Myles Mission Farewell

I can't believe it's time for Myles to leave in his mission already! His farewell was last Sunday. He did a great job on his talk and we had lots of food. This post won't be as detailed as other post because we are busy getting him ready to go. But I wanted to remember what we served. I started a week before and made breads to freeze. We bought mini quiches at Walmart - that was the only place we could find them. And Brazilian cheese bits at Costco- Ryan's dad, John, suggested them because they are gluten free and John can only eat gluten free. I also bought plain Greek yogurt and vanilla-honey Greek yogurt for yogurt parfaits. I bought dark chocolate cinnamon cashew granola at Sams club and tons of berries to add to the parfaits.

Funny story- we didn't end up using any of the berries I bought. Two of my friends from the neighborhood asked if they could help bring something. Julie is a really good cook and I said to bring any kind of breakfast food like muffins or cinnamon rolls thinking she would bake something. Kristen also asked what she could bring and I said a fruit bowl. Ryan's mom had offered to bring fruit too. So I was thinking we would have 2 bowls of fruit. BUT.. Julie brought over a large bowl of mixed fruit before church - so I was thinking 3 bowls of fruit. But then Ryan's mom brought over an entire cooler FULL of fruit! We had so much! Kristin brought over 2 fruit trays too. We ate a good portion of it and then we gave Andrea's left over fruit back to her. (I still have a little bit left in the fridge.)

So, back to what we served. The first thing I made was Mini Lemon Poppy Seed muffins:

1⁄2 cup creamy butter, softened
2⁄3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1⁄3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
zest of 1 lemon
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup buttermilk substitute (made with the remaining lemon juice from the 1 lemon and enough milk to make 1⁄2 cup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line mini tins with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, and beat well after each.
In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the buttermilk, then lemon juice, and then vanilla.
Beat just until smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, 3/4-full.
Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

The original recipe was from food.com, but I kept forgetting to separate the eggs and I didn't have as many lemons. So this is the version I made!

Later I went to the store and bought more lemons, and then I decided to get rid of the frozen zucchini from the freezer. I had what was supposedly 10 cups in the freezer, but by the time I got all the extra water out of it, it was only 2 or 3 cups - go figure? But at least I used it all up.

I made Olivia's Lemon Zucchini Bread. It was probably the most popular item at the table!
2 cups cake flour substitute
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1⅓ cups sugar
2 TB fresh lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk substitute (fresh lemon juice mixed with milk)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini
Glaze ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar 2 TB lemon juice
1 TBSP milk

To make cake flour substitute, put 2 Tbsp of cornstarch in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup, then fill the cup as usual with all-purpose flour and level top.
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together. Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined. Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving. (I put mine in the freezer for a few days!)

I then made Mini Scrambled Egg Cups. I combined 2 different recipes (one from allrecipes and one from superhealthykids and made it up as I went. This is about what I did.

1 pound mild Italian sausage, browned- probably more than I needed, but I used it all.

12 - 13 eggs, beaten

Diced dried onion (original recipe said 1/2 c chopped fresh onion I just threw some it - probably 2-3 Tbsp)

1/2 tsp Salt and 1/4 tsp Black Pepper (I threw some in)

Italian herb mix ( from the grinder in the spice aisle - I added some)

1/4 tsp garlic powder (don't remember if I added it)

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (didn't measure that either)

1/2 c milk 

1 to 1 and 1/2 c fresh spinach leaves, chopped finely. The recipe said to stack the leaves, roll them up, and slice them thin- that worked well. 

Mix everything together. Spray mini muffin tins well. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the eggs are slightly brown. I adapted all of these recipes from regular size to mini, so they didn't cook as long, but I just kept an eye on them, so I'm not sure how long they actually cooked. I served these with salsa I bottled last year.

I found a gingerbread recipe I wanted to try. In the comments it said it was bread for breakfast with butter on it. I didn't think butter sounded right, but I had cream cheese on the table to add to any of the breads. It came from FoodnessGracious. I didn't make any changes. It was a super easy and yummy recipe. So I'm reposting it. 

Sticky Gingerbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg beaten

2/3 cup warm milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Line an 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, ginger, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a pan with the molasses and brown sugar.

Once melted, add the flour to the liquid and stir well with a spatula.

Add the egg and stir.

Combine the warm milk with the baking soda and stir to combine.

Add the milk to the batter and mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the pan.

Bake in the oven for about 75-80 minutes until the top is springy to the touch.

Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

I thought we had lots of sweet breads and we needed something more savory. I remembered the Cheddar Cheese and Chive Bread I made last year and posted here, so I made that again. And yes, I had to buy more zucchini after getting rid of everything in the freezer. Ha ha ha!

Mom asked what she could bring. Ryan's niece, Abby, is Vegan and so I thought I better make something she could eat. I remembered a recipe Mom used to make that used a bottle of fruit. I was going to make it, but I didn't have a bottle of fruit. Mom said she did. She said using bottled apricots make it taste like Gingerbread. I think that's what she used. It was great! The recipe I have calls it spoiled fruit cake. But that doesn't sound appetizing. Mom made it into a loaf to match the rest of the breads, so I called it Fruit Bread. But I don't think that name does it justice. 

Fruit Bread - or Mock Gingerbread - or Spoiled (bottled) Fruit Cake

1 quart of any bottled fruit, juice and all - mom's recipe said cherries or plums

4 teaspoons soda – mix in with fruit and let it foam

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

4 cups flour (not sifted)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cloves - optional

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon

Mom's recipe that I have a copy of didn't have directions. But one on the internet said to blend the fruit in a blender or chop into small pieces. I don't know what she did. My recipe said to bake in a large pan at 325 for 50 min or 350 for 30-40 min. It seems like a pretty forgiving recipe.  The internet recipe said to cook at 350 for 50 min or until a tooth pick comes out clean, but it had a lot more oil. 

Mom also made Banana Bread. I'm sure she used her standard recipe. Here it is:

1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas (riper the better, and frozen in the freezer)

1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter.  Gradually add sugar, creaming well. Add eggs and bananas. Blend thoroughly. Combine milk and lemon juice in small bowl and set aside.  Add soda and salt to creamed mixture. Add flour to banana mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Blend well after each addition.  Stir in nuts if desired.  Grease bottom of bread pan.  Pour in batter about 2/3 full. Bake at 350* for 60 -70 minutes until bread springs back when lightly touched in center (or until knife comes out clean.)  

I thought I should have a second vegan bread, so I used to chocolate cake recipe I have used before to make Vegan Mini Chocolate Muffins. I followed the recipe, but instead of putting it in a loaf pan, I put them in mini muffin tins. I had a problem with one batch of Lemon Poppy Seed muffins sticking to the papers, so I found a suggestion to spray the cupcake liners with cooking spray before putting in the batter. That worked a little too well- the muffins nearly fell out of the papers. They were delicious, but a little too crumbly. The neighbor kids loved them! The Pugh kids ate a bunch. Their little 4 year old even came to the door afterward and asked for more of them. It was funny. He didn't mind I gave him the ones that were falling apart - they still tasted good. 

I made 3 more dishes the 2 days before. - I know way to much- but I wanted to try them. I made Dutch Apple Bread before, but I never had a chance to post the pics or the recipe. Mom said it was great the last time I made it. It ended up really crumbly. I'm not sure if that's because I froze it or if it's just crumbly. It's from Butter with a side of Bread. I think I followed it fairly closely. 

1/2 cup softened butter (1 cube)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups diced peeled green apple (I used a green apple and a fuji apple - I think it was closer to 2 cups)

Topping:

5 TBSP cold butter

1/3 cup flour

2 TBSP granulated sugar

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze: (Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Set aside)

1 TBSP melted butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 TBSP milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 bread pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add in eggs, milk and vanilla and stir to incorporate. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder.  Fold in apples. Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan.

For topping, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean. 

Let cool. Remove from pan and drizzle top with vanilla glaze. 

We had lunch on Pioneer Day (July 24th) at Corner Bakery. I saw their Cinnamon Creme Cake and thought that looked yummy. I decided to find a copycat recipe and make it. Kristin's 12 year old son said he liked it so much he wanted his mom to make it for his birthday! It was also a big hit at the party, but also very crumbly. 

TOPPING AND FILLING INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 2/3 cups flour

2 sticks salted butter, melted

CAKE INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temp, cut into pieces

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

2 cups sour cream (I just used an entire 16 oz container)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease with shortening and flour a 10 inch/12 cup tube pan very well. 

Combine first five topping ingredients in a large bowl, add melted butter and combine with a wooden spoon. You want big chunks of the topping and filling so don’t over mix.

Cake: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter, shortening, and sugar until very light. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in almond extract. Add the dry cake ingredients alternating with the sour cream. The batter will be very thick.

Spoon half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over the batter, then the remaining cake batter, then remaining topping. Press the final topping layer into the cake layer very gently, just to make sure it ’sticks’.

Bake in the center of the oven for 50 min to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cake is done when it starts to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Loosen sides of cake with knife and invert onto a wire rack and then invert again on to serving platter. Sprinkle with powder sugar to finish.

The last thing I made was Cherry Chocolate Babka. I have seen lots of Babka recipes and wanted to make one. We had lots of cherries in the fridge and I thought maybe I could use them to make Babka. But you can't use fresh cherries. I wanted to make it anyway, so I bought dried tart Montmorency cherries at Costco. Here's the recipe I used as a guideline with some changes from another recipe I found. I think this is about what I ended up with:

150 g (1 cup) dried tart Montmornecy cherries

60 ml (¼ cup) Torani hazelnut syrup

335 g (2¼ cups) plain flour, plus extra, to dust - I needed more like 4 cups

7 g yeast - yes I used a scale

95 g unsalted butter, melted - I think this is about 7 Tbsp

95 ml lukewarm milk

45 g sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

80 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids),roughly chopped - I used Ghirardelli 60% cacoa bittersweet chocolate chips. 

Soak cherries in hazelnut syrup overnight. Drain and reserve the liquid. (I needed more liquid and cherries - so maybe use more of both next time - definitely more syrup.)

Grease a long bread pan, (mine is 12 x 4.5 inches), and line with parchment paper

To make dough, sift flour and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl and stir in yeast. In a separate bowl, combine butter, milk, sugar and eggs. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in milk mixture. Mix to form a dough. (Adding lots more flour to actually make a dough!) Using your hands, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, shape into a 12x 18 inch rectangle. Leaving a 1/2 -1 inch border along 1 longer edge. Thicken reserved syrup by heating in microwave for a short time. Spread onto dough. Scatter over drained cherries and chocolate. Starting from the edge without the border, roll up dough. Pinch the border to roll and the ends closed to seal. Cut dough longways down the center of the roll. Twist the 2 halves around each other keeping cut side on top and holding in the filling as much as possible. Press the ends together. Carefully place the twist into the prepared bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to rise again until nearly doubled - about 1 hour. (I forgot mine - oops and it raised longer than that, but it looked great! I lucked out!)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 min or until golden brown. One recipe said to bake it until a skewer came out clean and also to cover the top midway through baking. I think I cooked it 20 min, then covered with tinfoil and cooked it another 10 minutes or so. Cool in pan for 10 min. then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Ryan liked the bread, but no one really tried it. Ryan said it's because the name scared people away. He didn't mind - it left more for him! I think next time it needs more filling. When I baked it, you couldn't really see the different layers anymore. Maybe I need more syrup or something more for a filling.... I'll have to come up with something. 

Overall the party turned out great. Myles said lots of his friends didn't come because they were out of town, but he had a few people show up - even a couple of girls I had never met before. We did end up with lots of leftover breads, so my freezer is still full. Anyone want a slice?