Cinna-Blueberry Rolls

Do the blues have you down? 

No. Not those blues - these blues definitely shouldn't have you down, they should have you up!

(can you use the literally term to act as an opposite to the hypothetical term?)

Need a way to mix up your regular cinnamon roll?

Enter: the blueberry cinnamon roll. 

Yes, a traditional cinnamon roll (well healthier than 'traditional') with a blueberry bursting filling. 

So let's get down to business - anyone else have the Mulan song stuck in your head now?

(p.s., don't be afraid to do half the rolls in with a traditional cinnamon filling if you're leery about whomever you may be serving not appreciating the mix-up of blueberry)

Make your dough

For a delicious, whole-wheat recipe, look here-

it is done in the bread machine and ubber easy! 

As your bread is mixing up/rising, you can get started on the blueberry compote.

For that:

Turn stove on to medium/high

Add 1 1/2-2 cups blueberries (if using for complete 12 roll recipe, use close to two cups)

+ 3/4 cup water

Heat while mashing a little to aid in the process

Then add:

+ 2tsp. lemon juice

+ 2 TBSP. sugar

+ 2 tsp. cornstarch (or xanthum gum works well!)

Continue to cook until thickened

Keep about 1/2 cup whole blueberries, set aside

Spread the slightly cooled blueberry mixture on the dough, after rolling it out to a ~12 x 16 inch rectangle

Sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar (if you wish) and the remaining blueberries 

It's also about the time you want to be pre-heating your oven...

just sayin'

Now time to roll up the dough/filling...

And cut into cute little rolls

Lovingly place them in a greased 9x13 pan and introduce them to your oven that should be preheated if you listened to be about 2 steps ago...

Bake for around 20 minutes

Remove from oven, and...

DEVOUR! 

Comfort Food...

Everyone has it.
Some are ashamed of it.
Some are proud.
Some pretend they actually don't have one.
Others let themselves indulge in it whenever they want, others only use it when needed.

comfort food!

I don't know about you guys, but my comfort foods are usually baked goods (ok and a good steak and mashed potatoes too)
But more often than not, when I've had a bad day or am stressed, or whatever-I just want some homemade CARBS!

And that is just what my mama brought me when she came to visit me at college this weekend-isn't she the best?!

-if you're wondering, that's strawberry milk! YAY for Nesquik! :)

So my family all came to attend an induction ceremony for Phi Upsilon Omicron - no not a sorority - an honors society for the college of education and human sciences

ps-I look at the tag for this dress...

psh- I only spent $8! Boo-Ya!

I was awesome to get to see them, if only for a little while!
We went shopping and I tried on children's shoes (WHAT?! they're so much cheaper than adult shoes! and usually come in more fun colors :)

Snacked on some Two Moms in the Raw granola bars!

And then went to Texas Roadhouse for an AMAZING steak :)

Life. Is. Good. 

I hope all your weekends were equally blessed! And that will carry over into Monday! 

Peace out people of the world-wide-web!

Grilled PPB&J - Pear, Peanut Butter & Jelly

How did I pump up the power on a grilled pb&j? 

Well thanks for asking! 

...I added a pear! That's how :)

Two slices bread...

Cover with peanut butter and homemade strawberry jelly

Cover with a thinly sliced pear

Put bread together, spray both sides with nonstick cooking spray and grill

Slice and Enjoy!

Lightning Quick Biscuits (Homemade BisQuick)

Warm honey and soft butter melting into the crevices of a hot biscuit...

Want a warm, soft and delicious biscuit NOW?! 

Of course, who doesn't? 

But sometimes we just can't get what we want... Or can we?

With my biscuit recipe-you CAN! They're super fast, because... well-I cheat! Yes, I admit I use BisQuick-but it's not really cheating, because I make my own homemade BisQuick! :)

Homemade Whole-Wheat BisQuick:

-3 cup whole wheat flour

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1 TBSP. sugar

-1 tsp. salt

-1 1/2 TBSP. baking powder

-2/3 cup shortening

~Just mix all dry together and cut in shortening. Store in freezer. Stays good up to 3-4 months!

Now to make the biscuits-

Ingredients:

-2 cups Homemade BisQuick

-1/3 cup buttermilk

-1 TBSP. butter

1. Mix all together

will be VERY sticky!

now you can use an ice cream scoop for uneven biscuits...

like these above

Or roll them out for smooth biscuits such as these

Eiter way, you won't be sorry you just got exactly what you wanted in little to no time!

Freaky Food Combos...

Everybody's got them! Admit it! There is probably at least one thing that you eat/do to your food or drink that is a little cooky... I know I do!

But before I get into mine... look at my dad's!

Isn't that sick? I think so anyways....

Wait! You don't even know what it is, do you? Well if you guessed a cinnamon roll, with a piece of melty cheese on top, and then drizzled with icing you would be correct weirdly psychic somehow!

So that's my dad's biggest food habit - putting cheese on EVERYTHING! Honestly. Not just cinnamon rolls... oh no-cookies, rice krispie bars, etc. etc.

Mine? Well I probably have way too many to count...

But a few are:
-ketchup on well a lot! But especially cheetos...
-Ranch on pizza
-Cheese and peanut butter
...yes I just got done making fun of my father, and I don't eat these anymore...but when I was little I used to make myself cheese and PB sandwiches. Just two pieces of American cheese with peanut butter slathered inside. Delicious, no?
-Soggy foods. I just LOVE 'em! Like cereal of course, but also soggy bread (like in french dip sandwiches), soggy cookies (after dipped in milk for way too long!) or soggy crackers in soup.
-Frozen bread. No, not the dough, like just bread that has already been cooked and set in the freezer. Cold, wet, delectable in oh so many ways!

~If you are still reading and haven't blocked my blog from your newsfeed I'm honored. And impressed.

So now that I've poured out my deepest, darkest, weirdest food combinations, let's hear yours! Best one gets a PRIZE!

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Want some amazingly delicious lemon-poppyseed bread?

Ok!

Take lemons...

Cut in half...

Throw in some other random stuff...

Eat bread!

Ok, ok, so maybe it isn't that easy-but it is pretty darn simple and quick (it is quick bread afterall :D hehe)

So now for the real recipe!

Ingredients: 

-1 cup yogurt (just regular, not Greek this time*) 

~could be any flavor you're feeling, I recommend vanilla, plain or lemon though

-3 eggs

-juice of 1 lemon (reserve 1 tsp. if making glaze)

-1/2 cup applesauce (can be sugar free)

-1/3 cup sugar (or any sugar substitute)

-1 pinch salt

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-1 TBSP. poppy seeds

-1 1/2 cups flour (I like to use white whole wheat, but 1/2 white & 1/2 whole wheat works well too!)

1. Preheat oven to 350* Cream all up to salt

2. Add salt through flour

3. Pour into a small loaf pan that has been greased and floured

4. Bake until golden (about 45 minutes)

5. Remove from oven and let cool in pan at least ten minutes

6. While cooling-you can make the glaze!

Glaze:

-powdered sugar (or powdered sugar substitute)

-splash of milk

-1 tsp. lemon juice reserved from earlier

-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

-lemon zest grated from lemons used earlier

~Mix all liquids together and slowly whisk in powdered sugar until a glaze consistency you're happy with forms!

~Pour glaze over semi-cooled bread (if you want the glaze to really seep into the bread and infuse it with flavor-poke the bread with a toothpick before pouring glaze over bread)

Yummy-yummy-yummy! Enjoy my friends :)

Cinnamon Rolls

Is there anything more comforting in this world than a warm carb-product. No. No there is not and if anyone would like to argue with me, well then... ok-I'd probably just ignore it because I am very un-confrontational 

But nonetheless! Just look at this....

Mmmmm, right? 

These amazing, soft, gooey and oh-so delicious cinnamon rolls are the absolute BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever had in my life. But, unfortunately I cannot claim them- my sister made these creations. 

The best part? (ok, aside from the taste) is the fact that they are ubber easy to make- she makes them in a bread machine! Sweet huh?!

To get this recipe (and a bunch of other great recipes) go to her website here. She's awesome. And I know-she is my sister after all! :)

Grandpa's Kitchen - Gluten Free Flour Review

Hello Lovely world-wide-web readers of the 2013 year!
I hope your year has started off with a WOOT WOOT! I know mine has - And what could possibly make it better? Honestly, I don't know of anything... oh wait! A product review! That's it! So let's get to it :)

Today's product review is Grandpa's Kitchen - gluten free flour and mixes. Now a days gluten free is all the rage and personally, unless you have celiac disease, I don't feel as if there is any reason to go completely free. However, for those of you that may have celiac disease, or disagree with me on the gluten-free bandwagon will find this product review exceptionally significant.

Grandpa's kitchen makes a gluten free, lactose free flour blend that can be substituted 1-for-1 with regular flour in all your favorite recipes. It really does work great! And you honestly can't taste the difference!

They also sell gluten free mixes, such as:
Pizza Crust Mix
Pancake Mix
Bread Mix

Their flour is amazing! most gluten-free flours or even flour blends can only be used in certain recipes or come out with a weird texture or taste, but not Grandpa's Kitchen! No-sir-ree... see- this company blends different gluten free flours and starches to create a flour that tastes and acts just like regular wheat flour. They also sell a recipe book of their favorite ways to use the flour blends and mixes.

Overall: great product for those of you that follow a strict gluten-free diet! And for anyone who wants a little variety in the flour they use.

Thank you Grandpa's Kitchen for the sample (The sample was the only thing I received from this company, all opinions are my own) I had way too much fun trying out all sorts of recipes with the flour blend! I've tried cookies, bread, muffins and granola with the flour and all have turned out great! Just check out my newest recipe - Banana Bread in a Mug

Have a great January day - do something crazy worthwhile. 

Multigrain Bread

With today being New Years Eve, a lot of people are thinking about their New Year's Resolution... I'm here to help! How you ask....

Maybe your resolution is to save money by making more of the food you consume at home...

Maybe your resolution is to eat healthier...

Maybe your resolution is to reward yourself and eat more delicious, soft, moist, hearty bread! (oh-that's just me? Oh well...)

Even if your resolution did not fall into any of these three categories, I can assure you that you will still enjoy this bread recipe!

1 1/4 cup white flour

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons flax seed

2 TBSP. wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoons salt
12 ounces barely warm water

4 tsp. vital wheat gluten

Directions:

1. Proof yeast - add 1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) fast acting (aka quick rise) yeast to 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit a few minutes - if bubbles form, your yeast is good to go!

2. While waiting for yeast to 'proof itself' (hehe- punny joke!) you can get started mixing the dry ingredients together. This includes... well everything but the water. Just throw in all together in a bowl or stand mixer and combine!

3. Add another cup of warm water to your water/yeast mixture

4. Slowly pour water/yeast mixture into dry ingredients and begin mixing

5. As your water becomes fully incorporated you will begin kneading the dough - note: you may need to add a touch more flour or water to get it to the right consistency. This dough should be elastic, not very sticky and slightly heavy

6. Knead for about 6-8 minutes (or 4-6 if using the kneading attachment on a stand mixer)

7. Place in a bowl and cover with a dry kitchen towel. Place in a warmish area and let rise until double - about 1-2 hours.

8. After it has doubled - punch dough down and allow it to rest another 10 minutes

9. Remove from bowl and shape into your loaf. Place in a greased & floured loaf pan and cover again with a dry kitchen towel and allow to rise for another hour.

10. Preheat your oven to 350* F

11. After dough has risen, place in over and bake for 45 minutes (bread should be slightly browned)

12. Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting - this will help create a nicer texture that won't crumble as you slice it

BREAD! Alpine Valley Bread #obsessed.

Ok, let's get some stuff straight...
1. I LOVE bread all carbs - but especially some good bread
2. I have dont some great product reviews in my short time blogging and am extremely grateful
3. I would much rather make my own homemade bread than eat bread from a company

And to further clarify: #1 still stands, #2 still stands, #3 is out. the. window.

Yes-I admit-I've found been blessed to have the best bread company EVER come into my life!

Alpine Valley Bread. It's the BEST bread company I have ever come across, not lying. Their bread is so delicious, healthy and smile-inducing. (yes, that is now an adjective)

I don't even know how to explain it - it's just soooo soooo.... ahh! Smile-inducing!

Alpine Valley Bread was generous enough to send me a few different loaves of breads. They arrived while I was away at college so my mother kindly kept them in the freezer until I got home (which was about 1 month). You'd think that would lower their taste... NOPE! Even after a month in the freezer this bread was the most amazing non-homemade bread I have ever had in my entire life. I have been home 5 days and already on loaf #3... little obsessed-maybe?!

Although my family is definitely helping me out though, which right there says a lot about how delicious this bread is because they would not eat something just because it is healthy. But, since we are on the subject, the bread is crazy healthy!

They have both all natural bread and organic bread. On average, one slice has about 60ish calories, 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein plus a little iron. It's very low in sodium (about 3%) and low in carbs as well.

The bread is soft and moist. Makes extremely great sandwiches, but also flavorful enough to just be eaten plain. They have so many varieties, I'm sure everyone will find one (or 20) that they just love. I know I have. Everything that goes into these loaves of bread is delicious and wholesome, and the end product is nothing short of delicious and wholesome itself.

Yum.

Yum.

Yum.

Their Multi-grain with Omega 3 toasted with some pears and Greek yogurt for a delicious breakfast

Some Spelt bread with a peanut butter & honey smoothie makes for one delightful bedtime snack!

So no matter who you are - if you are able to eat bread, GET ALPINE VALLEY BREAD! The sooner the better! Check this out to see where the closest place to pick up these little slices of heaven are to you!

Thanks Alpine Valley Bread Co. for an amazing, delicious product that I am now obsessed with! *These opinions are all my own, the only thing I received from Alpine Vally Bread was their samples. 

Peanut Butter Cookie Bread

It's Christmas time... know what that means?!

COOKIE EXCHANGE! 
Ok, well first and foremost it means time with the people you love celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST.

But for just a moment or two can we go back to that first one... mkay thanks :)

Soooo Cookie Exchanges...
Sugar cookies, so overdone. Chocolate chip-good, but get hit pretty hard at all other times of the year. Peanut Butter cookies, always a winner! But... we need to change things up a little bit... how? How you ask?

BREAD! Bread, Bread, Bread, Bread, BREAD!!!

My favorite thing (well.. for the moment-I have a short attention span so 'my favorite' changes quite often) ANYWAYS.... My favorite thing right now is mesh quick breads and desserts!

I <3 quick breads and making new flavors is probably the most fun any a weird health food obsessed college student can have!

So this recipe combines my love of peanut butter, cookies and bread to create... The Peanut Butter Cookie Bread

Honestly people, this taste like a peanut butter cookie - in a loaf form. Ah-May-Zing.

If you don't try this, the world will probably start raining tangelos, erupting with gophers and traffic lights will never-ever change to green. Do you want that to happen!? Me Neither-so go make this bread!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup equivalence sweetener (sugar, Stevia, etc.)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together until everything is wet and combined - Do not overmix!
2. Pour into a greased and floured 8x5 loaf pan
3. Bake on 350* for 45-ish minutes... just keep a good eye on it and take out when the edges are a dark golden brown.
4. Enjoy. Enjoy in the morning as breakfast with coffee! Enjoy as a snack alongside a Peanut Buster Shake... too much peanut butter? Nah... Enjoy after a nice meal of homemade pizza. Just enjoy it! And the sooner the better :)

Roasted Red Pepper Loaf

Who loves cheese? And spinach? And roasted red peppers? And bread?

Hopefully you said "YES" to all of these questions! 

If you did, do I have a GREAT surprise (well not really a surprise since you've already seen the photos...but oh well!)

I introduce... 

Roasted Red Pepper Loaf! 

It combines spinach (doesn't add much flavor, but a whoooole lotta moistness), roasted red peppers (which add a great bite), and mozzarella (sooo much depth!) with bread-and really what about bread is bad?

Nothing. That's what. 

So-onto the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup mozzarella

5 oz. cooked spinach

1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bell peppers (roasted)

1 tsp. sugar (or the equivalence)

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Proof yeast - add 1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) fast acting (aka quick rise) yeast to 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit a few minutes - if bubbles form, your yeast is good to go!

2. In the meantime... you can get started prepping your lovely bread add-ins. 

 (these may seem quite lengthy and not worth the hassle...but believe me-when you bite into a warm, soft and moist piece of this bread, you will be glad you went through the 'trouble')

-For the spinach: if you do not buy the frozen pre-cooked and shredded kind you will need to do this yourself. For fresh spinach leaves: bring water to a boil and throw in a handful of salt to flavor it. As this is heating-get a bowl of ice water ready. Toss in your 5 oz. of spinach (usually 1/2 a bag of spinach leaves) and allow the spinach to cook for 1-2 minutes. When the spinach becomes a bright green, it's done! As soon as it is done boiling, remove spinach leaves and place in ice water. After a few minutes here, drain, squeeze out ALL the water you possibly can and run a knife through the spinach a few times-or run through a food processor. 

-For the roasted peppers: Take 2 bell peppers (or any peppers, bell will provide a nice sweet flavor with a little bite!) wash them, and cut in half. Remove any seeds and the stem. Place skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil them in the oven on your highest setting (I had mine at 500*F) for a few minutes - they are done with the skin becomes blackened. Don't worry-you haven't burned them-this was suppose to happen! Remove immediately and place in a plastic bag, seal the bag and wait.... After about 10-20 minutes, you can remove the peppers from the bag, and the blackened skin should peel right off! Now all you have to do is chop the peppers into small pieces and you're done!

-For the cheese: remove from bag, measure out 1/3 cup, call it a day! 

3. After add-ins are ready and yeast is proofed, you will mix the add-ins into the water/yeast mixture and stir well. 

4. Add to a stand mixer (or larger bowl) and add in the sugar and salt

5. Slowly begin adding your flour. Knead for 6-8 minutes (4-6 with a stand mixing doing the kneading)

6. Dough will be slightly wet to the touch 

7. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a dry kitchen towel. Allow to rise until doubled - about 1-2 hours.

8. (If making an Artesian style loaf-if not, skip to the last half of step 9) Place a oven stone into an oven and set to 450*F. Place a cookie sheet on the lowest rack in oven as well.

9. When doubled, remove from bowl and shape into loaf - I made mine into a Artesian style loaf by forming a large ball and cutting an 'X' slit in the top. I then topped with more mozzarella cheese. But, if you'd rather-you can just form into a 9x5 loaf and place in a greased and floured loaf pan. Let this loaf rise 10-20 minutes.

...add cheese if you'd like! -and really, c'mon-who wouldn't like?!

10. Remove your oven stone from the oven and gently slide loaf onto its center. 

11. Pour 1 cup water onto the cookie sheet in oven. Place your oven stone with bread back into the oven. 

12. Let bake 30-40 minutes - crust will have a dark, golden color.

13. Remove from oven and remove from oven stone immediately - transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.