Christmas Thyme

The Christmas season is upon us. Its time for the ovens to be dusted off. The cookie cutters to be found and way to much sugar to be consumed. I have great memories of this holiday. Though with every gathering there is always downfalls. One, holiday music I just don't get the hype about Christmas songs. But I diverse since this is about food and not music. Which side note I know nothing about music so that should make you glad this is about food. The last post I mentioned making cookies every Christmas with my family and what great memories I have of doing that. Now that I'm older I don't get the Great Cookie Swap. 

This is how it goes down. I spend one Saturday baking at least three types of cookies. Usually chocolate chip. Sometimes it is done with family or friends other times it's done alone. My co workers and friends do the same. Then I give away the cookies I baked and get cookies everyone else makes. Down side to this little cookie swap, you may not like the cookies the other person makes, you can't eat the cookies you worked so hard on, the other person may not know how to cook, and always you eat way too many cookies. Don't get me wrong I love cookies but why and when did cookie exchanging become such a huge part of this season. Also why don't people exchange things they enjoy cooking? If I like to make jam or biscuits why can't I give those to my neighbor? The whole cookie aspect is just odd to me. 

I'm going to answer my own question. "The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century. Due to a wide range of cheap imported products from Germany between 1871 and 1906 following a change to importation laws, cookie cutters became available in American markets. These imported cookies cutters often depicted highly stylized images with subjects designed to hang on Christmas trees. Due to the availability of these utensils, recipes began to appear in cookbooks designed to use them. In the early 20th century, U.S, merchants were also importing decorated lebkuchen cookies from Germany to be used as presents." This little glimpse into our past comes to you by Wikipedia. Which may not always be the best source of accurate information but I'm going to go with no one lied about where Christmas 

Cookies came from so that Europe could look good. So thanks Europe for our Christmas tradition. No matter how I feel about swapping cookies at least they are better than fruit cake. No one can make that stuff taste good. 

Well, I hope you all have a merry Christmas and you enjoy those cookies. 

Party for 1

Have you ever had to use the dreaded words, party of one when you go out to eat? I know I haven't because of one reason. I refuse to eat out alone. This may sound ridiculous but is true, I have never even been to a drive through alone. I think the closest thing I have done is grabbed a smoothie. It was horrible. I don't know what it is I just feel like people are judging me. I want to scream at them, I'm married I just wanted to grab a drink after work before I head home. Even though if I had heard someone else say that statement, I would judge them even more than before. Maybe it's just me that my mind goes a million miles and can make up a story on the spot but due to that and probably my fear of being alone I have never eaten alone.

Due to this personal fact I eat at home a lot. Have you ever wanted something fancier than buttered pasta but feel silly making it because your eating by yourself? You may be thinking what does she know she just admitted she was married, well that is true but my husband also works nights so I do dinner for one a lot. The thing is even if I want something fancy it's hard to find a recipe that only makes for one.

The other night I was in just this predicament. Last month was my birthday and my mom got me individual serving dishes. Which means I can make small versions of anything that cooks in a casserole dish. I looked in my cupboards and found left over lasagna noodles, marinara and some cheese. So I made an individual lasagna. It only took two lasagna noodles which was nice and simple. Just like any lasagna it was noodle, marinara, and some ricotta. Then fold the second half of the noodle on top and do it all over again. End with the cheese on top then bake so it gets nice and browned. It is a perfect size for just one or if you have multiple dishes to bake in I think it would look nice for a party as well. Everyone gets their own dish. So no matter if it's just you or multiple people fancy food can be possible.

Bread is better

Last week I decided to take a break since it was thanksgiving. And with the holiday season upon us cooking is essential. So to start off my holiday cooking I made a few types of bread. Cheddar biscuits, honey oat rolls, artisan loaf and a simple butter roll. The thing I am finding about breads is there are so many types. Growing up it was either white or wheat. But with cooking you get to see how many hundred types of bread there is. With the different types of bread they are all made differently. Biscuits don't use yeast so you don't have to wait for the dough to rise. Rolls on the other hand usually use yeast. With that it can take anywhere from an hour to overnight before you can cook it. Plus you can add amazing add ins; cheese, herbs, oats, even cranberries. Artisan bread you let rise but unlike rolls that you have to separate into individual pieces artisan bread just gets dumped in the pot and cooks whole.

With my food in hand we braved LA traffic to be with family. Even though by the end of thanksgiving there was no bread left over I left happy. It's one of those bitter sweet moments. Bitter because I wanted more and sweet to know everyone enjoyed them. With this happy feeling in me I go on to face my next holiday. Christmas, I hope by the end of December I can bring you some great holiday treats that don't in tale sugar cookies decorated with frosting. Not to rag on sugar cookies one of my favorite memories as a child is going to my grandmas with all my cousins and aunts and my grandma has sugar cookies for us to decorate. She would make frosting and have every type of candy ready for us to use. It was so much fun. As an adult the end product would be way to much of a sugar high. This season lets try to get some new treats on our table.

Picture this

Have you ever seen a picture of something and think to yourself 'wow that looks amazing'? Well I have a lot, usually with food. Flipping through a cookbook or online and I just think I want that. Sometimes I just stop and have to make it. So the other night around midnight I started the process of making the dough for croissants. I let it sit over night in the fridge so this morning I could make prosciutto, Gouda croissants. I know right, if you saw the picture you would want it also. After I rolled out the croissants I added the toppings then rolled them up. Longer edge to smallest edge. Then I egg washed it and let it sit another hour and a half. Which is so hard when your like me and patience is not your thing. So after the longest hour and a half of my life I got to put the croissants in the oven. After only thirty minutes they were done. And can I just say, I ate two. Which isn't bad since my husband ate three. I am so glad that sometimes a picture turns out to be just as good as the real thing.

I'm going to be candid with you. I am struggling to write this week. Do you ever have those days where something so normal can be a struggle. Well, this is one of those weeks for me. Because of that reason I am cutting this week short. 

Before I  sign off I have to say have an amazing holiday no matter what you do. And remember foods amazing so do ruin all of it by over eating.

Tips and Technics

This post is going to be a few tips or technics that you may or may not know. These are a few things I have learned over the years in the kitchen.

Last week I talked about a pear pop over. If you remember I used a puff pastry. When I make the pop over I cut out what I needed and had some left over. Instead of throwing away the excess, what you can do with the left over is combine it all and roll it out again. You can make it into a smaller pop over or do something different you might not think of doing in a large quantity. I am always looking for new things to try but sometimes I don't want to make a whole item especially if I don't know how it will turn out. This is a perfect opportunity to have fun and just try new things.

What I did with my left over puff pastry is rolled it out and then cut it into squares. I then filled them with some apple slices that I cooked in some brown sugar earlier. I then connected the ends and baked the pastry off. I call it an apple pocket.

I love bacon. Which is a little odd to me since I am not a pork fan. Bacon though is a whole different meat I feel like, I would put it in its own category. What I love even more about bacon is the fat. When you put it in the pan and all the grease it makes is not something you should throw away. After I eat the bacon I collect the bacon fat in a mason jar. What is great about it is that bacon grease is high in fat. This has the great bacon flavor with a similar fat as butter. This means you can substitute bacon fat for butter. That is exactly what I did when I made warm Carmel. Instead of butter I used bacon fat, then a little brown sugar and heavy cream. I whisked that on the stove until the sugar disintegrated. Then put it in a jar to cool. What's great about this is dipping sliced apples in it while it cools. Since I had Carmel I decided to make a play on apple pie. I sliced up some apple and rolled out some fresh pie crust. I then spread the bottom of the pie with Carmel and added the apples then of course more Carmel's. While that cools you make your dinner.



Since you were able to save your butter for your dinner what I like to do is brown it. In a skillet I just melt the butter till it gets a nice brown color. This does not mean it's burnt. (Know you can burn butter that would be the next step so make sure it's browned not burnt.) Browned butter gives off a nice nutty scent, it also gets little granulates in it. Brown butter is perfect for those meals that you have had a hundred times. I added it to pasta and broccoli. This nutty flavor just changes the taste enough to make something you think was plain to something with great flavor.

A few tips on this simple meal to know is that whenever you make pasta no matter what type you always want your pasta to be al dente. This means the pasta is still a little hard. You don't want your pasta to be crunchy but not too soft either. An old trick I was always told was to take a piece of pasta and throw it on the wall. If it sticks then you know its ready. I don't like throwing my food so I just pull out a piece and eat it. I also steam my broccoli.  When you steam broccoli you don't want it to be under done or it will still taste raw. You also don't want it to soft or it just looses its integrity. To test to see if you cooked it to long you can always take a piece between your palms. If it turns to baby food when you apply pressure its over cooked. If it bounces back then you got the perfect cook time.

With these few tips and tricks even a simple dish turns perfection. Always remember scraps are the perfect way to test those items you have wanted to try out.

Pear pop over

Have you ever had a week where everything seemed to be going great?  You get to the weekend and it looks like all will be well for another week...then you wake up and your life plan has stopped in its tracks and you are left wondering, "where did it go wrong?" That was my last week. One thing that helps me calm down and get a hold of myself is food. I'm guessing food helps a lot of us get through some of those tougher moments in life.

 To help me I ate a PEAR POP OVER.
To make a pear pop over it is so simple. Peel and slice around three or four pears. Then saute them in a sugar mixture, similar to an apple pie filling. Really coat the pears so they have some color to them and are nice and soft. Then get puff pastry and line a pie tin with it. Make sure you cut off any extra pastry dough. Then line the inside with the pears. I added some sliced almonds and sugar on the bottom .                                                                  

 I also added the almond sugar mix to the top after I stuffed all my pears in the tin. Then just take the puff pastry that is hanging over and nicely fold it on top. Make sure you leave an opening on top so you can see the pear.

If you don't want to slice the pear you can always just give it a nice rough chop and make it look more rustic. What you want to make sure about is that the pieces no matter how you slice them are roughly the same size. This will insure that the pears all cook evenly. If your pieces differ too much then some might be really mushy and some might still be hard. That is the main thing you want to avoid.

Also if you don't like using puff pastry feel free to substitute it for a simple pie crust.

After about twenty-five minutes at 375 I pulled it out of the oven. You want to make sure your crust is that nice golden brown. If you pull it out to soon the bottom won't cook. You don't want raw puff pastry. You can see the middle hole has opened up some that is fine. Its so flaky and sweet when you eat it hot. Though eating it cold taste just as good.

If you want to pair it with a vanilla bean ice cream I think that would be heaven.

A picture says a thousand words

 These are a compilation of some food I have made in the past that I may not have given any attention too.
These two up top are one and the same. On the Left is a whole veggie pie. This is made with a simple pie crust and then thinly sliced carrots and zucchini. I then covered in an egg wash and added seasoning. This is a good way to eat your veggies and not feel like you're eating veggies. On the right is the same thing just individual. This could be a side dish to a meal or a meal itself.

 I may have posted on this item before. On the left is a dessert chimichanga. This means I stuffed a tortilla with cream cheese and a few other items rolled it up and deep fried it. I then rolled it in brown sugar and topped it off with fresh strawberries. If you cut it up it makes perfect bite sized dessert to share. Or you can go on the tart side and do something like what is on the right. This little tart is tart due to the raspberry mousse that is used as a filling.

 On the left is a blueberry crumb loaf. Just like New York  crumb cake this one is stuffed with blueberries. Giving it a moist taste to pair with he sweat crumb topping. If you just want sweat try what is on the right, a chocolate bread. Instead of making this bread in a loaf pan I did individual breads in soufflé dishes. This way no one fights over who gets what piece.

 Here we have old fashion donuts. For those of you who have a hard time working with yeast these are perfect. No yeast is involved. Plus for every donut you make you get a donut whole. Or you can do what I did and just make donut holes. After frying these bad boys up you give them a simple glaze. To jazz up any donut you can add different sauces or toppings.

 Here I have a couple types of cookies. On the left is a nice creamy peanut butter cookie. I know there is a lot of ways to make a peanut butter cookie but these little guys were a hit so I'm sticking with them. On the right I have what is called an Italian wedding knot. I'm Italian and I have never seen these at a wedding, and I have been to my share. Also as you can tell there not in a knot. Thats because its dough which means it can be shaped into any thing you like.

 What I have here are a few items for 4 of July. I am not a jello fan and I feel like the 4 of July is when all the jello comes out of hiding. On the left is a simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Then as you can see I added some fresh summer fruit and turned it into a flag. It's patriotic and semi healthy. On the right I have my take on a s'more. Instead of chocolate and gram crackers I mixed coco puffs and golden grams together into a rice crispy treat. I then topped each one off with a roasted marshmallow. This crunchy treat travels well and makes for great for large groups. Plus no fire is needed so its safe for kids.

 Getting into some breakfast foodI have two simple items to choose from. On the left is play on a quiche. Have you ever had left over bread but no sandwich items? Well, know you just slice that up and let it soak in an egg and milk mixture. Once the bread has absorbed most the liquid you pour it into a pan. Then add what ever toppings you want. I did sautéed spinach with mushroom. The I covered it in feta, parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake it until it is nicely browned for a perfect breakfast dish. On the right is an eggs Benedict. This simple poached egg is laying on a bed of spinach and bacon. The bacon gives it a nice meaty crunch which pairs well with he creamy hollandaise sauce.

The last items for today. This gets you through dinner and dessert. On the left is a casserole. That is pasta, shredded chicken, in a cream sauce. I added diced asparagus to give it some color and crunch. Then on the right is an easy ice cream. I froze banana (make sure you peel it first, I learned the hard way). So take the frozen banana and blend it. Thats it, you can add other things if you like. I added melted chocolate to give it a sort of chocolate shavings feel. Its healthy and really taste like ice cream.

"C" is it for cake or cookie?

It has come to my attention that I could be perceived as, how can I say this nicely... a fatty, no a pig, naw nicer than those. I got nothing. Either way I'm not a junk food eating fanatic. If I haven't mentioned before, which I may have I honestly can't remember. Okay stopping the ranting and getting to the point. I work in a kitchen, hence all the desserts. I myself do not gorge on these fine foods alone. I get to share them with a handful of people. So to clear up that rant I do not eat all my food alone.

If your still with me then let's talk food. I made a cake. I know, I know I always make cake. This one is a little out of the box. I found it on a Swedish sight and thankfully they had an English translation. It is a ginger bread cake. I had a bad ginger experience once. Okay you twisted my arm, I was in Peru living abroad and I got sick. My host mother being sweet made me tea. The only thing about this tea was it contained pure ginger. That was it, just shaved ginger. It was so spicy I could not drink it and I garnish with ghost pepper. So the fact that I made cake with ginger was shocking even to me. But my boss asked for it, and you know the rule. If your boss asks for ginger cake you make ginger cake. So I set out to make the best, which is easy since I have never made it before making it the best at least in my repertoire. We all have had a bad food experience if it be food poisoning or you just don't like the taste. What I want you to know is you have to keep trying. Food taste different every time you make it. I don't like ginger tea but ginger cake I found to be nice in flavor. Unless you are allergic I would urge you to keep trying food even if the first time around it wasn't your favorite. I was once told you have to eat something 11 times before your taste buds like it. So like your mother told you when you were a child if at first you don't succeed, eat and eat again.

Okay I promise not to show you another cake for at least a month. As you know the holiday season is upon us. No, I don't mean Halloween. I am a thanksgiving fan but not for the reasons some might think. It's not the turkey, it's not the stuffing, no it's not even the pumpkin pie. It's the kitchen. Thanksgiving is the holiday everyone becomes a cook. The kitchen is the place people are, it's where the party is at. This may be different in your house but in my family the kitchen is it. Thanksgiving starts and ends in our kitchen. Every family member brings a little of who they are into our thanksgiving. Knowing that you could guess what the item I bring to this table is. That's right dessert. I try to make a new item every year. This year I'm considering a healthy-ish alternative. I have made an oatmeal, cranberry cookie. I have dipped half my batch in chocolate and garnished with crushed pecans. Simple oatmeal cookies and add cranberries making turning simple into succulent.

I realize some of you are intimidated by the kitchen. I know, some dishes still scare me. But I try and keep trying because I don't want to end up eating Ramen the rest of my life. If you the reader ever want to leave me a comment of a food your nervous to try I will try my best and making it for you. Then I'll tell you how hard it was and even give you the recipe I used. It will be my way of making sure I cook what you like not just what I like.

Carb or cashew?

This week I have been busy, but I made a promise to myself that I would blog once a week. Just a few non food related things on the agenda. My husband told me in confidence to inform my readers that he realizes that my grammar is horrible (I made him promise to always tell me when I need improvement). This means most of you probably realize I have really bad grammar. Well, I apologize for that, it has been that way for a while. I have what the doctors call, visual motor integration convergence and visual processing. No, I did not just string some big words together. I assume no one has heard of this because it's rare or at least rarely diagnosed. Anyway to sum up I pretty much read everything like it's an upside down word search. So you can see why my grammar is sometimes bad, okay most the time it is bad. No excuses, this is me trying. Okay onto better things. First off this is not a grammar blog this blog is about the love we all share of food. So we power through my bad grammar and onto the food.

I totally blanked on taking pictures of my chocolate chip muffins this week. As I was going through the rest of the week I had to think of what to do. I remembered I had a can of mixed nuts. Sitting down I start to pick through the mixed nuts and pull out all the cashews. Side note I hate when you have any type of  mix if it be nuts, Chex, or trail when someone picks out one item only, I want to hit their hand out of the bowl. It's just rude, personally. Okay back to these cashews. I pick out all the cashews put them on a pan and bake them five minutes. I then tossed the warmed cashews in Rosemary, ghost pepper, butter, and maple syrup. This was not the recipe but you have to substitute flavor when you don't have an item. Don't be afraid to change up a recipe if you don't have an item on the ingredients list. Be adventures with your food. These little cashews pack so much flavor at first you are all there nice but then like any medley you just keep eating.

I have been contemplating getting a Dutch oven for almost a year. I love artisan bread plus it's so versatile you can make anything from bread to breaded chicken in a dutch oven. But the better brands are pricey so I hemmed and I hawed. Well, I finally was persuaded by my husband to just get one. I am SO glad I listen to that man. I broke my new toy in with artisan bread. I'm Italian so it explains the love of bread I have. I remember listening to stories about my great grandmother with her big Italian arms mixing fresh bread every day. So to follow in great grandmas footsteps I set out to make bread. This is nice since this recipe has one of the smallest ingredient list which is a plus. Bread usually takes an hour to twenty-four hours just to let the dough rise. Not with artisan bread, thirty minutes to rise and forty minutes to cook. This means you can start the bread at the beginning of dinner prep and have fresh, warm, homemade bread at dinner. Yum! I personally love any carb you can add butter to. Plus this recipe can be flavored. Add cheese, fresh herbs, or jalapeños and you have a fun new twist to a simple bread. I was planning on eating dinner but I think I might just eat the bread. Until next week try to be adventures and make your own ingredients list. You never know what the end product will be until you try it.

Appetizer or just appetizing?

So if you read my blog last week you can remember the cake competition. Well, I lost. I was coordinating the event (no I didn't cheat) but I do know I made second place for best taste. Yay me. Anyways I am on to bigger and better food. To be specific it is smaller and better food. That is because cake is large. I have moved on from cake and am trying my hand at appetizers. 


Everyone enjoys a chocolate chip cookie or two. Everyone also loves pretzels. That salty goodness with the soft pretzel bread. Both of these items are so delicious separate. I know these are not technically appetizers. Well pretzels are appetizers in restaurants now a days which is new on the food scene. But combined cookies and pretzels are a sweet and salty treat. You just have to stuff that pretzel really good with cookie dough. Also you have to remember to add the salt, which I may have not done first time around. But don't let that deter you since the pretzel is filled with so much buttery goodness it still taste amazing. Now if you are like me you have stood in front of that pretzel stand watching them take the dough and just kind of twist it in the air and BAM it lands on the table looking like a pretzel. Well I'm an amateur and when I tried doing what they did it landed on the table, BAM a rope. So I just made knotts. Then was instructed other wise on how to make pretzel shapes on the table. Take the rope, twist the ends together three times, fold under the whole, and flip over and BAM pretzel. 

Next on the menu muffins. Lemon poppy seed to be exact. Side bar if anyone out there has seen Seinfeld poppy seeds derive from  a type of flower. This is the opium flower, that is my name for it. The seeds of this flower is where we get poppy seeds. These are totally edible and unlike Seinfeld you can only test positive for drugs after eating poppy seeds if you intake a lot. Most recipes call for less than a table spoon so unless your planning on eating the whole batch of muffins then you should be good. Though don't take my word for it or blame me if you test my theory. Anyways back to the food. Lemons and poppy seeds tend to go together and they compliment one another perfectly. I added a cream cheese frosting just for that touch of sweet. 

I know, I know muffins aren't really appetizers just like pretzels aren't really appetizers either. I may not be the best with deciding what food goes into what food group. Appetizer, entree, dessert. Really does it matter if your making the food your making the rules and you can eat whatever you want.   

Cake Off

 Our church had a cake off to celebrate the leaves falling. With that we decided a blind tasting of cakes would be the best way to commemorate, well cakes. Since cake is good but multiple cakes is better. So our church came together and brought the best cakes they had. All that to say Sunday is tomorrow and I have no idea what cakes where there. These two cakes are mine. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to enter so I made both. I then proceeded to eat one of them which made my decision a lot easier. What cake did I eat, you ask? That is a good question on our right we have a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. Simple yet it has the best ingredients, one vanilla cake and two chocolate. This little ditty is called a baby cake because it can be cut into four pieces and is perfect for a small family. It can also be eaten with a fork alone on the couch while watching a chick flick alone in the dark.

In other news we have the option on our left. This cake has a blondie brownie as a crust. Then is topped with a caramel cheesecake, which is garnished with an apple pie filling. It is then decorated with a cinnamon whipped cream. (Side note cinnamon in whipped cream genius) I didn't think of it but I am liking whoever did. I am not a huge brownie fan but blonde brownies are so good. Because they substitute chocolate for brown sugar. I suggest you always make your own whipped cream. Everyone tends to just buy the canned stuff but whipped cream is so easy to make. Just put heavy cream in a blender and whip it. If you add a little powder sugar it taste so much better than anything from a can. Like I said before add a dash of cinnamon it makes it taste like pie.

Anyways back to which cake did I eat. I know you are all sitting at the edge of your seats in anticipation. I ate the right one. So that means tomorrow I am entering the cheesecake cake. Maybe next time I blog I will let you know if I won. And remember one cake is good to share, but if you make two you can eat one all by yourself.

Holler for some challah

 I happened upon this challah recipe  and I thought to myself why wouldn't I try it. First off challah may be one of my favorite types of bread. Though I promise never to list my likes of bread from greatest to least because even I don't want to hear that. Second braids in bread just make everything prettier. It looks like it should be served at a fancy restaurant. With that I set out to make me some challah.

I am pretty happy with the end product. For those of you who have had challah you know what it taste likes. For those of you who have never had challah it taste kinda like egg bread. Probably because it is made up with mostly eggs.

Few heads up for those of you who are adventuras  enough to try challah for yourself. One I learned the more egg yokes you brush on the top the darker the bread will get. I learned that in the process of making this loaf. Also learned that braiding dough is harder than braiding hair.

I am still learning the technic of breading. Is that what it is called to be one who makes bread? If not then I think it should be. You meet someone new and you ask them what they do and they respond "I am a breader" Yep it has a nice ring to it. With that I am no expert in making bread but I am trying to broaden my kitchen skills.

Hope you feel like trying something new in your kitchen.

Dinner lets be real its dessert

                                      


Dinner is so not worth it when dessert could be eaten. Though don't get me wrong I do like me some dinner but it takes so much longer to make. What can I say dessert is delicious. So these are a few I whipped up.

Chimichanga, what can I say dinner turned dessert. This little beauty is a strawberry cream cheese master piece. Wrapped in a tortilla then deep fried and rolled in sugar. Now that I say it out load I realize how bad for you this is. So maybe you can cut it into pieces and share it with your family or friends. If you sprinkle it with enough strawberries maybe you can pretend its healthy.

Churro, churro, anyone want a churro? Read that in a Mexican accent and it will be like you are waiting at a boarder check point. At least thats what these churros reminded me of. Waiting in a car at the boarder and getting to eat hot churros. Let me just say these little guys are easier to make than I thought it would be. Things to take away use a pipping bag with the star attachment. It gives them a little class. Also when you drop them in the hot oil be careful or the oil will splash back on your arm and burn you. Maybe its just me though that tends to splash hot oil on herself way to ofter.

Chocolate banana bread, enough said. These are the moistest things I have ever made. Hold the butter and the eggs. These bad boys are made with bananas and apple sauce. Plus way to much chocolate chips. Can I say healthy or is that over stepping the dessert bounds. These can be made in a bread pan of any size. I have small, medium, and large. I have made these in every size and they taste good in every size.

Lunch

This is lunch in the Sims house hold. I know it is not the typical  lunch for most but you can't deny how good it taste. Plus every once in awhile a sandwich doesn't always cut it when it comes to lunch.




Lemon poppy seed bread comes to you on behalf of my amazing mother in law. She mailed me some poppy seeds after I spent the weekend with her. You know what they say when you have poppy seeds make lemon poppy seed bread. Actually thats just what I say. Plus I hate cupcakes and muffins are kinda like cupcakes without frosting. I am more of a bread person, personally it is more versatile. Add a little butter and bam you have specialty toast. Or maybe jam it up and turn it into a sandwich. Don't be afraid to try out new things.






This may look like a mess, but messes are always better to eat. This is a gouda, apple ladder loaf. This little bite of heaven has everything that is good in life. Gouda cheese, with apple slices. The best part is the apples are marinated in brown sugar and butter like apple pie filling. Then wrap it in a nice biscuit like ladder loaf. Tip if you don't want it to look like a mess don't try to make it fit onto a round plate.

Breakfast

I know it has been awhile since I have written anything. No excuses just life took over and also I am not tech savvy what so ever. Which you can probably tell since I wrote these last three posts backwards. So here is breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have been on a cooking roll this past year. Not only did I land a job in the kitchen, I just love cooking. Which if you read this then you already knew that. Below I have a few breakfast eats for you. 

Homemade cinnamon rolls. I have never attempted to make cinnamon rolls before. One, because they include yeast and that is hard to get right. Two, because they are so good to eat and I would and could eat the whole batch. Which would be a total stomach ache, one of those good stomach aches but one none the less. A few things I took away from this is that a good rolling pin can never be replaced. Also if you refrigerate the cinnamon rolls before you cut them they don't smoosh as easy. 

Scones: the best food. These holiday scones are made for every day eating. The ones below are cranberry with orange zest. Cooking tip, zesting is not only fun it gives a little umph to most all dishes. Especially, in these scones. The best part about scones is that you can take away the special ingredient and replace it with any other ingredient and you got a new flavor of scones. Take the cranberry orange and replace it with chocolate chips or apples and brown sugar. No matter the main ingredient scones are amazing. 

Healthy pie, so I have not named this last breakfast item. Sorry but names are hard and well its a veggie pie so there you go. This individual pie is so easy. Pick your favorite veggies, I did carrots,  zucchini, and onion. Really any veggie you can grade will work. With a little salt and pepper all taste better. Any type of pie crust works for these bad boys, so it can be as healthy or not as healthy as you want. I did a second run of these and added egg which turned it into a fancy quiche. What ever really suites your fancy.