Blueberry Orange Bread

I look at this little plaque every day. It hangs in my kitchen above my stand mixer and it reminds me of my Grandma, Edna Smith Browne. She had it hanging in her kitchen for many, many years. I miss her on a daily basis because of who she was, all she taught me, and my memories of things we did together. She is still an inspiration to me to be a better woman. So, I've been looking at this plaque and realized I've never tried the recipe on it. So I did!

It calls for: 3 cups all purpose flour (I used two c. ap and one cup wheat)
3/4 c. sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon salt (I did a scant teaspoon!)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 c milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange peel (I just zested one orange because that is all I had)
2/3 cup orange juice (again just squeezed one orange)
1 cup fresh, frozen, or drained canned blueberries
1/2 chopped walnuts (I omitted since I don't like nuts in my baked goods)

I started by creaming the butter and sugar. Then I added the milk and eggs. Then I mixed the dry ingredients separately and added them in to the mix. Then I added the orange zest and juice and finally folded in the blueberries by hand. I started to put it all in one bread pan but I didn't know if the batter would rise too much since it had a whole tablespoon of baking powder plus some baking soda. So I put most of the batter in the bread pan and then made six "muffins" out of the rest. It would have been fine all in one bread pan-but my daughter loved it as a muffin. So I may skip the bread pan all together next time! Then I baked the bread at 350 degrees for an hour or so.

It was so yummy! We really enjoyed the bright taste of the orange. And it was a nice change from the typical banana bread I normally make. As I mixed the bread I thought, "Oh Grandma, you are probably laughing at me right now for trying a recipe on a wall-hanging!" But as it turns out, it is a delicious recipe! I like to think she tried it on a whim one day and fed it to her children too. Yummy!

Make Ahead Caramel French Toast

On one of our visits to see my good friend, Christy Smith, she made us this wonderful breakfast of Caramel French Toast, pigs-in-a-blanket, and fresh fruit.  She was living in Jackson, MS at the time while her husband was attending medical school.  This is now a family favorite and the perfect breakfast for special occasions.

Make Ahead Caramel French Toast

Topping:

1 c. brown sugar

6 TB butter

1/3 c. whipping cream

1 TB light corn syrup

French toast:

3 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

8 (3/4 " thick) diagonal slices of french bread

Spray 9 x 13" glass baking dish with Pam.  In med. saucepan, combine all topping ingredients.  Mix well. Cook over medium heat till smooth, stirring constantly.  DO NOT BOIL.  Spread topping in baking dish.  

Beat eggs in shallow bowl.  Add milk, vanilla, and salt.  Beat well.  Dip each bread slice in egg mixture, making sure all egg is absorbed.  Place bread slices over topping in pan.  Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  

To serve, bake uncovered 20-25 minutes @ 350 or until bubbly and golden brown.  Let stand 3 minutes.  Invert on platter, if desired.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

A great mall is one with a Cinnabon store.  Your mouth should start watering as soon as you catch a waft of that yummy goodness, especially after a long day of shopping (I also feel this way about a good airport).  This is a recipe that has the same effect.  I don't remember how I came upon it, but I didn't make it up.  I just use it. It tastes best warm and dripping with cream cheese frosting.  We usually have these at night after I make them and then leftovers for breakfast.

Dough:

1 pkg active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water (105-115^)

1/3 c. +1/2 tsp sugar, divided

1/2 c. warmed milk

1/3 c. butter

1 tsp. salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

3 1/2-4 c. all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Filling:

1/2 c. melted butter, divided

3/4 c. sugar, divided

1 1/2 TB ground cinnamon

3/4 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Glaze:

Cream Cheese Frosting

To prepare dough:

In a small bowl, mix together warm water, yeast and sugar.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs.  Stir well and add yeast mixture.  Add half the flour and beat until smooth.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky).

Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes.  Place in a well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk (~1-1.5 hours).

When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 min.  Roll out on floured surface into a 15 x 20" rectangle.

To prepare filling:

Spread dough with 1/4 c. melted butter.  Mix together half of the 3/4 c. sugar and 1 1/2 TB cinnamon, sprinkle over buttered dough.  Sprinkle with walnuts or pecans or raisins, if desired.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion and pinch edge together to seal.  Cut into 9-12 slices.  Coat bottom of 8" or 9" square baking pan with remaining 1/4 c. melted butter.  Place slices close together in the pan.  Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk , ~45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 25-30 min. or until rolls are nicely browned.  Cool rolls slightly.  Spread icing on rolls while warm.

Breakfast Casserole

This is a Bully Bites recipe that I enjoy making for breakfast the night before.  It comes in handy when you have to feed visiting family and friends.

5-10 slices bread, trimmed
1/2 lb cheddar cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb sausage, browned and drained
8-10 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk, optional

Grease 9 x 13" baking dish.  Cover bottom of dish with bread slices.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over bread; cover cheese with cooked sausage.  Pour beaten eggs combined with milk, salt and pepper over the entire mixture.  Cover and refrigerate over-night.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set.  Serves 8-10.