Hi Everyone! I hope your week is going well so far! It feels like we’ve pretty much gone from winter to summer here in Maryland in the last week or so, I went from wearing a jacket right to wearing shorts… as much as I dislike the heat and the humidity, it feels so good to see the sun again and soak in all that Vitamin D! I wanted to share a quick and easy bread recipe with you today. This Blueberry Streusel Muffin Bread recipe was originally for blueberry muffins, but I adjusted it slightly and turned it into a loaf that’s moist and not overly sweet, is filled with juicy blueberries and topped with a sweet streusel topping!

BREAD

2 1/3 cups plus 1 tbs all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

STRE– USEL TOPPING

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F and grease a standard size loaf pan. In your electric mixer bowl, mix together the sugar (I reduced the amount to a 1/3 cup, but use at least 1/2 cup for a sweeter bread, or more if you prefer extra sweetness!) and canola oil. Add in the egg, milk and vanilla extract and mix until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Sift in the flour, baking powder (I reduced the amount from 4 tsp in the muffin recipe to 3 tsp here) and salt, and mix until you have a smooth batter without any lumps. In a small bowl, add about a tablespoon of flour to the blueberries just to coat them, then gently fold them into the batter using a spatula.

2. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top (you want the batter to fill about 2/3 of the loaf pan so it doesn’t overflow as you bake the loaf). In a small bowl, mix together the streusel topping ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle it over the batter evenly. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. (I cover my bread with foil after about 20 or 30 minutes to prevent the streusel topping from burning.) Let cool before slicing and eating.

Hello, sweet friends! Happy Weekend! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I love baking sweet rolls! I have made them with so many different fillings (scroll down for all my recipes!) and this recipe for cherry and mixed berry sweet rolls is one of my favorites! The tart filling pairs so well with the soft rolls and the sweet glaze. These sweet rolls are best served warm fresh out of the oven, but you can also reheat them the following day and they will still be delicious! If you’re looking for a good sweet breakfast or brunch recipe, try these out!

DOUGH

1 cup milk

2 packages instant dry yeast

Pinch of sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 stick (8 tbs) unsalted butter, softened

4 1/4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING

10oz frozen cherries & mixed berries

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

Hi Everyone! I have another recipe collection to share with you today, and this time it’s all about baking with yeast! When I was getting married, my grandma told me that if I can master baking with yeast, I am ready to get married! Although, I’m pretty sure there is more involved when it comes to establishing whether you are ready for marriage. Do you love your partner? Do they fill the hole when it comes to your sexual life? Can you see a life with them? Of course, loving your partner is a massive part of whether you decide to live the rest of your life with them. You have to be attracted to them. If you’re not, how can you build a life together? Now I know I shouldn’t think this way, but to most couples, sex is everything. And if women are required to use a silicone dildo to receive their sexual pleasure, then it could mean that they jumped into marriage too quickly. It may not affect everyone, but sexual attraction to your partner is definitely very important.

To me, these are the more important factors to consider when it comes to thinking about marriage, but as I like baking, maybe mastering baking with yeast is just as important too. I don’t know how she came up with this marital test, and I’m not sure that I passed it too well at that point, but since then I have learned a lot about baking with yeast and have had a very happy marriage, so maybe there was something to it! I’ve had a good amount of disasters in the kitchen, but have also found some great recipes that I’ve made over and over again. So I think I’ve passed the test, and my grandma would be very happy with me! If you don’t usually bake with yeast, it can be a little overwhelming at first and seem like the process is too time consuming and complicated, but it’s really pretty simple and if you follow the simple steps to allow the yeast to activate and let the dough rest and rise properly, you will no problems and your breads, rolls and desserts will turn out beautifully!

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Happy Baking, Everyone!
I will be linking to THESE wonderful blogs!

Hi Everyone! I wanted to share some of my favorite cookie recipes with you today! Because really, is there anything better than a good cookie?! This is a collection of a couple of my favorites. It includes cookie sandwiches (because why would you only have one cookie if you can have two! Stuffed with sweet goodness between the two!), chewy cookies, meringues kisses, sugar cookies, and a couple of baking and packaging tips!

These are more bars than cookies, but these Summer S’mores Treats are like summer in a bite! (LEFT) And this is how you can easily package them! (RIGHT)

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These Hot Chocolate Cookies (LEFT) are a great alternative to the traditional chocolate chip cookie, and to make sure you can always have a fresh baked cookie, check out this tip for Freezing Cookie Dough Balls (RIGHT)

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Light and airy Cocoa Meringue Kisses (LEFT) and sweet and chewy Butterscotch Coconut Cookies (RIGHT)

Hello, sweet friends! Are you hungry?? If not, I think you might be after this! This recipe was inspired by a recent lunch I had with a friend at a French cafe. It was so good I wanted to re-create it at home and this is what I came up with! A classic French Croque Monsieur is basically a ham and cheese sandwich topped with a creamy bechamel sauuce, sprinkled with cheese and then broiled until all the cheese is melted and gooey and delicious. It is comfort food at its best! There are so many different variations of this classic, and I love this one. You can make it in less than thirty minutes and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry! And you know it’s a serious sandwich when you need a fork and knife to eat it!

SANDWICHES
4 pieces crusty sourdough or white bread

2 – 4 tbs pesto (homemade or store-bought)

1 roasted chicken breast, diced

4 slices cheese of your choice
1/4 shredded cheese of your choiceCHEESY BECHAMEL SAUCE
1 tbs butter, unsalted
1 1/2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used fat-free)
1/2 tsp salt
3 – 4 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

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DIRECTIONS

I used THIS NY Times No-Knead Bread for the sandwiches, which worked perfectly!

Hello Everyone! I wanted to share one of my favorite Easter recipes with you today! This sweet bread is a traditional Czech treat that’s baked year round, but especially for Easter when it’s either formed into a braid or shaped into a round loaf like this. It’s soft on the inside and has a similar taste and texture to Irish soda bread. It’s filled with plump raisins and sprinkled with crunchy almonds, and baked until beautifully golden brown. Everyone has their own version of this recipe, and this is my grandmother’s and the one that I grew up eating. A slice of this sweet bread is the perfect afternoon treat or breakfast. And the best part of this recipe – the thick layers of butter and jam that you (need to!) spread on top!

500 g / 4 cups all-purpose flour

70 g / 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 package instant dry yeast

90 g / 6 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

250 ml / 10 fl oz lukewarm milk

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 egg plus one egg yolk

1 tbs water

1. Start by mixing together the package of yeast with the lukewarm milk in a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and stir gently, then cover it with a kitchen towel and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is frothy. In the meantime, soak your raisins to make them plump (do this by letting them soak in some boiling water or orange juice for a couple of minutes) then drain them and set them aside.

2. In your electric mixer bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar (this loaf isn’t too sweet so add in more sugar if you prefer extra sweetness). Add in the egg yolk, salt and vanilla extract and mix until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Then, add in the yeast mixture and mix again. Sift in the flour in three portions and add in the drained raisins at the end. Mix with the dough hook attachment for about a minute, until a soft dough forms. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl, cover it and let it rise in a warm spot for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

3. Once the dough has risen, take it out and shape it into a ball, smoothing out the surface. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover it with a kitchen towel. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 deg F and make your egg wash by whisking together an egg with about a tablespoon of water. Take off the kitchen towel and brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle it generously with the sliced almonds. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If the loaf begins to brown too much, just cover it with some foil to prevent it from burning. Let cool, then slice and spread (generously!) with butter and your favorite jam! (*Note: my grandmother’s original recipe is in metric measurements which I usually try to follow, I have inserted approximate cup/oz measurements for this recipe).

For more of my family recipes, check out THESE Heart Shaped Linzer Cookies or THIS Classic Apple Strudel Recipe!

Hi Everyone! Happy Weekend! We’ve had the most beautiful couple of days here this weekend, and since the cherry blossoms are at their peak right now, we decided to go down for a walk along the Tidal Basin. The National Cherry Blossom Festival (read about it HERE!) happens every year here in Washington DC and if you’re ever in the area at this time of year, it’s definitely worth visiting. The whole area along the river and some other parts of the city suddenly turn pink and white as the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. The walk by the river under the cherry blossoms is just magical, and on a warm and sunny day like this, it was the most beautiful place to be!

Good Morning, Everyone! I hope you’re having a good week and have been enjoying this spring so far. It’s hard to believe that Easter is almost here! If you’re looking for a pretty Easter decoration idea, I have a great one to share with you today! You only need a couple things to create this “tree” and you can decorate it with whatever Easter or spring themed decorations you like! This might be a good project to try out if you’re keen to make outdoor easter decorations for the festivities at this time of year. Here’s what you’ll need and how you can make it…

YOU WILL NEED
Branches (real or faux)
Silk flowers and leaves
Floral foam block
Easter eggs
Ribbon & Scissors
Hot glue gun

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First, choose your container. I used a big white jug, but you could use a big flower pot, a vase or a bucket instead! Next, place the floral foam block on the bottom of the container, and begin arranging your branches inside, making sure you get a nice full arrangement from all sides. Once you have your arrangement, begin attaching the flowers and leaves on the branches using your hot glue gun. Use as many as you like, placing them on the branches evenly. Then, prepare the eggs. You can use whatever kind of eggs you like (just not too heavy so they don’t weigh down the branches too much, and nothing fragile!), I used a combination of some natural looking plastic eggs and my Mossy Easter Eggs (find a tutorial for how to make them HERE!) on my tree. Using your hot glue gun, attach a piece of ribbon onto the top of each egg, let it dry, and you are ready to hang the eggs!

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To see how to make these Mossy Easter Eggs, check out my tutorial HERE!

Good Morning, Everyone! Happy April! It’s a beautiful morning here, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it almost looks like spring may have finally arrived (even though it was snowing just two days ago!) – this better not be an April fools’ joke! I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for spring! And since Easter is just a couple of weeks away now, I have a really simple and fun idea to share with you today. You only need a couple of craft supplies to make these Mossy Easter Eggs, and they would look great on a natural-themed Easter table or in a big Easter basket. Here’s what you need and how you can make these yourself…