Recently, the phrase: “if you can buy it, you can make it” has been milling around in my head. Along with that makes me think of a quote by Michael Pollan, “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” Not that English Muffins are junk food, it’s just these are thoughts that sometimes occupy my mind.
It had never occurred to me to make my own English Muffins, but I had a hankering & my FYP on TikTok has provided plenty of videos so this morning I turned my hankering into breakfast.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm milk
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp fast-rising yeast
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Corn meal, for dusting
Preparation:
In a large bowl, whisk together milk, honey, & melted butter. Sprinkle yeast over top of mixture & let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture, add egg, & whisk again.
Add the flour & salt & stir until dough forms. It will be sticky. Cover with a towel & put in a warm place for an hour to rise & double in size. (For a warm place, you can turn the oven on to 200° F & then turn off & place in oven with door cracked.)
Once risen, transfer dough to a lightly floured surface & spread to a 1/2 – 1” thickness. Using a cutter, or glass jar, cut out circles (without twisting) of dough. This recipe should yield 4 – 5 muffins.
In a large cast iron skillet, heat to medium low. Dust tops & bottoms of muffins with cornmeal. Transfer to heated skillet, cover, & cook for 4-6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
In our immediate family, all 4 of our birthdays happen within 22 days. It starts with mine, 5 days later it’s our eldest’s, 13 days later my husband, & lastly, 4 days after his, our youngest’s. I’ve often said I don’t just happen to have a sweet tooth, I have a sweet mouth because I rarely turn away sweets, but after all our birthdays & goodies in a short amount of time, the reprieve is welcomed. However, with that said, you best believe, we all enjoyed these! Bonus: they were incredibly easy to make. Extra bonus: there are plenty in the freezer for when the need for something sweet strikes again – and it will.
2. Line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper, ensuring enough paper to hang over the edges. Spray with nonstick spray; set aside. Using one box of brownies at a time, prepare according to package instructions. The box will specify use of an 8×8 or 9×9 pan, but for this recipe you’ll use the 9×13 pan.
3. Once ingredients are mixed together, spread batter over prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, but begin to check at 18.
4. Once brownies are set in middle, transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Once completely cooled, remove brownies from the pan using the overhang of parchment paper & transfer to a cookie sheet. Place in freezer.
Repeat steps 1-4 with the next box of brownies. Now, instead of removing the brownies with overhang of the parchment paper, place pan of cooled brownies in freezer for a few hours to firm up.
Remove ice cream from freezer & allow to soften on counter for 15 minutes (or 30 minutes if ice cream had been in deep freezer). Spoon softened ice cream onto brownies still in the pan & spread evenly. Remove the parchment paper from the other brownies on cookie sheet & place right side up on top of ice cream. Return to freezer for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
When ready to serve, cut with brownies still in the pan (I used a food scraper which worked perfectly) & then using the overhang of parchment paper, remove from pan. Serve immediately. Place remaining in a Tupperware container, placing parchment paper between layers as needed, & store in freezer.
Birthday season is upon us in our family. This one was a request, and despite some snafus along the way (what was supposed to be 4 layers of cake ended up with 3 as one slid off on its way to the freezer!) The taste did not disappoint. I mean chocolate and raspberries are always a win in my book.
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder & 1/4 cup black cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water
For the homemade raspberry jam:
Note: you can omit this step & buy seedless raspberry jam in lieu of making it yourself
12 oz. frozen raspberries thawed
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
For the chocolate ganache:
12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate (not to exceed 61% cacao)
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
For the chocolate mascarpone filling:
6 oz mascarpone (I used the entire 8 oz container)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 heaping cup ganache
For the garnish:
2 6oz containers fresh raspberries
Dusting of powdered sugar
Preparation
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Choose between either 2 8” or 9” cake pans. Line each pan with parchment paper and grease or spray paper & sides, then flour; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the sugar and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and drop a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. For 8” pans, bake at 350° F for 32-38 minutes, for 9” pans bake for 22-28 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean and/ or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Once cool, level cakes if needed.
For the raspberry jam:
Add raspberries (and any juices from thawing) to food processor and puree. Add puree to a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to discard seeds. Press down on the puree with the back of a spoon or spatula, until only seeds remain. Wipe the back of your sieve to get all of the puree. You should end up with about 1 ¼ cups of puree.
Add raspberry puree, cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly then reduce heat to medium (medium-low if your stove runs hot) and continue to cook and stir continuously until puree is thickened. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
For the chocolate ganache:
***Only start the ganache when the cakes are cooled.
Add heavy cream to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, add chocolate, & cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk vigorously until melted and smooth. Whisk in 1 tablespoon corn syrup.
Remove a heaping ½ cup ganache to use in chocolate mascarpone. Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm, about 20 minutes or until thickened but spreadable.
For the chocolate mascarpone:
Immediately after making the ganache, make chocolate mascarpone (so you can start assembling your cake before the Ganache cools completely).
Using a mixer, beat the mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla on low until no lumps remain. Add reserved cooled heaping of ½ cup ganache and increase speed to medium high and beat until thick, and stiff peaks form m, like thick whipped cream; being careful not to over beat.
To assemble:
Cut cooled cakes in half horizontally using a long serrated knife to create 4 even layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a serving plate or cake pedestal then evenly top with one third of the raspberry jam (about ⅓ cup). Top jam with one third of chocolate mascarpone about 1 cup. Top with 2nd cake layer, cut side down, and repeat jam and mascarpone layers. Top with 3rd cake layer and repeat jam and mascarpone layers. Add final cake layer, cut side down.
Separate out 1 cup lukewarm Ganache and frost top and sides of cake in a thin crumb layer. Freeze cake for 30 minutes to set ganache. After 30 minutes, frost cake with desired amount of remaining ganache. If ganache is beginning to harden then add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and microwave for 10 seconds then whisk. If it is too runny, then whip it with a hand held mixer to stiffen.
Arrange raspberries in concentric circles on top of cake and dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Serve immediately or cover & store in refrigerator.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to breakfast. With the addition of the crunchy chili onion,
This savory, slightly spicy dish has become a new favorite.
Ingredients:
Hash brown patties
Eggs
Crunchy chili onion
Freshly ground S & P
Green onion, chopped
Preparation:
Bake hash brown patties, per package instruction. For timing purposes, start this first so that everything is ready at the same time.
Bring skillet to medium heat. Once heated, add 1/2 – 1 tbsp crunchy chili onion to skillet. Add eggs on top (we like our eggs over easy, but prepare to your liking). Season eggs with S & P.
Add hash brown patties to plate, top with prepared eggs, & sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Whenever I use my crockpot, I think the same thing: I need to use this more often. It’s such a time saver! Prep, toss it in, walk away, & check back a few hours later, cut & serve.
Ingredients:
1 (1.65 lb) turkey breast, skin removed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Preparation:
Allow turkey breast to come to room temperature on counter for 2-3 hours before placing in the cooker.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the seasonings/ spices. Add three small balls of aluminum foil at bottom of crockpot. Coat turkey breast with olive oil & rub spice mixture all over. Place breast on top of foil.
Cover & cook on low for 3 – 4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155°
Remove from the cooker, cover loosely with foil, & allow to rest for 15 – 20 minutes. Slice & enjoy.
I made these yesterday for the first time & they were fantastic!
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken wings
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic, grated
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Using paper towels, pat the wings dry & place in a big bowl. Drizzle in the oil. Add the baking powder, S & P, onion & garlic powder, & toss to coat evenly.
Transfer to the baking sheet & bake for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
When there’s about 5 minutes left of baking time, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add in the garlic & parsley.
When the wings are done cooking, transfer them to a clean bowl, drizzle garlic butter mixture over the wings, add in the Parmesan cheese, & toss to coat evenly.
At the beginning of last year, I posted the following picture & requested friends to submit their favorites. The only exclusion i implemented is that it couldn’t be one that I had already read. I enjoy recommendations & while only one ended up on my list of favorites this year, I’m reminded books impact us differently for a myriad of reasons.
1. Lessons In Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
2. Listening In The Dark, Amber Tamblyn
3. The 100 Years of Lenni & Margot, Marianne Cronin
4. All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
5. In The Dream House: A Memoir, Carmen Maria Machado
6. Lucy By The Sea, Elizabeth Strout
7. What My Bones Know, Stephanie Woo
8. The Storyteller, Jodi Picoult
9. Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows, Balli Kaur Jaswal
10. Ma Qui: The American Phantom of Vietnam, Len Hudson
11. We Are Not Like Them, Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
12. The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
13. The Art of Racing In The Rain, Garth Stein
14. In The Wild Light, Jeff Zenner
15. All The Missing Girls, Megan Miranda
16. How To Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told, Harrison Scott Key
17. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here, Jeneva Rose
18. Good In Bed, Jennifer Weiner
19. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
20. Unmasking Autism, Devon Price, PhD
21. Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
22. The Secret Life of Secrets, Michael Slepian
23. A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle
24. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
25. Nightcrawling, Leila Mottley
26. The Woman In Me, Britney Spears
27. The Grieving Brain, Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD
28. Finding Me, Viola Davis
29. The Guncle, Steve Rowley
30. Day, Michael Cunningham
31. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death Maggie O’Farrell
32. Counting The Cost, Jill Duggar
33. The Body Farm, Patricia Cornwell
34. Group, Christie Tate
35. The Courage To Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness, Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
36. The Gift: 12 Lessons To Save Your Life, Edith Eger.
My favorite five (in order of when I read):
Fiction
I found this book utterly delightful, lol funny, & a testament to how far we’ve come in sexism & glaringly how much more progress we have yet to make.
“Because while musical prodigies are always celebrated, early readers aren’t. And that’s because early readers are only good at something others will eventually be good at, too. So being first isn’t special – it’s just annoying.”
Fiction
This book also made me lol several times over. I enjoy learning about different cultures & practices & this book certainly opened my eyes to the Indian culture.
“It would be easier to be a criminal fairly prosecuted by the law than an Indian daughter who wronged her family. A crime would be punishable by a jail sentence of definite duration rather than this uncertain length of family guilt trips.”
Fiction
I started & ended this book the same: crying. A book narrated by the dog from his perspective. If you’ve ever had a connection to a dog, I’d be hard pressed to say you’ll make it through dry eyed.
“It’s so hard to communicate because there are so many moving parts. There’s presentation and there’s interpretation and they’re so dependent on each other it makes things very difficult. I didn’t want him to feel bad about this. I wanted him to see the obvious, that it’s okay for him to let me go. He’s been going through so much, and he’s finally through it. He needs to not have me around to worry about anymore. He needs me to free him to be brilliant.”
Memoir.
The only two people who know what goes on in the marriage is the two people in it & even then there are times you’re left wondering. So many quotes in this book, I couldn’t decide on just one.
“I used to think only the deviant or unlucky, addicts, swingers, abusers, drunks got to the tortured point in marriage where divorce obtains. Nobody ever told me that marriage comes to this cataract in the river many times over. That every marriage goes over the falls. The two of you go tumbling across the smooth mossy rocks of time & down you go & some couples die & some don’t, but everybody goes toppling.
“Love is never a bad call. It might seem impossible; it might even seem silly when every atom in your body screams for blood. But how else other than with love can a broken thing be made whole again. The book of Ezekiel says God likes to work on broken things, to build up the ruined places & plant the desolate land.”
“Whatever your feelings about Christ being the bridegroom & the church being the bride, here’s what I’ve come to see: Rome slaughtered Jesus & that’s what marriage will do. It will slay you. Crucify, and burn, and behead you & everything you thought you knew about yourself. And the thing that is left, after all is burned & plucked away, that is the real you.”
Memoir.
Powerful & gripping.
“It’s futile to ask why. Instead ask yourself, ‘What did I learn from this?’ What have I learned from all of it? There is absolutely no way whatsoever to get through this life without scars.”
It’s a tradition of mine that with the baking extravaganza I embark on every December, I try at least one new Christmas cookie. This year, I wanted something a little different, a bit unexpected.
These cookies nailed it!
As I went through the ingredient list, I did pause & speculation set in when I read chili powder. You know, chili powder that includes garlic & onion powder. But, I shook my head & said aloud, “trust the process.” I did & couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. The only alteration I made was to increase the cayenne pepper from a 1/4 tsp to a 1/2 tsp, maybe a smidge more. It’s subtle & so worth it!
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, 4 oz
4 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a small saucepan, melt butter & unsweetened chocolate, until glossy & smooth. Remove from heat & allow to cool until room temperature.
Beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, & eggs on low speed until well combined. Pour in cooled chocolate & mix until evenly distributed.
In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Add dry ingredients to cream mixture & beat on low until just combined with no visible flour remains.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
On parchment lined paper, using a cookie scoop, add cookie dough balls, leaving a 1 1/2 inch of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Remove from oven & transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.
Typically, I’ve been a fortunate person who doesn’t get sick very often, but a few weeks ago out of nowhere, I developed a cough. Nothing else: no sneezing, runny nose, fever, aches, etc. I felt fine. My dad told me he had made a hot toddy for a friend of theirs who had the same thing & it worked wonders.
My husband & I are aren’t really drinkers so we have a small assortment of liquor in the house, usually received as a gift, or for a recipe so off to the liquor store we went.
The cast of characters:
I’m happy to report it worked like a charm & tasted far better than the memory I have of shots taken during a camping trip many moons ago.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Whiskey
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp honey
6 – 8 oz boiling water
Cinnamon stick, or dash of cinnamon
Preparation:
In a mug, add Whiskey. Squeeze half a lemon, add honey, pour hot water & stir together with a cinnamon stick & allow to sit for a minute.
TheCompanySheKeeps 