Peaches & Fruit Banditos

 After a long, long time - another baking experiments.

I have been thinking of making a peach cobbler for some time. When, quite by accident, we got the fruit cobbler mix (the Rustling' Rob's Fruit Banditos), it was time to experiment again.

I follow the recipe given by the Fruit Banditos (used canned peaches) and the result was wonderful. Much better that I hoped for! 

 We "destroyed" it quite quickly.

 Next time, I will try to use apricots instead of peaches.

Best Baked Bacon Ever

 What you need

Bacon, of course, a flat Pyrex dish, and aluminum foil. Black pepper for seasoning.

Bake it at 375F for about 30 minutes, until it is crispy and slightly brown.

Dry it the on the paper towel sheet for a while.

Ribs Premiere

Home baked ribs for the first time. Some sliced onion, seasoning, some water + 90 minutes in the oven (375F), and they were ready.

The ribs were quite good - not much fat, lots of good meat on them.

Turkey Adventure

That was quite a stubborn turkey. It stayed in the fridge for 60 hours with the idea (mine not turkey's) that it would get defrosted. It did not. After all that time, it still looked like a block of ice. So it landed in a pot with cold water. The time was passing by, the night was coming, and it was still totally frozen!

It could not stay in that spot for the entire night - it would have got bad and we did not want that. At midnight I set the alarm clock for 2 a.m. (when it rang, I did not why/what for). Then, it was ready to be cooked. Some oiling and seasoning and the turkey finally got to the oven (covered with aluminum foil). Then, there was an option to set the alarm clock for 3 a.m. (the foil needed to be removed after an hour) or stay up and wait. I chose the latter. When the turkey finally got uncovered, setting the alarm clock again. At 6 a.m. it was time to get the meat out of the oven. The turkey was cooked and golden, and I was ready to go back to sleep. Never had I experienced nighttime cooking.

Christmas Cookies Time

 These cookies are history already.

Polish Fruit Cake

I am not sure whether I have tried that particular recipe before. Polish fruitcake is nothing like the Texas dessert which includes the same "fruitcake" name. It is simply a sort of coffee cake with lots of raisins, nuts, and fruits.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

 Made from scratch for the very first time.

Lemon Bar

Made for the first time.

Banana-and-Pecan Bread

It's been a long time since  I made banana bread from scratch. We got some bananas and here it is.

Ingredients:

8 TBsp butter,
3 bananas - mashed,
some pecans,
two eggs,
1 cup sugar,
1 1/2 cup flour,
1/2 tsp salt,
baking soda.

Fresh from the oven - it was two fresh and crumbled a bit. It was tasty, though!

On the next day, it got firmer and it was easier to cut a piece.

My Version of One, Two, Three, Four Cake

Last week I made that cake, following the Old-Fashioned recipe. 
I decided to give it a try as, frankly speaking, I had no 'cake from a box' to use.
I had not made one from scratch for quite a long time but the recipe worked well. Even though, I followed the instructions rather randomly.

I did not have vanilla, butter and nut flavoring and the vanilla extract either, I used lemon extract instead. I was afraid that the flavor might be a bit flat because of that substitution so I covered the cake with vanilla icing and added some colorful sprinkles to it.

Cinnamon & Cocoa Cake

I made that cake not long ago - I felt like making a cake but did not have any raisins or anything special to make the cake with so I used this recipe. The cake was quite tasty and rather light - not too sweet. I am not a big fan of cocoa cakes but that one was good.

 

What you need to make it:

• a loaf cake tin,
• flour: 2 and 1/4 cup,
• sugar: 3/4 cup,
• eggs: 2,
• milk: 1 cup,
• butter: 170g,
• cinnamon: 1/2 tsp,
• cocoa: 4 Tsp,
• baking soda: 1Tsp,
• jam/marmalade: about 30 dag (1 small jar).

For the icing: about 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1-2 Tsp of milk, 1 Tsp melted butter.

What to do with it all:

1. Grease and flour the loaf tin (do not use too much flour - just a bit).
2. Warm up the oven (375F).
3. Mix the melted butter with marmalade, add eggs and (gradually) milk. Mix it of course.
4. Mix all the dry ingredients and add them to the liquid ones, Mix again.
5. Pour the cake mixture into the greased and floured tin.
6. Bake it for about 45 minutes - check the cake with a toothpick at the end of baking.

When the cake is cool, you can decorate it with some icing. I made it with powdered sugar, milk and a bit of butter.

Our Early Valentine Cakes

Our Valentine weekend cakes are ready. 💑

Smaller heart cakes

And a bigger one :-)

What I used to make them:

• 1 box yellow cake mix + what the instructions on the cake box say (water, eggs and canola oil),
• 1/2 can cherry pie filling,
• some powder sugar + a few Tbs hot water to make the icing,
• decorating 'beads'.

 

The cherry part is hidden inside of course 😐.

Have a happy weekend!

12 Cakes12 Months: Mixed Fruit Cake

I need to tell you about the December cake to close the 12 Cakes 12 Months project. It was quite an all year long challenge and searching for a new recipe was time-consuming. Besides, experimenting with the unknown recipes was also risky as we were never sure what we would get and whether the cake was worth trying at all. In this meaning, the project got a bit old during the year. It was often easier to make a cake which we had already had and which we liked or use a cake/cobbler mix when there was not much time for baking.

However, in December I came across that really good recipe for a cranberry loaf cake. I did make it for Christmas. Although the recipe calls for fresh cranberries, I used dried fruit mix - cranberries, cherries, and blueberries.

The cake looked and tasted similarly to the Polish traditional Christmas 'keks' which is a fruit cake as well. Actually, when my husband saw the December cake, he thought it was the kind of Polish cake which he had eaten during our November stay in Poland.

Anyway, the December cake was very popular with our guests who visited us on Christmas Day. It was really tasty, especially when served warm (after 20min microwaving before serving).

I made the cake again in January and we enjoyed it too. Needless to say, it 'disappeared' quite quickly as well.
I am going to keep the recipe by the Southern Lady. Very likely, the fruit loaf cake will become part of our Christmas traditions.

All in all, during the entire project, we experimented with 12 cakes/recipes. The ones which we liked best (besides the December one) were
mandarin pie,
vanilla cake,
pineapple cake,
coconut pie, and
blueberry cake.

It was all worth trying - I am glad I found quite a few, new and enjoyable cakes. On the other hand, I admit I am glad the challenge is over and now I can make any cake whenever I want to or choose not to bake anything at all.

12 Months 12 cakes: #11 Mixed Fruit Cobbler

I would rather write about the Christmas experience but I need to catch up with my November project entry.

Last month, my new try was the Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix by Bektrom Foods Inc. Besides finding new recipes, I also enjoy experimenting with half ready cakes (mixes). They can be really convenient when you need to make a nice treat for an unexpected occasion/guests or simply when you want to make your life easy. 😀

What I used to make the cobbler:

1 jar - mixed fruit,
Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix.

First try: I followed the recipe given by the mix manufacturer. The cobbler was tasty but only when it was fresh and warm. Next day, not really.

Second try: I followed all the steps of the given recipe given besides one thing. The instructions tell you to pour the melted butter onto the fruits and then cover it all with the batter/cobbler mix. I stirred the melted butter into the batter (cobbler mix) and spread it all on the fruits (which had been placed in a greased tin of course).
The results were much better. The cobbler was crispier than before and was still tasty even 2 days later.

I stored it in the fridge and warmed up each piece in the microwave before serving. With a splash of whipped cream, the cobbler made quite a nice, and easy to make dessert.

Visit the Bektrom Foods Inc. page to see what the package of Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix looks like.

Loretta Fruit Cobbler Mix price =$1 at Dollar Tree

12 Cakes 12 Months: Vanilla Bundt Cake

I have noticed recently, that, due to different life matters, I overlooked a couple of entries on my 12 Cakes 12 Months project. I had not skipped the idea of the project, no. Actually, I think of it quite often, trying to find a new, good cake recipe. High time to post some updates then.

In October, we had a vanilla bundt cake. It raised beautifully, was moistened and really, really tasty.

I called it vanilla cake as I did not have the coconut extract suggested in the recipe.
It is worth recommending anyway.

Good Dinner Biscuits

This is a very good recipe for dinner biscuits - I mentioned it already in one of my previous posts.
The biscuits are supposed to be Red Lobster-like ones.

My fancy biscuits cutter

However, it all depends how you make them.

1.  You can follow the recipe step by step and you get the bread which a bit reminds the one served at Red Lobster.
2. My favorite way - instead of brushing the biscuits after they are taken out of the oven, I damp them in the melted butter-and-garlic powder mix before the baking time and putting them on the tin.  Then, I bake them for about 17 minutes and the biscuits come out fluffy and very tasty.

Method #2 result

Olsouthrecipes.com is one of my favorite collection of the traditional southern recipes. It was also the site which I found very helpful while learning how to make some old fashioned and - so good - holiday dishes.

12 Cakes 12 Months: Pineapple Cake

The July cake is wonderful. Its frosting is light and tasty. Delicious!

I followed an old-fashioned, southern recipe by Mary Oxendine, except one thing. I did not have canned crushed pineapple, had pineapple in chunks only. That was why, I added sugar to the contents of the can (as the recipe says), then drained the pieces of the pineapple. After soaking the cake with the sweetened pineapple juice and frosting the lower cake round,  I put the fruit chunks on the frosted cake.
Next, I placed the other cake layer on it and frosted the entire cake, according to the recipe instructions.
The pineapple pieces very much add to the flavor of this great holiday dessert.

Thank you Mary for this superb recipe/cake!

You can read more entries on my 2016 project '12 Cakes 12 Months' here.

Our cake of July

Ciasto ananasowe według przepisu Mary Oxendine jest zaprawdę wspaniałe. Smaczniejsze niż przypuszczałam, że będzie, gdy po raz pierwszy czytałam wskazówki autorki bloga 'Old Fashioned Recipes'.

Biszkopt upiekłam w dużej tortownicy. Gdy był jeszcze ciepły po upieczeniu, przekroiłam ciasto na dwa krążki. W domu miałam tylko kawałki ananasa w puszce (zamiast rozdrobnionego ananasa jak zaleca przepis). Zawartość puszki przelałam do rondelka, dodałam cukier.

Po wymieszaniu, odsączyłam kawałki ananasa na sitku, a pozostałym syropem nasączyłam obydwa krążki ciasta. Było ono jeszcze wtedy ciepłe. Obawiałam się, że wyjdzie z tego klucha: gorący biszkopt i sok. Na szczęście nic takiego się nie stało, ciasto nie straciło swoich właściwości.

Dalej postępowałam zgodnie z instrukcjami przepisu. Przygotowałam krem i posmarowałam nim dolny krążek biszkoptu. Na to nałożyłam odsączone kawałki ananasa, po czym przykryłam 'nadzienie' drugim krążkiem. Obłożyłam wszystko kremem i już! Wspaniały deser na niedzielny/ świąteczny obiad. Krem z dodatkiem bitej śmietany jest lekki, nietłusty, nie za słodki - w sam raz. Cząstki ananasa w środku ciasta-tortu sprawiają, że jego smak jest jeszcze bardziej interesujący. Pyszny!

Quick and Tasty Raspberry Bread

Recently, I have been trying different cake mixes from various stores. This time my choice was Simply Homemade Muffin & Bread Mix found at Dollar Tree.

We found the the bread so tasty that, after baking, when it was warm and fresh, we ate a half of the loaf at once. In our opinion, it makes a wonderful dessert or/and breakfast option. Not to mention that the price of the mix is very good as well. It contains pieces of real fruit that is why the bread had a slightly sour flavor. Well, if you prefer very sweet treats only, probably you would not find the raspberry bread/ muffins good enough. Anyway, we liked it a lot.

What you need to make the raspberry bread (besides the mix of course):

• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt which can be substituted with regular yogurt (I used vanilla Greek yogurt),
• 2 large eggs,
• 1/3 cup oil (my choice was Canola oil),
• 1/4 cup water.

Then, just mix all the ingredients with a spoon, place the batter in a slightly greased loaf tin and bake it at 350F. After 45 minutes in the oven, our bread was ready. We let it cool down for about 10 minutes before the eating time started. The raspberry bread was really yummy! Certainly, I will buy this muffin and bread mix again.

Raspberry Bread

What was left after 'the first sitting'....

Wednesday Peach Cobbler

Yesterday we (very much) enjoyed our home made peach cobbler. It was so good, I would have eaten more than two servings, but I was simply not able to...

New Year's Project: 12 Cakes, 12 Months / Projekt 12 Ciast, 12 Miesięcy

The new year has just started and I came up with an idea for a year long baking and blogging project.

Every month, I am planning to bake a new cake, which I have never made before. Each of those experiments will be followed by a monthly blog entry.

I like baking and quite often make us some cake. Since recently I tend to repeat making the same cakes - which we like of course - maybe it is time for some kitchen adventure and exploring new recipes.

Besides, it will give me an opportunity to share my tries and results on the blog.

I think it will be fun!

If you find my project interesting enough to enter it and start the year long baking challenge too, you are welcome to accompany me and join the project Facebook group .

Looking forward to sharing recipes with you (and trying yours)!

Nowy rok się niedawno zaczął, pomyślałam więc, że jest to okazja, by rozpocząć nowy projekt cukierniczo-blogowy.
Mam zamiar upiec nowe ciasto (którego wcześniej nigdy nie robiłam) każdego miesiąca, a następnie podzielić się z Wami rezultatami moich eksperymentów w comiesięcznym poście na blogu.
Lubię piec i często mamy ciasto na deser. Ostatnio jednak przeważnie piekę tylko to, co już znamy i wiem, że to lubimy. Może więc przyszła pora, by wypróbować nowe przepisy, a przy okazji trochę poeksperymentować w kuchni. Poza tym będzie o czym pisać na blogu, będzie też niezła uciecha, jeśli wybrany przepis okaże się sukcesem.

Zapraszam do przyłączenia się do projektu i dołączenia do projektowej grupy na FB – jeśli masz ochotę wziąć udział w cukierniczej i blogowej zabawie.
Będzie mi miło podzielić się z Wami przepisami oraz wypróbać Wasze!