Sourdough Hamburger Buns

We love a good burger every now and then, but really limit how often we eat them because I had not been able to find a bun I felt good about. All that ends with this recipe, which results in the most wonderful homemade sourdough buns. They work really great for hamburgers and we have also used them for breakfast sandwiches and sloppy joes (and more). I cannot imagine a better bun than this.

Sourdough Biscuits

A reliable recipe for soft and flaky sourdough biscuits had eluded me for many months. However, I finally got it right with this one. The biscuits are very easy to throw together and result in exactly what you are looking for in a biscuit--soft and flaky on the inside with a traditional taste.

Sourdough Croissants

I just can't seem to stop baking things with my sourdough starter to my family's delight (read this if you would like to get a starter of your own going). I got it in my mind somehow that it would be fun to try to make sourdough croissants. However, either I could not really find the kind of recipe I was looking for, something more traditional, or I couldn't find a recipe with complete instructions or a full set of ingredients. So I set off on a mission to develop a complete sourdough croissant recipe, which includes step-by-step instructions. I researched several recipes for information to develop this recipe including this one by the Sourdough Companion, which gave me the starting point for some of the ingredient amounts.

I have learned a lot about my starter and baking breads in general through the development of this recipe - it has been an interesting and challenging journey to say the least! This is not a quick throw it together recipe. There will need to be a little planning involved as you prepare and care for your dough on and off during a 2-day period. The entire process includes lots of waiting and then more waiting and then some kneading (three of my least favorite things), but the end result is so worth it.

Awesome Rice Pudding

Years ago, I used to get rice pudding from this little Lebanese restaurant in town called N&J's. I loved it so much that I would buy several containers and keep them in the refrigerator at home for easy snacks. When I moved back here, the restaurant was still there but they sadly no longer sold their rice pudding.

Ever since, I have been trying to find a way to make a delicious, super creamy, mildly sweet rice pudding recipe at home. I have lots of leftover rice, and I want to make something really great with it. Everything I have tried in the past comes out a bit dried out or has a strange flavor, or something is wrong with it. Well, I am beyond happy to report that I have found a delicious rice pudding recipe and I am going to share it with you all. This does not taste like the Lebanese version I used to get as it is not a Lebanese rice pudding, but I think I will use it as a starting point for a Lebanese version.

Lemony Sour Cream Sourdough Crepes

This is a fabulous dessert or a decadent breakfast. I use a Parisian sourdough starter from Cultures for Health and it's worked out really great for me. It has a mild flavor and is very easy to maintain. I am incredibly happy with it. It is easy to keep a sourdough starter (I promise)! - please check out my Quick Start Guide for more information.

Banana Bread - More Awesome Version!

I have been making banana bread the same way for the past couple of years and I really like it, but my husband is not a huge fan. He says he likes banana bread, and then I make it, and I'm the only one that eats it. It's totally annoying. So, last week I tried a new recipe and it is AMAZING!! I liked the old recipe a lot, but we really loved the new recipe. And, I'm not the only one that eats it. In fact, I was lucky to get a slice! The new recipe is from the following link and I only modified it a little bit.

Ham & Swiss Sourdough Pancakes

This is a great recipe to use up excess starter and can easily be halved. It is easy to keep a sourdough starter (I promise)! - please check out my Quick Start Guide for more information.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

We always have leftover cranberry sauce, which I think is amazing in these muffins.

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

I have this lovely sourdough starter from Cultures for Health that has been living happily on my kitchen counter for the last month providing me with countless pancakes, some dense bread (darn it, still haven't found my "go to" recipe yet), and some absolutely wonderful buttery rolls.

You still have time to make them before thanksgiving and they are pretty easy with minimal fuss. They are really delicious! It is easy to keep a sourdough starter (I promise)! - please check out my Quick Start Guide for more information.

Aloo Poori

Aloo Poori is a popular North Indian breakfast dish that is a fried stuffed bread. This version is fairly simple to make and very delicious. Aloo Poori basically translates to Fried Bread (Poori) stuffed with Potato (Aloo). It is traditionally served with curd (yogurt) or Aam Ka Achaar (Mango Pickle), or you can serve as part of any meal. The recipe below is adapted from this one by Funwidfud.

Caramel Apple Oatmeal

For me, fall is all about apples. The cooler weather and the seasonal decorations get me thinking about all kinds of wonderful apple recipes and cool weather foods.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. --Martin Luther

 

I have been on a serious caramel kick lately too. I've been making it to dip everything into and especially apples. We really love homemade caramel apples in the evening for a quick snack and that craving basically inspired this simple and delicious breakfast.

 

Grape Jelly (No Added Pectin)

My husband planted a purple grape vine the year before we were married and we harvested a ton of grapes this year. It was a lot of work, but really great to get all these delicious grapes from our own yard. I believe it is a Concord grape vine, but not positive about that. The plant yields small, round, dark purple grapes with one or two seeds. The grapes themselves are sweet although the skins are a bit tart.

Yellow Squash Crustless Quiche

We have lots of yellow squash showing up in our CSA box and while we do love Dilled Yellow Squash as a side dish, we just weren't eating enough of it to use up our supply. This recipe came along with one of our deliveries and we made it with some minor modifications. The result was very good, a crustless quiche with a rich, buttery flavor.

Blackberry Cobbler

About four years ago, when I married my husband, we planted a single blackberry plant in our backyard hoping for blackberries each year. The first few years, we were thrilled to pick anywhere from 5 to 20 blackberries in late June and July. However, this year, we were so excited to have lots and lots of blackberries. Besides eating them right off the plant we made blackberry pancakes, blackberry waffles, used them in smoothies, and this cobbler.

Amaretto Pears

I was so lucky to receive a gift of Amaretto Pears from a friend of mine last fall. I think she gave me five or six jars and I went through them really quickly, they were so good! In this recipe, I've tried to re-create the flavors of that delicious gift from my friend.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Crumb Topping

I usually don't really care to make pancakes. For one thing, they take forever and mine always turn out funny looking. Now, in all honesty, part of my problem, I am sure, is that I refuse to use a pancake griddle. So, instead, I am trying to cram these tiny pancakes in a skillet with rounded sides and gravity takes over and the result is these funny oval-shaped things. The other reason I don't care to make pancakes is because, normally, I don't think they taste all that great for so much work involved in making them.

Well, this is not any old pancake recipe. This is a super amazing pumpkin pancake recipe and, despite everything I mentioned above, these pancakes are totally worth it. I have to thank Two Peas and Their Pod for the inspiration for this recipe. Go check out their recipe though for really slick looking pictures.

Pumpkin Cornbread (with GF variation)

It seems like we all have pumpkin fever around this time of year and are looking for places to include pumpkin in our recipes. I came across this recipe by The Comfort of Cooking, which is a perfect combination. Man, is this stuff good! I modified it slightly from the original version, which you can find at the link above, and also include a Gluten-Free variation that is equally good for those who are interested.

Buttermilk Biscuit Rolls

We like biscuits and gravy here. It's one of those things we have just not been able to give up forever and my husband makes about once a month. Since we do enjoy it so much, we thought we would try to find a better choice for the biscuits and after much researching we came up with this recipe. These biscuits are very good with the biscuits and gravy, but have a definite dinner roll feel to them and we enjoy them alongside our dinners as well. I couldn't decide if they were more biscuit or more dinner roll, so we call them biscuit rolls. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Crepes

In order to make this recipe, you'll need to simply combine Sweet Crepes and Cinnamon Apples. I've separated the recipes in an attempt to be organized. I'm not sure if it's worked. Anyway, both recipes are fairly easy-- you could make the crepes in advance (store in freezer for months or refrigerator for a couple of days) and simply warm, and the cinnamon apples are quick to do on their own.

Now, you could make both components at the same time and, if you do that, simply start your crepes and, as they are cooking, make your cinnamon apples (chopping the apples a bit here and there between crepes, then simmering all ingredients together on low until crepes are done). Then when the crepes are done, stuff or drizzle with Cinnamon Apples, as indicated below. That is what I have done and it's not too difficult, and only about 20-30 minutes total cook time (keep in mind that the crepes are made one at a time, which lengthens that overall process).

Crepes (Sweet)

This is a simple recipe for Sweet Crepes that you can use in dessert recipes, etc. We used ours in a sweet breakfast - Apple Cinnamon Crepes. They were delicious! In fact, I think I enjoyed the sweet version more than the savory crepes.