Roasted Banana Bread

Flavorful banana bread made from roasted bananas.

Coconut Banana Bread

A moist banana bread with shredded coconut for extra texture and flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirl Biscuits

Perfectly combine pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese into a swirl biscuit with Mediterranean flair.

Instant Flour Mix (DIY Bisquick)

Don't we all like some surprise baked goodies? Well, having some instant flour mix around certainly makes spontaneous baking much faster and cleanup easier, and thus, more likely to occur! :) However, you'll find yourself using this DIY Bisquick for much more than just baking. You can make pancakes, waffles, and who knows what else! Plus, you have total control over what goes into the mix. Want whole wheat and butter? You got it! White flour and shortening? No problem!

Not sure where to start? Try these biscuits (Cranberry Brie, Cinnamon Cranberry, Garlicky Cheddar), flatbreads (basic, cheesy), breadsticks (Cheesy Peppered, Cheesy Garlic) or even pancakes!

What are you making with your DIY Bisquick?

Instant Flour Mix (DIY Bisquick)

by CJ Huang

Make this instant flour mix (aka DIY Bisquick) and you'll always be ready for some quick flatbreads, breadsticks, pancakes, or biscuits!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 10-12 cups

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		8 cups		flour	I usually use half white and half wheat.
94 grams	3.25 ounces	1.25 cups		milk powder	I used enough milk powder to make 4 cups of milk.
41 grams	3.125 ounces	1/4 cup		baking powder
454 grams	1 pound	2 cups		butter	Or shortening, but butter tastes better :P

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cut butter into flour. A food processor makes the process a bit faster. You may want to work in multiple small batches depending on the size of your food processor.
	3. Mix all materials together until homogeneous.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Inspire Me Monday, Artsy Fartsy Party,  BFF Open House, Saturday Sparks, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Traffic Jam, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs, Wonderful Wednesday

Mini Vanilla Wafers

Ever since seeing this recipe on Baking Bites, I've wanted to make Vanilla Wafers. I know it's been a few months, but it's stayed in the back of my mind. Then, I recently got a piping kit. Yay for $5 thrift store finds! I figured now's a good a time as any, so I just went ahead and made some of these mini vanilla wafers. You could go for the original, using a plain tip (or a bag with the corner cut off). However, since I'd just gotten the piping kit, I wanted to try out ALL the tips. :) My favorite? The one with all the little spikes pointing slightly inward. After they baked, they look a bit fancier and without any extra effort. Win! Make mini vanilla wafers or make regular sized ones. Either way, make some! James said they taste kinda like the store-bought ones, but better. But isn't that how home made works?

What's your favorite DIY recipe?

Mini Vanilla Wafers

by CJ Huang

Basic mini vanilla wafers you can make at home.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: lots

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		1/2 cup		butter
75 grams		1/3 cup		sugar
		1/4 cup		brown sugar
			1	egg
		1 tablespoon		vanilla extract
160 grams		1.3 cups		flour
		1/2 teaspoon		baking powder

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cream together sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
	3. Beat in remaining materials.
	4. Scoop dough into a bag, and squeeze onto a baking tray. I wanted to try a few different shapes, but you could easily go with lots of shapes or just one.
	5. Bake at 325F for 10 minutes.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Tuesdays at Our Home, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Inspire Me Monday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Party in Your PJs

Basic Pizza Crust

We had a hankering for pizza and some extra time, so I figured I could go ahead and make a basic pizza crust. I like this pizza crust even though it is so simple and straightforward (or should I say, because it's so simple and straightforward)! Since this is a basic pizza crust, it goes well with just about any pizza, and you can easily customize it when you're making your pizza. Since it does take a while to make the crust, I sometimes like to make enough for a few crusts and then freeze for later.

What's your favorite kind of pizza?

Basic Pizza Crust

by CJ Huang

A basic pizza crust made from scratch and suitable for just about any pizza. Make a few extra and freeze!

Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: optional
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: 2 pizzas

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		4 cups		flour	I used half whole wheat and half white.
		2 teaspoons	1 packet	yeast
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		sugar
	12 ounces			milk, warm

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Form Dry Team by combining flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
	3. Add in milk, mixing until dough formed. You may need to add a bit more milk or flour to form the dough.
	4. Cover the dough, and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in size. Freeze for later use or roll out and make a pizza! (Optional - I like to pre-bake my pizza crusts since it results in a more crisp crust.)

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Tuesdays at Our Home

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Easy pumpkin spice muffins - healthy enough for breakfast, tasty enough for dessert!

English Toffee Cookies

Soft cookies with buttery, nutty, English toffee chips.

Outback Bread

A delightful honey wheat bread with a crunchy outside and a soft and sweet inside.

Garlic Parmesan Swirl Biscuits

Another of my Five Friday Finds, this time from Good Cheap Eats. These biscuits are slightly similar to the Garlicky Cheddar Biscuits - just switch the cheddar for some parmesan and add a swirl! I love these types of recipes, where it looks like it took time and effort, but really, it didn't. Don't you?

We ate these swirl biscuits for breakfast, but you could just as easily serve them as a side to Little Lasagnas. In fact, if you served these biscuits with the Little Lasagnas, you'd be well on your way to starting a muffin tin meal! Wouldn't that be fun?

Whenever I eat something with a swirl like these biscuits (or Hua Juan, for example), I always like to peel it apart and especially taste the fillings/texture of the inside. Tell me I'm not the only one?

Garlic Parmesan Swirl Biscuits

by CJ Huang

Mingling the flavors of garlic and Parmesan in a mouthwatering swirl biscuit.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		2 cups		flour	I used half whole wheat and half white.
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		baking powder
		1/4 cup		butter
		3/4 cup		milk
		2 teaspoons		garlic powder
		3 tablespoons		Parmesan cheese, grated
				Garlic Parsley Butter, melted	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder, and then cut in butter until homogeneous.
	3. Mix in milk until dough forms, and then roll out in a rectangle.
	4. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top, making sure not to forget the edges.
	5. Roll up dough and pinch to seal.
	6. Cut dough into 12 pieces, about an inch wide.
	7. Place each piece in a greased muffin tin and bake until golden brown and delicious, about 15 minutes.
	8. (optional) Brush Garlic Parsley Butter on top of each biscuit.

Hint: Try cutting each biscuit apart with dental floss. It's a lot cleaner and neater than a knife (at least for me)! Plus, you get perfectly round biscuits. Just slide the floss under your roll, where you would cut, bring the two ends up, cross, and pull. That's it!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Since I had made some flatbread pizza, I started thinking about breadsticks. Breadsticks always seem to go quickly and they're so tasty! I had made some cheesy peppered breadsticks before, but this time, I wanted something like a less greasy version of the traditional garlicky breadsticks you can get when you order pizza. I have to say, these breadsticks definitely qualified, and, they were tastier too! These breadsticks finished in almost no time at all, especially since I used some of the instant flour mix. I opted to twist the breadsticks so that they would look nicer, but it's certainly optional. If you wanted to bring the twisted ones to a party or gathering, you certainly don't have to tell anyone there how quick and easy these breadsticks were to make!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

by CJ Huang

Quick and easy breadsticks - a tastier and less greasy version of the traditional breadsticks.

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		2 cups		instant flour mix	Or Bisquick
		1/2 cup		water
		1 teaspoon		pepper
		1 tablespoon		garlic
				red pepper flakes	optional
				cheese, grated	I used Romano.

Methods:

1. Combine instant flour mix and water.
2. Add in black pepper, red pepper flakes, cheese, and garlic.
3. Mix well and roll dough out to about a half inch thickness.
4. Cut into strips about 1 inch across to make breadsticks. At this point, I opted to twist them a bit. You could do the same thing to make them look "fancier" without much extra work!

Chai Cookies

Enjoy all the goodness and spice of chai tea in cookie form!

Bacon Parmesan Scones

Savory Bacon Parmesan Scones - a buttery treat with the heartiness of bacon nestled among the peppery notes of green onion and warm, embracing flavors of cheese and rosemary.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Crunch Cookies

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with surprising bits of crispy crunch mixed in.

Mango Cupcakes

For Bobert's first birthday, we needed to make his cupcake! Talking over flavor options with James, we thought Bobert would enjoy mango. Plus, it's the first fruit he went crazy over when we started solids. Since I was making these mango cupcakes for Bobert's birthday, I only wanted to make a few - enough to test the flavor and have one leftover to give him at the party. (Everyone else ate a different cake. I made Bobert's since it had to be egg-free.) This recipe will make about 3 cupcakes, and you could easily scale the recipe to make as many as you'd like. After tasting these cupcakes, I wish I'd made more! Although it's probably good I didn't. :P

Since these cupcakes are egg-free, they won't rise as much as your usual cupcakes, so I filled the cups a bit more than I would with a typical batter. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes or so, and you'll have some scrumptiously moist and yummy mango cupcakes! Even Bobert agrees.

What's your favorite cupcake flavor?

Mango Cupcakes

by CJ Huang

Make a small batch of these moist and flavorful (egg-free) mango cupcakes - made with real mango puree!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 cupcakes

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
45 grams	1.625 ounces	3/8 cup		flour
		1/2 teaspoon		baking powder
		1/8 teaspoon		baking soda
117 grams	4.125 ounces	6 tablespoons		mango puree
		1 teaspoon		butter
		1 tablespoon		sugar

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Form Dry Team by combining flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
	3. Cut butter into Dry Team.
	4. Mix in mango puree.
	5. Pour into cupcake mold or muffin tin, and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Beef Eggplant Stew

I'm definitely a fan of those slow cooker meals where you just dump everything into the slow cooker, set it, leave, and come back to deliciousness. But I'd also always heard if you browned the meat first, it'd bring an additional deepness and complexity to the flavor profile.

Well, only one way to find out - experimentation!

I went ahead and browned the beef before placing it into the slow cooker. And then, since I already had a pot out, I figured I might as well cook up the seasonings too. Then, into the slow cooker it all goes! However, instead of putting everything into the slow cooker like usual, I was a bit concerned the eggplant would get too mushy, so I added it later.

Would I make this slow cooker beef eggplant stew this way again? Maybe, but not if I'm looking for a slow cooker recipe. While the flavor of this dish significantly improved compared to my usual dump, set, and return method, I'm still a fan of its simplicity. I might make this recipe again if I've got more time (and planned ahead). To modify this dish for my usual dump, set, and eat method, I'd mix the flour with stock first, and then into the pot it all goes! Out comes a richly flavorful, slow cooker beef eggplant stew!

What about you - do you prefer browning your meats before using a slow cooker or throwing everything in at once?

Slow Cooker Beef Eggplant Stew

by CJ Huang

Thick and savory - you'll want to try this flavorful slow cooker beef eggplant stew flavored with garlic, thyme, and onions.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours
Total time: 365 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
473 grams	16.75 ounces	3.5 cups	2	onions, diced
466 grams	16.375 ounces	2 cups		beef stock
30 grams	1.125 ounces	1/4 cup		flour
447 grams	15.75 ounces	3.5 cups	5	carrots, chopped
348 grams	12.25 ounces	4 cups	2	eggplants, chopped
		1 tablespoon	3 cloves	garlic, minced
			4	bay leaves
		2 teaspoons		thyme
454 grams	1 pound			beef, chunked

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. (optional) Brown beef in a bit of oil, then transfer to slow cooker.
	3. (optional) Brown onions in same pot used to brown beef. Add in garlic and thyme, then transfer to slow cooker.
	4. Pour stock into same pot, and mix in flour.
	5. Combine all materials in slow cooker. (Eggplant optional.)
	6. Stir in eggplant about 1-2 hours before mealtime (if not added in Step 5). Continue to cook in slow cooker until mealtime.

Egg-Free Strawberry Muffins

I wanted to make some banana bread, but strawberry flavored. (Maybe I should just say I wanted some strawberry bread.) :P However, with Bobert's egg allergy, I wasn't quite certain how it'd turn out since I don't usually bake egg-free. So, I thought I could try baking egg-free on a small scale first. But small scale in a loaf pan doesn't work too well, so I thought I'd make a few muffins instead. This recipe will make 3-4 egg-free strawberry muffins, and you can easily scale up if you're wanting more. I almost prefer just making just a few at a time so I don't Bobert doesn't end up gobbling them all at once!

Do you prefer baking in large batches or smaller ones?

Egg-Free Strawberry Muffins

by CJ Huang

Moist and flavorful egg-free strawberry muffins made with real strawberries. Make a few or a lot - it's up to you!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 3-4 muffins

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
45 grams	1.5 ounces	3/8 cup		flour
		1/2 teaspoon		baking powder
		1/8 teaspoon		baking soda
117 grams	4.125 ounces	3/8 cup	5 large	strawberry, pureed	I pureed some frozen and thawed strawberries.
21 grams	3/4 ounces	1.5 tablespoons		butter
		1 tablespoon		sugar
		1/2 teaspoon		vanilla extract	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Form Dry Team by combining flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
	3. Cut butter into sugar.
	4. Mix in strawberry puree, forming Wet Team.
	5. Add Dry Team to Wet Team.
	6. Pour into muffin liner and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.