Poundcakes

A while back, a friend gave me an Amish bread starter. We've gone a tad overboard with it at our house, to put it mildly. I discovered that you can either make two large loaves (six mini) and four starters, or four large (twelve mini) and two starters, or six large (eighteen mini) and no starters. You're baking these poundcakes every ten days, so this adds up fast! Fortunately you can also freeze the starters, if you've run out of space in your freezer and already given tons away.

Here are some of the kinds I've made:

• butterscotch
• butterscotch with white chocolate chips
• marble (chocolate and vanilla swirled)
• chocolate
• chocolate with chocolate chips
• chocolate with white chocolate chips
• chocolate with mint chips
• chocolate with peanut butter chips
• chocolate with caramel
• oreo
• cheesecake with cranberry
• vanilla
• vanilla with strawberry chunks
• vanilla with chocolate chips
• vanilla with swirly chips
• vanilla with Kissables (mini Kisses with a candy shell)
• vanilla with caramel chips
• pistachio
• banana
• banana with nuts
• lemon
• carrot, complete with cream cheese frosting

I have given these to my coworkers, parents, friends, Jax's teachers, and TM'ers. Right now, the freezer is beyond full because I made a few last week (34 mini and 1 large, to be exact). They are really yummy! I'm planning on giving a bunch to family and friends we're visiting next week.

A friend's review: "Those were the most amazing cakes I have ever eaten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I love cake :) "

TM Casserole swap

My moms' group is doing a casserole exchange this month for our MNI/O (Moms' Night In/Out). I'm making quiches. I made 6 different kinds:

Caramelized onion, swiss, and cheddar

Hashbrown,sausage, cheddar, swiss, and monteray jack

Tomato, basil, and mozzarella

I also made mushroom and swiss, broccoli and cheddar, and spinach and swiss quiches.

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 stick cold stick butter, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg yolk
Water
Handful of cheese (type depends on the filling)
Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 chopped onion
2 tbsp butter
Any of the following (or a combination of): spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, onions (sauteed in butter until soft, then cooked in 1/4 cup brown sugar for 15 minutes), chopped tomatoes and basil, sausage and hashbrowns
2 generous handfuls of cheese: cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, monteray jack, or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the chopped butter and flour in the food processor, processing in short bursts until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the egg yolk, cheese, and a tablespoon or two of water and process in short bursts until a dough forms. Form into a ball and chill for half an hour.
2. Combine the eggs and cream in a bowl. Beat the eggs.
3. Saute the onion in butter until soft. Add to egg mixture.
4. Saute the vegetables for filling in butter. Add to egg mixture.
5. Add half the cheese to egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Put into a quiche/tart pan. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove beads and back another 10 minutes.
7. Pour egg mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until center is set.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Friday

For Friday we made sausage and cheese bundles.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb sausage (we used a spicy kind)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, or whatever it says on the puff pastry box.
2. Shape the sausage into little balls that will fit into a muffin cup, then smush. Cook until brown.
3. Thaw pastry following the directions on the box. Cut into 12 pieces and lay in an ungreased muffin tin.
4. Put one sausage patty into each tin. Sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese.
5. Fold the pastry over the top and smush the edges together to close it, make a little bundle.
6. Bake about 12 minutes, till pastry is golden.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Tuesday

Tuesday - baked apple pastry bites, made with the filling left over from the apple cinnamon enchiladas.

Ingredients
For the filling:
4-5 apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick butter
Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
For the dough:
1 cup cold butter, chopped into pieces
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
cold water
For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp water
Sugar

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Dump in the apples, sugar, and spices. Stir to coat the apples.
3. Cover and simmer until the apples are soft, about an hour or so. Stir occasionally.
4. Process the butter, sugar, and flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add a couple tablespoons or so of water and process until dough forms. Put in a ball and chill for half an hour or so.
5. Preheat oven to 400.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out a bunch of circles. Cut the same amount with a cookie cutter slightly bigger than the first.
7. Lay the small circles on a cookie sheet. Put a large spoonful of filling in the center of each one.
8. Cut two small slits in each of the bigger circles. Wet the edges of the smaller circles, then set the bigger ones on top. Use the tines of a fork to press them together.
9. Beat together the egg and water.
10. Brush the pastries with the glaze, then sprinkle with sugar.
11. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until tops are golden. Let cool on rack.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Monday

This past week was Teacher Appreciation week at Jax's daycare. We showed our appreciation by taking in food each day.

Monday - flan, also for Cinco de Mayo. We got the recipe from ReceipeZaar, but tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar, caramelized
5 eggs, well beaten
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Several dashes cinnamon

Directions

1. Coat tube pan with caramelized sugar. (Made in the microwave - combine sugar with 1/8 cup water, then microwave for about 4 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't burn. As soon as it's golden, take it out.)
2. Allow to harden, then place pan in container with ice cold water until the caramelized sugar cracks.
3. Mix other ingredient in order, stir well and pour in mold.
4. Place mold in pan with enough hot water to come up to the top of the flan in preheated oven.
5. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until firm.
6. Let cool, then invert& unmold.