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Dilly Bread and Book Club

February 21, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

It has taken me a ton of self help books, almost fifty years, and a global pandemic to realize I am an introvert. LOL. I find I regenerate in the quiet. There is something earned in stillness that I cannot find entrenched in social stuff. I have also learned that this is perfectly ok.

Never to be one who liked theme parks or waiting in lines for rides, crushed by bodies at concerts or events, I am good to just…not. I like events. I like social things. I do like people. I just kinda have realized that I deplete after a while. Now add a couple of years of isolating and social distancing. I’m not sure where I fit in. I’m figuring it out. As we all are, but wow, am I finally ok to politely say “no” to things. With only slight guilt…that I can eventually sort through.

I have learned in the last however many years of books and podcasts that WE NEED TO LIVE AS AUTHENTIC SELVES. I got the memo. So here, I sift through if I really need-to-want-to-should. I have no diagnosis for any of my “stuff.” I’m just a woman approaching the world a whole lot less concerned about belonging than I did three years ago, and that’s probably on par with a lot of people in life right now.

That being said, there is such a communion in being with people you love. With people who interest you and make you smarter. With others who teach you and give you grace and make you better. So, no one is an island. We need to be around the people who make us better humans.

I am fortunate in my career to have such amazing friends. While education is not the same field I entered at all, I love what I do when I get to do what I do. I have a community of kind people who carry one another. I am so, so lucky in this.

And then there are the cool things in life (or cool to me) like book clubs, and groups of people who do the things and get to be together to talk about it. I have a friend who plays billiards weekly, and while it is a fun thing to do on a weeknight, it is also about the community that plays. Bottom line is, whether we find it at the gym or church, the local pub, or the library, we need people.

One thing I miss quite a bit is Cookbook Bookclub. My local library holds a meeting once a month and there is either a theme, a specific cookbook, or a topic such as “SOUP” that we all have for that one meeting. Then we bring a prepared item, the recipes are typed up by an amazing volunteer, and we share. Covid took care of that whole concept for a while. Not possible. Now they are still meeting, and while I took a break, I realize how important it is to be with people who love to cook. How did this recipe go? What did you substitute? Why is this spice so unbelievably expensive? Etc. Beautiful humans gathered around a table. Which, is kind of my thing. I hope to go back and soon.

One of the fun events we held was an author’s visit from the Pudding Hollow Cookbook. What a treat. There was also a bit of pressure to get the recipe right, since the author of the recipe would be at the actual table. This recipe for Dill Bread adds an additional kick in the fresh scallions and dill added to the dough. It also has a new (to me) ingredient of adding cottage cheese to the bread dough as well! This recipe is written up exactly as it appears in the cookbook, I did not alter it in any way. Two beautifully flavored loaves of bread are the yield. As in the photos, the texture is not like a typical sourdough or white bread, it is more dense, and obviously flavorful in its own way.

This bread is the perfect accompaniment to a hearty soup or stew, salad, even as a savory breakfast side. It is moist, flavorful, and hearty without being heavy. Definitely a win. I happen to love the flavor of dill so this recipe really delivers in the “cool bread” category in my opinion. Being able to celebrate the cookbook with the author and the recipes she collected (as well as the stories behind each) made it even more special.

So, for new recipes, coming together around a table, being social, and figuring out where the lines of this newly defined life after loss of what was (good with the bad), at least I know there are wonderful things such as bread and the people who give our life sustenance. That gives me hope. 🙂

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love,

Chrissy

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Dilly Bread and Book Club

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This recipe is from the Pudding Hollow Cookbook by Tinkie Weisblat. We had the pleasure of meeting the author at my local library’s amazing CookBook Book Club. This bread is light and has the delicious flavor of dill and scallion. It is the perfect side dish to a soup or salad!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

2 Cups Creamed Cottage Cheese
2 Tablespoons Sweet Butter
2 Tablespoons plus Fresh Dill (half if dried)
2 Tablespoons Minced Scallion
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Eggs, Beaten
1/2 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Package Dry Active Yeast
5–6 Cups Unbleached Flour

Instructions

Warm the cottage cheese and Butter.
Add dill, scallions, sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Beat until blended.
Combine the water and yeast until dissolved.
Stir yeast mixture into the warm cheese mixture.
Stir in as much flour as possible, and knead in more until dough is no longer sticky.
Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until it doubles in bulk.
Punch down the dough, and shape into two loaves.
Allow to rise again until it has doubled.
Bake in greased loaf pans in a preheated 375* oven for 35-45 minutes.

Notes

This recipe yields two loaves.

Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

February 5, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Recently while grocery shopping, my daughter asked me why we never buy coffee cake. It’s not that I don’t like coffee cake, I just always lean towards making it instead of purchasing it. Especially since it is an easy thing to put together.

This recipe is so good. It combines a lighter banana cake, a sweet crumble toping with pecans, and then an optional “Honey Bun” glaze…(as if that is an option). It’s from a cookbook entitled Big Bad Breakfasts, by John Currance, which I just had to check out. It has a tough guy book exterior, but actually the stories associated with each of the recipes is charming. I love that in a cookbook.

I’m the type of person who would rather go out for breakfast over any other meal. Find me a diner or a tiny cafe, I am in. There is something to having someone else make my breakfast it better.

This batter uses two ripe mashed bananas, which is either the amount hanging around or easy enough to find in the produce section. I like that the banana flavor is present without being overpowering. It comes together quickly, and the streusel topping is out of this world.

In the original recipe it calls for placing the pecans on top of the streusel- I just chopped mine up and added them in with all of the brown sugary goodness. If you wanted to do both, I am sure the larger pieces of pecan would add a special decorative quality as well as flavor boost. I figured since I was opting for the Honey Bun Glaze, I didn’t mind incorporating the pecans with the streusel mixture.

This recipe bakes up beautifully, combining the sweetness of cinnamon and brown sugar with the banana cake.

While your cake is cooling, prepare your glaze and drizzle away! You will not be disappointed!

While the winter season continues to keep us bundling up with warm sweaters and socks, there is something comforting in a recipe such as this. It isn’t just for breakfast either…I am pretty sure a slice of this cake is perfect any time of day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love,

Chrissy

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Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

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Banana Pecan Coffee Cake with Honey Buns Glaze is originally from the cookbook Big Bad Breakfast by John Currance. This light banana coffee cake is topped with a generous streusel topping and another layer of sweet glaze!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Cake:

· 1/3 cup granulated sugar

· 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

· 2 ripe bananas, mashed

· 1/4 cup sour cream

· 1 egg

· 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup milk

Streusel Topping:

· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar in my recipe)

· 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

· 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans

Honey Glaze:

· 1/2 cup powdered sugar

· 2 tablespoons honey

· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1 tablespoon milk

· 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. (I baked my recipe at 350*, you can also line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy lifting/cutting for serving).

Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and cream together in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, (about 5 minutes).

Add in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and egg. Mix until thoroughly combined.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, then add the milk.

Beat until completely combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking 8 x 8 pan.

For the Streusel Topping:

In another bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, and the cinnamon. (I added my pecans at this point or you can add on top after the streusel is distributed).

Add the butter – using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter, then sprinkle the pecans on top.

Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Glaze:

While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, milk and melted butter.

Drizzle the cake with the glaze, then let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Coffee cake with last up to 2 days covered.

Mini Monkey Breads and Staff Breakfasts

February 19, 2021 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

So, you may know I am an educator. More specifically, a Language Arts Consultant in a K-2 building. Which means, I am a reading teacher, an interventionist, a staff resource, and data organizer/collector (Prior to this year I also got to do morning announcements and plan fun reading community activities like assemblies). It’s a pretty cool gig. I have told my children that no matter what they chose in this life, they need to love what they do. I figure the average person spends more consistent time in their work space (Pre-Covid, that is) than anywhere else. You might as well LOVE being there and what you do.

And I am just going to put this out there, educators across the world changed how they did things over a weekend. Literally. We were in person one day, and the next day we were virtual and learning platforms and transitioning how we did things ASAP. Amidst a pandemic. With grace, even when overwhelmed. We were one of the many heroes.

Well now we are considered by some to be lazy, and sitting on our couches, and not earning our pay. It’s nice how the world sways.

Yet, every educator I know is busting his/her rear end to get the job done. Whether it be hybrid, in person, asynchronous, remote, the amount of work put into making sure our learners learn is amazing. Whether we are home or in the building, it is getting done. Then add in the multitude of technology being handed out and utilized, breakfasts and lunches feeding families, emotional learning support, and just trying to be more than enough for our students in a time where yes, we are all doing our best to navigate everything from grocery shopping to Facebook posts.

Add in racial injustice of epic proportions and the political landscape that is USA at this point. If our point of view as educators hasn’t been touched and transformed yet…we need to do better.

For one small and quick second I want to talk about what it really looks like in some schools, including my own, right now. I preface this by saying I honestly feel like I work in one of the best districts. Our BOE and Union work together to keep us as safe as possible. I consider myself fortunate.

We are masked. We follow arrows on the hallway floor and we stay socially distanced. This means desks, supplies, everything. We are sanitizing and hand washing and minimizing contact. Breakfasts and lunches are served in classrooms. Recess and mask breaks happen outside, and we follow the rules. While still managing to keep our kiddos engaged and looking forward to a time when things will look differently. (I am done using the word “normal” when it comes to returning back to life. I don’t think we had “normal”).

As a specialist, if I get to be me (we sub a lot at this point), I am isolated in a sense that I am not mingling with staff daily except electronically. I am in the building, but I am not always seen in the building. Which I tell myself is fine, but it isn’t. I understand and fully believe in doing everything to keep everyone safe. I do my job. Like everyone else.

So when I go through the back log of blog posts I haven’t written yet and stumble across these photos, my heart breaks a little. Because, these Monkey Bread Muffins are a Friday Staff Breakfast staple. And they are not being made at all this year.

When I was newly married and a minister’s wife, an old pastor who attended our church during his retirement had a great saying, “If you feed them, they will come.”

This is true in just about everything. School activities. Church activities. Life activities. And our building does Friday Morning Breakfast like nobody’s business. I make a sign up sheet and you can count on one team or another (we do groups of four or five) providing a spread of sweet and savory. Everyone comes to the table. If you have bus duty you get in and out. If you don’t, you pull up a chair. You sit with colleagues who have a different lunch wave than you. You catch up with the faces you don’t normally see. It’s a great way to end the week, and let me tell you, it is a community builder.

In my emails to staff (and they are all signed from BREAKFAST BOSSY PANTS) I have one rule regarding sign ups (and if you don’t and show up to eat I know who you are) IF YOU FILL YOUR PLATE, PARTICIPATE. Somehow, most of the staff who eat, do.

And honestly at this point, 100 days into the school year, I think any of us would not complain about the “takers” just to have a breakfast around the table on a Friday morning.

That’s the gift of this year. We have seen what we need to change, toss, and what we need to keep going forward.

I vote for staff breakfasts once it is safe to return to this type of activity. That’s for darn sure.

If you love the idea of Monkey Bread but don’t necessarily like to commit to the messiness of pulling pieces off the bigger unit, and let’s face it these are the days where individualized anything is better, you need to try these mini versions.

You melt your brown sugar and butter until caramel-like, and fill your muffin tins, then add the pre-coated with cinnamon and sugar biscuit pieces. Bake until golden and bubbly and slightly crispy. Top with cream cheese glaze/frosting of your choice. I usually whip cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and milk to desired consistency. These are super easy and there are never left overs. As in, never.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and as always, thank you for coming to the table. To my Big Cats, Friday breakfasts aren’t forever gone, just postponed for now. 🙂

Chrissy

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Mini Monkey Breads and Staff Breakfasts

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Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Cans of Refrigerator Biscuits (I have used Pillsbury and Generic and both work)

½ Cup Butter, melted

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup White Sugar

2 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon (you can add more to taste)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350*

Spray two dozen muffin cups with nonstick spray.

In a skillet, mix melted butter and brown sugar and cook until bubbly and slightly caramel like.

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of mixture in the bottom of each muffin tin.

Place cinnamon and white sugar in a large Ziploc bag.

Cut up biscuits into fourths. Put the biscuits in the bag and shake to coat (I do this in small batches).

Place approximately 8 pieces in each muffin tin, or until full.

Bake in oven at 350* for 12-14 minutes, until browned and caramel is bubbly.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Turn upside down or scoop muffins out.

Top with cream cheese frosting, glaze, or eat as is! So yummy.

When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding ;)

March 27, 2020 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I’ll say this…we are using what we have, and I am loving it. My children aren’t big fans of leftovers. Yet, here we are eating them. This momma made a fresh loaf of bread because, bread is life and therapy for me. I took the uneaten bread, cubed it up, along with the rest of the borderline-toss-bread and made this little treasure. You too can make this magic with whatever you have on hand.

Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm, and sweet. It has crunchy parts (my favorite) and the soft parts (my daughter’s favorite). This one is literally a hodgepodge of the stuff I had to use in my pantry. No complaints friends, no complaints.

The basics in the recipe are: old bread, eggs, milk, sugar. I used part 2% milk and part almond milk, because it is what I had. You can alter the recipe to suit your supplies. I also added Vanilla Bourbon because, why not add booze to your bread pudding? I threw in chocolate chunks because I always have some sort of bagged chocolate in my baking stash. I sprinkled straight brown sugar on top, without nuts or anything else mixed in. Think little rivers of melty brown sugar puddled in the mix. But, if you have walnuts or pecans on hand, add away. You can even melt some butter and add that to the topping, if you want. There is nothing spectacular in making bread pudding, and yet…it is glorious.

You could share your stale bread with the critters outside… or you could take a few minutes and make this dessert. Which, by the way, could also be considered a breakfast of sorts…think French toast casserole.

Cube up your older bread and leave to get stale overnight. Butter a casserole pan of choice. Mix together eggs, milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, sugar. Add your goodies, chocolate chunks, pecans, raisins (never in my world but you do you), what have you. Sprinkle a topping on top if you want. Then bake. It is that simple.

I find that depending on the size dish you use to bake, you may have to cook a little longer. I do not like the idea of raw egg mix hanging out in the middle of my bread pudding. I bake it for additional 5-7 minute increments based on how it looks. It should not be runny, it should not look done. The edges should be golden and it will smell like deliciousness.

I will say that in this time of being home the salty has called out to me, the sweet has not. I also just haven’t wanted to bake. One, I am taking this meal-by-meal. Two, I can’t have an abundance of sweets in this house to be divided by three people, two of whom are new to leftovers. That said, when I did pull this out of the oven the kids emerged from their spaces and we all had a dish, warm from the oven. It was lovely.

Right now life is imperfect and different. We are making some things up as we go. And there are soft bits and crunchy bits. We mix and match and do the best we can. So hey, why not give that crusty bread a second chance to be something warm and delicious? You won’t regret it. I promise.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding 😉

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This is a throw together, left over, waste-not-want-not dessert that is making the best of this time of COVID-19. There is no wrong path here…

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

5 Large Beaten Eggs
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Almond Milk
3 Cups Cubed Stale Bread
1 Bag of Chocolate Chunks/Chips (or whatever you want to throw in)
Butter to coat inside of casserole paper
Additional Brown sugar to top

Instructions

Cube bread and leave out to get stale overnight.
Preheat oven to 350* and lightly butter a casserole dish (I used an oval Corelle ware white casserole, you can use anything up to a 13×9″ baking pan).
Mix together eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl, incorporate sugars and mix thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture over bread mixture and combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to soak in.
Add chocolate chunks or other mix ins and put in casserole dish. (I actually poured the egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish and let it sit…whatever is easier for you).
Sprinkle additional brown sugar over the top of the saturated bread.
Bake for 45 minutes minimally- check and continue to bake until it is set.

Sunday Dinners and Irish Apple Cake

March 24, 2020 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Sunday dinners are still a thing. Well, at the moment they are a smaller thing, but typically we eat together on Sunday. With work schedules, school schedules, and life in general, we try to all eat together before the week kicks off again. If I am lucky, I don’t have to cook (Sunday I meal prep for the week so the idea of creating something specific for dinner does not bode well). Even if I do, sitting together with my family and puppy at my feet, that’s the norm. I look forward to it. It’s the little things.

My heart is always thankful for the family that gathers together, but once in a while we get to eat with our chosen family, and that is a special treat. It starts with a group text, evolves to a Facebook event with a sign up sheet, and ends with a driveway full of cars and me having someone back my car out when I leave because I am afraid of hitting someone’s truck. True story. There are packaged up leftovers, drinks and laughter. You can move from one room to another and there is always someone to talk to. Those are the extra special Sunday dinners.

This cake made an appearance at last year’s Saint Patrick’s Day Dinner. When the menu included items such as corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, and the like…I was on the hunt for a more traditional dessert. We did have a selection of bailey’s cupcakes and trifle, but for some reason, this simple apple cake called out to me.

Flash forward to now. Here we are at the onset of an “essential trips only” stay in place advisory. I find myself asking if I really need anything…or can we make do? Do we risk exposure to this virus or worse, endangering others if we don’t need to? No. Our family is staying put.

That said, I don’t want to waste one thing. I usually have a large bowl of fruit in the middle of the table and I am finding myself with some apples I need to turn into something and quickly. Enter this recipe.

This simple apple cake is layers of dough and prepared cinnamon sugar apples. It is easy to prepare, and if you make it in a spring form pan, looks really pretty when plated. A quick note about making the cake part, if you grate the butter ahead of time and stick it back in the refrigerator to chill, when you cut in the butter to the dry ingredients, it goes really quickly.

While the dough is light and slightly sweet, this dessert isn’t overly so. The apples retain their texture and so there is a nice tooth to this recipe. In a world of crazy sweets, this cake brings a change to the table. You also don’t feel overly guilty having a slice because hey, its mostly apples.

I don’t know when the next big Sunday dinner will be. I know I will be thankful for the invite. I know there will be laughter and friendship. I know we will be changed by what we are living now. I also know that the hearts of those people were already precious and tethered before something like this came into our lives. Because, those are the types of people I am lucky enough to have in my life. I may swim in my own lane, but I know who is with me in the pool. And while I don’t get to go to every thing, they can have my toilet paper if they find themselves without.

To the next family dinner, when we are hearty and hale, and together again. Sending you love friends.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and thank you for coming to the table.

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Irish Apple Cake

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This lightly sweet apple cake combines spicy apple chunks between two doughy layers, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. It can be served with a caramel or custard sauce, but it is delicious on its own. Adapted recipe from Irish Traditional Cooking.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and chopped
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Sugar
8 Tablespoons Butter, Chilled and Cut/Grated
1 Egg
½ Cup Milk
2 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Instructions

Peel and chop apples into chunks. You could do slices if you prefer.
Toss apples with cinnamon and sugar to coat. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350* and spray springform pan or cake pan with cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and sugar.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives. until pieces are no larger than pea sized.
In a separate bowl, mix egg and milk together.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Mix until just combined.
Pat one half of mixture into prepared baking dish.
Spread apple cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough.
Cover apples with remaining dough. It is ok if this is imperfect looking.
Bake for 40 minutes. Cake will be lightly brown on the top.
Remove and let cool.
Right before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

April 17, 2019 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I know in the new year a lot of us make resolutions to do this or that. Some of those resolutions we keep, and some…well…let’s just say we get points for trying.

Muffins, even healthy muffins, still seem like an indulgent thing. So when I spy a recipe for a healthier muffin I of course am going to investigate. This muffin incorporates greek style yogurt, coconut oil and sugar, and in the original recipe on the www.bakerbynature.com website (which is gorgeous) whole wheat flour. I substituted bread flour, and I like the substantial chocolate chunks as well as the dusting of cookie or decorating sugar on top of muffins…which makes them less healthy…but still yummy.

I used bananas I had previously frozen, and let them defrost. I only used the banana itself not the thawed juice of the mix. (If you have ever frozen a ripe banana and then thawed it, you know what I mean). If you use a fresh ripe banana this won’t be an issue. I didn’t notice any difference in quality by using a frozen banana…and actually the combination of bread flour with the yogurt and baking powder gave these muffins a lift that was light and cake even though banana muffins are typically dense.

This is pretty much a one-bowl recipe, I melted the coconut oil and set it aside to cool a bit before adding it to the mix. There is just enough cinnamon to offset the chocolate and banana flavors. The muffins bake up rounded and puffy, they are sweet without being overly so. They are delicious warm out of the oven, and the next day. I froze half of the batch and they thawed out fine.

I am a big fan of a healthier anything, and if a muffin looks and tastes this good with the healthy substitutions it has, it’s a winner in my book.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click on the link below for a printable recipe.

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Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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These banana muffins incorporate healthier ingredients such as yogurt and coconut oil, bananas and honey. Original recipe from www.bakerbynature.com

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com original recipe posted by Ashley Manila on the bakerbynature website

Ingredients

Scale

1 Cup mashed banana
3/4 Cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 Cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 Cup honey
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3 Teaspoons baking powder
2 Cups flour *original recipe called for whole wheat, I used bread flour.
1 Cup chocolate chunks
Decorating sugar for tops of muffins (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*
Line muffin tins with liners and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine mashed bananas, greek style yogurt, eggs, honey, and sugar until completely incorporated.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add melted coconut oil and combine.
Fold in chocolate chunks until just combined.
Scoop batter into lined muffin tins, filling each almost full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are puffed, light golden brown, and a tester comes out clean.

Grandma’s Angootie/Ungootie (Easter Bread)

April 16, 2019 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

This post is about a year in the making. Partially because I wanted more research on this recipe prior to sharing…and partially because I haven’t found the answers I was looking for. For example…

What is the real name of this bread?

How do you really spell its name? This is phonetically spelled I am sure.

Where did this recipe originate?

Which recipe is the right recipe?

The answers to those questions? There are many answers. This is a recipe my Grandmother made, that she learned from her mother in law (my Great Grandmother). The recipe varies and regardless of researching “Italian Easter Bread” in old Italian church cookbooks, online resources, etc…I am coming up empty handed.

Actually, I come up with an abundance of information…just not my specific answers. Every region in Italy has a variation of this bread. It can be covered with glaze, sugar, colored eggs, plain eggs, sprinkles, no sprinkles. It is named with a list of names, but I could not find one the way our bread is named. (It is pronounced UN-GOO-TEE). But, I didn’t find it anywhere other than in the family recipes. I have learned that Easter Bread is Easter Bread. It usually is sweet, enriched with some sort of butter, oil, or shortening. It typically holds one or multiple eggs, and is served as a part of Easter weekend.

I do, have the recipe from family three sources, each slightly different, but I am going to use the one my own Grandma used. It is also a tradition to make it on Good Friday. I figure empty/over handed or not, I don’t want to wait another year to post this recipe. If my readers can add to the story, or fill in the blanks, I will update this post as I go.

This bread starts out with melting Crisco in boiling water, then allowing it to cool. Milk is added, along with a large quantity of flour and sugar. This bread can be baked into larger loaves, or, as I remember them, smaller individual loaves.

Once the dough is risen, it is rolled and shaped around an egg. Our recipe does not call for coloring the eggs, but I can see the attraction. It’s pretty with the colored eggs, and while I am at it, the glaze and sprinkles make it not only sweeter but a decorative bread. This recipe is pretty basic when it comes to decoration, but it is a tradition I can’t imagine letting go. Even though carbs are my enemy. Even though sweet bread is in essence, a dessert. It is the kind of bread I rip a hunk off of, and it can be served with coffee or tea, eaten for breakfast, etc. It doesn’t need butter or preserves. It is a complete taste in and of itself.

When I was little, this bread was a part of Easter weekend, as we helped my Grandma with the making of the bread, and Easter dinner was served with each place setting having a bread. (I am not sure if this was just one time or every time…but it is distinctly imbedded in my brain, seeing the little breads at the table).

I never knew “Nona” or the stories around this bread. I just know it was something my Grandmother, along with second cousins, and other family members carry on as a tradition of family and food. I can be a part of that, and continue it on for another generation.

Now the egg. It is baked in the oven, and apparently has the same consistency of a hard boiled egg but better. I have never eaten it. At our house, my Father would always eat the egg the day the bread was made. I can very clearly see him taking a hunk of bread, the egg, and a cup of coffee to his space at the table. I didn’t eat the egg when I was little because Dad always did, and there was only one egg. Now I don’t, only because the bread is out on the counter and not refrigerated…and for some reason the egg is still in my heart, the part my Dad would eat. It’s a heart thing for me.

I am thankful for memories of my family, and for traditions that were part of my childhood, such as this bread. It makes me smile, the idea of my Grandmother being in my kitchen with me as I make the breads. I’d like to think she would be happy they are still being served. I wish I knew Nona, she seemed like quite a lady. I am glad she was willing to share the recipe with her daughter in law, so we could have it with us today.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

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Grandma’s Angootie/Ungootie (Easter Bread)

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This is the Easter Bread I grew up with. As I have researched, there are many variations, even within my own family! I love that nothing is specifically measured, but it usually turns out as a sweet bread. I don’t eat the egg and we have never died the egg or put a glaze on it, but both of those additions sound wonderful!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

5 Pound Bag of Gold Medal Flour (I have used other kinds of flour but this is the recipe my grandmother gave me).
3 Packages Dry Active Yeast – Check the date
3 Good heapings salt (we use salt to taste now)
2 to 2 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1– 1 1/2 Pound Crisco (we use 1 pound now)
1 1/2 Quarts Boiling Water
1/2 Quart Milk

Instructions

Boil water and add Crisco, allow it to melt.
Add milk and allow mixture to cool to tepid temperature.
Mix flour, salt and sugar.
Make a well in your flour and add cooled crisco mixture.
Add yeast in and knead.
Let rise in a warm place, cover with a damp towel.
When the dough has risen, knead until silky, cut and shape into form (form is a round shape surrounding a raw egg).
Place on baking sheet, cover with a damp towel and allow to rise a second time.
Brush with beaten egg yolk.
Bake at 365*-375* approximately 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Mary’s (Sort of) Apple Cake

February 19, 2019 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

This past year we were blessed at our school with the best intern anyone could ask for. When you work in a team, you count yourself lucky when every one who comes to the table (figuratively) is a contributing member.

In the world of primary education, we wear a lot of hats. We aren’t just teachers, we are so much more…but more on that in another post. You have to jump in with both feet and hit the ground running a lot of the time. You get a lot of great stories, and loving children is a gift in itself, but it’s like the ocean; you don’t turn your back on it.

When a new member joins the team, there is always that time period where you lean in and wonder if it is going to work. Then, you have someone like Mary who just fits right in, right away. Mary not only was kind, but also always did more than was expected, got the job done, and just grafted right into our school family (she is actually a first grade teacher in our building this year). Oh! and she shared this cake…which I then stole the recipe and made myself.

This recipe is the quintessential apple cake. Loaded with chunks of crisp apple and surrounded with cinnamon cake-y goodness, it is not only for autumn when the apples are abundant. I actually made this recipe in the spring, when the final snows were melting and it was time for the freshness of strawberries. To commit to a fall-is recipe when you can dream of sunshine and fresh berries says something!

This cake is one of those recipes that could be served for dessert, but is just as wonderful for breakfast with a cup of your favorite warm beverage. It is sweet, but in a naturally apple-y way.

The original recipe is from Burdick Orchards of New Hartford, Connecticut. Some differences between the original and my changes…

The original called for for more than a cup of oil, which I reduced by reducing the amount and adding applesauce to make up the difference. It also calls for sliced apples and for the cake to be baked in a rectangular baking pan. I changed up the recipe a bit, adding more apples, tweaking the oil; I also baked my cake in a bundt pan and chunked my apples for more texture.

This cake is so moist and flavorful, it doesn’t require a glaze or frosting. It doesn’t even need a dusting of confectioner’s sugar…though any of those would work. I loved that this versatile cake celebrates one of the best parts of New England, the season of apple picking. Yet, it can be made year round.

Just like our Mary, when you encounter something so precious, you tuck it away in your heart and are thankful the universe brings it to you.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thank you Mary for sharing! And as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Love,

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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Mary’s (Sort of) Apple Cake

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This delicious, apple and cinnamony cake brings together all of the wonders of fall, although truth be told, the first time I made this was spring! Original recipe is from Burdick’s Orchard, with some alterations by myself.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 well-beaten Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
2 Cups of Sugar
3 Cups AP Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Teaspoons Cinnamon
4 Cups chopped Apples
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (if desired)
2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*
Prepare either a Bundt Pan or a 8 X 12″ pan with non stick spray.
Combine Eggs, Vegetable Oil, Apple Sauce, and Sugar and Vanilla.
Sift together Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon.
Add Flour mixture to Egg mixture.
Add Chopped Apple, and Nuts (if desired).
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325*
Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Serve plain or with whipped, sour, or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread (Super Moist)

December 4, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

If for some reason you are not a fan of pie during the holidays, never fear, the world is filled with this fall-ish deliciousness. I have been whipping up pumpkin protein smoothies and muffins, and this spectacular bread made from the Key Ingredient Recipes website. This makes three full loaves or six smaller loaves, should you wish to share.

What I love about this bread is that it is super moist. As in, stays that way for a few days. It is fully cooked but somehow doesn’t dry out and get crumbly. I’m a fan. Another bonus is that even though I was reticent to add as many spices as the recipe called for, I followed the recipe to the letter and found it was just enough without being too much. I always consider myself heavy-handed in the spice department, but for some reason I shy away from cloves. Cloves seem to be a heavyweight and a bossy pants when added to a recipe. In this recipe, clove reigns supreme. It is enough to bring out the fall-ish celebration that is pumpkin bread.

And wait…did I mention it is EASY? As in one bowl throw together mix and pour into pans easy? It is. I know the directions say to add the dry ingredients at once, but I mixed my wet ingredients and moved from small to large in dry quantities (I ended with the flour) and did it all in one bowl. I have done this more than once, it has not impacted the quality of the bread. It is still delicious.

This bread freezes nicely, and the recipe makes enough to share. It’s perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, it is perfection still warm from the oven. I will tinker with the recipe to add less sugar, and maybe even a cream cheese swirl because, hello, cream cheese and pumpkin.

I am so thankful for the holidays and for a time to gather with the family you are born into and the family you are grafted into. The people you love and hold close to your heart. I am for sure adding this amazing bread recipe to my table.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Pumpkin Bread (Super Moist)

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This recipe from Key Ingredient Recipes is an amazing moist pumpkin bread full of flavor!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

3 Cups Sugar
3 1/3 Cups Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
½ Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Whole Eggs
15 Ounces *1 Can Pumpkin
1 Cup Oil
1 Cup Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
Combine eggs, oil, water, pumpkin in another bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all at once.
Mix well, prepare three 9×4 or six 3×5 bread pans.
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes -an hour (when knife or toothpick comes out clean).

Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

July 21, 2018 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I’m just going to put it out there, the word “moist” does not have a big following. But in a bread, loaded with freshly picked (I picked mine but hey picking a carton out at the grocery store counts too) blueberries, the zing of lemon, and a superhero ingredient of zucchini, this bread is so good, sweet and tart and yes, moist.

When you add zucchini to anything, even if you squeeze the liquid out before hand, it still adds to the texture of a bread. I shred mine on a box grater (actually it is a six-sided grater – so a hexagon grater) on the fine shred side. You can do this and pop it in the freezer or the refrigerator before hand. I give the shredded zucchini a squeeze to remove extra liquid but don’t make a big deal out of it. (There is no wringing it out in a towel or setting out overnight). Because I use a finer shred, not only is it barely detectable, the bread maintains the integrity of being lemony and blueberry without looking or tasting like a zucchini bread.

This recipe calls for two key ingredients that you can find in abundance right now where I live. The first round of berries (bigger and sweeter) are ready, and everybody who has a garden with squash has one or two or ten extra to give away. So bake it up into a bread and put some glaze on it.

The bread uses lemon extract as well as the punch of zest. I go overboard on the blueberries because that’s how I roll, but you can certainly reduce the berries, use vanilla extract, and switch up the oil as well. I used a mixture of vegetable oil and greek style yogurt (I like what it adds to the texture of the bread). I used Siggis Vanilla yogurt, but if I had Lemon flavored yogurt on hand I would have used that, or plain-no flavor yogurt.

If I am going to cave for a sweet at my local coffee shop, it will be for the glazed lemon loaf. It better taste like lemon. Not yellow bread. So, I will be heavy-handed in the zest. You will find it in the bread as well as the glaze.

The glaze…oh you sweet lemony goodness. Glaze is temperamental in the fact that you don’t want a mouthful of sugar. You want balance of sweet and tart. You want it to not be sticky and gross all over your bread. It’s not frosting. So, you play with it. If it needs more lemon juice or heavy cream, add it. Ideally, you want it loose enough to spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the end off, and drizzle. It will firm up after a bit and maintain it’s pretty design on the top of your bread.

In a world where I can not only be productive and useful, utilizing berries I picked and fresh zucchini from the farm stand, I want a little sweet. A bread with the tart of lemon, the jewel-like blueberries, which visually and taste wise are remarkable, and the ninja like skills of hidden zucchini will get my vote every time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

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This deliciously moist bread combines the flavors of lemon, blueberry, with finely shredded zucchini to combine the flavors of the season. Recipe yields two loaves, or one large loaf and three smaller loaves of bread.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 container (5.3 ounce) Greek Style Yogurt
3 Eggs
3 Cups AP Flour
2 1/4 Cup White Sugar
2 Cups Finely Grated Zucchini
2 Teaspoons Lemon Extract
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Zest of one Lemon (OK- I use three lemons but it is because that is my thing)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4 Cups Blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Whipping Cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*
Prepare either 2 loaf pans or four small loaf pans with cooking spray or oil.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine oil, yogurt, and sugar.
Add eggs and combine.
Add zuchinni, extracts, zest, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 50 Minutes.