Popover fun!!

Now at this point anyone reading this is probably wondering is this a baking blog?? Well I do cook alot but I have been on a baking kick the last couple of months. I have been having so much fun and success with it that I thought my baking was some of the fun stuff to show at the moment. There is no exception to that in how much fun I had making these popovers. They are really easy too!



INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon of shortening or butter
2 beaten eggs
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

DIRECTIONS:
1) Use 6 custard cups or a popover pan grease the bottom and sides of each cup with the shortening or butter and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees at this time.

2) In a medium mising bowl use a wire whisk or rotary beater to beat eggs, milk and oil until combined. Add the flour and salt and beat until smooth.

3) Fill the prepared cups half full with the batter and bake in 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until very firm.

4) Immediately after removing the popovers from the oven, use a fork to prick each popover to let steam escape. Remove the popovers from the cups and serve.



There are many options for serving popovers, you can serve them with beef, lamb or pork. You can also cut them open and stuff them with your favorite dip or salad. What I did with these though was turn them into a dessert. I added just a tad bit of cinnamon to the batter and then when they were done I cut them open filled them with real vanilla ice cream and then poured whole raspberry syrup over them and sprinkled them with powder sugar. Absolutely delicious!!

Oats and More Chocolate Chip Cookies

OH MY GOD IS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS ONE!!! TOO YUMMY, I ENDED UP MAKING A SECOND BATCH CAUSE MY SWEETIE ATE THEM ALL!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cornflakes cereal, crumbled
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.

2)In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in milk and vanilla. Gradually mix in the sifted ingredients until well blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornflakes, oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten slightly.

3)Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. I found that slightly under baking these yields wonderfully chewy cookies!

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

These cookies are absolutely DELICIOUS! Great just right out of the oven or even after a week. Just keep them in an air tight container. Here is the recipe:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended. Mix in reserved flour mixture, blending well. Stir oats, coconut, and nuts until just mixed.
Roll into balls the size of a walnut and place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Slightly flatten and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in tightly sealed contaier.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Tuscan Herb Bread

This was my first attempt at making a real old world Italian bread. I was absolutely amazed at the work that goes into making bread, but even more amazed at the reward I felt from making a bread from scratch. Guess I was feeling brave that day. Here is the recipe:

Tuscan Bread
(makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients
2 cups warm water
2 envelopes active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon crushed sage
pinch of salt

Directions
Pour 1/2 cup of the warm water (105 - 115°) into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast; let stand until dissolved, about 5 - 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water. Blend white and whole-wheat flour in a separate bowl until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the salt and sage. Add and stir 1 cup of the flour mixture at a time into the yeast mixture until a dough forms and the mixture cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead dough on lightly floured surface using as much flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth and shiny, about 15 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, place in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, let rest about 5 minutes. Flatten dough into an oval shape, fold loosely into a baguette. Transfer seam side down to a lightly floured baking sheet (you can use corn meal as well), place in a warm spot, cover with a towel and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake in a pre-heated 375° oven for 55 - 65 minutes, until crust is very brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Bread can be stored in a tightly closed plastic bag for one or two days or frozen for longer periods.