Eating my Feelings Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, cake, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, eat, eating, eggs, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids baking, pandemic, pound cake, quick cooking, simple entertaining, sugar, vanilla, vanilla beans

This rich and buttery pound cake is simple to make but so elegant to eat while wearing jammies and watching “90 day Fiancé” or “My 600 Pound Life.”

Number of Servings: 1, perhaps 8, or even 12 depending how one is feeling that day 😉 This blog is a judgement free zone.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes of drooling in front of the oven

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons milk (skim, low fat, or whole)
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean
• 1-1/3 cups cake flour … but seriously any flour you can find during this pandemic (I used AP), spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a straight edge aka knife.
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 13 tablespoons salted butter, softened (no need to cut it in pieces) 16 tbls is a cup so y’all need to do some math or buy the butter in the sticks. Yes Salted … to be honest I only bake with salted butter. I remember saying it to my French instructor at Le Cordon Bleu and he almost fainted 👀 I’m too old to care anymore.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease an 8-in x 4-in x 2½-inch loaf pan with butter like you are in an episode of Mad Men. Dust with flour, shaking off any excess. (Alternatively, use a nonstick cooking spray with flour in it, since we are 6 weeks into a pandemic the 1950s way suited me just fine.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla until just combined.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 separate additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to combine. Do not over-mix. (The batter may have a slightly curdled or grainy appearance — that’s okay.)
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a thin wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap or store in a large sealable plastic bag.
6. The wrapped pound cake will keep for several days (it will never last the long) at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated.
7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

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Love me some bagels!

Tags

bagels, bakery, baking, breakfast, comfort food, cooking, delicious, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, eating, everything bagels, food, fresh, homemade bagels, kid friendly, kids baking, quick cooking, toast

Continuing my pandemic weigh gain I deciding to dabble in bagel making. They are crazy easy to make and even easier to eat. Make these today!

NEW YORK-STYLE BAGEL RECIPE
Makes: 8 medium-sized bagels
Total Time: ~2 hours

Optional Toppings: Everything seasoning, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds. (Everyone in my house prefers plain bagels, so I went with 3 Everything and 5 plain) 😉

Preparation:1. In ½ cup /120ml of the warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons (4 ½ teaspoons) granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups / 300ml warm water
3 ½ cups (500g) bread flour or AP flour what I used (you will need extra for kneading)
1 ½ teaspoons salt

2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.

3. Pour 1/2 cup / 90ml of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. Depending on where you live, you may need to add anywhere from a couple tablespoons to about ¼ cup/60ml of water. You want a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it. I had to use all the water.

4. On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough.

5. Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.

6. Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I did not have a scale so I made a ball and cut it in half and half again and again until I had 8 pieces). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms. Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.

7. Coat a finger in flour, and gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.

8. After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet or granite or wooden board, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF.

9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top (a couple seconds). Let them sit there for 1 minute, and them flip them over to boil for another minute.

10. If you want to top your bagels with stuff, do so as you take them out of the water. I didn’t brush them with egg wash I just sprinkled on and voila!

11. Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet or in my case I oiled the parchment paper on my baking sheet.

12. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. I rotated the pan 1/2 way through.

13. Cool on a wire rack… or if you are my kids tear one open slather it with butter or schmear it with cheese cream and devour it.

Enjoy putting on the pandemic pounds !

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Putting on the Pandemic Pounds Cinnamon Buns

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, comfort food, cooking, delicious, dessert, easy cooking, eat, eating, food, kid friendly, kids baking, simple entertaining, sugar, treats, vanilla, vanilla beans

Big, fluffy, soft and absolutely delicious. I have to admit I’m not much of a baker. I prefer to wing it in the kitchen, but with baking you can’t do that.

This recipe is pretty fool proof however! It takes a while though… from start to finish you are looking at about 3 hours or so. On a rainy day these are perfect to make!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• ¾ cup warm milk (whole milk or 2% preferred) (110 degrees F)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup salted butter, melted
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• For the filling:
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar also works)
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• For the cream cheese frosting:
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. I like to do this by placing milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 40-45 seconds. It should be like warm bath water. Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
2. Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If it’s TOO sticky (meaning it’s sticking to the bottom of the mixer, add in 2 tablespoons more flour.) If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for roughly 8 minutes on a well-floured surface.
3. Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. This may more or less time depending the humidity and temperature in your home.
4. After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14×9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the brown sugar mixture into the butter.
6. Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. You will probably need to cut off about an inch off the ends of the dough as the ends won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as we’d want it to be.
7. Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife or floss. You should get 9 large pieces.. I got 10 🤷‍♀️
8. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. (I also recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out.) Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees or 325 convection bake F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to underbake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting. Makes 9-10 cinnamon rolls.
10. To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Egg Bites – Premake your breakfasts for the week in 20 mins!

Tags

breakfast, cheese, cooking, delicious, easy breakfast, easy cooking, eat, eating, eggs, food, fresh, jalapeno, kid friendly, kids baking, muffins

I love eggs but I can’t be bothered to make an egg every morning.. I mean who has time for that?

Enter egg bites, baked in the oven, customizable to whatever your tastes are. Easy peasy… just how I like my mornings.

All you need is an oven, a 12 muffin tin, 8 eggs and whatever extras you want! To save a mess I use silicon muffin liners.

Here is what you need:

• 8 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbs heavy cream
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 slices of diced bacon
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1 whole jalapeño finely diced
• 1/2 cup feta crumbled

Sauté the onion, bacon and jalapeño in a pan until golden. Drop a 1/2 Tbs of this mixture into the muffin tins.

Whisk up the 8 eggs in a bowl. Add the heavy cream and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into each muffin tin. Top with roughly 2 tsp of crumbed feta cheese.

Put these babies into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Voila! Now in the morning your only concern is making a Coffee, trying to get dressed in private and herding cats.. err I mean your children. 😉

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monicaskitchen.com

Bakery Style Buttermilk chocolate chip muffins

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, buttermilk, chocolate, dessert, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids, kids baking, mini muffins, muffins, simple entertaining, sugar, summer, summertime, treats

First let me start by giving credit where credit is due, this recipe was given to me by a friend who found it on Pinterest these have got to be some of the best chocolate chip muffins I have ever eaten. I have tweaked the original recipe a bit, so here is my version. 

Chloe makes them at least every 10 days or so, they freeze incredibly well all you need to do is take a muffin out of the freezer put it in the lunch bag and by snacktime it’s thawed, Voila! These are a winner winner.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla bean sugar 

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 larges eggs beaten 

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or the best extract you can find 
1 1/2 cups miniature chocolate chips

sanding sugar for sprinkling on top – makes all the difference. 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Use muffin liners or Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 large and 12 mini muffins.
In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla, and the buttermilk. Stir JUST until a batter with lumps forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full (about a heaping 1/4 cup).

Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then decrease the heat to 375ºF and bake for another 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.

Enjoy! 

http://www.monicaskitchen.com (new website coming soon!) 

These Blueberry Muffins Are To. Die. For

Tags

30 minute muffins, baking, blueberries, blueberry muffins, fruit, kids baking, muffins

Hands down these are are best blueberry muffins out there! The recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins or 6 extra large ones.  

  
I used frozen blueberries which is why in these pictures the muffins are really blue… If you use fresh ones the muffins will be more white :). 

Ingredients1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

Pinch of cinnamon 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

1 egg 

1/3 cup milk (approx)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract 

1 to 1 1/2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen) – this time I used wild frozen blueberries

Demerara sugar for topping

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). I used convection bake so my oven was set to 375 convect. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, pinch of cinnamon and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup; add the egg and vanilla and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with demerara sugar or course sugar. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. Mine took exactly 24 minutes. 

  
Cool on a rack and watch these babies disappear! Delish!

http://www.monicaskitchen.com