Pink Pancakes~

Thought these might be fun for the upcoming Holiday! :)

Pink Pancakes

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup beet, puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pancake mix
1/4 cup grated apple
nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
pure maple syrup (optional)
fresh fruit (optional)
powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon.
2. Dump the cheese mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix, you want the batter to be lumpy.
3. Coat a griddle with nonstick spray and heat to medium high. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable oil. Use 1/4 cup batter at a time and pour out pancakes. When you see bubbles start to form, it is time to flip the pancake. If the bottom is too brown, turn the heat down. It should take about 1 to 2 minutes per side!
4. Serve warm, garnish with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar.

ENJOY this tasty treat!

Baked Blueberry Pancakes~

When I went to see my sister, she shared this recipe.....yummy and they freeze well!

Baked Blueberry Pancakes

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes

2 cup pancake mix

1 ½ cup fat-free milk

1 egg

1 Tbsp. Canola oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Butter & maple syrup

In a large bowl combine the pancake mix, milk, egg, oil, and cinnamon, just until blended. (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries.

Spread into a greased 15x10x1 in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup. Yield 6 servings.

*if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter……

*I am thinking about making raspberr ones next time..... :)

Easter Blessing Rolls~

THESE ARE SO GOOD! I made them Easter morning and a few times since!
~the marshmallow melts and the roll is hollow; so a good object lesson to teach the Easter story.


1 package of marshmallows,
large1 package of frozen roll dough (THAWED). i.e. Rhodes Frozen Rolls
1/4 C butter, melted
6 Tablespoons of Sugar
1 tsp of Cinnamon

The Night Before: mix your cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl and then put the bowl to the side. Carefully open your package of now thawed dinner rolls and separate them. With your hands flatten each roll out into a small circle. Place a large marshmallow into the center of each circle. Pinch it closed, carefully making sure the seal is tight.Then roll it in your hands to make it more of a ball shape and hide the seams. Place it on a large cookie sheet with sides (or cake pan). While cooking the marshmallow make leak out and you don’t want a gooey mess in the bottom of your oven. Continue until all the dough is used. Melt your butter in the microwave for around 20 seconds. Then brush the melted butter generously onto each roll.Then sprinkle the rolls with your sugar/cinnamon mixture. Cover your rolls with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Easter Morning. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and place your cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. The smell will be so good you won’t want to wait too long before the whole family devours them.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread :)

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I was looking all morning for a chocolate bread recipe! I found one the other night on a blog and couldn't find it again this morning! :( I was sad, but then I found this one at www.sistercafe.blogspot.com so I decided to give it a try! THIS IS VERY CHOCOLATEY(is that even a word?); I like dark-rich chocolate, but I am not convinced that Spencer liked it? Next time I may use Milk Chocolate chips and a little less cocoa? I will have to experiment with it!

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3 Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins :)

DELICIOUS is all I can say! ;) I just made these for Breakfast in the morning and I don't think they are going to make it until morning!

This recipe is similar to one recently posted on the Idea Door for Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins, but I changed it to our favorite! ;)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sour cream, (10 ounces)
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries (or blueberries)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin or use paper foils.
2. Whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl until combined. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored; about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogeneous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.
3. Add frozen raspberries(blueberries) to dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25-30 seconds. (Small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick. Do not over-mix.)
4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean, 25-30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes. Serve as is or with the cinnamon sugar topping below! (Yummy)

Cinnamon/Sugar topping
While muffins are cooling, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled 5 minutes, working one at a time, dip top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon/sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack.

Cinnamon Burst Bread

The Finished Product! YUM!

I am going to try and take a few more "step pictures" I didn't get too many today, but this is the bread about 30 minutes into second rising session!

Cinnamon Burst Bread (like Great Harvest's)
Makes 4 Loaves

3 T. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten lightly (1/4 C. Dry Egg Powder +1/2 C. Water)
3 3/4 cup warm water
4 1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups cinnamon bites (I used bites from the Prepared Pantry, but I think Hershey's makes a cinnamon chip)
11-12 cups flour (You can also use Whole Wheat; I am going to try next time! You can do half whole white and half all-purpose also!)

Combine in mixing bowl 4 cups flour, yeast, and sugar. Add water, eggs, and oil. Beat well to "cake batter" stage. Stir in salt and 7 more cups flour to make bread-dough consistency. Let mixer knead it to the right texture (add up to 1 more cup flour if needed).*Add the bites during this stage, but don't add them if your dough is too hot or warm! They will melt! Trust me I know from experience! :) Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Shape dough into 4 loaves. Let rise for another hour or until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Slice thick and serve warm with butter, or toast slices in the toaster (be careful, the cinnamon bites can burn your fingers), or make slices into French Toast. Yummy!

*I just enjoyed a piece of our freshly made bread and it is absolutely wonderful! We are going to have french toast for dinner and I can't wait! ;)

Our Halloween Meal!

On Saturday we did simple Halloween meals! It was a busy day! We started with orange pumpkin pancakes! We just used a cookie cutter to make them! The cookie cutter does get hot so use thongs or something to take it off before flipping pancake!

The girls loved them!

For our afternoon lunch/dinner we did mummy dogs, dirt and broomsticks! Pretty easy! The girls loved it and helped make it!

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Banana Sour Cream Bread

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter

3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

6 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease four bread pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 loaves

3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cup grated peeled zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Beat eggs until foamy, add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla; sift in dry ingredients. Bake one hour at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Muffins

PUMPKIN MUFFINS!! ( I don't remember where I got this recipe??)

1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 tsp. soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients together and bake at 35o degrees for 20-30 minutes! (I baked 25!) These will also freeze well! Happy Baking!