French Breakfast Puffs

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it. "

-Mark Twain

These muffins remind me of my mother. She used to make them for us on some special occasion, or weekend. Hard to remember the frequency. They have got to be one of my all time favorite things to eat for breakfast. They are sweet and buttery, light and fluffy, with flavors of cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg. Just heavenly.

They are incredibly easy to throw together. I always have the ingredients too. So when I get a craving there is little stopping me from satisfying it. Fortunately or unfortunately.

I've seen them called, "donut muffins." Makes sense. I've always known them as French breakfast puffs. I'm sure because that was the name of the recipe mom used. Not sure where she got it. Whatever you call them, if you have never made these or eaten them, you really should. For using such simple ingredients, and being so easy to make, they are absolutely spectacular. Of course butter, cinnamon and sugar on the outside of a shoe would taste good, but these morsels are so light and fluffy on the inside, they are ethereal.

I have 3 sisters. I believe we all love them, and I think we all make them. I know my older sister does. She made me a cookbook with all of my mothers recipes in them, including this one. Next to the recipe she says, "The people at my work call these, Balls of Sin."

Balls of sin indeed.

I think these are appropriate for the upcoming mothers day. Mom would love you if you made her these Mothers day morning. Also they would be great for kids to make for their mom. If only children were reading this, if they were, you moms out there would be in for a treat. They are easy enough for children to make, and fun, with all of the rolling around in butter and sugar.

a rainbow we saw yesterday

the sky was so gorgeous yesterday I had to capture it

French Breakfast Puffs

This recipe makes about 16 large muffins. (I filled the cups 3/4 of the way full.) If you fill the cups 1/2 way to make a slightly smaller muffin, you should get 22-24 muffins.

Ingredients for muffins

2/3 cup (140 g.) soft butter
1 cup (204 g.) sugar
2 eggs
3 cups (443 g.) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup (250 ml) milk

For topping

2/3 cup (140 g.) butter, melted
1 cup (204 g.) sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4.

Grease 16 (if making them large, or 24 if making them small) muffin cups.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir in half the dry ingredients with the butter mixture, then stir in half of the milk, then mix. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the milk. Blend until just combined.

Divide up batter amongst muffin cups. I filled them 3/4 of the way full and got 16., If you fill them at about half you will get more, about 24.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping.

When muffins are done, melt the butter and immediately dunk the muffins, one at a time, into the melted butter. Make sure you cover it all, top, bottom and sides. Then dip it into the cinnamon sugar mixture, again, making sure you cover the whole thing with cinnamon and sugar.

They are best eaten right away.

"Faux"stess Cupcakes

I made these pretty shiny little glorious cupcakes in honor of a classic favorite: "Hostess" Cupcakes.

But since they aren't what you buy in a little box in the grocery aisle..
let's call them "Fauxtess" (pronounced Foe-stess, as in hmm umm.. my Amanda Cupcake version of hostess cupcakes?)

I am always such a fan of shiny beautiful chocolate ganache glaze.
And the pretty loopy frosting curls. ♥ it.

I added my classic Amanda Cupcake edible sparkles to some of them ♥
You can't buy these in the grocery store!

Sparkly dreamy filling.

Shared the flavor with my hair stylist and his friends at the Jacques Dessange salon.
A few of them said this was the best cupcake they have ever eaten. Yay!

♥

Birthday Cake For My Mom ♥ With a Surprise Inside!

I love my mom. We have a great relationship.

I remember the first time I considered her a friend, and it was when I was 13.
We were driving back home from a shopping trip, and we were talking..about everything.
I could trust her with my heart ♥ There aren't very many people that you can trust with such a priceless commodity!

My mom loves the classic white cake.
So I made her a white cake from scratch.
And her favorite buttercream flavored with orange extract.

I made the cake extra tall. (4 tiers to be exact).
And added rosettes, swirls, twirls, and frosting shells.
Sparkler candles.
The surprise waiting for her .... was the red velvet heart in the middle.

The red heart was inspired by this very talented lady:  i am baker
I love surprises inside of cupcakes. I do it all the time.
Why not add a surprise inside of a cake?
I wasn't even really sure the heart shape would work..
but I knew after seeing it already done, I had to try!

When we sliced open the cake, success!
It was a hit at Red Lobster, and made people smile from tables near and far.
We even gave the extra pieces of cake to the kitchen crew.
Our wonderful waiter told me that they were waiting to devour the cake with spoons!
(I hope our waiter got a chance to enjoy a piece himself).

I do believe in my own little way I am helping to change the world one lunch hour at a time!! Yay.

Melissa's Famous Banana Bread

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"

-Julia Child

Alright I said it. My banana bread is famous. I don't like to brag, but I believe this bread is one of my most frequently asked for recipes, and something I'm asked often to bake for others.

 My husband really likes banana bread so many years ago I spent time finding a recipe I liked, then tweaking it here and there to get it exactly to our liking.

I like to make it because 1. It's easy. 2. I always have tons of over ripe bananas in the freezer. 3. It makes 3 loaves, so I can always put one in the freezer, give one as a gift, and still have one left over for eating right now.

This bread is full of bananas. 8 to be exact. So many bananas keeps it super moist and full of banana flavor. The 2 cups of yogurt adds to the moistness, to make this bread exceptionally moist. Something I long for in a quick bread.

I like to add walnuts, because my husband prefers it that way. But if you aren't into nuts, or have someone who is allergic, no biggie. If you omit them, it is still wonderful. Or you could even add chocolate chips for a fun twist.

Melissa's Famous Banana Bread

makes 3 loaves

Ingredients

3/4 cup  (1 1/2 sticks) (174 g.) butter

1 1/2 (292 g.) cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups (260 g.) brown sugar

3 eggs

8 very ripe medium bananas, mashed

 2 cups (500 ml.) (16 oz / 1 pint) plain yogurt or sour cream

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups (652 g.) all-purpose flour

1 cup (96 g.) chopped walnuts (optional) or chocolate chips, plus a handful more for topping loaves

grated nutmeg (optional) (I use approx. 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg)


Directions


Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, 160/170 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 3.

Grease 3 large loaf pans.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, yogurt, (or sour cream) and vanilla.

In separate large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using). Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips if using. Divide into prepared pans about 3/4 of the way full.  Top loaves with the reserved walnuts, or chocolate chips.

Bake for approx 50-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
 
Cool on wire racks in pan for 20 minutes, then remove from pan by running a knife along the inside of the pan to loosen, then place bread on a rack until fully cool. Then wrap in plastic wrap, or place in an airtight container.
 
These freeze well. Just double wrap them in plastic wrap, then put them in a large ziplock bag. 
Set them on the counter for a few hours to thaw.

Cranberry Scones

In case you've been living under a rock, there's a wedding tomorrow.  A royal wedding.

So let's make scones, shall we?

I blame it on the Today Show.  I blame the fact that I know the names of  Kate Middleton's twice removed cousins and all about her humble beginnings on the Today Show.  There has been coverage on this wedding at least 20 minutes a day on the morning news for the last two months, and now I must watch the wedding.

And for some odd reason, most subjects or happenings I hear about always translate into food for me.  The minute I hear of an event like this, my mind goes straight to the food I can eat while watching such a spectacle.   Shepherd's Pie and Yorkshire Pudding came to mind but didn't appeal, and scones ultimately prevailed in the not-so-competitive field of English fare. 

I've always avoided most scones because there is such a fine line between a good scone, and a scone that is too dry.  They traditionally have a little bit of a dry taste, but this recipe will change your mind on what a scone should even taste like.  These are seriously addicting and a new favorite in my book. 

Here's the recipe scoop...

Scones seemed a little bit complicated to me so I did a step by step so you have no excuses.  Seriously, these are so good and they took me exactly 20 minutes to prep... exactly 20 minutes and that's with pictures and this being my first time so just come on, trust me and make these.  I bet you won't be sorry.  If you don't want to trust me alone, I will let you know that this recipe is adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  They do wonders with recipes and test them a thousand times to perfection.

So here we go...

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, mix dry ingredients. 

Cut chilled butter into 1/4 inch cubes.

 Scatter the butter evenly over the top of the dry ingredients.

Cut butter into the dry ingredients and continue to cut butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. 

Add the cranberries and stir into mixture. 

 Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.  

Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a floured counter.

Knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. 

 Press the dough into a 9-inch cake pan.  

Unmold the dough.

Cut into 8 or 12 wedges.  

Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

 Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  (This was exactly 12 minutes for me and if you are not sure, check the bottoms of the scones to make sure they are not getting too brown).  Coll on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Cranberry Cream Scones
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes
Recipe Notes
I made these the old fashion way with a pastry cutter.  If you don't want to deal with getting out a food processor, use my steps.  If you don't have a pastry cutter or want to use the food processor, follow the steps below the recipe.   Resist the urge to eat the straight from the oven.  Scones actually taste better when you lest them rest and set up a bit. 
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cup cranberries
1 cup heavy cream
Tools
Pastry Cutter or Food Processor
9 inch cake pan 
Step by Step
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, mix dry ingredients.  Cut chilled butter into 1/4 inch cubes and scatter the butter evenly over the top of the dry ingredients.  Cut butter into the dry ingredients and continue to cut butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.  Add the cranberries and stir into mixture.  Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.  Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a floured counter and knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds.  Press the dough into a 9-inch cake pan.  Unmold the dough and cut into 8 or 12 wedges.  Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  (This was exactly 12 minutes for me and if you are not sure, check the bottoms of the scones to make sure they are not getting too brown).  Coll on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

PREPPING WITH A FOOD PROCESSOR
Fit a food processor with a dough blade.  Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 6 pulses.  Scatter the butter evenly over the top and pule until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 12 pulses. Add the cranberries and quickly pulse once to combine.  Transfer the dough to a bowl and continue witht he steps above.    

ssshhhhh.......

...if you are new here (welcome!)
each week-ish I post about making tiny changes towards a healthier lifestyle--from eating to exercise. You can read them all here...
This past weekend we set out to run. Charly and I. We have a new favorite trail where she can roam freely off her leash, and together we head up, up, up the mountain. Spring has not yet sprung way up there, but snow is slowly

Maple Roasted Bacon

Remember that breakfast pie from yesterday?

Meet its new best friend... maple roasted bacon.  He's sweet, salty and slightly crispy.  He's not exclusive though; he gets around and pretty much goes well with any breakfast/ brunch you could imagine.

I'm willing to bet he would cozy up nice to french toast, pancakes or anything else you fancy in the morning.   This bacon will rock your world.

Have you ever roasted bacon?  There's no turning, there's no grease popping in your face, and it comes out slightly chewy, slightly crispy.  It's pretty perfect.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Maple Roasted Bacon
Adapted from Ina Garten
Recipe Notes
I've tried roasting bacon before and it didn't work out.  The only thing I can attribute this to is the bacon. I used an extra-thick applewood smoked bacon.  The thickness helped it stay chewy, but crisp on the outside.   This recipe calls for a baking rack.  I used this pan that came with our oven that has a slotted pan over a a shallow pan.  If you have a metal baking rack, that will work too.  You just need something that allows the grease to drip down.
Ingredients
8 slices extra thick cut bacon
1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
Tools
Baking rack
Step by Step
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a baking rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.  Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the rack.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is beginning to brown and crisp.  Carefully remove the pan from the oven (be careful because there will be a lot of hot grease on the lower level pan).  Brush each slice of bacon with maple syrup and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until bacon is browned and crisped, but not burned.  Place bacon on a paper towel to drain slightly.  Serve warm.

Serves 4

let's talk about pizza

If you are trying to fill your life with healthy things, then I'm betting that "pizza" is maybe a dirty word....right? It's a greasy, cheesy, fat laden mess.
But it doesn't have to be. 
In the summer, we eat pizza about once a week--and load it up with whatever veggies we pulled from our own back yard or brought home from the farmer's market, so each time we make it, it's a little bit different.

I heart it.

I am an insomniac right now,
and am trying to soothe my busy mind with beautiful photos of dreamy delights.
I think by the end of this blog I will be nice and sleepy, tucked under my blanket.
Praise the Lord for food that makes you feel beautiful when you eat it.