Debbie's Quick Bread (Mmmmm!)

This bread is so YUM! A friend of mine gave me the recipe years ago, and recently, when I was really wanting some BREAD or rolls to go with dinner, I dug through my RECIPES and found this lost TREASURE.  The recipe is easy (no mixer required!) and tastes FAB—basically like a dinner roll, but it's all baked in a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Debbie's Quick Bread
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast (I use the rapid-rise for this recipe)
4 tablespoons sugar
5 cups flour, divided
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons oil

In a bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and let brew. In another bowl, mix together 2 1/2 cups flour and salt. Add the eggs and oil and yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add the remaining flour and stir until combined. Mixture will be sticky. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. DO NOT KNEAD! Put in a 9 x 13-inch pan prepared with nonstick spray and let rise a second time, covered, until dough is to the top of the pan, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes and serve.

TIP: We like ours spread with butter and, for added goodness, jam or honey.

Butterscotch Banana Bread

Have this yummy bread as part of your THANKSGIVING brunch! This is now my new favorite BANANA bread recipe. I'm always making the stuff, but I love trying different VARIATIONS. Of the hundreds of banana BREAD recipes I've tried (OK, maybe dozens?), this seriously tops my list!

Butterscotch Banana Bread
(from sixsistersstuff.com)

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Stir in all the remaining ingredients (except butterscotch chips) until mostly smooth. Stir in the chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 5-inch bread pan and bake for 55 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

TIP: My husband loves chocolate chips in his banana bread and asked me to do a mixture of the butterscotch and chocolate chip next time. I think it sounds like a good idea, but I'll probably do 1/2 cup of each.

Balsamic, Basil, and Mozzarella Cheese Naan

I have a HUGE basil plant growing in my backyard. I'm totally loving it and all the YUMMY meals I've been able to incorporate it into. It's the one HERB I would suggest everyone plants! Anyway, this is a quick little side DISH that is so easy to put together and practically steals the show from everything else on your plate. (But our corn and sauteed veggies were also delish!)

Balsamic, Basil, and Mozzarella Cheese Naan
1 package garlic naan (I buy mine at Target's bakery)
Olive oil
Fresh basil, cut into ribbons
Fresh mozzarella, broken into small pieces
Balsamic reduction (boil 1 cup balsamic vinegar down to about 1/3)

Light brush one side of the naan with olive oil sprinkle the basil and mozzarella over top, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Broil on LOW until naan is browned and cheese is melted.

TIP: The balsamic glaze would be fine to drizzle on after you melt the cheese in the broiler. And if you don't want the basil "cooked," sprinkle that on after as well! :)

Simple S'mores Rolls

Looking for a fun Father's Day TREAT? These S'mores with a twist are sure to put a smile on that SPECIAL guy's face! My kiddos loved putting these together, but I think they LOVED eating them even more. DAD got a couple too though, so it all worked out!

Simple S'mores Rolls
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls (I used the reduced-fat)
Large marshmallows
Semisweet and milk chocolate chips
Cinnamon sugar

Roll out the refrigerator dough and separate all the triangles. (I just buy the cheapo brand that has 8 in a container.) Slightly spread out and flatten each triangle. Place a marshmallow and 6 or so chocolate chips—we did a mixture of both chocolates. Roll up and try to completely seal in the marshmallow and chocolate (we weren't completely successful as you can tell from the pics!). Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Bake according to package directions or until golden brown and firm. Eat warm!

TIP: These really don't reheat well, so be sure to eat them all!

Pumpkin Coconut Cheesecake Bread

Lovin' all the PUMPKIN that comes with this fabulous time of year! I've got a slight obsession with COCONUT and cream cheese, so I figured those would be DELICIOUS combined with a bit of pumpkin. What could be better then sweet, super moist, YUM-FOR-MY-TUM bread? Nothing!

Pumpkin Coconut Cheesecake Bread
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 small box cheesecake instant pudding mix
1 cup toasted coconut

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 tablespoons butter

2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, spices, soda, and dry pudding mix. Fold in the coconut and pour into a loaf pan prepared with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for  about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When done and slightly cooled, drizzle the cream cheese glaze over top.

To make the glaze, heat together the butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds in the microwave and stir until smooth. Stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth.

TIP: You can leave the coconut out if you prefer and use coconut pudding mix instead of cheesecake to get the coconut flavor. You can also add chocolate chips or chopped nuts! And, instead of 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in the glaze, I did 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract just for that little extra shot of coconut flavor.

Peach Muffins

I've posted this recipe before, but since it is my FAVORITE muffin recipe, I figured I better do it again while all the PEACHES are coming on. Every year I make up a few batches of these DELISH muffins. I make so many that I FREEZE a bunch and then pull some out whenever I get the craving!

Peach Muffins

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, spices, soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, and sugars. Combine mixtures and stir in the peaches. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and then bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then let cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen.

TIP: I'm sure this would be great with canned peaches as well—just make sure if they are in syrup that you give them a rinse before putting in the batter. Another great addition would some yummy chopped pecans or walnuts.

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Sweet Lemon Glaze

Have I said before how much I LOVE Pinterest? With the zucchini coming on, I've found TONS of new recipes to try! This moist bread turned out DELICIOUS and I'm so glad I found the recipe at NancyCreative.com. Hope you LIKE it too!

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Sweet Lemon Glaze

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tablespoons)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup grated unpeeled zucchini (I don't think I used a full cup)

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

In large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat the eggs, then add the oil and sugar; blend well. Stir in the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Fold in the zucchini until evenly distributed in mixture. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t overmix.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. While loaf is cooling, make the glaze. 

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon glaze over cooled bread. Let glaze set, then serve.

TIP: Try putting some parchment paper in the bottom of your bread pan so nothing sticks to the bottom!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins

For some reason I have been craving COCONUT desserts. I'm not sure why. Coconut just sounds really REALLY good! Anyway, I thought I'd try cutting a few calories and instead of making a DESSERT that is probably laden with lots of YUMMY frosting, I'd try the breakfast route instead. Sooooo, here is what I came up with! :)

Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 small box coconut creme instant pudding mix

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup toasted coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a bowl, beat together the milk, butter, and egg. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Next stir in the dry pudding mix. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and about 1/3 cup of the coconut. Evenly divide the thick batter into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over the tops. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then enjoy!

TIP: You can add more coconut to the batter if you want. I was trying not to use too much because I wanted my 2 year old to eat them. (She loved them by the way!) My husband said he would have preferred regular-sized chocolate chips. And I would have LOVED the toasted coconut on top of the muffins to be coconut streusel instead, but I was trying to be good and cut calories! Click here for my coconut streusel topping if you want to try it. :)

CInnamon Explosion French Toast

We love BREAKFAST foods at our house, and occasionally have them for DINNER. This yummy version of FRENCH TOAST is one of those quick dinners we threw together at the last minute. Boy did it turn out SCRUMPTIOUS. It is just bursting with cinnamon flavor—hence the "explosion" description in the recipe title!

Cinnamon Explosion French Toast

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

(Recipe from allrecipes.com)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

5 ounces evaporated milk

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

French Toast
1 loaf unsliced cinnamon bread (we used Cinnamon Burst from Great Harvest)
2 eggs
Milk
Cinnamon
Chopped pecans

For the syrup, combine the all but the milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool for 5 minutes and then stir in milk; set aside until ready to use.

For the whipped cream, beat cream with powdered sugar and cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Put in the fridge until ready to use.

For the French toast, heat a large frying pan or electric skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Slice the bread into 1-inch-thick slices (or 1 1/2 inches if you prefer); set aside. With a fork, beat together the eggs with a desired amount of milk and cinnamon (just like a regular French toast mixture). Dip bread slices in both sides of milk mixture and then cook until nicely browned on each side. Serve with the syrup drizzled over top and a dollop a the whipped cream. Garnish with the pecans.

TIP: If this is TOO much cinnamon for you, just make regular whipped cream without the cinnamon.

Blackberry Cheesecake Bread

Sometimes I just want some really YUMMY sweet bread. This recipe totally fills that CRAVING! It's super simple and has just the right amount of TREAT factor to it—especially if you add the white chocolate chips as mentioned in the tip! Maybe you could whip this up for your SPECIAL someone in a couple of weeks . . .

Blackberry Cheesecake Bread
1 yellow or white cake mix
1 small box instant cheesecake pudding mix
3/4 cup water
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
Dash of cinnamon, optional
3/4 to 1 cup slightly smashed blackberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, eggs, applesauce, and cinnamon, if using. Gently fold in the blackberries until swirled throughout the batter. Pour into two loaf pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then completely on a wire rack.

TIP: If your blackberries are extra juicy, you may want to drain them! Also, another great addition to this  recipe would be some white chocolate chips. Yum!

Zucchini Bread

I just decided to use some of my frozen shredded ZUCCHINI from this last summer because I LOVE this bread so much! It is such a great COMFORT food . . .

Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and then pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

TIP: Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Try serving with a little cream cheese spread over individual slices. It's yummy!

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

This is a recipe I found in a neighborhood cookbook. We LOVE muffins at our house and these are EXCELLENT! Spread some butter on one straight from the oven—its HEAVENLY!

Raspberry Lemon Muffins
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup cream or whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except raspberries. Gently fold in the raspberries. Spoon into muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

TIP: This would be delicious with other types of berries—strawberries, blueberries, you name it! You could also try using different flavored fruity extracts to mix things up as well.

Banana Streusel Muffins

If you have some extra ripe BANANAS around, make these easy muffins a part of your CHRISTMAS breakfast!  I sometimes get tired of regular banana BREAD (why do I always have overripe bananas?), so sometimes I make these instead. YUM!

Banana Streusel Muffins
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 extra ripe bananas, mashed

Streusel
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and then add all of the wet ingredients; mix well. Spoon batter in greased muffin tins, about 2/3 full; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients until crumbly. Divide evenly over the muffin batter in the pan and then bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

TIP: If you don't like the hassle of cleaning the muffin pan when all is said and done, just use the little paper liners instead! Also, a good addition to this recipe would be some chopped nuts or chocolate chips.  If you add some, let me know how they turn out!

All Night Sticky Buns

I saw this RECIPE on some tv news segment years ago, and it's so EASY I just had to share it. We make these for SPECIAL occasions at our house and even though there's only three of us, we POLISH off the whole thing in 2 days or less!

All Night Sticky Buns

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

12 to 16 frozen rolls

1 small box instant butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Arrange frozen rolls over nuts. Sprinkle the dry pudding mix over the rolls. Combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon; pour over rolls. Place pan in a cold oven for 8 to 10 hours (overnight!). Remove pan from oven in the morning and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake sticky buns for 25 minutes and then invert onto a platter and serve. 

TIP: If you don't have a Bundt pan, I've also used an 8-inch square pan and that seems to work just fine. Also, a great addition to this recipe would be a sprinkle of chocolate chips with the nuts. :)

Spicy Cornbread

Doesn't this TIME of year always make you feel like eating some WARM cornbread? Well, we love the stuff at our HOUSE! This variation makes an appearance in my NEWEST book, 101 Things to do with Cheese. Let me tell ya, it is definitely SPICY and sooo gooooood!

Spicy Cornbread
1 (8.5-ounce) box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 ounces diced jalapeños (this is half of the 4 oz can, so feel free to make two batches!)
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Use a fork to combine the cornbread mix, milk, and egg. Stir in the jalapeños and cheese. (No need to drain the jalapeños.) Pour batter into a sprayed 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Makes about 6 wedges.

TIP: This is definitely spicy, so if you want to tone it down, use green chiles instead of jalapeños. And take it a step further and use cheddar cheese instead of the pepper jack. You could also stir in a 1/2 cup or so of corn too. Also, I like to sprinkle a little bit more cheese over the top of the batter before I stick it in the oven. :)

Chocolate Banana Bread

OK, so I have to admit this bread is more CHOCOLATE than banana, but if BANANA is in the recipe title, it sounds a little BETTER for you, right? Anyway, we love this BREAD straight from the oven with butter, to make it even better!

P.S. This is actually a variation of a recipe from my friend, Stephanie Ashcraft. Thanks Steph!

Chocolate Banana Bread
2 to 3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 banana or spice cake mix
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (if using the banana cake mix)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until almost smooth. Divide batter into two greased bread pans and then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

TIP: You can leave out the cocoa to make it less chocolatey, but I'm not sure why you'd want to do that! Also, if you're not loving the whole chocolate idea and don't want the cocoa, you might as well switch the pudding mix to banana flavor too!

Peach Muffins

Did I already say I love PEACHES? Well, I do and I hate to see any from our TREE go to waste, so every YEAR I make up a few batches of these DELISH muffins. Hope you likes!

Peach Muffins

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, spices, soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, and sugars. Combine mixtures and stir in the peaches. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and then bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then let cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen.

TIP: Because this makes so many muffins, I usually freeze about half a batch so I can pull them out a month or so later and enjoy them again! Also, I'm sure this would be great with canned peaches as well—just make sure if they are in syrup that you give them a rinse before putting in the batter.

Raspberry Scones

I love all SORTS of breakfast breads, and SCONES are one of my favorite. Raspberries are also another FAVORITE of mine, so I figured, why not put them TOGETHER?

Raspberry Scones
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 heaping cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter
1 egg, beaten
4 to 6 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
1 container raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in the egg and enough liquid to just moisten the dough. Gently fold in the berries. NOTE: I usually eat some out of the container before putting them in, so you might not need the whole thing!

Scoop 8 equal "blobs" and place on a baking stone or cookie sheet; flatten slightly if necessary. I like to shape my blobs into triangles, so feel free to as well. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm.

TIP: What really makes these over the top is sprinkling them with large sugar crystals. They are seriously spectacular this way!

Banana Split Bread

We all know BANANA bread is yummy, but how about with the addition of FRESH cherries, chocolate chips, and NUTS? This recipe is a must try when there are fresh CHERRIES around!

Banana Split Bread
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 to 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed AND heaping)
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 to 15 cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the butter, bananas, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the salt, baking powder, and flour until well mixed. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Divide into two loaf pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. When done, let cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove and finish cooling on a baking rack.

TIP: This bread is so good straight from the oven with a little butter, but try topping a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then drizzle with chocolate sauce and caramel. Sooooo delicious! Make it even more of a "banana split" by adding fresh banana slices, whipped cream, and nuts on top of the ice cream!

Fresh Blueberry Muffins with Streusel

I've been totally into buying BERRIES this summer, and the blueberries from Costco look so good, I can NEVER resist buying them when I'm there! Of course, the container is pretty BIG, so it's hard for me to go through it all FAST enough (because I also buy the strawberries and raspberries and blackberries too!). So, with all the excess berries, I find myself making all kinds of MUFFINS!

Fresh Blueberry Muffins with Streusel
Streusel
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter

Muffins
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

Mix streusel ingredients together with a pastry blender until crumbly; set aside.

Whisk together the milk, oil, and egg. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until moist. Gently fold in the berries. Divide batter equally into each muffin cup and then top with the streusel. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes in pan, and then run a knife around the edges and move to a cooling rack to cool completely. (This recipe is basically from Betty Crocker's Cookbook—the big red one—but with some minor changes on my part. Thanks Betty!)

TIP: If you have lots of blueberries hanging around, freeze them in little 1-cup increments so you can grab them from the freezer whenever you want to make these DELICIOUS and ADDICTIVE muffins!