Bran muffins from Shilo

This muffins turn out great for me everytime I make them. Soft chewy and the kids love them. Paige loves a banana mashed up

in this recipe I freeze my bananas and micromave when needed . You can ripen in oven also low on a pan 300 .

Tony Serrano still mentions when I made these on the fourth of July at his BBque stand he liked the blueberry ones, they sold out quick.
Bran muffins: I blend
1 1/2 cups of oatmeal in my blender to chop it fine then soak it in
1 cup of buttermilk ( I used milk and a tsp of vinegar)
Mix together
1/3 c canola oil
2/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
one egg add in separate bowl
1 c flour ( whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

mix together then add bran mixture that was soaking.

Add any fruit stawberries sliced

blueberry or a mashed banana is good. bake  Shilo says 325 for 20 min I have done
350degrees
for 15 min let cool 10 min

Biscuts

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Related - Magazine Preview: You Are Making Your Biscuits Wrong(July 24, 2011) 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 scant tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, preferably European style 1 cup whole milk. 1. Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball. 2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. 3. Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise. 4. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. 2¼ cups cake flour, plus more for dusting Related - Magazine Preview: You Are Making Your Biscuits Wrong(July 24, 2011) 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 scant tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cold lard 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, preferably European style ¾ cup whole milk. 1. Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut lard and butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut lard and butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball. 2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and pat it down again, as gently as you can. Repeat. Now gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise. 3. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Serves

Cheese crackers

Homemade Cheese Crackers* - makes 80 1-inch crackers

6oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I used Tillamook) 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature 3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine cheese, flour, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, and salt. Cut butter into smaller pieces and add to flour mixture. With a pastry cutter, cut butter into mixtur Combine until it resembles coarse meal.

Add milk and with a wooden spoon, stir until the dough comes together in a ball. This may take a few minutes, and you may need to bring the final bit together with your hands. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, using a lightly floured rolling pin into a rectangle that measures 8 X 10-inches and is about 1/8 of an inch thick.

With a pizza cutter, cut strips in both directions of the rectangle 1-inch thick, so that each cracker is a 1-inch square.

Place crackers about 1/4-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. With the end of a chopstick, poke a hole into the center of each cracker. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are *just or very slightly *browned. Transfer parchment to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cupcakes hot chocolate

Hot chocolate cupcakes
Hot chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream (makes 20 cupcakes)

For the cake: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 3 eggs 1 packet Hot Chocolate mixed with 3/4 cup warm milk 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners. 2. In bowl of stand mixer combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients: eggs, hot chocolate/milk mixture, vegetable oil and vanilla. 4. Beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. 6. Bake for 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 7. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. 8. Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with Peppermint Buttercream and garnish with Peppermint Bark.

For the icing: 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened 6 cups confectioner’s sugar 1/4 – 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter until creamy. 2. Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. 3. Add milk until you reach desired consistency. 4. Add peppermint extract and mix well. 5. Place icing in piping bag fitted with a large round tip and frost cupcakes. 6. Garnish cupcakes with Peppermint Bark and white nonpareils (optional).

Peppermint Bark: 12 oz Chocolate Bark 12 oz Vanilla Bark 20 mini candy canes, crushed 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. 2. Melt chocolate bark in microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Continue to microwave at 15 second intervals until melted. Pour melted chocolate onto prepared baking sheet and spread evently with a spatula. Let chocolate harden for about 30 minutes. 3. Melt vanilla bark in microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Continue to microwave at 15 second intervals until melted. 4. Add peppermint extract to melted vanilla and stir. Pour melted vanilla overtop of hardened chocolate and spread evenly with a spatula. 5. Sprinkle crushed candy canes ontop of candy bark. 6. Allow bark to harden for about 30 minutes before breaking into pieces. Garnish cupcakes.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

Gingerbread put together

gingerbread

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

4. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

5. Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.

Cook's Note

Store cookies between la

Gingerbread house

Family fun has the best recipe
HOUSE INGREDIENTS

5 cups or more bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Sift 3 cups of the flour into a large mixing bowl. Combine 2 more cups of flour and the baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in the sifter and sift the mixture into the bowl as well. Stir briefly, then set aside the bowl.

2. In another large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg until fluffy. Measure the molasses in an oiled glass measuring cup, then pour it in with the butter mixture and beat until evenly blended. Blend in the vanilla extract.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture 1 cup at a time. Your child may need help with the last few additions, as the dough will be hard to stir. In the end, the dough should be firm but not crumbly. If it's not stiff enough, stir in up to an additional half cup of flour.

4. Divide the dough in half. Place each half in a large ziplock bag, then flatten the dough into a thick, rectangular pancake. Seal the bags and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours. Make the second batch of dough. Wrap and chill it as well.

While the dough chills, help your child trace the soda carton onto thin cardboard. First, trace a long side to create a template to use for the front and back of the house, making it as long as the carton but 1/4 inch less high. Then trace an end to make a template for the peaked sides of the house, as shown--use a ruler to draw diagonal lines from the top corners of the side panel to the top of the carton handle.

Finally, cut out 2 cardboard pieces for the roof, making each one 2 inches wider than the carton and 1 inch longer than the length from the top of the handle to the top of the front wall. Tape the roof pieces together lengthwise, leaving a slight gap between them.

When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°. Line a large cookie sheet (one with at least 2 open sides) with aluminum foil and dust it lightly with flour. Set it on a flat surface atop a dampened tea towel to keep it from sliding. Place a dough disk in the center of the foil, dust the top with flour, and roll it out evenly into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.

Place the taped roof templates atop the dough and cut around them. Remove the excess dough, then wrap and chill it to use later. Mark the roof center (where the taped edges meet) and cut the dough in half to make 2 roof sections.

Bake the gingerbread on the center oven rack for 15 minutes, then transfer the cookie sheet to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife down the center of the gingerbread to separate the pieces (they'll have baked together). Lift gently on the foil and slide it and the gingerbread onto the rack to cool 10 minutes more. Carefully peel off the foil and cool the gingerbread completely.

If the baking sheet is still warm, chill it briefly before preparing the next pieces. Use the front/back wall template to cut 2 walls from another rolled-out disk of dough, then bake them, as before. While the dough is still quite warm, place the template over each wall and use a sharp knife to trim it to the exact size of the cardboard. Cool the walls as you did the roof and remove the foil. Use more dough to cut out 2 end walls. Bake, trim, and cool them as well.

Allow the gingerbread to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours before proceeding. (If the pieces still aren't firm, bake them again for about 12 minutes at 300° and allow them to cool.)

You'll need at least 2 batches of this quick-to-mix "cement": one to construct the house, the other to decorate it.

ICING INGREDIENTS

2 egg whites 3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, taking care not to get even a speck of egg yolk in the mixture. Beat the mixture on high speed for approximately 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Keep the bowl covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to use the icing.

Set the cardboard carton on a counter that meets a wall. Spread a thick, even coat of Royal Icing on the back (the side that touched the baking sheet) of one gingerbread end wall and press it onto the carton. Push the gingerbread side of the house up against the wall and use a heavy object to hold the carton in place.

Ice the other end wall. Temporarily remove the heavy object to attach the wall to the carton, then replace it. Let the icing harden for about 15 minutes. Attach the side walls in the same way.

To attach the roof, first trim an even 1/4 inch of cardboard from the perimeter of the taped template so it won't show under the gingerbread. Use a pastry bag to pipe a thick bead of icing on the upper edges of the walls, then gently center the cardboard template on top of them.

Spread icing on both gingerbread roof pieces and attach them to the cardboard roof. Again, use heavy objects, butting them up against the bottom edges of the roof, to hold the pieces in place. Allow the house to set for 30 minutes before decorating it.

To trim your gingerbread house, all you really need is assorted candies and confections and plenty of Royal Icing to glue them on. Here are a few tips to get started.

• For the roof, you might use dried banana chips, graham cracker sticks, or Necco wafers for shingles and add a row of chocolate kisses or striped mints for an ornate ridge. • Candy canes make great corner posts. • Cinnamon sticks, string licorice, or pillow mints work well for door and window trim. • A gummy ring adorned with a licorice bow