Cinnamon Steusel Bread

This past Wednesday was "Administrative Professional's Day"! It was a fantastic time to celebrate those fabulous assistants, secretaries, and receptionists. I baked a delicious and very moist banana rum cake for our office. That delicious cake can easily be made into a bread. One of the reasons I love baking cakes and breads is because they're so versatile. I love to combine new flavors and levels of sweetness.

My mom used to make a cake version of this delightful cinnamon streusel bread you could hardly keep me out of it. And as always, altering ingredients can lower the fat and calorie content.


CINNAMON STREUSEL BREAD

3 c. baking mix
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 c. milk
1 egg

STREUSEL:

1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. cold butter
2/3 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Mix the streusel ingredients together until it becomes crumbly. Set aside. Combine baking mix, sugar, flour, milk, and egg. Beat until mixed. Spread half of the batter into greased loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inch. Sprinkle the streusel mixture on top. Place remaining half of batter in pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Women Behaving Badly

Sometimes, I love making those special once-in-a-while sort of complicated recipes that you truly only pull out for special occasions, either because it's costly or time consuming or just a level of difficulty that's easier to complete by winning Olympic Gold.

Welllllll, I attemped and succeeded at a new idea for a recipe, and it turned out amazing. Sometimes it's okay to have an over-the-top delicious and fattening weekend brunch.

Try this Praline Topped French Toast Casserole.
*It's an overnight recipe, so plan ahead.


1 large loaf fresh French Bread
4 eggs
2 cups milk (or 1 cup milk+1 cup half and half)1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Praline topping:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
Slice bread into 3/4 to 1" slices. Layer overlapping pieces in a generously buttered 13x9" dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together next 5 ingredients with a whisk or hand mixer, but do not let eggs get bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread and in between the slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix together the praline topping and spoon over the sliced bread.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve warm with maple syrup!

"You say goodbye, and I say hello, hello, hello...."

Sorry for my absence. I think I'm apologizing more to blogger than I apologize to anyone who actually reads my blog. I've been a super busy bee this spring.

For spring break this year, my 2 daughters took their annual trip to see their dad's family...for 2 whole weeks. So, I spent my time crafting and filling orders for my newest venture, Cursive-T-Creations!

Enjoy the site!

Easter Blessings

What a beautiful warm sunny day here in Virginia! Hugs to you who are across the miles. And HUGE Easter lovin' to my sweet girls who are visiting family in Georgia! I miss you so so so much!

Well, it's been a fairly normal morning for our crew. We have 2 of the boys, Scott is still slightly under the weather and I, well I reprised my role as the Easter bunny, but I'm all out of floppy ears and a fluffy tail.
Easter Dinner was always about the Ham when I was growing up. My mom would slave away in the kitchen and the outcome was always amazing and wonderful. She'd make so many wonderful side dishes and desserts, and we'd all eat until we were stuffed and then the afternoon came and it was time to hunt Easter Eggs! As I got older, the traditions changed and my nephews became the hunters. The eggs always remained the same....the hunted.

It didn't take me long to decide on a menu for this Easter. Ham was definitely on the out list, since we don't eat it anyway. Beef has been a strange staple lately, so I was thinking chicken. A crunchy, zippy texture with a lot of flavor.Herb Crumb Chicken is a show stopper!
3 lbs chicken breasts (this would work for thighs too)
1 egg
splash of milk
crusty bread crumbsyour favorite herbs and seasonings
2 tsp each of these dried and ground herbs: parsley, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, white, black and red peppercorns, sage, & paprika.
In a shallow bowl, beat egg and milk together.
In another shallow dish, mix together seasonings and bread crumbs.

Dip chicken into egg mixture on both sides. Then, dip chicken into the crumb mixture making sure to coat the chicken really well.

Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for at least 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (I used large thick cuts of chicken, so I baked mine for about an hour)
Choose sides that compliment your entree. What's Easter without eggs, right? Well, we're having jazzy Eggs DeVille, Elbow Queso (Homestyle Mac and Cheese), and Steamed Broccoli.

Then, for dessert, All American Cherry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Key Lime Pie.

Cheeseburger Pizza Casserole

It's Saturday night and I'm at a loss for our menu, he wants beef, I want spice and everyone is hungry. What do I have onhand that will suffice for an easy weekend dinner?

Ready made pizza dough....check!
Ground beef....check!
Cheese.....check!

I think it'll be a Cheeseburger Pizza Casserole!

Refrigerated pizza dough
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package montreal steak seasoning
1 Tb minced garlic or a couple of cloves chopped
1 4 oz. can of chopped green chilis

Cheese Topping:
1/2 stick of butter (4Tb)
2 Tb flour
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a casserole dish.

In a skillet, brown ground beef and drain. In same skillet, saute onion and garlic.
In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, onion and garlic, mushroom soup, & steak seasoning.

To make the cheese topping:
in a small saucepan, melt butter and mix in flour until smooth. Add milk and stir well. Mix in cheese and stir until melted and bubbly.

Unroll pizza dough line the bottom of casserole dish. Pour ground beef mixture and spread evenly on the dough. Pour the melted cheese over the ground beef until the beef is evenly covered.

Bake for at least 25 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. YUM!

Baked Burgers

I love the second signs of spring, not the first. You know the warm temperatures have been around for a couple of weeks and people wear their short sleeves and support their right to bare arms. Ha-ha! The time after the flowers bloom and the birds have made their nests. The fresh scent of air and especially when it's filled with food!

I was walking in the neighborhood the other afternoon and delighted in the second scent of spring, yes one of my neighbors must have been grilling, because I was drooling like a dog to the aroma of charcoal and fire. There's just nothing like the smell or the taste of perfectly grilled food.

Well, in our vintage building, there's not too many places to put a grill. So, I had to do the next best thing. Bake! I love a good burger!

Do You know the Muffin Man?

I LOVE the weekends! Spring has FINALLY sprung. The daffodils are blooming, the air is crisp and clean, the birds are chirping loudly and waking me up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Ugh. Spring soccer season is here and we have so much to do....but not before breakfast! Sometimes Saturdays are just meant for muffins.

Do you remember the muffin man song from when you were a kid? Here's a tidbit of info: The British rhyme was written around 1820. Drury Lane was actually the name of a street in London and it was associated with the theatre. Homes would have their muffins delivered on a door to door basis, hence the man bringing the muffins was known as the muffin man. However, the muffins were more closely related to the flat English muffins, not the American cupcake-like ones that we are used to.

Well, here is my special muffin mix! Enjoy!
Colley Avenue Muffins

1 Cup Flour
3/4 c. Bran Cereal
3 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. melted shortening
1 egg, well beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cereal, baking powder, sugar and salt and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, beat egg, add milk and melted shortening. Add egg mixture all at once to flour and stir only until flour is moistened and well combined. Do NOT over mix, your batter should not be smooth. And make sure you scrape the bowl. Fill the muffin pans half full of batter. Bake in a hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen muffins!

Here are some ways to jazz up your basic muffin!
Jelly Muffins: In each muffin pan place 1/2 teaspoon of Jelly and cover with muffin batter, making pans one half full. The addition of the jelly or marmalade will make two or more additional muffins.

Fruit Muffins: Use the basic muffin recipe, adding 1 tablespoon additional shortening, 2 tablespoons sugar and 3/4 cups berries or chopped apples. Add fruit at the same time the liquid is added. The addition of the fruit will increase the number of muffins.

Oat Graham Streusel topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 sheets of graham crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut in pieces

Mix together the brown sugar, oats, grahams and cinnamon. Cut the butter in with a pastry knife. Spoon the mixture on top of the unbaked muffins. Then bake as directed.

Lemony Cream Cheese Topping (Great for Blueberry Muffins)

8 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add the flour, lemon extract, egg and sugar and beat until the mixture becomes soft and smooth. Spoon the mixture over the top of the unbaked muffins.

The cream cheese topping will add a few minutes baking time to the muffins, so be sure to check the muffins for doneness. :)

We usually serve our muffins with fresh fruit and juice or coffee! YUM!