Orange-Glazed Coffee Cake

This recipe came in the mail from "Great American Home Baking" (they wanted me to subscribe). Years later, we tried it. We've been missing out for a long time! This was way good! It is light and sweet, really good warm and still yummy the next AM for breakfast. My kids wanted this for dinner, after having a few pieces each for breakfast. Next time I'm going to put the dough in muffin tins for a better serving option and then we'll have more glaze on each bite!

Cake
1 pkg active dry yeast (scant T)
1/4 C warm H2O
1/2 C warm milk
1/2 C fresh OJ (I used canned)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
1 T grated orange zest
1/2 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2-4 C flour

Glaze
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Icing
1 C confectioners' sugar
1 1/2-2 T fresh OJ

Dissolve yeast in warm H2O and let stand until foamy. Mix in milk, OJ, sugar, ricotta, orange zest, salt, and egg. Mix in 2 C flour, then the rest 1/2 C at a time, until a stiff dough forms. Turn onto lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. (I just used my kitchenaid with dough attachment.) Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hrs.

Grease a 10-inch springform pan. Punch down the dough, turn onto lightly floured surface, and knead for 1-2 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces, and roll them into a 20-inch long rope (like a playdough snake). Braid the ropes together. Coil the braided dough into the pan, and tuck ends under. Cover loosely and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 and brush the dough with the glaze. Cook 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Spread icing over warm cake. Serve warm.

Overnight Orange French Toast

WAY good! It was even just as good a day later. I made a batch for J to take for his bday, and one for the boys and I -- we needed 2 batches just for our family, it was that good! I found the recipe online, it is from Bechtel Victorian Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn. (www.bbonline.com and search recipes - they have lots of different ones!)

8 slices French or Italian bread
1/4 C butter/margarine
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1 t grated orange rind (I used 1/2 an orange)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 C orange juice

Melt butter/margarine in 9X13 pan. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange rind and sprinkle evenly over melted butter. Mix together eggs and OJ. Dip bread slices in liquid, and place in prepared pan. Pour any leftover liquid over bread slices. Sit, covered, overnight in the fridge (or you COULD just cook now...). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
If you bake it too long, sugar will carmalize. Turn out of pan immediately. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (I just served it straight out of the pan) You don't need syrup, it is way good without it.

Enjoy!

French Toast Souffle

An overnight french toast that you don't need any extra syrup with.. IT IS GOOD!

• 3/4 to 1 loaf Texas Toast or French Bread
• 9X13 greased pan.

Squish the bread to fit in the pan.

Combine

• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 c. half and half
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Pour over the bread and put in the fridge.

NEXT DAY

Mixrowave ofr 30 seconds so it is easier to stir

• 5 Tbsp. Butter soft
• 1/2 c. + 1 big Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Mix in 2 Tbsp. Corn syrup

Spread past over bread

Bakd uncovered at 305 degrees for 40 min. until puffy & golden brown

Spud Nut Doughnuts

Here is the full recipe. It is too much for my kitchenaid stand mixer, but enough for a crowd. I usually do 1/2 the recipe, it does at least 3 cookie sheets full of donuts. Invite some friends over for a donut party (or give some away) and enjoy!

Stir together, let soften:
2 T yeast
1/2 C warm water

meanwhile, mix
1 quart (4 cups) milk, scalded & slightly cooled
1/2 C shortening, softened (NOT oil)
2 C mashed potatoes
3/4 C sugar
2 T salt

then slowly add
3 eggs, beaten

then add yeast mixture

mix in
12 cups of flour, 3 cups at a time (The directions say to mix first 3 C with mixer, the rest with a wooden spoon, gently. Don't knead. I just use my kitchenaid)

Let dough rise until double (1 1/2-2 hrs) then stir down. Roll out on a floured surface until 3/4 inch thick. Don't overwork with rolling pin. Don't add flour or over mix the dough.

Cut with doughnut cutter. Or, you can make twists, bizmarks, long johns, etc. Allow to rise after cutting for 1/2 hour or so until double. Here is a picture of ours rising.

Put on an apron if you haven't yet! Fry in hot grease until lightly brown. Turn them over so both sides are cooked. Put on a brown paper sack to drain (I put a sack on a cookie sheet). While they are still hot, frost.

We like to frost and sprinkle, leave plain, or sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. You could even make a maple frosting if you want (I'm usually lazy and use the can stuff for these)

*I use potato pearls/instant potato and they work just as well as "the real thing" Also, I have used powdered milk: I put the milk powder in when I'm mixing the flour in, but I put the liquid for the powdered milk in when it calls for the milk.

P.S. They taste the best when they are fresh. Day 2 is ok, but day 3 throw them away!

Cherry Bars!

At Lisa's request. I hope this helps with that craving! I personally would do raspberry. But if you like the cherry do the cherry.

Cherry Bars
2 Cubes Margarine
1 ¾ c. Sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
21 oz cherry or other pie filling.
½ - 1 tsp. salt

Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour, salt, and Baking Powder. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Spread with 2/3 of the batter. Put pie filling on top of batter. then drop remaining batter by tablespoonful on top of this.
Bake at 350° for 35-45 min.

Frosting: 1 c. Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk
½ tsp. Almond Extract

Breakfast for Dinner

After a hard day with the four girls I had today we made breakfast for dinner. We had

• Scrambled eggs
• Pancakes (with sweet potatoes, bananas or chocolate chips (well the chocolate chips could go with the other two)
• Muffins
• Juice
• Milk
• Sliced fruit

Sound like a lot, but Maddie and Adrian did a lot including Making a "forest" (fort) in the living room to eat in.