Baked Doughnuts

Oh la la la la. I have a new doughnut pan, so what do you think I've had for breakfast two days in a row? I love love love this recipe because you can glaze them, sugar them, or dip them in any crumbly goodness you desire.  This is just a basic doughnut recipe which you could play around with and make fun variations! To make these you will need a doughnut pan. Mine came from target and was about $10-$13.

Makes 6 doughnuts

You will need:
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. milk
1 & 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. melted butter (I always add a little extra)

To start:
1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
2. Combine milk, vinegar, egg and melted butter. Make sure you whisk it well so that the butter mixes in completely.
3. in a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix them well. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and whisk until smooth.
4. Fill the doughnut pan. Mine was nonstick, but you may need to grease yours. To fill the pan you can either use a spoon or a piping bag.
5. Bake for 8 minutes in the center of the oven. Allow the doughnuts to cool completely before topping.

I topped some of these by brushing melted butter on the tops and dipping them in cinnamon sugar. On others added chocolate ganache frosting! The possibilities are endless.

Happy baking!

Sunshine Sweet Potatoes for Two

Growing up, I never liked sweet potatoes. The other day, a friend gave us a sack full of organic sweet potatoes from his farm, and I thought it was high time I learned to like 'em! I cooked them the way I cook regular potatoes and turnips-- with onions and eggs! At first, this may sound like a strange combination, but they compliment each other nicely.

For potatoes, you will need:

2 large sweet potatoes

4 tbsp. olive oil

1/2  tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. white pepper (black works too!)

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1/2 white onion

For the eggs, you will need:

2 large eggs

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 pinches Mediterranean spices

To start:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. 

2. Wash and chop the sweet potatoes into small chunks, and put them aside in a bowl. Dice the white onion and put it with sweet potatoes. Toss them together with 4 tbsp. of olive oil.

3. Next, the spices (salt, pepper, sage, & garlic powder) need to be tossed in. You may want to combine them together first, to get sufficient coverage. 

4. Pour the potatoes and onions into a pan (I used my skillet,) and use a rubber spatula to get all the spice and oil out of the bowl. 

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Halfway through, shuffle the potatoes and onions around in the pan and turn them over. Be sure that the potatoes are crispy!

6. Fry the eggs during the last 5 or 6 minutes of the potatoes baking. The way I like to fry egg is by letting a tablespoon of olive oil get hot in my pan. Then I crack the egg into the hot oil and sprinkle a pinch of Mediterranean seasonings while the egg is still uncooked. Just leave the egg on the heat to cook through. Move the pan around so the whites are fully cooked. 

7. Divide the potato mixture in half into two bowls, and put an egg on top of each.

I've done this with and without the onions, and it's great either way! The runny egg yolk compliments the sweet potatoes so well! It's a great, southern breakfast dish to enjoy on a chilly autumn morning!

Happy cooking!

Whole Wheat Bread

There's just something so satisfying about making your own bread! This is great bread to have with jam and tea or coffee. It's perfect for serving with breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! Wrap it in pretty paper, tie it off with a bow and you've got a nice gift for a friend!

You will need:
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour (plus some for sprinkling)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. non-fat dried milk
2 cups + 2 Tbsp. warm water
OPTIONAL
1 egg
salt

To start:
1. In the bowl of your standing mixer dissolve the brown sugar into the oil and water. Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the liquid. Once the yeast is also dissolved, add the dried milk.
2. Using your standing mixer fitted with the bread hooks, mix the flour into the liquid. one cup at a time.
3. Once thoroughly mixed, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. The dough may be sticky, so you'll want to flour your hands as well.
4. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a room-temperature, draft free place. (an unheated oven works well for this.) Let the dough rise for two hours (or until doubled in size.)
5. After the two hours, pre-heat your oven to 375 F. Grease two 8x4" loaf pans or line them with parchment.
6. Punch the dough down to size. Make sure you flour your hands because the dough is apt to be sticky. Separate the dough into two even portions and place them both in the pans. If the dough is not sreading to edges of the pan, use your hands to spread it out. OPTIONAL- Beat an egg and wash the dough with it. Salt the top of your dough and slash it.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yeilds 2 loaves.

Happy cooking!

Peach-Strawberry Jam

This was my first time making jam and it turned out so well! This recipe doesn't call for any gelatin base products: just fruit and sugar!

You will need:
A small saucepan
2 large peaches
5-6 ripe strawberries
2/3 cup brown sugar
Juice from one lemon

To start:
1. Peel, pit, and cut the peaches into small chunks.
2. Cut the tops of the strawberries off. Cut the strawberries into smaller bits as well.
NOTE: The smaller you cut the fruit, the better. This will help you avoid overly chunky jam.
3. Put the cut up fruit and lemon juice in the sauce pan and stir so the juice is evenly distributed.
4. Turn the stove up to high heat and place the pan on the burner.
5. Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the pan and stir as it melts. Use your spoon to slightly mash the fruit. I used a potato masher to make the fruit a bit softer.
6. Add the remaining brown sugar and let it melt in the pan. Once it's melted and no longer grainy, let the mixture sit on the heat and simmer. Stir the pan occasionally to keep it from burning.
7. Once the jam has taken on a thick consistency, pour it into a jar and let it cool completely before adding the lid.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

This jam is simple to make and so delicious! It's great for gifts or to keep for yourself.  You can try it on toast, pancakes, crepes, or as cake filling. Not a strawberry or peach fan? This works with blueberries, plums, raspberries, or blackberries as well!  I hope you have fun with this recipe and enjoy the jam!

Happy cooking!

The BEST Sugar Cookies.

If you love sugar cookies, this is the recipe for you! It's perfect for Christmas cookies and they're super easy to make (not to mention SO YUMMY!)  This recipe is great when using cookie cutters and they're easily decorated. :)

 You will need:

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (salted or unsalted.)

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups flour (plus some for sprinkling.)

OPTIONAL: 1 tbsp. milk

 

Getting started:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

 2. First, leave the butter out for about 30 minutes so it can get soft. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  For drop cookies, add some milk to this step.

3. Next, add in the flour. If it's too much to add in all at once, feel free to add about a half cup at a time. *You may need to knead the dough with your hands. 

4. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Rub some flour on a rolling pin and roll out some of your dough to about a half inch. Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut out some shapes and move them to a greased cookie sheet. 

5. Put in cookie sheets in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

6. Decorate your cookies with cookie frosting. Click here for the recipe.

I love this recipe so much and it yields about 36-42 cookies depending on the size of your cutter. It's great for Valentine's, Christmas, or any time of the year. I don't think I'll ever use another sugar cookie recipe again! I've made them several times and everyone absolutely loves them! I hope you found this recipe helpful and enjoy making these sweet cookies:)  

Happy Cooking!

The Best Brownies EVER. (forreal)

These seriously have to be the best brownies I've ever tried. I made a batch for my family to taste and they were so good I just had to make another!

You will need:
1. 2/3 cup un-sweetened cocoa powder
2. 2 cups of white granulated sugar
3. 4 eggs
4. 1 cup all purpose flour
5. 1 cup vegetable oil (melted butter will suffice)
6. 2 tsp. vanilla extract
7. 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
8. 1/2 tsp. salt
9. Two large bowls
10. Two large spoons

To begin:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan.
3. In one large bowl mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
4. In the second bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
5. Pour the dry mixture into the egg mixture about a half cup at a time and stir.
6. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into greased pan.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
8. Once finished baking, let cool for about 3 minutes.
9. Cut and enjoy!

I love these brownies because they're better than a box-mix and you get satisfaction of knowing you made them from scratch! I hope you found this recipe helpful and easy. If these aren't the best brownies you've tasted, post your recipe in the comment section:)

Happy Cooking!