Blueberry Filled Lemon Pull-Apart Bread

 

 

It's been a long time since I have posted anything.  I've been very busy for the past five years with my new job.  I have recently change job positions at my work.  It has allowed me to have some time to do the thing I love most.  "BAKE" 

 

 

Blueberry Filled Lemon Pull-Apart Bread

(Bread Machine Recipe)

 

 

 

Blueberry pull apart bread

1 cup whole milk

One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)

1/4 cup plus 1Tablespoon granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the bowl

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Zest from 2 lemons

2 teaspoons lemon juice
 

Blueberry Filling

3 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (packed)

3 teaspoons lemon juice

5 teaspoons cornstarch

5 teaspoons cold water

Lemon Glaze

Juice from 1 large lemon

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1-2 Tablespoons milk or water

2 Tablespoon butter
 

 

Dough and filling ready to bake



 

Directions (bread)

• Warm the milk and lemon zest in a medium saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 100. Sift the lemon zest out of the milk.  Whisk in the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla.
• Whisk the flour, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the salt and nutmeg in the bowl/baggie. 
• Place milk mixture in bread machine pan.  Cover completely with flour mixture.
• Make a shallow well in the center without reaching liquid and pour in the yeast mixture. Set bread machine on dough setting.
• Make blueberry filling while bread dough is rising.
• Roll out the dough into a large rectangle approx. 12 x 16 and cut into small rectangles a little smaller than your bread pan to allow room to rise.  Place one tablespoon of filling on each layer.  Place each layer in loaf pan beginning and ending with dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• * (see note below)
• Cover with foil if needed to avoid over browning.  Bake the loaf until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl, then whisk in the water or milk and melted butter. Transfer the loaf to a rack and drizzle the glaze on top after cooling 15 minutes while still warm.

 

Directions (filling)

• Combine 2 cups of the blueberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
• Heat the Blueberry mixture on medium high heat for five minutes or until blueberries have started to break down.
• Mix together the cornstarch and water.
• Remove sauce pan from heat.  Stir the cornstarch mixture to the blueberries until combined. 
• Return sauce pan back to heat and bring blueberry mixture to a boil.
• Let boil one additional minute until sauce thickens.
• Remove from heat and add remaining blueberries.
• Cool before assembly of bread dough pieces. 

 

Baked Bread

 

Enjoy!

 

* I tilt my pan on end leaning it against my full flour canister and fill it from one end to the other layering bottom to top. Use what method works best for you.

 

This recipe can be turned into blueberry sweet rolls by spreading 2/3 of the filling on the large rectangle of dough and rolling it up like cinnamon roll dough and cutting them into 8 rounds and layering them in a baking pan then covering them with plastic wrap and letting them rise 40 minutes before baking. 

 

 



Taco Casserole

With my new job I rarely have time to bake or cook anymore.  I had some time to think about a twist on my normal tacos and taco salad.  So I came up with this one.  The family loved it and my husband said to add it to our list of go-to-meals.  I hope you enjoy it like we did.  You can add or subtract or replace any of the ingredients.  We topped each plate with sour cream.  The possibilities are endless.  Enjoy!

Meat, tomato, corn and rice mixture

 

 

 

 

Topped with cheese

 

 

 

 

Topped with Nacho Flavored Corn Tortilla Chips

 

 

 

 

 

Topped with lettuce, fresh tomatoes and cheese.

 

 

 

Taco Casserole

 

2 lbs. browned ground beef (season to taste)

2 taco seasoning pkts.

1 large can petite diced tomatoes

1 small can fire roasted tomatoes and chillies

1 can corn (drained)

1 steam bag Mexican rice

1 8 oz. pkg. fiesta cheese

1 8 oz. pkg. cheddar cheese or fresh grated

shredded lettuce

3 large fresh diced tomatoes.

1 large bag of Nacho flavored corn tortilla chips

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees/ spray 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. 

 

In a large skillet brown the ground beef seasoned to taste.  Drain and rinse the browned ground beef.  Put back into skillet and add taco seasoning pkts on medium heat.  Add both cans tomatoes and corn and mix well.  Microwave rice according to package instructions and then add to the meat-tomato mixture.  Stir until well combined.  Heat until bubbly.  Poor into casserole dish.  Sprinkle with pkg. fiesta cheese.  Cover with foil and place in oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.  Remove from oven and remove foil.  Let stand 5 minutes then add broken Nacho chips to cover.  Top with lettuce, fresh tomatoes and cheddar cheese and serve.  Add your choice of toppings to finish and enjoy!

 



Taking Orders

Amy's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

AmysSweetMemories.com

Sweet Heart Cheesecake

I tried to come up with a romantic way to make a dessert for my husband for Valentine's Day.  So I wanted a heart and he loves cheesecake.  But I don't have a heart shaped spring form pan to make a cheesecake in.  So I thought awhile and come up with about the most simple idea and to top it off I didn't have to bake.  I thought I'd put two slices of cheesecake together with the tops cut into a curve.  He loved it!  I hope the pictures are self explanatory. 

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies

This is my first attempt at decorating cookies with detail.  It was very time consuming but rewarding.  I used lots of tips from blogs.  Found a new favorite cookie recipe.  I hope you enjoy the cookies.

Super Cinnamon Rolls

I've been working on different cinnamon roll recipes to take to our family reunion.  I wanted a good one that stays fresh longer, freezes great (for travel) and warms up like a fresh roll the next day.  I found that one.  The recipe was on the food network site.  It freezes fantastically and raises great.  It has a soft dough texture.  It's the type that you unwrap each layer of wonderfulness with each bite.  I have to admit that these are so good you don't even need icing. 

Cinnamon (Yum) Roll

Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

Our church is having a back to school lunch after church complete with chili and cinnamon rolls.  We are all bringing old grade school pictures to make a collage for everyone to look at.  I volunteered to make the cinnamon rolls. 

After the words " I'll make them all" slipped out of my mouth I thought to myself  "silly you haven't made home made cinnamon rolls in a long time".  I have a recipe that I haven't made in years.  I tried it but wasn't happy with it.  So I went on a hunt.  I found numerous recipes and some I might fix later for family but for a school cinnamon roll they needed to bake close together and fluffy and soft. 

I found a great recipe and it's easy to make either in your bread machine or by hand.  The recipe said that the rolls freeze well.  I tried freezing them and then letting them thaw and rise then bake them and it works.  They do freeze well.  These rolls are so light, fluffy, and moist.  and mild tasting.  Not too sweet or too plain.  I'm excited about this recipe.  I'm the kind of person who would put butter on my warm cinnamon rolls to melt down the side of each bite.  But with these I don't need any butter.  They are great just on their own merit.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did...oh by the way because I'm on a healthier eating plan I gave away all but three rolls.  These are too dangerous to keep around.  Of course I only kept them for experimental use only.  I have to make sure they stay fresh for a couple of days.  I also froze four of them to see if they will work after being frozen.  They are super easy to make.  Enjoy!

  Cinnamon Roll

Cinnamon Roll

Cinnamon Rolls (hand made)

2 c. Buttermilk

1/2 c. Oil

1/8 t. butter flavoring

1/8 t. vanilla flavoring

1/2 c. Sugar

.25 oz pkt yeast

4 1/2 c. A.P. flour (divided for recipe by hand)

1/2 t. Baking powder

1/2 t. Baking soda

1 1/2 t. salt

                

Filling

1/4 c. Brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

4 T. Softened butter

1 c. Chopped nuts (pecans/optional)

1 c. Raisins (optional)

Makes 16 servings

Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan and warm this mixture to just before the boiling point… (see note) then remove from heat let it cool down then stir in dry yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes to let the yeast bloom.

Add 4 (of the 4½ cups) of flour to the buttermilk mixture and stir well (no need to knead, just mix well). Dough at this stage will be extremely sticky and more like a thick batter. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.

In a small, separate bowl, mix the final ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. After the sticky dough has rested/raised for an hour, stir it down and add this final half cup flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated (by hand or electric mixer)...just takes a minute.
Turn batter (which will still be quite soft and sticky) out onto WELL-floured counter and roll the dough around a few times, coating the surface with flour so it is not so sticky. Roll (or pat) dough out into a rectangle that is about ½” thick. Spread dough surface with 2 tablespoons butter then evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with nuts (pat the nuts into the sugar a little). Roll up, jellyroll style, keeping it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam shut tightly. Cut 1½” slices and lay them, cut side down, in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in pre-heated 350F oven for about 25 minutes or until golden and they sound hollow when you tap on them. Drizzle with glaze while the rolls are still hot and serve war.

Bread Machine Recipe

Spray bread machine with non-stick spray. 

Heat buttermilk in microwave 1-2 minutes until warm.  Pour buttermilk into bread machine.  Add oil and flavorings. 

In a bowl or gallon size baggie, mix all dry ingredients for cinnamon rolls except yeast. 

Pour flour mixture over top of wet mixture making sure all sides and corner of the wet ingredients are completely covered. 

Make a shallow well about an inch deep and pour yeast into well, making sure yeast does not come into contact withe the liquid. 

Place Bread pan into machine and set it to the dough setting.  When done remove and follow the directions above in the hand made recipe.  Makes 16 servings.

Close-Up Cinnamon Roll (OH soooo moist and soft)!

Healthy Fruit Pizza

As I continue on my journey making healthier choices and loosing weight, I found this good fruit pizza recipe.  I've tried fruit pizza before and it was really good but it was always made with processed sugar cookie dough for the crust.  I found this on a website and tried it.  I loved it.  If you didn't know it was meant to be healthy you'd just think it was a different version of the same recipe.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  I've been told it doesn't store well in the refrigerator, so we shared it with friends.  It's great to try to make this recipe in the summer when the fruit is in season and the prices are more reasonable. 

Fruit Pizza

Pressed raw cookie crust dough

Baked cookie dough

Healthy Fruit Pizza

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/8 t. salt

1/4 c. melted butter

1 t. vanilla

1/3 c. honey (for crust)

1/4 cup honey (for spread)

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. skim milk

8 oz. cream cheese

one medium banana

1 pint strawberries

1 large kiwi

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a small bowl melt butter and add 1/3 c. honey, vanilla and blend together.  Add it to the flour mixture until crumbly.  Mix egg yolk and milk together and add to crumbly mixture to form a ball. 

Press dough out onto a 12" pizza pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Cool completely. 

In a separate bowl mix 1/4 c. honey and cream cheese together.  Spread on crust leaving about 1/4 inch from edge after it has cooled. 

Slice fruit and layer in a colorful design.  Cut it into slices like a pizza.  You can top with chocolate syrup or honey or just serve as is and enjoy.

Corn Cakes

I've been trying to switch a lot of things that I've been eating.  I've also been cutting back on portions and how often I eat each day.  I don't think I can see myself ever being a true vegetarian but I am trying to switch to healthier eating and whole fresh foods and organic dairies and eggs.  It's easier now that it's summer and the fruits and vegetables are fresh and less expensive.  But in a few months, they wont be as readily available and they will also be more expensive.  I tried this recipe because it used frozen corn.  It's something that tastes summery but I know I can still make them in the cold months.  I tweaked the recipe a bit.  I found the recipe on the food network site.  It was from Giada De Laurentiis.  I enjoyed them and would make them again. 

Corn Cakes

Uncooked corn cakes

Corn cakes with panko bread crumbs



Corn Cakes

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

3/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella or Pizza Cheese (3 ounces)

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor, pulse the corn into a chunky puree. Place in a medium bowl. Add the cheese, 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs, chives, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined. Form the mixture into 9 balls and then flatten into patties, each about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Coat the patties in the 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs. Heat oil in skillet.  Brown the cakes until toasted, 4 to 5 minutes each side.

Light and fluffy Steakhouse Dinner Rolls

!!!WARNING!!!   

!!!THESE ROLLS ARE ADDICTIVE!!! 

I finally found a recipe like the super soft and sweet steakhouse dinner rolls.  At least close enough to make me happy.  I've been trying for a long time to find a dinner roll like the ones you find in the steakhouse restaurants.  The ones that are so soft you can't cut them.  They are light, fluffy, sweet, and soft.  I'm excited to share this recipe with others.  As I have warned you...these rolls are addictive.  They are even amazingly soft the next day. 

I've tried so many recipes.  Some of them were good recipes and some not so good.  But I found one that is so good I've stopped tweaking.   I use my bread machine on dough setting but I'm puting the recipe on here for made by hand directions for those who do not have a bread machine.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we have.  Simple- Inexpensive- Delicious.

Soft and Sweet Steakhouse Dinner Rolls

Patted out dough

Cut Dough

Rolled dough

Dough on baking sheet before rising

Soft and Sweet Steakhouse Dinner Rolls

2/3 c. warm evaporated milk

1  large egg beaten
1/4 c. sugar

1 T. honey

4 T. butter or margarine

2 c. flour

1/4 t. salt (heaping)

1 package yeast (.25 oz.)

Warm milk in microwave about 35 seconds.  In a small bowl mix yeast and sugar.  Add warm milk to sugar yeast mixture and stir to combine and set aside for 8-10 minutes. 

In a separate bowl mix flour and salt together.

Melt butter and add to egg and honey in a large mixing bowl.  Add yeast milk mixture to butter.  Using dough hook in mixer, mix egg and yeast together. 

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in four parts.  Dough will be sticky.  With floured hands form dough in to a ball and place in an oiled bowl.  Cover and set in a warm place to rise an hour. 

Place dough on well floured surface.  Pat in a circle with hands until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  using pizza cutter cut into 12 equal triangle pieces like a pizza.  *Fold dough into rolls and place on a greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray. 

Let rise for in a warm place for 45 minutes until almost doubled in size.  Bake for at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.  Dough will rise more when baking. 

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.  Makes one dozen.

*Fold dough in half and then fold the edges into the center like a mushroom cap to form roll.