.

6.) fold in dried cranberries. *NOTE: i personally am not a "nut in my bread" kind of gal. if you are, however, i would recommend using 1 c. craisins, and 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts.*

7.) pour into greased loaf pans. bake for 55-60 mins at 330, or until toothpick comes out clean. let cool for 10 minutes, and transfer to cooling rack


glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. orange juice

add orange juice (or orange liqueur?) to powdered sugar 1 t. at time until mix has the consistency of melted wax. poke holes in top of loaves, and spoon glaze over top.


total time: 1.5 hours
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5)

enjoy!
-kl