"Oatmeal" muffins

It was a grim pantry/fridge this morning. Out of milk and eggs and coffee creamer and fruit and yogurt and granola. Sometimes avoiding the grocery not only saves money and time but also forces creativity to the next level. In the pantry was a can of sweetened condensed milk which I opened to yummy up my coffee, but the little boy at my elbow was HUNGRY! hmmm.

On the counter was sitting yesterday's (now congealed) oatmeal --around 2 and a half cups worth. It seemed a sad thing to waste in the circumstances. So I dumped it in a bowl with a cup and a half of whole wheat flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking soda, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and proceeded to use a pastry cutter to mix it up. Then I added some liquids: 2/3cup of oil, 1/4cup of milk (all I had), 1 egg (all I had), 1/4 cup of the sweetened condensed milk (since it was already opened), 1 Tablespoon of vanilla. Stirred it up with a fork and scooped it into prepared muffin tins (made 2 dozen). Baked at 400degrees for 16mins.

YUMMY. Not a single one remained by 11am. My kids are like hobbits and have multiple breakfasts. =)

Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Pull-Aparts

When in doubt, bake!

24 Rhodes frozen bread dough rolls, thawed but still cold
5-6 ounces of craisins
¼ cup of melted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
2/3 cup (6 oz) softened cream cheese
3 T fresh squeezed orange juice
1 T grated orange rind & lemon rind (orange zest, lemon zest)

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Press about 1 tsp of craisins into each roll. Place rolls into 9 x13 baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine butter, ½ cup sugar, cream cheese and orange juice. Blend well and pour over the rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size.

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine ¼ cup sugar, rinds and remaining craisins; sprinkle mixture over risen rolls.

Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 25 minutes or until rolls in the center are done.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over baked rolls. Serve warm.

Notes:
Don’t use more than 24 rolls in a 9 x 13 even if it looks scant when you start. Don’t use more cream cheese than it calls for unless you are fine with it bubbling over the top in the oven.
I skipped the lemon altogether and it was good that way too. Just didn’t want to fuss with two kinds of juicing etc.

Very Berry Coffee Cake

I figured it was long overdue to post here and since berries are starting to be in season, what better reason to bake this. (Especially since it's cold outside.)

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 cups of berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or a combination thereof
(I’ve even tried it with mango. I think it worked out fine.)

Preheat oven to 375o F. Lightly spray a large square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter until resembles coarse crumbs, stir in cinnamon; set aside ½ for topping. Add and stir in baking powder and salt to remaining mixture.

In a small bowl whisk egg and milk together; add to flour mixture, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour batter into baking pan: sprinkle with berries and served flour mixture. Bake 30-40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, serve warm.

Serves 12.

I made this recipe for a bake sale, used two smaller square tins (7x7) and divided the recipe into the two pans. They came out great, but I did add a tiny bit more berries to each.

Sour Cream Cinnamon Buns

Rolls:
1 cup sour cream
2 T. butter
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. baking soda
1 egg lightly beaten
1 pkg active dry yeast
3 c. all-purpose flour

Filling:
2 T butter softened
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Directions:

• melt sour cream in microwave then combine with 2 T. butter, 3 T. sugar, salt and baking soda in large mixing bowl.
• add egg and yeast; blend well.
• add 1 1/2 c. flour gradually beating with an electric mixer until well blended. Then STIR in remaining flour to make soft dough.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 4-5x. Cover and let rest 5 minutes.
• While resting mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and soften the butter for the filling.
• Roll dough out thinly into a rectangle (roughly 18"x6") and spread softened butter over dough . Sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over dough.
  
• Roll up dough, starting with long side pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets, pinch seam to seal.
  
• Slice roll into 18 slices. Place slices into greased muffin pans.
  
• Cover and let rise in a warm place (85*F) free from drafts, 30 mins or until doubled in bulk. (I made these on a cool day and ended up having to warm up the oven and let them rise with the door open and light on, to activate the yeast)
• Bake at 375* for 12-15 mins or until golden. Remove buns from pan and ice with 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar mixed with 2T butter, 1 T cream cheese, 1 T milk. (or you can omit butter and cream cheese and increase milk to 2 T.) YUMM!!!
  

Cranberry Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1tsp grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries chopped

sift dry . cut in butter, add egg orange peel and juice stir until moist fold in cranberries. Bake in loaf pan 350* for 1hr 10mins

Monkey Bread

3 packages of buttermilk biscuit tubes
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar (divided)

Take 3 packages of buttermilk biscuit tubes (10 per roll) and cut each roll into 4 pieces. Drop & roll pieces into 1cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Drop sugar-coated pieces into a well buttered Bundt pan (don't squish roll pieces when placing them in the Bundt pan). Put 1/2 cup of the left-over sugar/cinnamon mix and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) into a small saucepan. (Could do with a little less butter.)Bring this mixture just to a boil; remove from heat immediately. Carefully drizzle over the roll pieces.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. (Bake longer if baking in a bowl without center hole.) Cool slightly in an upright position, then tip pan over onto a plate to remove monkey pull-apart bread.

Breakfast Bake

Serves 10-12 (or six if they are sitting around looking at it all morning.)
7-8 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 glove fresh garlic
1 lb bacon, fried
2 cup grated cheddar cheese
10-12 slices of bread, cubed
½ medium onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard and garlic together in a mixing bowl.

In a greased 9x13 baking pan: layer half the bread, sprinkle with half the onion, half the bacon, half the cheese. Repeat layers again.

Pour egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Basic Craisin Scones

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl whisk together:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Drop in:
6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Cut in butter with pastry blender until largest pieces are pea sized.

Stir in:
½ cup dried craisins or currents
Whisk together in a separate bowl, then add all at once:
1 large egg
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Mix with wooden spoon or fork just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gather into a ball and knead it gently against the sides, bottom of bowl 5 to 10 times, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough each time until they adhere and the bowl is fairly clean. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough until ¾” thick. Cut with glass or knife. Brush top with milk or cream.

Bake on stoneware until tops are golden brown, about 10-14 minutes. Cool slightly on rack and serve warm.