peanut butter and jelly

Cinnamon rolls are one of the most popular pastries available for breakfast, and they aren’t only eaten at breakfast. Most people are familiar with the Cinnabon cinnamon rolls and I’m sure everyone agrees when I say they are absolutely fantastic. Cinnamon rolls however require time to rise and bake as they use a yeast dough. So, how do you get that sweet, cinnamony goodness without waking up at the crack of dawn to bake cinnamon rolls?

Cinnamon spread. Cinnamon spread is basically a combination of butter, sugar and cinnamon. When it is spread over warm toast, pancakes, waffles or pretty much anything you can think of, it gives a similar taste to cinnamon rolls, without all of the hard work. I know, I know, this is a baking blog, shouldn’t I be talking about baking the rolls and not the shortcut? Well I’m also interested in making it easy on you to get fresh bakery tastes and cinnamon spread is definitely a nice alternative to cinnamon rolls. May I reccommend Imperial Cinnamon Spread ?

 

-peanut butter and jelly

Cake mix is very popular these days because it is fast, very easy, and almost always comes out perfect. You can buy it in co many flavours such as chocolate, white, angel-food, rainbow chip, lemon… the list goes on. One box usually makes enough for one square cake or a layered round cake and they are great for anyone who isn’t much of a cake baker. But what if you want to make the cake more personal, rather than just buying the mix, coating it in some canned frosting and presenting it to someone for their birthday.

Well, you can easily make your own frosting and can even put some food colouring in it to make it exciting. You can also do an elaborate decoration on it that will draw everyone’s attention and they won’t even realize it was just a simple boxed cake mix. Another idea is making your own filling to put in between the layers, such as a lemon pie filling. If you’d like, maybe you could turn it into a baked alaska, topping it in a mountain of ice cream and mirangue. There are also recipes that use boxed cake mix but make something completely different, or add different flavours.

Whatever you decide, cake mixes don’t have to be plain and boring. They can actually be very delicious and elegant.   

-peanut butter and jelly

This pancakes recipe is the only recipe we use at my house because it is absolutely fantastic! You won’t be disappointed.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 tbsp oil

1. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, sugar) together.
2. Add the milk and the well beaten egg.
3. Add the oil and mix well.
4. Heat a pan at medium heat with a little bit of oil or butter in the pan.
5. Pour the batter into the pan at your desired size of pancake. When bubbles start popping up and holes start to form, flip the pancake. You can check the other side to get to how you like it done.
6. Put your favourite topping on the pancake and enjoy!

-peanut butter and jelly

Today is pancake day! It is also known as Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. Here in Canada, it is a day when people commonly eat pancakes. You can ahve them for breakfast, brunch, dinner or as a snack… whatever you want! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like pancakes. They are very versatile and you can add whatever you’d like to them. There are chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry, banana, strawberry, even peanut butter!

Pancakes are very easy to make. They have a simple batter that is poured into the frying pan, flipped after a while and then easten. The toppings that go on pancakes vary just as much as the pancake itself. You can put fruit on it, fruit sauce, whipped cream, jam, butter and of course syrup. Celebrate pancake day with some simple and delicious pancakes. Check my recipe archive.

-peanut butter and jelly

I got a little recipe box for my birthday full of delicious treats from Hershey’s. This was my first attempt at one of the recipes and it was fantastic! It tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but instead of being in bread, it’s almost like cake. The jam around the edges even gets a little burnt so it tastes like candy or burnt marshmallow. If you like peanut butter and jelly as much as I do, you have to try this recipe!

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup jelly or jam
• 1 2/3 cups Reese’s peanut butter chips

1. Stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in the butter with two knives until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the egg and mix well.
2. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture and press the remaining mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Spread the jelly on top.
3. Sprinkle 1 cup of the peanut butter chips over the jelly.
4. Mix the remaining crust mixture and remaining peanut butter chips. Sprinkle over the pan.
5. Bake in a 375° oven for 25-30 mins or until lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.

-peanut butter and jelly

Banana bread is a quick bread (meaning it doesn’t use yeast). It has a pleasant banana flavour and is the best way to get rid of those ripe bananas no one wants to eat. It also has a sweet strudel topping that you don’t have to put on, but I reccommend it. This is a recipe that is so good, you will probably want to buy bananas just to let them ripen and make some banana bread!

• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Mix the oil, sugar, egg and banana in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix the sour cream, milk and vanilla.
3. In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the second two bowls alternately to the first bowl. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

For the strudel topping:

• 1tbsp coconut
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

5.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter.

6.  Bake in a 350° oven for 50-60 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before cutting.

-peanut butter and jelly

Okay, this isn’t really about baking but it is about peanut butter and jelly. I saw an advertisement for a product from Smucker’s and it caught my attention. It is called “Smucker’s Uncrustables”. It is basically a frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich with no crusts, pre-made by most likely, a machine. It sounds quick and easy to simply take it out of the freezer and it will be thawed by lunch time. And, it is peanut butter and jelly so it can’t be that bad, right? 

Maybe some people would appreciate the convenience but unfortunately, I disagree. A pre-packaged frozen sandwich just somehow doesn’t sound as good as a freshly made sandwich on some soft, fresh bread. Also, when you make your own you can control how much peanut butter and how much jelly you put on it. I’m sure you’ve also experienced the disgusting flavour of freezer burnt foods as well, which I’m sure would eventually transfer to these sandwiches.

Basically, this is the height of laziness if you can’t make your own sandwich and have to thaw out a frozen one. Trust me, just make it yourself so you can get the real flavour of peanut butter and jelly and not the false machine-made taste.

-peanut butter and jelly

It is true that homemade baked goods are always better than when you buy them packaged at the store. A homemade pie always has a flakier crust and the cookies will always taste fresher and chewier (or crispier, depending on your preference). This is because the products you buy in the grocery store have probably been frozen at least once before it was shipped to the store. It would have also been made days ago and is full of chemicals and preservatives to make it last long enough to get to your shelf.

If you are going to buy some kind of baked good, you should buy it from a real bakery where they bake fresh everyday rather than from a package in agrocery store. To get the ultimate fresh from the oven taste, though, make it yourself! You can add the ingredients you want and there will be no chemical preservatives in it. Not to mention, it’s fun to make your own!

-peanut butter and jelly

Valentine’s Day is coming up on Saturday. What does everyone like to give - and receive - on Valentine’s Day ? Chocolates! Chocolates are a huge seller on Valentine’s Day. They come in heart shaped boxes, they come with teddy bears, they come in all different kinds such as caramel filled or with peanuts in them. Another major difference in chocolates is milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate. So what exactly are the differences? Check out this article about chocolate…

It is hard to find someone who doesn’t like chocolates. Many know that chocolate is refined product obtained from cocoa beans but have you ever given a thought to how many chocolate types are there? You will be surprised to know that there are a number of enticing types of chocolates.

 

Cocoa powder is unsweetened powder of cocoa beans slightly defatted. The powder renders an intense chocolate taste. This is available in two varieties; one is Dutch processed which is alkalized and other is natural variety. The powder is light brown and has a pronounced flavor. The alkalized variety is milder, less acidic, and darker in color.

 

Unsweetened chocolate is called as ‘bitter’ and is pure chocolate liquor obtained from ground cocoa beans. This has quite a bitter taste and is usually used for cooking purposes. Since cocoa is rich in cocoa solids and cocoa butter this unsweetened chocolate gives a deep flavor to baked goods. This is used as the base ingredient to prepare all other forms of chocolate except the white chocolate.

 

Dark chocolate contains sugar, vanilla, cocoa butter, lecithin which is an emulsifier along with chocolate liquor. No milk solids are ever added in the dark chocolate. The darkness of dark chocolate depends upon the cocoa percentage in it which may vary from 30% to 70%.

 

Bittersweet chocolates and semi sweet chocolates belong to the category of dark chocolates. As defined by the Food and Drug Administration department, bittersweet chocolate should contain at least 35% of cocoa solids. Most of the bittersweet bars contain 50% chocolate liquor. These types of chocolates have a bitter flavor than sweet dark and semi sweet chocolates. Since the amount of sugar is not regulated by FDA the sweetness may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

Semi sweet chocolates also contain at least 35% of cocoa solids but are sweeter than the bitter sweet chocolates.Sweet dark chocolate is dark in the sense that it does not contain milk solids. This chocolate contains a high percentage of sugar which gives it a much sweeter taste than other types of chocolates. Many available brands of sweet dark chocolates contain 20 to 40 percent of cocoa solids.

 

One of the most popular chocolate types is milk chocolate that contains condensed milk or dry milk solids along with the chocolate liquor. These milk solids may constitute up to 12 percent of chocolate. These are typically much sweeter with light color and a mild chocolate taste.The class of white chocolates derives its name from the ingredient cocoa butter in it. This chocolate does not contain any other product other than cocoa butter. This is the reason why this chocolate has a mild chocolate flavor, has a vanilla taste, and a lighter color.

 

Couverture chocolates and related chocolate types are used by confectioners and are rich in cocoa butter and cocoa liquor percentage which contribute to the high price of this chocolate. These chocolates are smooth and melt quickly. Gianduja chocolates are made from the chocolate and the nut paste. These are used for flavoring milk or dark chocolates.

 

Candy coating chocolates are candy products and contain a little amount of cocoa. There are lots of chocolate types to enjoy and suitable for various occasions. All of these assortments of chocolates are very interesting and are bound to add flavor to your life.Chocolate is something people love, and what better gift to give someone than those hand made truffles and chocolate delights. The problem is which one should you aim for? The best solution is to be part of a tasting club, where you can sample different chocolates. http://www.mychocolateblog.com is a great site to get tips and recipes for your favourite food, chocolate. Tips like dip a coffee spoon in chocolate, allow to set and then stir your coffee. Take a look today at http://www.mychocolateblog.com for everything chocolate.

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-peanut butter and jelly