Blueberry Streusel Kuchen

I had some beautiful farm market blueberries and decided to go to my favorite kuchen recipe which is adapted from a German version.  The original recipe called for quark, but I used ricotta.  Sour cream or yogurt will also work fine.  The cake base is covered with an easy, cooked blueberry sauce …. …and topped with a delicious streusel … This makes a lovely breakfast or dessert cake, served warm or room temperature.

• Servings: 6
• Print

Blueberry topping

• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Kuchen

• 3 Tblsp. canola oil
• 3 Tblsp. ricotta cheese, yogurt or sour cream
• 3 Tblsp. milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup plus
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

Streusel

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tblsp. light brown sugar
• 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray or grease an 8-inch baking pan

To make blueberry topping: In a medium saucepan, place blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch and water.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and mixture just begins to bubble.  Remove from heat – stir in vanilla.   Set aside.

To make kuchen: In a medium bowl, place the oil, ricotta/sour cream, milk, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Whisk until blended.  Stir in flour just until mixed well.  Batter will be thick – spread batter in prepared 8-inch pan, using fingertips dampened with water to push the batter in place.

To make streusel: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Mix in the butter until mixture is blended. Spread the reserved blueberry mixture on top of the batter and then cover with streusel. Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes until cake is browned on edges and beginning to brown on top. Serve warm or room temperature.  Yield:  6 servings

Beer and Cheese Muffins

I first made these muffins in 1998.  I had bought a muffin cookbook to send to my daughter-in-law in St. Louis, but first copied recipes that appealed to me.  These muffins are very good, just a tiny bit of sweetness and the flavor of cheddar cheese along with raisins and crunchy nuts.  I consider two of these small muffins as a good serving for a breakfast treat.  They are also nice to serve along with summer salads.

I have a note in my binder:  “January 23, 1998 – This is one of David’s (my husband) favorites.  Very good.”

BEER CHEESE MUFFINS

• Servings: 12
• Print

1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg
2 Tblsp. oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease 12 muffin cups or insert paper or silicone liners

In small pan heat beer to boiling.  Remove from heat, add raisins and let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and sugar.  Whisk in the soda, nutmeg and salt.

Stir in the beer/raisin mixture and flour.  Stir in the cheese and chopped nuts.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups and bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes.  Muffins should be golden brown on top and a tester inserted in the center of one muffin should come out clean.

Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 7-10 minutes.

Remove muffins from pan or silicone liners and allow to continue cooling on a wire rack.

Yield:  12 small muffins 

These muffins are delicious warm from the oven and can be warmed a few seconds in the microwave if necessary.

Tag;  cook,cooking,recipe,recipes,baking,quick bread,muffins,beer,cheese,cheddar,nuts,raisins,breakfast,lunch

Cousin Bill and Fried Mush

My father’s favorite cousin was Bill, ten years his senior and completely opposite from my diminutive, quiet, handsome, intelligent father.  Bill was bawdy, boisterous, tall and husky with a loud, hearty laugh – a loveable rascal.
We have a picture ca 1920 of Bill in a nice suit, neat and clean-shaven…

…but I remember him only in scruffy clothes with mud-caked brogans.  He was a blacksmith by trade and followed the county fair trotting circuit to shoe the horses.  Back in the 1960s, I took my three young children to the Owensville (Clermont County, Ohio) Fair and stopped in a trailer parked on the fairgrounds to visit Bill and his family.  Inside the small trailer, 4 or 5 little kids were seated at a table and Bill’s wife, Mary, was at the wood-burning stove frying mush in a big cast iron skillet.  She would slice the mush, throw it into the hot grease, flip it and then put it on one of the kids’ plates.  For the 15 or 20 minutes we were there, she never stopped flipping and serving slices of hot mush – there was always an empty plate and a hungry child yelling for more.  I’m also a lover of fried mush and so, in memory of Bill and his wife, here is how I make it.

CORN MEAL MUSH

• Servings: 6
• Print

• 4 cups water, divided
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 tsp. salt
• Butter for frying

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.  Combine the remaining 1 cup of water with the corn meal and salt; slowly pour this mixture into the boiling water, stirring constantly.  Cook until thickened, stirring frequently.  Cover; continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes.  Stir and pour into an oiled 9-inch loaf pan.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Invert mush loaf onto a flat surface….

…and cut into twelve ½-inch slices.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add about 2 teaspoons of butter.  Fry the mush slices on one side …

…then turn and brown on the other side.

Serve with butter and syrup, although I prefer it the way Mary fixed it – just fried golden brown without syrup.

Makes 6 servings of 2 slices each

Mush will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week.

Peanut Butter Yeast Bread

This recipe was adapted from one in Clayton’s Book of Breads, my favorite cookbook for yeast bread.  I first made this bread in 1993 when I was looking for something tasty and a little different to take to the office  for my morning breakfast toast after an hour-long commute.  I love the light peanut butter flavor and the little bits of peanuts.

• Servings: Makes two 7-½ inch loaves
• Print

• 3-½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 Tblsp. Instant dry yeast (fast acting)*
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-¼ cups 130 degree F water
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup finely chopped dry roasted peanuts

*The “Instant“ or “Quick Rise” yeast is especially formulated to be used mixed with the dry ingredients and can withstand the hot water.

Two 7-½ inch loaf pans, greased

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, place 1 cup flour, yeast, brown sugar, salt and 130 degree F water.  Begin to mix with paddle beater on medium speed – add peanut butter.  Continue mixing for 3 minutes on medium speed.  Add chopped peanuts and beat for 30 seconds.  Remove paddle beater and insert dough hook.

Beat for 6-½ minutes on medium speed, gradually adding flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, turn once, cover and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Punch down dough with your knuckles to deflate and divide in half.  Place half of dough on a lightly floured board and form into a loaf.  Place in a greased loaf pan.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Remove cover and bake loaves for approximately 35 minutes until surface is brown and bread is done (should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf).  Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.  Brush the tops with melted butter for a softer crust.

Makes two 7-½ inch loaves

A really good way to enjoy this bread is toasted with butter and a little bit of honey.

Frontier Bread

I first made this bread in 1989 and for some reason did not make a note of the source.  It won a ribbon at the county fair that year and is a good, hearty bread – wonderful toasted.

This recipe will make a 9 inch loaf.  Since I wanted two large rolls for another dish, I used 1/3 of the dough for the rolls and the remainder for a 7-½ inch loaf.

• Servings: One 9-inch loaf or one 7-1/2 inch loaf plus 3 rolls
• Print

1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tblsp. fast-acting dry yeast*
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ cup dry buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water (130 degrees F)
2 Tblsp. canola oil
3 Tblsp. honey
1 egg plus one egg yolk, room temperature  (reserve egg white for topping)
2-3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 Tblsp. cornmeal for sprinkling in pan
Reserved egg white mixed with 1 tsp. water
1-½ Tblsp. sesame seeds

*I use Fleischmann’s Instant Dry Yeast, “Quick Rise” in Canada.  This yeast is especially formulated to be used mixed with the dry ingredients and can withstand the hot water.

In large mixer bowl combine 1 cup of whole wheat flour with cornmeal, yeast, baking powder, dry buttermilk powder and salt until blended.

Heat water and oil to 130 degrees F and add to dry mixture along with honey and egg plus egg yolk.  Beat 3 minutes with a paddle beater at medium speed.

Insert dough hook and beat for 6-½ minutes longer, gradually adding all-purpose flour until dough is elastic and smooth.  It will still be a little bit sticky because of the honey.

Place in a greased bowl …

… cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Punch down dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

Form into loaf and/or rolls and place into greased pan which has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Brush the top of the loaf with the egg white/water mixture.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake @ 375 degrees F 12-14 minutes for the rolls, approximately 12 minutes for the rolls, 30 minutes for the 7-½ inch loaf and about 45 minutes for the 9 inch loaf.   Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.  

Delicious fresh and warm with a dab of butter or toasted to enjoy with your morning coffee.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

My breakfast normally consists of oatmeal mixed with brown sugar, raisins, nuts and flax seed plus a tablespoon or so of milk.  When I’m traveling, I like to eat hearty breakfasts in a restaurant, but still want the healthful benefits of my oatmeal breakfast.  Since I always get up around 6 AM and have to wait around for others to wake up and go to breakfast, I bring along snack bars that contain the nutritious ingredients I want plus a few goodies to make them taste really good with a morning cup of coffee.

• Servings: 10
• Print

• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cup oats, quick cooking
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup flax seed
• ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• ¼ cup raisins

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and milk in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring and checking each time

Stir in oats, vanilla, flax seed, peanuts and raisins

Press mixture into an 8 x 8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until cooled and firm.  Cut into 10 slices.  I like to wrap the slices individually in waxed paper and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator.

With my DietPower software, I did a comparison  of these Snack Bars (based on 10 servings) and my big bowl of enhanced oatmeal:

Oatmeal:  246 calories, 13.1 g fat, 31 g carbs, 8.7 g fiber, 9.4 g protein

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Bars:  204 calories, 12.4 g fat, 20.0 g carbs, 3.0 g fiber, 6.1 g protein

Weight Watchers based on 10 servings:  6 points per bar

The breakfast bars are lower in calories, fat, and carbs, but also lower in fiber and protein.   I feel they are still a good substitute for traveling.  For hot weather traveling, keep the container of bars in a cooler.

Carrot Cake Muffins

This recipe is from a book I bought in 1982 to send to my daughter-in-law in St. Louis.  I copied a lot of the recipes before mailing and I’m just getting around to making this one.  It’s a very good muffin – moist and full of healthy things like carrots and pineapple.

• Servings: 12
• Print

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Dash of mace
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (juice reserved)
• 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1/2  cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease or insert liners in 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and mace.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg lightly,  stir in the pineapple, juice, oil and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the pineapple mixture, stirring just to combine.

Stir in the carrots and raisins.

Spoon batter into prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tins to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.  If using silicone liners, I like to remove them right away to cool on a rack.

Remove the muffins from the cups/liners and finish cooling on rack.

Makes 12 muffins.  These muffins freeze well.

Walnut Streusel Coffeecake

This recipe makes a nice nine-inch cake that is big enough for a family breakfast (leftovers are good, too).

• Servings: 6
• Print

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 vegetable oil
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Streusel:

• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 Tblsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil a 9-inch baking pan

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and oil.  Whisk in the baking powder and salt, then the milk.  Stir in the flour just until blended.

Pour into the prepared 9-inch baking pan.

To make the Streusel:  In a small bowl, stir together nuts, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.  With a fork, mix in the melted butter.

Sprinkle the Streusel on top of the batter in the pan.  Bake @ 350 degrees  F for approximately 30 minutes until top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.

Set on a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Faux Maple Muffins

I started to make these muffins and found that I didn’t have the maple syrup or buttermilk that the recipe called for and had to improvise.  This version turned out very well – not too sweet and with a nice maple flavor.

• Servings: 11
• Print

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tblsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pancake syrup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. maple flavoring
• 1/3 cup oil (Canola)
• 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil 11 muffin cups – or insert paper/silicone liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, pancake syrup, milk and maple flavoring.  Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Divide batter between 11 muffin cups.  Fill the empty muffin cup with water.  Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of one muffin tests done.

Cool muffins in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes.  Then, remove muffins from pan and from silicone liners and finish cooling on rack.

Yield:  11 muffins

I have a note in my recipe binder for 9/26/09:  Made for breakfast on a grey, drizzly Saturday morning – excellent.”

Orange Walnut Muffins

I first made these muffins in 1987, adapted from a recipe I found in a library book, Colonial Old Treasures. The muffins are nice for breakfast or snacking – not too sweet, a good texture, and a “must” for me – full of walnuts.

• Servings: 12
• Print

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil (Canola)
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 cup chopped English walnuts

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and soda.  Set aside

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, oil, orange juice and lemon peel.  Stir in the reserved flour mixture just until the dry ingredients are absorbed.  Stir in the chopped nuts.

Divide among 12 greased muffin tins or 12 silicone baking cups.  Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted in the center of a muffin tests done.

Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm.

Yield:  12 muffins.  Leftovers can be warmed in a 350 degree F oven.  Muffins can also be frozen.