Blueberry Muffins

These are such good muffins, that I can hardly wait for fresh blueberry to be in season and make sure that I freeze lots.
I got the recipe from my friend Helga and they have been one of our family favorites that I would love to share with you. Just so you know that what is in the ( ) are how I changed them up to suit our families life style, the changes don't hinder the wonderful deliciously sweet muffins at all.

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter (1/2 c. oil)
• 2 cups sour cream (plain yogurt)
• 2 cups sugar ( 1 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• ( I used 2 cups unbleached flour and mixed 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup oat bran minus two tablespoons which I replaced with ground flax seed)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups blueberries (you can never have too many ;^D)

1. Combine eggs, oil, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
2. Sift dry ingredients together in separate bowl.
3. Add to wet mixture, stirring until moistened, yet still a little lumpy.
4. Add blueberries and stir lightly to distribute them evenly in the batter.
5. Pour into greased muffin tins.
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cherry-go-round

I found this recipe in the food section of the news paper. It makes a really nice addition to any brunch or coffee and dessert evening with friends. The filling is sour cherry that makes this a special treat and just a bit different from a traditional cinnamon loaf.



Dough

-3 3/4 cups of flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 pkg quick rise yeast

-1 tsp salt
-1 cup milk
-1/4 cup water
-1/2 cup butter or margarine
-1 large egg

1- Combine 1 1/4 cup flour, sugar, dry yeast and salt.

2- Heat milk water and butter til very warm and butter is melted.

3- Gradually add to dry ingredients.

4- Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl.

5- Add egg and 1/2 cup flour. Beat 2 more minutes, adding enough flour to make stiff batter.

6- Cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

7- Divide dough in half.

8- Roll each half into a 18x10 in rectangle.

9- Spread with cherry filling to 1/2" from the edge.

10-Roll up and pinch to seal, make a ring.

11- Place on greased baking sheets.

12- Cut in 1" intervals 2/3 through. Twist each section sideways.

13- Cover till double about 1 hour.

14- Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

15- Remove to rack to cool.

16- Drizzle with glaze


Cherry Filling

Combine-
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 flour
-1/2 cup chopped pecans

ADD
1-398 ml. can of tart pitted cherries, drained
(I used 2 cans)

Glaze
-1 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk

Alvina's Cinnamon Twists

Alvina is my cousin by marriage and has always lived about 1500 miles from us, but the visits we’ve had as families have been the best! Besides being an excellent cook and home- maker, Alvina has a wonderful warm personality and the best laugh! It’s on one of our visits to their place, that I first remember seeing these tempting little twists on her counter and enjoying them, of course. I love having sweet reminders of our times together and when I make these now and wish that the highway between our houses would not be so long.

Ingredients:

Your favorite biscuit or scone pastry. I use:

• 2 c flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
• 6 Tbsp butter, room temp.
• 1 c buttermilk or milk

filling and icing:

• 2 - 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 c icing (confectioner's) sugar

Method: 

 

1. In medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter with pastry blender. Add buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough holds together. Shape into a ball.
2. Divide pastry in half and pat into a rectangular shape on lightly floured surface.
3. Roll each half out to 6 x 12 inch strip.
4. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon.
5. Starting from long side, fold over twice, so that you have a 2 inch strip that has 3 layers.
6. Cut into 3/4 inch slices and twist each slice so that it looks like the figure 8. (right hand twists away from you and left hand toward you)
7. Place on greased and floured (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 400F until golden. About 12 min. Yield: approx. 30 mini twists
9. 

Icing:
Fill a 1 c measuring cup 3/4 full of icing sugar. Stir while adding a little water at a time, until it has a good spreading consistency. Drizzle or brush over warm twists. (If you did not use

parchment paper, remove twists from sheet with lifter before sugar, that has run out, hardens.)

German Pancakes 101

Pancakes. When you think of pancakes is it the flap-jack style? Silver dollars? Crepes? When I think about pancakes the ones that come to my mind are the pancakes of my childhood. They are very thin with crispy edges, yet soft enough to roll up with delicious fillings in the middle...and as large as a dinner plate! They are sublime. My kids love them and would happily eat them daily if I let them. Plain ole fluffy pancakes do have their time and place but these are so good that I want to share them with you.

1 1/2 cups flour


1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

2 cups milk

Whip with a whisk




This is a double recipe You must use lots of butter for each pancake you make






Pour about 1/3-1/2 a cup of batter onto a fairly hot skillet (non stick will not work)



Spread batter by tilting pan

Flip pancake with two forks when it look like this :)

And then let it cook on the other side just a wee bit longer




They are really good with just syrup
Another way to enjoy them is rolled up with cottage cheese and fruit Dig in!

Farmer Sausage Quiche

Farmer Sausage Quiche

5 lge eggs
1/2 c milk
1 1/4 c frozen hashbrowns(small cubed)
1 c shredded tex mex cheese
1 c cooked farmer sausage, cut up
1/3 red pepper, chopped
1/3 green pepper, chopped
1/4 c onion greens, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Perheat oven to 350
Add milk to eggs and blend well.
Add all other ingredients.
Pour into well greased 8x8 pan
Bake for 30 min or until knife inserted comes out clean.

*Time saver..you can mix this up the night before, refrigerate and bake it up in the morning.


I have made this recipe many times and it's always a hit. I used to make it for our staff's breakfast mtgs.
Last spring I had a 'Spring Tea' for some friends and I made this quiche and served it with some sweet breads and fruit cups.

Waffles with Vanilla Custard

 



As a young bride I searched the Mennonite Treasury Cookbook for any recipes that would impress my husband and his large extended family. I did not realize at that time how special this particular meal would become to our kids and now even our grandkids. It begins with a hot, light and fluffy Belgian waffle, gets smothered with a runny, warm vanilla sauce and drizzled with raspberry syrup. I have long felt at ease about the vanilla sauce (as opposed to the usual syrup) because it is not very sweet and is made with milk and eggs. Good for growing kids and keeping up the calcium! I like to think that some Mennonite family brought the original recipe (which I've altered to make it less fattening) from Holland or Belgium to Russia and to North America, where it has become quite Canadian/American. Since I end up tripling this recipe for our family now and we want to eat together, I place the baked waffles in the oven ( 175F) right on the rack, to keep warm and crispy until they are all done.

 

WAFFLES (makes about 5 round deep waffles)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg and
• 2 egg whites - save yolks for sauce
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 5 Tbsp oil

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Add buttermilk, oil and eggs; mix until smooth (with hand held mixer). It will rise as it sits for a minute. Do not stir down as you scoop out and into the waffle iron.
4. Spread onto hot waffle iron. (leave room around edge for batter to spread) You may want to spray or wipe the Teflon with an oily paper towel, just before cooking the first waffle. It should be fine then until the next time you use it.

 

 

VANILLA SAUCE

• 2 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla powder or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks

 

1. In a small pot, heat 2 cups milk until it begins to boil. (med heat)
2. While you are doing this: mix dry ingredients in a small bowl, add just a little of the reserved 1/2 cup of milk, blend the egg yolks in well, and then the rest of the 1/2 cup milk.
3.  Stir mixture into the milk in the pot just as it begins to boil up (you will see skin forming) and stir with whisk until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken.

 

 

RASPBERRY SAUCE

 

I buy half a flat of raspberries when they’re in season, put them in a blender and measure them out. For each cup of berries I mix in 1 cup of sugar. Stir that for about 5 minutes and let it sit for a few hours. Pour into small jars and freeze. Thaw just before serving. Keeps a week or two refrigerated. Cut up strawberries mixed with a little sugar are also a great topping.