Melanie W.'s Flap Jacks

Wow, another post, I'm on a roll!

When making these I exchanged 1 cup of regular flour for whole wheat flour. I thought the batter was a bit thick so I added a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk til it looked right and poured a little easier. Glad I did that, and they were still plenty fluffy and thick. I added blueberries to my batter and topped them with strawberries and syrup. So yummy! I only got 8 pancakes rather than 12, like the recipe says. Oh, and I didn't wipe the butter off the griddle beforehand, I thought that was a waste of time and paper towels, plus I kinda like the look the bubbled butter gives the pancakes. :)

We love pancakes at our house but I'm usually too lazy in the mornings to make them for breakfast so we often eat them for dinner. These were a little easier than the buttermilk pancake recipe I had been making, and they were just as tasty if not slightly better so I'll for sure make these again. I also like that I have more instant pancake mix waiting in my pantry now. I'll be able to whip them up in no time at all!

Danielle's Homemade Granola

I've been hoping someone would pick this recipe because I love it! I've made it a number of times, and lately I've been making it weekly in double batches. I love eating it for breakfast and Max likes to take it to work to snack on or eat for lunch.

This granola is so fast and easy to make, and you can totally customize it to your tastes. I've tried it with different kinds of dried fruit (craisins, dried cherries, dried apricots, dried mango), with whole and slivered almonds, and with chopped up chocolate chunks.

My favorite combination so far has been craisins, dried apricots, and slivered almonds. It's delicious with the chocolate chunks, but I've been leaving that out lately because I figure I just don't need that extra bit of fat and sugar in my daily breakfast.

Other than swapping out the fruit and nuts, I haven't made too many changes to the recipe. I've been adding more oats than it calls for because you can get away with less oil, sugar, and honey and it still tastes really good (although it's probably not as clumpy). I've also tried replacing half of the honey with pure maple syrup. I liked it that way, but again, it's less clumpy because the syrup isn't as sticky as honey. The maple flavor was not very noticeable, so I'm not sure if I'll make it that way again.

Danielle's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I think this must be the most-blogged recipe on this blog. This originally came up the week we moved from Chicago, so I skipped it. I wasn't going to make it because it didn't grab me as something I really wanted to make. Then it kept popping up on the blog and everyone was saying how amazing these were, so I figured I had to try them.

I loved how easy these were to make. Including bake time, I had them done in an hour or less. I liked them, but I can't say I really loved them. Maybe it was my bananas, but I would've liked more banana flavor. I also think I added too many chocolate chips. They were a little overpowering. I admit, I didn't pay attention to how much the recipe called for. I just added them till I thought it looked like a good amount. If I make these again, I think I'll add them sparingly. A little chocolate is good, but I'd rather taste mostly banana.

Overall, I liked them and I can see myself making them again because they were so easy.

Elise's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These were delicious! And super easy to make. I didn't use a whole cup of chocolate chips--just a half a cup. That turned out to be plenty for me. Then I used a half a cup of pecans as well. I thought it was perfect! And instead of the espresso powder, I used cinnamon. I couldn't really taste the cinnamon that much so next time I'll put a tad more. They made 14 muffins for me, but maybe I didn't quite fill each muffin cup enough. (I always get scared that they are going to overflow and make a mess of my oven. I HATE cleaning my oven.)

I ate three of these yesterday (whoops) because they were so good. Violet ate two whole muffins by herself so they were quite a hit with her as well. I will definitely be making these again!

Melissa's banana muffins and pasta

I loved these muffins and so did the family. I just used Cocoa powder instead of espresso powder and it tasted good although I do think the others spices would have complimented them well. Maybe next time I will try a different spice. My only complaint is that they were not very pretty. I guess I should have taken a picture, but I had company and made it for breakfast so they were all eaten up before I had a chance. Anyway I just thought they were flat and not a great color. I would recommend a loaf like Cami especially since there are only 3 in my family I like to give away some of my baking so we don't turn into chunks.

I also made the cheesy squash pasta and loved it. My husband loved it which made me happy because I love creamy sauces on pasta and he likes red so I usually have to make two options. Not this time I just made the one and he even ate the left overs. I used two red peppers instead of one because one did not seem like enough and I had company and wanted to make sure there would be plenty of food. Two was a little too much I would probably say 1 1/2 peppers or maybe another vegetable. I have never used butternut squash before because I didn't really know what to do with it so I was happy to learn. I really loved the flavor it added to the dish, and I had a little bite of just the squash and it was delish. So I now have a new vegetable to make for the family. Thanks for a new recipe to add to the meal rotation.

Cami's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These were really really good! I'm so glad I made them. I used 8 mini loaf pans instead of 12 muffins. I think we're going to deliver them to our new neighbors tomorrow.

Instead of espresso powder I used 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. I also threw in a dash of pumpkin pie spice for good measure. They are so flavorful. I left my bananas a little chunky, which I like. I'm excited to see what they taste like tomorrow since Baked says the flavor intensifies with time. If I keep eating them I won't have any left for the neighbors.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Muffins

So the reason I chose this recipe is because after I gave birth to Ollie a very kind soul brought me dinner and there was some banana chocolate chip bread included. Regretfully, I don't remember who it was. But I know they will be blessed beyond measure. It made me the happiest little postpartum mess on the planet.

I also must confess that I haven't tried the recipe yet. That will be my project later today :) But I wanted to get the recipe up for all of you nail biters.

*I am certain that cinnamon, nutmeg, or coco powder would be an acceptable substitute for the espresso powder (if that's how you roll)

I will post pics later

Here's the shakedown

Q: When did you start baking / cooking?
A: Like a week after I got married. Honestly, I couldn't even make a grilled cheese sammie. But the Food Network has been a constant companion since I said my I do's.

Q: What is your favorite kitchen tool?
A: My knife. 7 inch Henckels Santoku. I try not to leave home without it

Q: Do you have a favorite spice? If so, what is it?
A: kosher salt- I am of a very firm opinion that a lot of people under salt.

Q: What is your favorite book?
A: I have a few, Memoirs of a Geisha, Fire of the Covenant, and all of the Potters because when I was little I wanted to be a wizard.

Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
A: New Zealand

Q: If you had to change your first name right now, what would you change it to?
A: Jemima

Q: Where do you currently live?
A: Chicago

Q: Where are you from?
A: Provo, UT

Q: If you could eat one thing for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Half steak Half pork Salad from Cafe Rio with a big frosty Coke Classic. Try it people, half steak half pork is where it's at.

Cami's Lemon Scones

This was a really easy and tasty recipe. I have only made scones once before and am still surprised how easy they are. It is probably the easiest Baked recipe we've tried so far.

I feel like these could use a little more lemon flavor. I even used about 1/2 cup of zest. I agree with LuAnn that a lemon glaze would be nice. I've been eating mine with raspberry jam since they turned out ever so slightly dry. They would be fine alone, but hey, why not heap on a few more calories to make them exceptional. I am curious how the candied lemons would taste. It looked like a lot of work and I only had 4 lemons.

During baking some of my scones expanded and needed to be cut apart. It didn't really bother me but if I were serving them at a fancy brunch I would use two pans instead of one to make sure they stay independent. All in all, I will make these again.

Danielle's Sour Lemon Scones

Yum! I really like how these came out!

At first I was kind of grossed out that it calls for three sticks of butter (for only 12 - 18 scones!). I try to minimize my butter usage whenever possible, and I figured I'd could probably just use less. I asked LuAnn if she thought I could get away with using less and she said they'd likely be too crumbly (she said they were pretty crumbly as it was).

Based on that, I decided to try to substitute sour cream for some of the butter. And it worked out great! I cut out one of the sticks of butter and put in about 1/4 cup of light sour cream. The scones weren't really very crumbly at all, although they still maintained a scone-like texture. I think they came out perfect.

Also, LuAnn and Cami both recommended I try making the candied lemon peels to add more lemon flavor. I almost didn't because it looked like too much work, but I decided to go ahead so at least one of us could give an opinion about it. I like having the candied lemon peel in the scones, but it really was kind of a pain. I'm not sure if it was worth it. But if I do make the candied peels again, I think I'll cut the water and sugar in half (way too much syrup) and I won't boil it so many times (four times seems pretty excessive). I feel like it boiled too much of the zippy lemon flavor out.

Overall, I really liked these, and I would definitely make them again. It's kind of funny that my two most successful recipes out of this book have been lemony goodies.

Sour Lemon Scones

Yum. I like scones. But this was the first time I had ever made them. I do wish they were more lemony. I like that they aren't too sweet because breakfast items often tend to be too sweet for me. However, when you sprinkle sugar on top before you bake them I would really pile it on because I think it adds just enough sweetness. I didn't do the optional candied lemon peel because I was working from a photo copy and I didn't have the instructions for it. I encourage someone to try it. It might make them sweeter. Also...just in case you don't have buttermilk you can put a tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and make your own. That's what I did...it's all the same.

Changes I'll make next time...try to get more lemon flavor in there and I'd like to try a sugary lemon glaze on top.


Baking background: I baked bread and cookies with my mom as a kid. But she didn't do anything fancy and was always trying to make things healthy...but she was a high school Home Economics teacher before I was born. I've often felt like I didn't know how to cook, but I'm realizing that I have a decent knowledge base. And really...with google...anyone can do anything anymore.

Kitchen tool: My favorite kitchen tool was my Cuisinart mini food processor, but now it is the Magic Bullet (which I am borrowing from my mom until I'm done making baby food). Aside from making baby food I use this several times per week.

Spices...uh I don't really know one spice from another honestly. I've heard of these tests you can take to see if you are a super taster and I know I am not one of them. Although I know when I use fresh Italian spices rather than dried everything tastes better.

My favorite cook book is my 3 ring binder that has all the recipes I collect from friends and family.

If I could travel anywhere it would be to Europe...haven't been anywhere in Europe.

If I had to change my name?? Ha ha...this is a funny question because I didn't like my name growing up...I wanted to be Jennifer or Rachel or something. But LuAnn is me and me is LuAnn and I've never been able to pick another that would fit me. I mean really...how can you go from being LuAnn to anything else? I like my name now.

I currently live in Chicago and am remembering why I love it now that it is warming up.