LEMON POPPY SEED MINI-MUFFINS

 People stopping by the Cafe for a Cafe Treat at PWUMC often compliment us on the variety we have and we do. Usually.

I say usually because occasionally that doesn't happen. For example, one Sunday the majority of the Treats were chocolate. One time we had several mini-muffins. Another time chocolate chips were popular.

Most of the time though we do have quite a variety. I think that is because we usually have at least six different people contributing. That also means I get to try things I might not want to make myself.

Cafe Treats Baker Alyssa has recently joined the group. She and her husband just joined the church and she said she was interested in the Cafe Treats and making the Unleavened Bread for Communion on her information sheet.

For Alyssa's second Treat she chose to make these cute Lemon Poppy Seed Mini-Muffins. One young girl came up and quickly chose one the mini-muffins, took a bite, and said, "Now, that is really good." 

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LEMON POPPY SEED MINI-MUFFINS

3       cups flour

1       cup sugar

2       tablespoons poppy seeds

1       tablespoon baking powder

1/2    tablespoon baking soda

1/2    teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt

2       tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional

1-1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

2       large eggs

8       tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

*     *     *     *     *     *

For the Glaze:

1/4    cup sugar

1/4    cup lemon juice

coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or spray two mini-muffin pans. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon zest, and eggs until smooth. Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the melted butter. Do not overmix, the batter will be thick.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. A tablespoon cookie scoop works great. 

Bake for 18 minutes. Rotate the muffin tin halfway through baking.

While the muffins are baking, simmer the sugar and lemon juice together in a small saucepan over medium heat until it tuns into a light syrup, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Brush the tops of the muffins with the lemon syrup. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let cool in the tins about 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins to finish cooling on the wire rack.

BUTTERMILK MAPLE BISCUITS

 

A good biscuit is priceless! As far as my family (and a few friends) is concerned my buttermilk biscuits are priceless. When I got married, I started with a simple recipe from my mother that made just a few. It used self-rising flour. I still have it, but rarely have self-rising flour so I haven't made it in ages. Instead I started experimenting with all-purpose flour until I finally came up with my own recipe.

That being said, I am willing to try new recipes when they look interesting. But they don't quite make the mark when we eat them. When we go out to eat and order biscuits, we can't help ourselves but start comparing them with mine. Occasionally we might find one close, but still not a 10.

The recipe I am sharing today, is one Friend and Cafe Treats Baker Dorene found and brought to share at church with the Cafe Treats. I have to say even though it is so different from my recipe in looks and taste, I would give it a 9.9 rating.

I love my biscuits crusty and these aren't. I love to break it in half with a fork and slather lots of butter on it and finally adding a little homemade jam is the "icing on the cake". 

These little biscuits are not crusty.

You won't be adding any homemade jam on them either. They don't need it. The maple mixture you spread over the biscuit is awesome!

But don't take my word for it. Just try them yourself.

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BUTTERMILK MAPLE BISCUITS

3       cups flour

1       teaspoon sugar

1       tablespoon baking powder

1/2    teaspoon baking soda

1       teaspoon salt

12     tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (1-1/2 sticks)

1-1/4 cups cold buttermilk

*     *     *     *

3       tablespoons heavy cream

1-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

large pinch of flaky sea salt

In a small bowl, combine the cream and maple syrup. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

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

Using a large spoon, stir in the buttermilk just until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten the dough to 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough in half, then repeat again three more times, for a total of four folds.

Roll the dough into a 1 - inch thick rectangle. Using a lightly floured 3 - inch round biscuit cutter *, cut out the biscuits as close as possible. Reroll the scraps of dough to cut more biscuits. 

Place biscuits on baking sheet and brush with the maple cream and sprinkle with the sea salt. Bake until golden brown for 17 - 20 minutes.

*Dorene made small ones for the Cafe Treats using a small round cutter and baked them about 15 minutes (watch carefully).  

EGG FRIED RICE

 Sometimes the easiest recipe creates a very impressive dish; at least my husband was impressed. 

I often get fried rice when I eat Chinese food. Most Chinese food I don't like, but I will eat fried rice with orange chicken or shrimp of some sort.

I actually saw a picture of this Egg Fried Rice on Facebook with the recipe and it caught my attention. I wrote down the ingredients and the amounts with plans to make it sometime.

"Sometime" came the very next day. I was given the choice to go out to get something to eat or come up with something to prepare for us. Normally I would have jumped at the chance to go out to eat (which we do way too much), but I thought about the fried rice recipe and went to work and made the recipe my own with a few shortcuts.

We buy precooked brown rice in a package that cooks for 90 seconds in the microwave at the grocery store, add black beans and shredded cheese and pretend we have gone to a nearby restaurant. I had a package and so I used it for the two cuts of rice.

I also had a bag of frozen mixed vegetables that I opened and removed a heaping 1/2 cup and steamed on the stove with a little water. 

To make our dinner complete, I cooked a package of frozen breaded shrimp in the air fryer. Afterwards I truly felt we had been out to dinner as it all went together so easily.

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EGG FRIED RICE

2     cups cooked rice

1/2  cup mixed vegetables

1     egg, beaten

2     tablespoons oil

minced garlic to taste

Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add beaten egg and cook in the skillet,

breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.

Add the cooked rice and

the mixed vegetables.

Sprinkle with minced garlic and stir again.

Serve as a side dish with your entre.

VICKY'S MOTHER'S LUMBERJACK CAKE

 Do I have a treat for you today! I love old recipes and I love recipes that people's mothers or grandmothers, etc made. 

This recipe for Lumberjack Cake fits both of those characteristics. 

Friend Vicky and her husband are from Canada who moved to the United States years ago and became citizens of the U.S. She told me her sister got all of their mother's recipes so she is constantly asking her to find one that Vicky remembers from her childhood. She won't always remember the name but she will remember ingredients and then her sister looks for it. 

This Lumberjack Cake Vicky remembered apples, dates, and chocolate. Her sister told her when she sent the recipe that it contained apples and dates but not chocolate. Vicky said she wondered about adding chocolate chips to it because she thought she remembered it was chocolate like a brownie. We told her she could probably just add the chocolate chips or substitute them for the nuts.

Vicky laughed when she was serving it to us at canasta at her house, that she could only find a big thing of dates so she substituted prunes instead. Prunes or dates, with or without chocolate, the cake was a big hit with the rest of us (and Vicky also since it was the first time she had made it since her sister had sent her the recipe.) Vicky also reduced the sugar by half, but we all agreed it was sweet enough with the fruit.

I will definitely be trying this recipe for myself. The cake was not only thick, moist, and yummy, it was really pretty.

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LUMBERJACK CAKE

1     apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1     cup chopped dates (prunes work well also)

1     teaspoon baking soda

1     cup boiling water

*     *     *     *

1/2     cup shortening 

1/2     cup sugar

1        egg

1/2     teaspoon cinnamon

1        teaspoon vanilla

1/2     teaspoon salt

1-1/2  cups flour

1/2     cup chopped walnuts

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and allow to set for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix well, add fruit and nuts. (Don't you love it? Sounds just like a recipe my mother might have made with little instructions.)

Vicky's instructions:

She used 1 stick of salted butter instead of the shortening. She creamed the butter and sugar first. Then added the egg and mixed it in. Then she added the cinnamon, vanilla, and a half cup of flour at a time. She omitted the salt since her butter was salted. She coated the pan with butter but said she could have sprayed it instead.

Bake in an 8 x 8 - inch pan for about 50 minutes.

Vicky cut in 9 squares and served with ice cream.

WOODSTOCK INN'S BANANA-CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

 Be Our Guest. Cooking with Missouri's Innkeepers Cookbook/Travel Guide is the newest addition to my cookbook collection. The copyright is 1991, but I checked and the Woodstock Inn Bed and Breakfast still exists in Independence, MO.

According to the cookbook, the "Woodstock Inn, built in the early 1900's, is a former location for a collector doll business. Located in the heart of historic Independence, Missouri, it is only blocks from the Truman Library and home, historic mansions, Latter Day Saint religious centers, and a 10 minute drive to the Sprots Stadiums and Worlds of Fun Theme Parks.

Eleven guest rooms, all with private bath and individual climate control are tastefully decorated. Two suite rooms, which are handicap accessible, offer deluxe accommodations with sitting room.

Emphasis is on hospitality, good food (with special dietary needs considered) and knowledgeable hosts on points of interest. Private, lighted, off-street parking lot."

The online picture and the drawing in the cookbook indicates no change in the building. Sounds like the perfect place to stay if you are planning a trip to the Kansas City area. I have toured some of the historic homes in Independence and the Truman Library and home is a must-see if you come.

I had some bananas that were very ripe and saw the recipe for their muffins and decided to make them. I substituted sea salt & caramel chips for the chocolate chips because I had 1/2 cup left in a bag and wanted to use them up. Besides someone else was bringing a treat with chocolate chips for the Cafe Treat. That is also why I made mini-muffins instead of regular muffins. Mini-muffins work so much better in the Cafe at church. I also reduced the sugar from 1-1/4 cups to just 1 cup and trust me, they are plenty sweet.

The mini-muffins were just perfect and I really enjoyed the taste of the sea salt & caramel chips instead of chocolate chips. Even though I sprayed the pans, the first pan I allowed to cool probably five minutes before I tried removing them and that was a mistake. The problem was as the pan cooled, where the chips happened to be on the edge touching the pan, they stuck to the pan and so the muffin wasn't as pretty. The second pan I removed the muffins after a minute or two and none of them wanted to stick in the pan.

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WOODSTOCK INN'S BANANA-CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1       cup sugar

1       stick butter, softened

2       beaten eggs

1       teaspoon vanilla

3       tablespoons sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)

2       cups flour

1       teaspoon baking soda

2       ripe mashed bananas (about 1 cup)

1/2    cup chocolate chips (I used sea salt & caramel chips)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. (I made mini-muffins.) Set aside.

Combine sugar and butter until smooth.

Stir in eggs and vanilla and sour cream.

Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl with a whisk and

then add to creamed mixture.

Stir til all mixed up.

Fold in the bananas and

chocolate chips.

If making muffins fill 2/3 cup full. I made mini-muffins so I used a level tablespoon cookie scoop to measure amount.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes for muffins or 12 minutes for mini-muffins.

Allow to cool only slightly before removing to cool on a wire rack. Use a knife to "run" inside the cup to loosen the muffin.

1896 GINGER SNAPS

"Oh! I love gingersnaps!" is what one young woman said to me as she picked up one of these cookies and took a bite.

You know something? I love gingersnaps also and these did not disappoint.

I used to buy a bag of gingersnaps and would hide them in the kitchen and then sneak one ever once in a while when no one was looking.

Cafe Treats Baker and Friend Dorene said she found this recipe in a newpaper. I'm so glad she did and that she decided to bake and share these with us in the Cafe at church. And since there were none left, I think our patrons were glad also.

 

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1896 GINGER SNAPS

1       cup molasses

1/2    cup (1 stick) butter

3-1/2 cups flour

1/2    teaspoon baking soda

1       tablespoon ginger

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

sugar

Heat the molasses in boiling and then pour over the stick of butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring to mix well.

Sift together into a large bowl the dry ingredients. 

Add to the wet ingredients and mix well to form a dough.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the dough into four round discs, wrap, and chill thoroughly. (overnight)

On a surface that has been covered in sugar, roll a disc out to 1/4 inch thick. 

Cut with a round cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up).

Bake for 7 minutes.

BROWNIES, THE BEST COOKY OF 1920-1930

 According to my Betty Crocker's Cooky Book that my mother gave me on October 22, 1969, (at least that is the date she wrote in the front inside cover) the best cooky of the 1920's was the Brownies. It says it was "much requested in the roaring 20's. Legend has it that the first brownies were a fallen chocolate cake."

When I recently asked my gkids' godmother, Jamie, if Martin, her husband and my gkids' godfather, if he liked anything else besides chocolate chip cookies, she said he liked brownies. 

If you follow me, you might remember that Jamie and Martin starting raising chickens and sell fresh eggs, I paid them for the first couple of dozens, but one time when we went to buy some, he refused to take my money and said he wanted to barter with me for them. I said okay and then he said he wanted plain chocolate chip cookies - no nuts or anything else added - just plain chocolate chip cookies.

Well I have done this for several months. I had no idea there were so many different recipes out there for chocolate chip cookies. It made me dizzy. So the last time I got some Martin was at work so I asked Jamie if he liked anything else and she said he liked brownies. 

So Saturday when I only had four eggs left, I went on a search for a brownie recipe. Most called for four eggs. I needed to make another treat for the Cafe Treats so just in case they didn't have any eggs available, I didn't want to make them so I would have two eggs left for the Cafe Treat.

Then I found this recipe for Brownies and it only called for two eggs. So yes, this recipe won out. 

The recipe did call for 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, but I left them out since he didn't want nuts in his chocolate chip cookies. I was a little nervous about adding the eggs to the warm melted chocolate, but I decided the sugar would cool it down quickly.

They looked so pretty when I took them out of the oven. It was really hard not to cut into them, but I didn't. Since I rarely share any recipe with you that I haven't tried to give you a fair review, I sent Martin a message asking for his review. 

This is what Martin wrote back: "The brownies were great. The crust was crispy and complimented the actual brownie very well. Not overpowering chocolate flavor and a hint of something I just can't tell what it is. The made-from-scratch was way better than a box mix. Thanks again for them."

Wow! What a review! I answered back that there was no extra ingredient that maybe it was his good eggs. They are fantastic eggs. I tell everyone they are the prettiest eggs I have ever seen.

I guess I will just have to make them again but for us this time.

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BROWNIES

2     sq. unsweetened chocolate (2 oz) (four thin squares in my package)

1/3  cup shortening or vegetable oil (I did use shortening)

1     cup sugar

2     eggs

3/4  cup flour

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/2  cup chopped nuts (I omitted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a square pan (8 x 8 - inches). I used a glass baking dish. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and shortening over low heat

stirring to speed up the melting process.

Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and

then the eggs.

(I beat the eggs first with a fork.)

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt first in a small bowl. (This is the only picture I have of the dry ingredients before I stirred them together, but it shows the beautiful eggs I told you about.) 

Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed. Mix in nuts if you are using them.

Spread in the pan.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until top has a dull crust and a slight imprint remains when touched lightly. (I baked mine for just the 30 minutes.)

Cool slightly and cut into squares.

 

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

 

Tuesday was my turn to host the quilters' canasta group. Since there are only four of us playing now, it means we each host every other month. I enjoy hosting because it makes me dust at least every other month (lol) and I get to make a good dessert to share.

Heading up the Cafe Treats most of the time now I am making cookies, maybe some bars, or mini-muffins so it is nice to have an excuse to make a dessert like a cobbler, pie, or sheet cake.

I saw this recipe from Betty Crocker and thought it sounded good. I considered adding some fresh strawberries, but when I saw how many frozen strawberries 16 - ounces were, I changed my mind. Maybe because I used a slightly smaller baking dish, but it seemed like the oatmeal cookie mix overpowered the strawberries. That's why I added to the recipe that if you wanted more strawberries to use a 24 - ounce bag. I will definitely do that next time and use my covered baking dish that is about 9-1/2 inches round. 

Don't get me wrong the cobbler was very delicious, I just think it could have been better with more strawberries. Let me know what you thought.

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STRAWBERRY COBBLER

1       (16 oz) bag of fresh frozen strawberries with no added sugar (If you want more strawberries use a 24 oz bag)

1/2    cup stevia or sugar (I used 1/4 cup of each)

1       (17.5 ounce) bag of Oatmeal Cookie Mix, divided

1       stick unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray lightly a 9-1/2 inch baking dish. (I used a 7 x 10 inch dish) Set aside.

Measure out 1/2 cup of the cookie mix. Add it to 1/2 cup stevia or sugar and mix in a small bowl.

Pour the frozen strawberries into a large bowl and pour the cookie/stevia mixture over them. Stir to coat the strawberries. You may have some mixture left in the bottom of the bowl.

Spread the strawberries evenly into the prepared dish. Pour any leftover dry mixture over the top of the berries.

Sprinkle the rest of the cookie mix evenly over the strawberries. Can use your fingers to lightly level it out.

Thinly slice the cold butter with a sharp knife and cover the top completely with the thin slices.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.

May serve warm or at room temperature.

Tastes extra nice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

BARB'S MOTHER'S LEMON BARS

 

I've been away for at least a week. I hope you missed me. We had the privilege to attend Hallie's, our oldest granddaughter, graduation from high school in Colorado Springs. 

When her older brother Colby graduated two years ago, we weren't able to go because they issued each student a certain number of tickets for people to attend and because their family is so big, they took up all of the tickets. That was hard for us so we were especially excited to be able to see Hallie graduate. In two years hopefully we will be able to see our next granddaughter Sadie graduate there.

We also were able to celebrate the adoption of our youngest granddaughter Bella to the family. It was a most festive long weekend.

Sometimes when we go visit them, I take my laptop with me so that I can work on my blog if I have time. This time I didn't. I left my laptop at home.

Coming back after being with them for three full days sometimes makes me sad knowing it will be six months before we see them again. This time the sadness lasted more than just one day.

The good news I'm back to normal, as normal as that is, and I am sharing a really good Cafe Treat with you from a couple of weeks ago. This recipe Baker Barb made was one of her mother's recipes. That makes it really special to me because I know how special my mother's recipes are to me.

I'll try to not stay away so long again. Hope you will enjoy Barb's mother's Lemon Bars.

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BARB'S MOTHER'S LEMON BARS

1-1/2     cups flour

1/4        teaspoon baking powder

1/2        teaspoon salt

2           tablespoons lemon zest

3           eggs, separated

1           cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2        cup (1 stick) margarine

1           cup sugar

1/3        cup lemon juice

1/2        cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease well a 9 x 13 - inch pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat 3 egg whites until soft mounds form. Add powdered sugar gradually beating well while doing so. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Cream the margarine and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 egg yolks, one at a time. 

Add lemon juice alternately with the dry ingredients. Add the lemon zest and nuts if using them.

Fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture.

Spread the batter in the cake pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Drizzle warm bars with 1 cup of powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make easy to drizzle over the bars. (May add additional pecans to top, if like.)

Wait until completely cooled and frosting is set before cutting into bars.