Couple of Cakes: Carrot & Lemon Poppy Seed

Because it was my partner's birthday, I wanted to bake a cake.. or two. So, after researching the two mentioned, I went ahead and began to make... The lemon poppy seed is definitely better for a breakfast treat or a mid-day snack with coffee or tea but, that carrot cake is really the star.

Left to right: Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake, Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Halved initial recipe here to make 1 cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1hr 15 minutes

Ingredients (for one cake)

Nonstick vegetable oil spray 

1/4 cup golden raisins (I used regular and it turned out great!) 

1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

1/2 pound carrots, peeled, coarsely grated 

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoons ground ginger 

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

1 teaspoons baking powder 

3/4 teaspoons kosher salt 

1/3 teaspoon baking soda 

2 large eggs, room temperature 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 

1 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 

1/3 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Generous pinch of kosher salt 

2 cups powdered sugar 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Lightly coat pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper round then lightly coat again.

3. Heat rum and raisins together in a small saucepan until just warm.

4. Remove from heat and let sit until all liquid is absorbed and raisins are plump (~15-20 minutes)

5. Put walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden brown (~8-10 minutes) 

6. Combine grated carrots and buttermilk in a small bowl

7. Whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

8. Beat eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together until pale and thick (~4 minutes). If you are not using a stand mixer, this will take longer but keep at it!

9. Gradually stream in oil.

10. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with carrot mixture (e.g. Dry, Carrot, Dry, Carrot, Dry) and mix until smooth.

11. Fold in raisins and walnuts.

12. Scrape batter into pan (s) and bake, rotating pan(s) halfway through until a tester in the center comes out clean (~35-45 minutes)

13. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes

14. Run a knife around the edge and invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and cool completely.

15. For frosting: beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth. 

16. Then add vanilla and salt.

17. Gradually add powdered sugar (I did about 1/2 cup at a time)

18. Beat until frosting is light and fluffy

19. Spread frosting on cake and let set, then add more and candied carrot coins (if desired)

20. For candied carrots, you will need equal amounts carrots to tbsp sugar and double water (e.g. 1 carrot, 1 tbsp and 2 tbsp water). Combine in a skillet over medium heat and then toss with more sugar to coat carrots. Then cool. 

21. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Original recipe here

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1hr 15 minutes

Ingredients: 

Butter, for greasing pan

1 ¾  cup all-purpose flour, more for pan

Zest of 2 lemons

1  cup sugar

½  cup buttermilk

3  tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons lemon juice

3  large eggs

1 ½  teaspoons baking powder

¼  teaspoon baking soda

¼  teaspoon fine sea salt

⅔  cup extra-virgin olive oil

1  tablespoon poppy seeds

½  cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Butter and flour 8 inch loaf pan

3. In a bowl combine lemon zest and sugar and rub with your fingers until it looks like wet sand.

4. Whisk in buttermilk, 3 tbsp lemon juice, and eggs.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

6. Whisk dry ingredients into the batter and then add oil and poppyseeds.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hr.

8. Let cool until warm to the touch then turn onto a baking rack over a baking sheet. 

9. Turn right side up.

10. Whisk together 4 tsp lemon juice and confectioners' sugar. 

11. Use pastry brush to spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake.

12. Cool completely and enjoy!

Hamburger Buns

Baking Monday has shifted to Baking Day. This past week it was on Saturday. We had gotten some bacon burgers at the farmer's market but sadly were out of buns... no fear, I made some!

Hamburger Buns
Recipe from Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila
Yields 8 buns
Prep Time: 4 hours (includes rises)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4hr 30 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110℉)
3 tbsp whole milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
3 large eggs
3 3/4 cup all purpose flour (plus additional for counter)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coarse salt (optional)


Directions:
1. In a liquid measuring cup, combine water water, milk, yeast, and sugar. Let it stand until foamy (about 5 minutes)
2. While you wait, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
4. Add butter to the mixture and gently rub it within your fingers.
5. Stir in yeast mixture and beaten eggs until the dough starts to come together
6. Dump the dough onto a well floured counter and kneed (folding the dough onto itself and throwing it down) for about 10 minutes - adding additional flour when the dough gets sticky.
7. Shape the dough into a ball and return to its bowl.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2 hours).
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a knife divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
10.  Gently roll each part into a ball and arrange 2-3" apart on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with a dish towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours
11. Preheat oven to 400℉ with the rack in the center.
12. Fill a metal pan with water and set it on the oven floor or bottom rack (DO NOT USE A GLASS PAN)
13. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with 1 tbsp water and brush some of the mixture on top of the buns with a pastry brush. This is when you would add seeds or coarse salt over the egg wash, if you are using them.
14. Place buns in the oven and bake (turning the sheet halfway through baking) until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

15. Enjoy!

Cookies

Last week, I made some rice krispie treats with birthday cake granola which were a whole lot easier than I thought and kind of created a fake Baking Monday. So, I ended up having a Baking Friday to make up for it.. Lots of cookies. All recipes below.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Original recipe here
Made 30-40
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup (1 stick + 6 tablespoons) butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats 
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Add to wet mixture.
6. Add oats and raisins.
7. Mix well and then drop dough onto ungreased cooking sheet.
8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown but center is still soft to the touch.
9. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Original Recipe here
Made 30-40 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups (a 12 ounce package) of chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (optional)*

*Note: apparently if you do not add nuts, you're supposed to add 2 more tbsp flour.. I forgot.

1. Directions:
2. 1. Preheat oven to 375
3. 2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt
4. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy.
5. 4. Add eggs
6. 5. Beat in flour mixture gradually
7. 6. Add chips (and nuts)
8. 7. Drop onto uncreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.
9. 8. Let cool for about 2 minutes then move to wire rack to cool completely.
10. 9. Enjoy!

Vegan GF Sugar Cookies

Original Recipe Here (includes recipe for vegan royal icing, if curious)

No photo sadly but, these were fine.. super easily crackable so be careful when transferring them to cool and wait a bit longer. Also, they may need to cook longer to get brown. 

Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (incl. resting)

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients: 

2 cups + 1 tbsp gluten-free flour

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature but able to scoop*

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla

*Mine was very melted so this may have been where the texture was different

Directions: 

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl cream together coconut oil and sugar

3. Add water and vanilla.

4. Add flour mixture.

5. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour

6.  Let dough sit at room temperature 30 minutes - 1 hour

7. Preheat oven to 325

8. Roll dough out onto parchment paper and cut out into shapes.

9. Transfer cookies to baking sheet with parchment paper, approx 1" apart

10. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are lightly browned

11. Enjoy!

Apple Pie

Man, Baking Monday got away from me with everything going on in the world so instead of Monday, I shifted to Tuesday and I called it more of a "Cheating Baking Tuesday." I used a pre-made crust which made it cheating. But, honestly, totally worth it. But, I also made some granola, which you can find the recipe to here.

Apple Pie
Recipe here
Makes 1 pie
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 3hrs
Before & After

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury pie crusts (2 crusts total)
6 apples - sliced thinly
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425. Place 1 pie crust in pie pan (ungreased) placing it firmly against the bottom and side.
2. In a large bowl, mix filling ingredients. Spoon into pie crust. (I let the filling sit too long while the oven heated up so, it ended up getting very soggy.)
3. Sprinkle sugar over second crust and pat into it.
4. Top pie with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust and press edges to seal. Then cut slits into top crust.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes. After 20 minutes however, cover edge of crust with tin foil so it doesn't burn. Then continue baking until it's golden brown and the apples are tender.
6. Let sit for 2 hours to cool.
7. Enjoy!

Lemon Sweet Rolls

So, my first attempt at cinnamon rolls in the beginning of my Baking Mondays didn't go as planned - I think the coconut milk didn't allow for the rise. This week, I wanted to try again but, do a slightly different take. Lemon rolls it was!

Lemon Sweet Rolls
Recipe on NYT Cooking
Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:
DOUGH
1 package/7 grams active dry yeast
1 cup buttermilk, 100 degrees warm
1/4 cup/4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cadamom
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 - 4 1/2 cups flour

FILLING
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp cardamom
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp butter, soft

ICING (I halved this)
6 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp lemon juice, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine yeast, buttermilk, and 1 tbsp sugar. Let it sit until foamy (about 5-7 minutes)

2. Add butter, remaining 3 tbsp sugar, lemon zest, salt, and cardamom. If you have a stand mixer, go forth and use it. If not (like me), then mix well to combine. (I used a wooden spoon to help me.)

3. Add eggs and buttermilk mixture and stir until combined well.

4. Slowly add 4 cups of flour and stir until all the flour is moistened. The dough will be soft and billowy (whatever that means) and it will stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour if the dough seems extremely soft. (I didn't end up adding any additional)

5. Transfer the dough to a freshly oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat then cover with plastic wrap.

6. Let the dough to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour/doubled in size.

7. Combine sugar, lemon zest, cardamom, and salt. Use your fingers to mix the lemon zest into the sugar.

8. Line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper and butter both the pan and the paper. 

9. Gently deflate the dough by folding it over itself a few times in the bowl.

10. Turn the dough on a floured surface and pat or roll into a 12x16 rectangle.

11. Spread the soft butter over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar mixture evenly.

12. Roll dough into tight log and cut into 12 pieces.

13. Place the rolls into the pan, cover, and let rise again until doubled/about 1 hour.

14. Heat oven to 350 and bake 30-35 minutes or until they are golden and cooked through.

15. While the rolls are baking, make the icing by mixing cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Again, feel free to use a stand mixture or a whisk.

16. Let the rolls cool about 5 minutes then spread the icing over the top.

17. Enjoy! 

Simple Focaccia

Baking Tuesday as well! The focaccia has come out, risen, and is ready to be devoured.. and we sure did. I made some nice sandwiches and my boyfriend happily exclaimed "this is the best thing you've made." I guess I'll have to make it again soon...


Simple Focaccia
NYT Cooking recipe
Makes 1 pan (9x13)

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tbsp salt
1 3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
Dried herbs for garnish (optional)




Directions: 
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast.
2. Add warm water and stir until all the flour is incorporated and a stick dough forms. (Experct a very wet dough.)
3. Pour 2 tbsp oil into a medium bowl.
4. Transfer the dough, turn to coat, and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
5. Place in refrigerator to rest for 24 hours
6. Brush inside of a 9 x 13 baking sheet with oil.
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer to prepared pan.
8. Spread dough as much as possible, adding oil if needed to keep from sticking. (It will fill the pan once it relaxes and rises.)
9. Place the dough in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk. (Mine took about 2 1/2 hours)
10. When the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450.
11. Pat down focaccia to an even thickness (approx. 1 inch) and dimple the entire dough.
12. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil on top and sprinkle with sea salt and herbs, if using.
13. Bake until top is uniformed golden brown (about 20-25 minutes)
14. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

This week will be a baking Monday and Tuesday.  While my focaccia sits in the fridge overnight, I figured that Baking Mondays need not be just for humans! We have a furry friend coming to visit this week so, I wanted to bake her some treats. These are extremely simple to make and she seems to be quite the fan as well.

This time, I tried using a mini muffin tin instead of cutting them and it was so much easier and they are all uniformed, which I love. But, if you have a cute cookie cutter (e.g. bones or stars) that could work. My boring circle one was just not worth it.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Original Recipe here
Makes about 25-50 depending on size

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour*
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree**
2 tbsp peanut butter**
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

*Any type of flour will do. I use gluten free so that I don't have to use the precious all-purpose.

**Make sure that both the pumpkin and the peanut butter don't have anything added into them. I use natural/organic for both to ensure it's only pumpkin/peanuts and salt.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix together all ingredients.
3. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable but the dough should be dry and stiff.
4. Roll dough into 1/2 inch thick roll
5. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces (using cookie cutters or knife) OR push into mini-muffin tins
6. Bake in preheated oven until hard (about 35-40 minutes)
7. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

Another Monday, another loaf. This time.. zucchini. My mom sent me a great recipe so, I wanted to try it out.

Zucchini Bread
(from Cooks Illustrated)
Makes 1 loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Total Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb zucchini, shredded (about 2 large zucchinis)
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour (or 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups all purpose)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease loaf pan
2. Shred zucchini, put in a dish towel, and drain as much liquid as possible out of it.
3. Whisk brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
4. Fold in zucchini.
5. Whisk flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in large bowl.
6. Add in zucchini mixture.
7. Pour batter into a pan and add sugar on top of the bread
8. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 65-75 minutes).
9. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

This past weekend we cooked a whole bunch - biscuits and gravy, roasted chicken, burrito bowls... So I was thinking about initially doing something sweet this week but shifted my mind to something a bit healthier - blueberry muffins. These will be nice for the week and even nicer, warm.

Blueberry Muffins

Original Recipe on King Arthur Flour

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yields 12ish muffins (made a bit more so mini muffins for testers!) 

Ingredients:

8 tbsp butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

2 1/2 cups blueberries (I used frozen so, rinsed and patted dry first)

1/4 cup sugar for topping (I had leftover vanilla sugar from the scones so, this was perfect with some additional granulated sugar!) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease 12-cup muffin tin (or line) 

2. In medium sized bowl, beat together sugar and butter until well combined.

3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping off the bowl and beating well after each addition

4. Beat in baking powder, salt, and vanilla

5. Add the flour alternating with the milk. Beating until combined.

6. Add blueberries to batter to combine and distribute (if using fresh and not frozen, you can mash in some) 

7. Scoop batter (I use an ice cream scoop) into the muffin tin.

8. Sprinkle with sugar (about 1 tsp/muffin)

9. Bake muffins for 30 minutes or until golden brown/toothpick comes out clean.

10. Remove from oven and cool.

11. Enjoy!

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

No it's not Monday but, it is a baking day here. We were craving something sweet for dessert so what better (and easier) than a skillet cookie. Ours was with mini chocolate chips so added a note below about that for a better ratio. Last time we did it with mini it was very chocolatey. This time... perfection.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Makes 1 (8-10" cast iron pan)
Original recipe here.
Ingredients: 
6 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
1/3 cup brown sugar (recipe says dark but, I used light)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (1/2 cup if using mini chips)

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, combine sugars and butter.
3. Stir in egg and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add chips
6. Transfer to cast iron pan and smooth top.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes (until golden) then let cool 5 minutes.
9. Enjoy!

Apple Oat Bread

It's Monday so, you know what that means... another week in Quarantine. But also, baking day for me! This week was a bit tough since we haven't gone to the store in a while so I was both trying to use up stuff in our fridge while also not using everything up. That being said, there will definitely be a trend in the ingredient list of "I used this AND this" (Subtext is: I ran out of the main thing...). I had low standards for this loaf but actually it's super flavorful!

Apple Oat Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Recipe augmented from my favorite source, King Arthur Flour.

I couldn't resist trying a slice before I took
this photo... oops.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar (used less than the recipe based on reviews)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil (I used 2/3 coconut and the rest olive)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla (I used 3/4 tsp vanilla and the rest maple syrup) 

1 1/2 cup All purpose flour (no whole wheat)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup applesauce (I made my own with about 1 1/2 diced old apples, water, and sugar) 

1/2 cup Nuts/Raisins (optional) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease loaf pan

2. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

4. Add them to the wet ingredients in bowl

5. Mix in rolled oats, applesauce, and nuts/raisins (if you'd like)

6. Pour mixture into pan and bake bread for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven and cool.

8. Enjoy!

Peach Bread

This is a fun game of "what can I make with canned goods." Todays bake was peach bread. From the recipe I was meant to use sliced peaches but they weren't available at the store so, I did diced and just drained them (saving the juice for a smoothie). Honestly, not peachy enough for me so I may have to try this one again sometime. I may add in the peach juice next time to see if that enhances it.

Peach Bread
Recipe here
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
2 cans sliced peaches drained (I used 4 small plastic containers of diced peaches)
4 ounces butter (e.g. 1 stick) melted
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
garnish: cinnamon sugar (for topping)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease loaf pan.
2. Save 1 plastic container (or 10-12 peach slices) for the garnish. Process the remaining slices until almost pureed (e.g. 1 cup or a bit more)
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine peaches, butter, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
4. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
5. Add flour mixture to first mixture until blended.
6. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
7. Add remaining peaches over top (for slices: slice lengthwise into two thinner slices and arrange them overlapping on top of the batter). Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake in oven 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan on rack for approx 15 minutes
10. Remove from pan to cool completely.
11. Enjoy!

Scones

Today I revived an old recipe and made some scones. This time though, I separated the dough into two batches and made half berry scones and half lemon poppyseed so I'll put my directions below on that front. It was nice to have a mix!

Scones

Recipe originally posted here


Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients (for 1/2 berry and 1/2 lemon poppyseed)
10 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup frozen berries
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp poppyseeds
vanilla sugar (mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 tsp vanilla)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Grate 8 tbsp butter and place in freezer until needed.
3. Melt 2 tbsp butter and set aside.
4. Whisk together cream and yogurt in small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
5. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest in large bowl
6. Add frozen butter and toss until coated.
7. Add milk mixture and fold until just combined.
8. Transfer dough to floured surface.
9. With floured hands, kneed dough 6-8 times until it just holds together in a ball.
10. Split dough in half and put half back in the bowl until ready.
11. Roll half of the dough in a 6" square. Fold dough in half and then half again.
12. Transfer that dough to plate (covered in parchment paper or flour).
13. Roll other half of dough into a 6" square. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp poppyseeds then fold like above.
14. Transfer dough to same plate and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.
15. Transfer dough to floured work surface (one at a time) and roll into a 6" square.
16. Add berries (that have been coated with 1 tsp sugar) evenly over surface.
17. Loosen dough from work surface and fold in thirds (to make a log)
18. Lay seam side down and press into 6" x 2" rectangle.
19. Cut in half and then diagonally into 4 triangles.
20. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.
21. With other half of the dough, repeat #15-19 but instead of adding berries, add zest, remaining juice, and poppyseeds.
22. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
23. Bake until tops are golden brown (approx 25 minutes) then transfer to wire rack to cool.
24. Enjoy!

Granola

This is a recipe that I use all the time to make granola. Over the years, I've definitely tweaked it based on what I have in the house and such but the oil/honey/oats ratio is what I have kept consistent. It really does work great!

Granola
Recipe found here 
Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1-1 1/2 cups nuts (almonds and mixed nuts are my go-to's)
1/2-3/4 cup sweetener (honey or maple syrup are my go-to's)
1/4-1/2 cup oil (coconut oil is my go-to)
1 tsp salt
1-2 cups seeds (pumpkin and chia are my go-to's)
1 cup coconut (unsweetened is best)
1 tsp spices (e.g. cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cloves)
Dried fruit (optional)
Cocoa (optional)

*Really just pay attention to the amount of sweetener, oil, and oats. Beyond that, add whatever you'd like and make it look good to you.



Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 300 (our oven doesn't go that low so, I have been doing 310 and works fine!)
2. Add oats, nuts, seeds, salt, and spices into a large bowl.
3. Add sweeteners and oil.
4. Stir. Ensure all oats are coated with oil and sweetener. If not, you may want to add more.
5.  Put parchment paper down on a large baking sheet.
6. Spread mixture out to make even layer
7. Put in oven for 45-60 minutes (mixing halfway).
8. When it's golden brown, take it out of the oven. Note: If you don't like chunks, stir right away. If you do, let it sit (no stirring) and cool so that it chunks up better.
9. Enjoy!

5 Meal Deliveries Reviewed

Over the past month, we have tried several meal delivery services to test them out and see how we feel about them. I wanted to share these thoughts with you!

For this and our overall rating, we looked at the following categories:

• Overall cost (incl. shipping)
• Actual serving sizes
• Taste
• Ease
• Variety
• Packaging
• Other

Below are our notes on each category. If you want to skip ahead to go to overall rating, go forth and scroll on down!

Overall Cost

All delivery services seem to tout their price per meal but unfortunately those don't include the shipping cost so, it can be a bit different. For instance, EveryPlate says $4.99 per meal but, with shipping it's actually $6.49. That being said, at an overall cost for 3 meals @ 2 people, EveryPlate still landed at $38.93 with shipping, roughly $20 behind HomeChef and HelloFresh at $59.70 and 60.93 respectively and BlueApron and SunBasket both landing in the $70 range.

For us, EveryPlate won the most bang for our buck here.

Actual Serving Sizes

For most meals, we got 3 meals @ 2 servings but for BlueApron we tried 2 meals @ 4 servings and Home Chef 2 meals @ 2 servings. Regardless, they all provided extremely solid portions (except for the oven-ready meal from SunBasket that was simply not enough!). They were full meals and true to them. For Hello Fresh and EveryPlate, we even occasionally had leftovers.

For us, both Every Plate and Hello Fresh won this, giving us full serving sizes (and the leftovers were a plus). 

Taste

Now this certainly comes down to the variety and the meals we chose. There were some winners within all of the boxes, including the Italian Noodle Soup from HelloFresh, the oven-ready szechuan noodles from SunBasket, the chicken pita from BlueApron, the stuffed peppers from EveryPlate. 

But, the clear winner for taste was HomeChef. The szechuan noodle bowl took 20 minutes and was easy and delicious with crunchy wonton noodles on top and the jalapeño popper burgers were easily swapped out for turkey instead of beef and were absolutely delicious.

Ease

All the recipe pages have a bit of nuance to them on how they are laid out. Some have the ingredients you'll need from your pantry listed, some even have the utensils you'll need listed too, and some require far too many bowls. All of them were not too difficult to do - definitely some easier than others. 

I'd say the winner was a tie between HelloFresh and HomeChef. These were extremely easy and laid out. Each recipe clearly listed the steps out with the things needed and did a step by step without treating the chef like they knew nothing in the kitchen.

Variety

Similar to taste, I think this truly came down to the meals we chose. If you are a vegetarian, I will say there is less variety among EveryPlate whereas HomeChef really allowed me to customize this based on my eating habits (e.g. swapping beef for turkey in the burgers). Additionally if you are specific to organic foods, then SunBasket may be better for you. Overall, I'd say that they all have a lot of variety, it just depends what kind of food you'd like to cook, what you can eat, and what you typically cook based on this. 

For us, EveryPlate and HomeChef tied giving us some changes to what we typically cook and tools for what we can now cook very easily.

Packaging

We hate when there is so much plastic and unnecessary packaging. BlueApron used so much plastic, having everything individually wrapped and precisely measured. Other companies (e.g. HelloFresh and HomeChef) wrapped the meals together, which was nice but perhaps unnecessary. Luckily HelloFresh used paper bags for them while HomeChef used a plastic one. The HomeChef bag though we used to discard meat juice and any other trash trying to make good use of the plastic. 

SunBasket was great for minimal waste however, their packaging is only recyclable where denim can be recycled and while that may be possible regularly. In a pandemic, where do I go?

Ultimately though if you are looking for minimal waste and ease of discard, EveryPlate is the place to go. All the vegetables and ingredients are given in a small cardboard box that can easily slide in your fridge to keep it separated for those meals (so you don't accidentally use a pepper for something else) while also not giving you plastic upon plastic to open.

Other

We all love a nebulous "other" category. This elaborates on deliveries, when it was delivered, and any other fun things to note about these.

EveryPlate is typically delivered on Tuesdays and late in the day. Though the prep and cook times are accurate, it seems like it would be difficult to try and plan to cook this on the day it was delivered as it was like 8pm. Not many options for vegetarians but, overall, easy and you got your moneys worth.

Hello Fresh could be delivered any day, around7pm. There are more complex recipes than EveryPlate (for better or for worse) and everything was packaged in a more individual bag so if you wanted to bring something over to a friends, you could grab the bag and go.

BlueApron was pretty much the only "no" for us. Lots of plastic and the meals were not intuitive to follow. It felt as though we were doing one thing when we could've done another. Though BlueApron wasn't right for us, I think it would be helpful to someone just getting into cooking.

SunBasket is the only organic produce meal delivery service I've seen. These are unique meals that incorporate new ingredients that I would typically not have other wise (e.g. arrowroot powder). These were a bit fiddly recipes that honestly, ended up being totally fine but not mind blowing or something I was excited to make again (or really can easily, without going to an organic market to find arrowroot powder).

HomeChef had some great variety and allows a lot of customizations which is nice. It charges you per meal and shipping is free over $40 so, if you end up getting 1 meal/2 people or 2 meal/2 people, it changes based on that instead of an overall cost (which is good and bad). But, for people with dietary restrictions the customizations can be nice. Also it's very easy to get the recipes out as they are all in plastic bags separately. Additionally as a fun bonus they gave us a binder for recipes that we are now using and all the recipes have 3 hole punch so it's easy to keep them all around.

Overall, it was nice to try all of these and we will be getting them in the future for sure but, I think we will just stick to one or two of these instead of all five again. Also, if you can get free trials from folks, do. They get a benefit and you get the benefit of trying them though, if you can't, there are many discount codes online to find!

Below were our final ratings. 
1st - EveryPlate
2nd - Home Chef
3rd - Hello Fresh
4th - Sun Basket
5th - Blue Apron

Pumpkin Bread

Another easy recipe! I did soak the raisins in rum for a week prior though to add in and it gave it some great flavor.

Pumpkin Bread (Recipe linked here)
Makes: 1 Bundt



Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 75 minutes
Total Time: 95 minutes

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup raisins (soaked in 1/4 cup rum for 3-5 days)


Directions: 
1. Optional: Soak 1/4 cup raisins in 1/4 cup rum for 3-5 days.
2. Preheat oven to 350℉
3. Grease and flour bundt pan
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Whisk to blend thoroughly.
5. In a large bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil (I used half coconut oil, half olive oil), and eggs.
6. Stir pumpkin into egg mixture.
7. Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin and egg mixture. Stirring well after each addition.
8. Fold in raisins.
9. Spoon batter into prepared bundt cake pan.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 75 - 80 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
11. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
12. Use knife around the outside of the pan and take out of pan then cool.
13. Enjoy!

Banana Bread (again)

Made this again and it held up to the test of time. Always a solid recipe!

Banana Bread

Great way to use up those old bananas...

(I found this recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All Purpose Baking Cookbook on page 80)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil ( I think I may have only used 1/4 cup.)

2-3 very ripe bananas (I used 3.)

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used a little over 2 cups.)

1 cup yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream (I used sour cream.)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. In a medium-size bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.

3. Blend in the mashed banana and vanilla

4. Whisk together then sift the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour.

5. Add above dry mixture to banana mixture.

6. Mix thoroughly then stir in the yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk until combined

7. Pour batter in a greased and floured 9 x 5 loaf pan (I used a glass pan and only greased it. It was fine.)

8. Bake the bread for about an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Note- if it begins to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil after 40 minutes.

(Brown is not bad though! Mine turned out slightly over browned.. but it's still tasty.)

Cinnamon Rolls

Found this recipe on NYT Cooking and figured I'd give it a go! I used coconut milk instead of regular milk and honestly, I don't think it worked well - didn't end up as flaky. So, may have to give it a go again with regular milk. But, it still worked out and of course, anything with butter and cinnamon can't taste bad.

Cinnamon Rolls
Link to Recipe (Makes 9 rolls)

Prep Time: 45 minutes (plus resting)
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 20 minutes

Ingredients:
For the dough- 
1 cup whole milk (this is where I used coconut milk and perhaps should not have)
4 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (equivalent to 1 -1/4 ounce envelope)
4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Nonstick spray for the bowl



For the filling/assembly-
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3 cups confectionary sugar (I only used 1 cup as this is just for the glaze)
5-6 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream (I used 2-3 tbsp of heavy cream for glaze)

Directions:
1. Warm milk in a small pop over medium heat until it is hot to the touch but not yet simmering
2. Add yeast and 2 tbsp sugar and whisk to dissolve/break up clumps
3. Let sit until it is foamy and starting to bubble (about 2-5 minutes)
4. Combine flour, remaining 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.
5. Add milk mixture and egg. Stir to combine.
6. Add melted butter and stir until a shaggy lump of dough forms.
7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until shiny and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. If it seems sticky, add a bit of flour.
8. Lighting grease large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft free area for 1 1/2-2 hours.
9. Punch dough down to release any air that has built up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or overnight)
10. Once the dough is chilled (it should feel firm), turn it on a lightly floured surface and make a 6x10 rectangular about 1/4-1/3" thick.
11. Melt butter.
12. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
13. Brush dough with half of the melted butter and sprinkle sugar mixture on in an even layer (pat it down)
14. Drizzle remaining butter all over
15. Start at the end closest to you (e.g. long end) and roll up tightly, pressing lightly as you roll.
16. Cut log into 9 even pieces about 1 3/4" thick and put in a lightly-sprayed baking dish in a 3 x 3 rectangular with the spirals facing up.
17. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free area until they have puffed up a bit (e.g. 1 hour)
18. Heat oven to 375 and place rolls in oven for about 32-35 minutes until golden brown
19. Make glaze by mixing confectionary sugar and heavy cream. (It's better if it's a bit thicker. I made mine and transferred it to a small bag and cut a hole out of the corner of the bag to easily drizzle on- then saved the extra for later.)
20. Once rolls are done, drizzle the glaze on.
21. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Muffins

Hi all! I'm back again and baking while we are in this quarantined time.


Sweet Potato Muffins
I augmented my butternut squash recipe this time to make sweet potato muffins. You could definitely use a sweet potato puree too or pumpkin, if you only have canned right now.

Prep Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup sweet potato

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup leftover sweet potatoes with apples (optional)

*This would also be good with any form of nuts, dried fruit (like raisins), or chocolate chips

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º
2. Stab the sweet potato about 4 times (I like to do the middles of each side and the ends).
3. Stick in the microwave (it's the quickest) for about 5 minutes, turning halfway. 

4. Once done, take it out carefully and peel the sweet potato, getting the flesh into a bowl

5. Mash the sweet potato nicely, getting out all clumps.

6. Mix together all wet ingredients (oil, honey, eggs, water, leftovers, and squash)

7. Add dry ingredients (flour, salt, brown sugar, baking soda, and spices)

8. Mix until fully combined and smooth

9. Pour into greased or lined muffin tins until they are 3/4 full (I use an ice cream scoop for the perfect amount)

10.  Bake at 350º for about 18-20 minutes (or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean)

11. Enjoy!