Friday Foreshadowing

Last time I did a Friday Foreshadowing it was all bread recipes. Today, it's sweets!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars from Cookies & Cups: We've recently been rediscovering how wonderful snack pretzels are. Adding them to something sweet will most always be good, satisfying that delicious salty vs sweet desire.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars from Averie Cooks: Oh my! Peanut butter, chocolate, sugary sweetness all in an easy to bake bar form? Okay!

Mocha Frappuccino from Food.com: Really I think I marked this one in sheer desperation. Like everyone else I am done with winter and ready to move on. This makes me think of Starbucks' promotion of BOGO fraps they've done in May the past few years. I so hope they do it again this year {and that there isn't snow on the ground then!}

Yummy Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels from Life's Too Short to Skip Dessert: More pretzels, this time on their own with a sweet coating.

Triple Chocolate Cake with Crispy Bark Topping from An Oregon Cottage: I doubt I will be making this decadent cake anytime in the near future {but if someone else wants to bring me some, that'd be fine.} However, I couldn't resist marking it anyway because it simply looks so rich and pretty and the crispy element of the topping intrigues me.

All images are from the original recipe source.
This is linked to Friday Favorites.

Spiced Cranberry Muffins

 

I don't know how I never saw this muffin recipe before in my perusal of this cookbook {a wedding shower gift from my grandma} but now that I've found it I will not be forgetting it!
The method is different from most muffin recipes, as you boil the liquids then add the dry ingredients but I think that creates the most interesting texture. Even though you have to wait a short time for the liquids to cool down these muffins still don't take too long to make. And, bonus, there's no egg so it's a perfect recipe when eggs are running low in the house {or am I the only person that struggles with that?}

Spiced Cranberry Muffins
 Print Recipe
Yields: 12 muffins
Adapted from: St Paul's Lutheran Church, Fairmont, MN Cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
   1.  In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cranberries, water, butter, applesauce, cinnamon and cloves; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool in fridge for ~10 minutes.
   2.  After 10 minutes, add flours, baking soda and salt; stir until just combined.
   3.  Fill 12 muffin cups; bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Menu April 8

Crescent Rolls: These were the bread I chose for our Easter dinner. While the size and looks of some of the rolls were questionable thanks to my learning curve the taste was spot on! The best part is I have a whole bag of them in the freezer still.

 

Corn & Bean Burgers: I've been making a very conscious effort to have at least one meatless meal each week. After a few trials I've gotten these burgers to be something we all like. {Recipe coming soon}

 

Spiced Cranberry Muffins: I found this recipe while flipping through my grandma's church cookbook. Since then we've enjoyed these a few times already. They're different than most muffins, resulting in a magnificent texture and deep flavor. {Recipe coming soon}

On the Menu...
Chicken & Noodle Soup {New}
Orange Chicken {Husband's request}
Frozen Bean & Cheese Burritos {Meatless}{New} with KFC's Coleslaw {New}
Ham & Peach Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 
Pepperoni Pizza
Brunch: Waffles
Muffins: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.  

Butterscotch Brownies

My sister visited us this past weekend and, as is typical, we wanted to do some baking. I had nothing in mind so we opened up a cookbook {which I picked up for $1 at a thrift store on our honeymoon} and found these. I was drawn to it because it didn't need the mixer. {It was approaching the end of nap time and I didn't want any extra noise to cause the children to wake early as it had been a rough night of sleep.}
With only a handful ingredients and the ability to stir them easily by hand these bars came together very quickly. They're soft and buttery with just enough texture from the coconut to add but not detract.

Butterscotch Brownies
 Print Recipe
Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1988 Edition
Yields: 16-25 bars

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup coconut

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 350.
   2.  Melt butter in a large saucepan; remove from heat. Add brown sugar, vanilla and egg; mix. Add flour, baking powder, salt; stir until almost combined. Add butterscotch chips and coconut.
   3.  Spread in greased 9x9 pan. Bake 23 minutes. Cut while warm.

Menu March 25

Butterscotch Brownies: My sister was visiting for the weekend so of course, we did a little baking. We opened up my Betty Crocker Cookbook and picked these bars, mostly because they didn't require the use of the mixer. They turned out great and will definitely be made again! {Recipe coming soon}

Creamy Vodka Pasta: My husband and I went for a belated Valentines Dinner a couple weeks ago to a local restaurant. He ordered their Vodka Shrimp Pasta and we both agreed it was delicious {well, in my opinion, without the shrimp.} My first attempt at home was good but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm excited to try it again, hopefully soon.

On the Menu...
{With Holy Week and leftovers from our guests this weekend the menu is quite different this week but that keeps life interesting!}
Leftovers: French Toast, Chicken Pot Pie, Salty Dog {Pepperoni} Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza
Black Bean Quesadillas {I'm going to try making my own tortillas}
Split Pea Soup {Our Maundy Thursday tradition}
Fish Sticks and Potatoes{Our Good Friday tradition, modified for this non-fish eater}
Brunch: Banana Bread Pancakes
Muffins: Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
Easter: Ham, Potato Cakes, either Blender Rolls or Crescent Rolls, Fruit Salad {exact recipe TBD} and Special K Bars. {Obviously I still have some work to don on our Easter menu!}
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.  

Menu March 11

Steal-Good Pumpkin Bread: These were good but honestly, we prefer our normal pumpkin muffin recipe.

Corn and Bean Burgers: These have been officially added to our rotation of meatless dishes. While we like to put a smear of BBQ sauce on them it's not really necessary as they're quite flavorful on their own.

On the Menu...
Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Crepes with Ham, Cheese & Asparagus Filling   
Soup Supper at Church-we're taking bread
Chicken Avocado Enchiladas or Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas{different recipes both would be new}
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Brunch: Egg Sandwiches on Bagels
Muffins: Banana Muffins
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.  

Friday Foreshadowing

Bread, bread, bread... The majority of recipes that I found this week are bread. Nothing wrong with that! :)

Very Little Bother Oat Bread from Don't Waste the Crumbs: I've decided to slowly work on reducing {even more so} the amount of white flour we consume. While this recipe still has a fair amount it's also using oat flour, which would be new for us.

The best homemade dinner rolls from Roxasna's Home Baking: These look beautiful! I'm starting to think about Easter menu and these might be the roll. After all, there's nothing like trying a recipe for the first time at a time when you want everything to be perfect!

Pizzeria Style Pepperoni Pizza from Table for Two: My husband has pretty much taken over making our weekly pizzas and that's absolutely fine with me! We usually spend a fair amount of time each Friday supper analyzing how the pizza turned out so I'm always watching for new methods and recipes to try. This will be next!

Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread from Thirty Handmade Days: After adapting this oh so slightly to use homemade dough instead of frozen I think this would be wonderful. Butter, spices, cheese and bread all baked together...

Coffee Cake Muffins from Fearless Homemaker: While I tend to shy away from the richer, sugary muffins for our breakfast muffins sometimes it's fun to have some that are more of a treat. These would be perfect for that. Add the streusel topping and we'll all be happy!

All images are from the original recipe source.
This is linked to Friday Favorites.