Cinnamon Toast Muffins

I have a wonderful childhood memory of eating toast with cinnamon sugar for breakfast at my Grandma's house.  On a TV tray.  In the family room (!) and in front of the television {gasp - don't tell my Mom!}!

I've always loved that simple breakfast, with lots of cinnamon and lots of sugar.  I decided to turn it into a slightly more upscale treat - Cinnamon Toast Muffins!




Cinnamon Toast Muffins

Ingredients:

• ⅓ c. butter, melted
• ½ c. sugar
• 1 egg (preferably room temperature)
• 1½ c. all purpose flour
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ c. milk
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ c. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients and stir until combined, but still a bit lumpy. (Don’t overmix).

Scoop batter into muffin tins or muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges.

For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Place melted butter in another small bowl.

Dip the warm muffins in melted butter, then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar.

Voila!

Don't these look delicious?  And they totally bring me back to my childhood.

What is your favorite childhood treat?

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Grandma's Baking Powder Biscuits

When I was a kid, we spent Sundays at my Grandma's house.  Though I know she would not have agreed with me, Grandma was a wonderful cook.  She made, hands down, the best fried chicken.  I've never been able to replicate it either.  And nothing goes better with fried chicken than buttermilk biscuits.

I know that we can quickly bake biscuits from a can.  I'v eaten lots of them, and they are tasty.  Making them from scratch however, is almost as easy, and much tastier.  And it doesn't take much longer to get them mixed and on a baking pan than it takes to preheat the oven!


Grandma's Baking Powder Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (shortening works too)
• 3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using a food processor or pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture looks like fine crumbs. The food processor makes this step very fast and easy.

Empty the butter/flour mixture into a bowl.

Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).  The secret to great biscuits is not overworking the dough.  So here, you want to mix gently and really only until the mixture comes together.

Don't turn your back, you might get unsolicited help!  Anna is forever wanting to help.

On lightly floured surface, gently roll dough in flour to coat. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter for traditionally sized biscuits.  I used a small glass for miniature-sized biscuits.  For an even faster way, simply cut into squares!

On ungreased cookie sheet, place biscuits about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm.

Flaky and buttery, these biscuits are just delicious.

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!

Though we live half the country away from each other, we manage to get together pretty regularly.  And we have had some great adventures!

Last fall we went to London together - had dinner in a pub....

... rode the London Eye...

... actually went to the Klingon Monster Ball at a Star Trek Convention!

We wandered the British Museum...

... and tried to see the Queen at Windsor.

We did see the Crown Jewels at the Tower...

... and visited one of the most recognizable grouping of stones in the world.

We also too a Caribbean cruise together!

And not to leave out my Mother-in-law.   We all vacation together frequently - and we enjoy it!

And when we're luckiest, we get to travel with the newest Mama in the family - my Sis and my little Girly!

I'm lucky to have such great Moms in my life.  I learn from them every day.

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Grandma's Molasses Cookies

My Grandma had this great cookie jar.  It was shaped like a chef.  He had a striped shirt and blue pants.  He sat on a counter between the kitchen and the back room.  I haven't been to that house in many many years, but I can still see it perfectly in my mind's eye.

The best part of the cookie jar was the cookies.  She always had cookies.  Usually cookies that she had baked.  {It only occurred to me as I was writing this post that she probably baked them in anticipation of visiting grandchildren...}  We would grab some cookies on our way through the kitchen and go play on the piano in the back room, or maybe go visit her neighbor Jenny (who once had a Christmas party for my Sis and I in the middle of the summer!)  or head down the the basement with all the great toys from my Dad's childhood and tons of comic books and the scary cat clock.

After a while, we'd go back for another cookie.  You can do that at Grandma's house.  My two favorite cookies were sour cream drop cookies and these amazing molasses cookies.

I felt the need to make them the other day.  I couldn't find the recipe (!!) but my Sis came to the rescue.  She sent me a picture of her recipe card and I was set!  Here's how I made them (and they were just as good as the ones in my memory!):

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shortening (butter also works, or a combination)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream shortening (and/or butter) and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and molasses.  {Quick tip for measuring molasses:  spray the inside of your measuring cup with cooking spray before you pour in the molasses - it will slide right out!}

Stir in the dry ingredients.  Form into walnut-sized balls and roll in sugar.  {In order to make mine uniform, I weigh each ball.  You don't have to do this.  It is a little obsessive.}

Flatten to the desired thickness with the bottom of a glass.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Perfection!  I served these with my Rum Ice Cream and they were the perfect compliment to those flavors.

These cookies bring back memories of sitting at Grandma's table, eating these cookies and drinking cold milk from a brightly colored aluminum cup.   They taste like childhood.

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Caribbean Vacation Recap

Oh, is it ever hard to come back from a lovely vacation.....

We had a wonderful time!  We had a great itinerary:

2/24/2013 Fort Lauderdale
2/25/2013 Half Moon Cay
2/26/2013 At Sea
2/27/2013 Georgetown, Cayman Islands
2/28/2013 Mahogany Bay, Honduras
03/1/2013 Costa Maya, Mexico
03/2/2013 At Sea
03/3/2013 Fort Lauderdale
03/4/2013 At Sea
03/5/2013 Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
03/6/2013 San Juan, Puerto Rico
03/7/2013 Philipsburg (St. Maarten), AN
03/9/2013 Half Moon Cay
3/10/2013 Fort Lauderdale

We saw a real variety of places and got to do a bunch of different things.

Things like walking on Bahamian beaches...

... and on the deck of the ship.

Getting to spend lots of time with family, and hearing little girl giggles.

Exploring Mayan ruins!

Taking a cooking class with one of the master chefs.

Learning how to play a steel drum (even Sheepy liked this!)

Swimming in unbelievably blue water, right next to our ship.

Enjoying quiet beaches.

Seeing colorful fish everywhere!

Taking pictures from the Promenade Deck...

... so I will always have this view...

Visiting the old fort in San Juan...

...as well as the cathedral the houses the remains of Ponce de Leon.

Hiking in a rain forest in St. Maarten...

... with amazing views.

Trying a tamarind at the urging of our guide.  (she has a soursop leaf on her head, which grows there and is purported to cure many things from headaches to cancer).

Playing with our little niece.

Checking out the view from the chapel at Half Moon Cay - looks like a painting, doesn't it?

More beach relaxation.  Doesn't get much better than this.

Eating lots of great food - both on board the ship and in port.

Seeing how they make this beautiful sushi.

Eating exquisite desserts at High Tea.

Generally enjoying our time aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam!

Hunting for alligators in the Everglades.

Holding a snake (smooth, not slithery)...

... and a baby alligator (softer than he looks!)

What an experience we had!  Now I've got lots of great ideas to share with you - I just have to get off of "island time" in order to get them out of my head and onto my computer.  ;-)

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