Afternoon Amish Cinnamon Bread and Coffee

This afternoon, I had been cruising Pinterest and ran across a recipe for Amish Cinnamon Bread.  I tried the recipe and it's become a part of my recipe box now!  It was SO easy and it's great with coffee or tea or for breakfast... It'd be great to carry to someone who's under the weather or just to cheer someone's day.  Here it is, and I'll put the recipe below...

 

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/668434739// 

Ingredients

Batter:
1	cup butter, softened
2	cups sugar
2	eggs
2	cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
4	cups flour
2	teaspoons baking soda
Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
⅔	cups sugar
2	teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs. Add milk, flour, and baking soda. Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan). Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan. Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min. or until toothpick tester come clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

I think it actually took about 40 minutes in my oven and I  had to put a piece of foil over the bread pan to keep the edges from getting too done.  But this recipe is totally worth it!  Not too sweet, not too cake-y.  I loved it!!!  This recipe will make 2 loaves of bread.  I halved it to make sure I liked it before I went whole hog.  There ya go!

Think I'll go have another piece and maybe some hot tea this time!  Cheers!

Oh, by the way, check out my latest painting - South Light Art Blog!

(Sorry this thing is all printed on the side - I couldn't get it to align correctly!!!)

Brrrrr..... It's chilly again....And a Recipe to Warm Your Innards!

Well, we've had spring-like temps the last couple of weeks but it got chilly again with an east wind.  Rain heading our way I think...  We had a little sleet or frozen rain this morning.  Now it's just grey and damp cold.

I decided that we better get busy and eat up the frozen veggies in the freezer and get it ready for the upcoming garden season.  It'll be here before we know it!

So today, I pulled out a couple of quart bags of frozen tomatoes and decided, since it was icky and cold, that I'd make some tomato soup with basil and thyme.

 

Here ya go.

There's lots of recipes out there for all kinds of tomato soup but this one is my personal favorite (cuz I took a recipe and made it my own).

Vickie's Tomato Soup

6 cups of fresh or frozen chopped tomatoes (I left the skins on - you're gonna puree it anyway)

2 slices of onion

1/2 tsp minced garlic

a few dashes of ground cloves (or whole ones if you prefer)

2 c. chicken broth

Put these 5 ingredients in a good size pot on the stove and bring to a slow boil for about 20 minutes.  Then, puree and set aside in a large bowl.  In your pot, place 2-3 blobs of butter and a couple of T. of flour and make a roux. Cook til brownish.  Add 1/2 to 1 c. of the tomato soup mixture and whisk well so there won't be lumps when you mix the roux in your soup. OK, add your soup back into the pot with the roux and mix well.

Now, here's what I season it with...

1 t. salt, black pepper to taste,  couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce, couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce, 2 t. sugar to taste, 1/4-1/2 t. Thyme, 1/4 t. basil.  You can also use marjoram or savory herbs.  

All this seasoning is to my taste - you adjust the way you like!  If you want, you can throw in celery or carrot in while the tomatoes are cooking and puree with the rest.  I like it without.  Guess you could put anything in it that you like..... Anyway, season and then heat the soup well and let all those goodies just mesh together!

I'm thinking sandwiches and hot soup for supper, maybe grilled cheese sandwiches..cornbread?  Anybody ever put a tad of cheese or sour cream on top of your tomato soup?

I've got a couple of my garden boxes ready and set out some little collards.  I'm not a big fan but the chickens are and I thought I'd grow them some greens.  Who knows?  Think I'll develop a taste for them?  Nah...

Hate that I missed Vee's Note Card Party today.  I'm popping over there to see what's going on.  If you didn't hear, Debbie at Of His Pasture IS BACK.  Go see her and tell her I sent ya - she just couldn't stay away from us!  Thank goodness - she's always got such great posts - timely, controversial, but sure to ring a chord!  Take care, ladies!!!

Vickie Can Cook!

Haha!  I do cook, really I do!  Today, I made a  big cauldron of chicken vegetable soup AND used up some bananas that were ripening too quickly - made them into banana/nut bread.  I rarely show you a recipe and what I'm cooking. I'm usually half-way through before thinking, "Duh, Vickie, you could have blogged about that."  Well, today I remembered.

Easy - soup is easy.  Slow-cooked 4 chicken breasts with onion, garlic, celery, bay leaves, salt and pepper - your basic chicken stock.  After the chicken was done, I added carrots, potatoes, some leftover broccoli, some green peas, and simmered until the veggies were done.  Season to taste.  Wish I'd have had some mushrooms...  Oh well, it turned out great - that's what we had for supper tonight!   I had that going for most of the afternoon...

I always have some bananas that I wind up putting in the compost because we just don't eat them up.  I crave them when they're not here, but when we have several I don't eat them as much. Plus, I don't like them when they start getting dots on them.  Somewhere between barely green to yellow - that's when I like 'em!  I had some leftover pecans in the freezer, too, so...   (by the way, they are called puh-KONs, in case anyone wants to know, not PEE-cans or pee-CANS... just sayin' )...

Ok, Banana Nut Bread.  I've tried lots of different recipes for this - it's everybody's favorite and I'm sure you've got your own favorite recipe.  Mine comes from Dr. Payne's wife.  Dr. Payne was mine and Tony's pediatrician when we were kids.  Then, he was also MY kids' pediatrician until they were all over 18.  I'm so glad he didn't retire until they were all grown!  He really knew all our family history!  I've had this recipe for probably about 30 years.

BANANA NUT BREAD

             3/4 c margarine (or butter)                                       2 c. sifted flour

             1  1/2 c. sugar                                                          1 t. baking soda

             1  1/2 c. mashed bananas (usually 3 large)             3/4 t. salt

             2 eggs beaten                                                          1/2 c. buttermilk

             1 1/2 t. vanilla                                                             (or cheater buttermilk)

                                                                                             1 c. chopped pecans

                                                                                                             (or walnuts)

Cream margarine and sugar thoroughly. Blend in bananas, eggs and vanilla.  Sift flour, soda and salt together.  Add to banana mixture alternating with buttermilk.  Add nuts and stir well.  Bake in a greased and floured 9x5x3 inch loaf pan at 325 degrees for 1 hr 15 minutes.

Now, following are some pictures showing my progress.  NOTE:  I usually split up my dough into 3-4 small tins.  Today I used 3 small tins and it almost ran over the edges!  Also, towards the end of the cooking time, I place a piece of foil loosely over the tins to keep the edges from getting too done.

Above - some ingredients - the sugar, butter, eggs and dry ingredients were already mixed - see?  I almost forgot to blog about this today!  Thank goodness I caught myself before it was too late!

Above, just used cooking spray (didn't need flour) and I always cook things on another pan just in case something spills over!

Above - have already added the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla.  I'm adding the dry ingredients now...

Above, now for the pecans!  Some of those go missing before they make it into the batter...

Ready to pop in the oven!

Be sure and eat some batter before it goes in the oven - it's really good.  Better yet, let's just not cook it at all - let's just eat the batter!  I've eaten raw eggs all my life and it hasn't hurt me yet!

These little boogers nearly overflowed the small tins, and the edges are kinda crispy - my favorite part!

Ok, after they've cooled a bit and pulled away from the tin, I up-end them and let them finish cooling.

One I'll keep out for us to snack on, and the other two will go into the freezer to be enjoyed another day, OR to give to someone who just needs cheering up a little bit!

There ya go!  Hope you enjoyed it.  I usually make a bunch of small loaves during the holidays, but it didn't happen this year.  I guess better late than never!

PS - I just visited my friend, Tara, at her blog New Day, New Season. Please go over and give her a cyber hug and some love - her daddy has been sick for a long time, and now he could go either way.  She's really hurtin' but she's strong.  She and her family need your prayers. Thank you so much.