Summer Squash Lemon Bread Muffins

Lemon summer squash bread muffins with a dab of honey lemon glaze and spearmint sprigs from my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Summer Squash Lemon Bread Muffins

If you like lemon-flavored breads you will love Summer Squash Lemon Bread courtesy of This Delicious House. I was looking for something to use summer squash besides the usual and this was a nice alternative. A friend had suggested I try using summer squash in baking but misplaced the recipe she gave me so this one counts as hers.

I baked these in muffin tins so I have single servings to enjoy with tea and share with friends. These will be individually frozen so they can easily be popped out and enjoyed.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup summer squash, grated and squeezed dry

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (nonfat works)

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1/4 lemon juice)

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup candied lemon peel (optional)

  Honey Lemon Glaze Recipe

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside or prepare muffin tins. I used two 12-muffins plan but you can use just one and fill each to the top - this recipe does not rise.

I used a sieve to squeeze the summer squash dry. Also remove seeds before grating. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

• Grate the squash using the large holes of a grater. I didn’t first remove seeds and thought twice after it was grated. Picking seeds out can be an exercise in patience so if you don’t like the seeds, remove them first. I didn’t notice the leftover ones in the baked muffin.

• Squeeze out any moisture. I used a large sieve and pressed the squash with a spoon. There won’t be a lot.

• In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

• Beat in the eggs, yogurt, milk, lemon zest and juice until well combined. I didn’t have candied lemon peel so I skipped it.

• Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

This is a whole grated summer squash, I was sidetracked and forgot to measure, should be close. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Fold in the grated squash. I was listening to a podcast and forgot to measure the grated squash. One medium squash should make about one cup.

You can fill the muffin tins to the top for this recipe. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean. I used muffin tins and filled it only half full. You can fill them up to the top, this batter won’t rise.

Cool on a wire rack. Make sure bread is completely cooled before adding glaze.

• To make the glaze, whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Whisk in the powdered sugar. Pour overtop of cooled bread.

My glaze came out thick, more like an icing. I made it for a few muffins and will skip it for the remaining muffins. When serving, will just add a dollop of fresh honey!

This is a great recipe to add to your very own cookbook either for yourself or as a gift.

I will make these again, truly hard to believe there was something healthy in these!

Charlotte

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Like a little muffin with your blueberries? (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins pho

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Homemade muffins of any kind are by far one of my favorite treats with tea, especially made with fresh or frozen blueberries. Since I had a supply leftover from winter, it was time to whip up these delicious treats.

If you buy blueberry muffin dry mixes, you can combine the ingredients here, store in a plastic bag and have your own blueberry muffin mix. Add a sticker to add the wet ingredients and you have just saved yourself some money.

Easy Blueberry Muffins Recipe

You will need:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/3 to 1/2 cup dairy or non-dairy milk

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries, about 1 cup.

Optional: light brown sugar for topping

No need to thaw frozen blueberries, use as is. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

How to make:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. For big-topped muffins, line 8 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners. For standard-size muffins line 10 muffin cups. Fill remaining empty muffin cups with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help the muffins bake evenly,

• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

• Add oil to a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Add the egg then fill the jug to the 1-cup line with milk (1/3 to 1/2 cup milk). Add vanilla and whisk to combine.

• Add milk mixture to the bowl with dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Muffin batter will be thick.

Make this recipe and use up your leftover frozen berries. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

• Now for the hard part, how many blueberries do you like in your muffins? This recipe was a full 8 ounces, or a cup. If you want less blueberries, try 6 ounces. You may need to experiment until you find the right amount of blueberries to taste.

• Divide the batter between muffin cups. Optional: sprinkle top with light brown sugar.

Light brown sugar adds a nice top to these homemade blueberry muffins. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

• Bake muffins 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter.

• Transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool before serving.

• To store, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

• To freeze, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or place them in freezer for an hour or so, then store in bags so you can remove them individually later. Mark the bag with the date. Freeze for up to 3 months.

  Tea, anyone?

  Charlotte

Two Ingredient Bread Recipe

Homemade soft pretzel, so easy and delicious with soup or by itself. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Two Ingredient Bread (and More) Recipe

I confess, I tend to simple recipes and this one spoke to me. Two basic ingredients from which I can make a number of things: rolls, pretzels, pizza, cinnamon rolls….yep, versatile, too.

Two Ingredient Bread Recipe

How easy is this even making my own self rising flower. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

You will need:

1 3/4 cups self rising flour

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Optional: coarse salt

You may also need as a substitute:

No self rising flour? Make your own:

4 cups regular flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

Soft pretzels with olive oil and Himalayan sea salt. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

To make:

Mix into a ball. Flour a surface.

I made 4 soft pretzels and 4 rolls with my first batch.

Brush with water, melted butter or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. I didn’t have coarse salt so I dabbed with extra virgin olive oil and Himalayan sea salt.

Cook at 350F for 20 minutes or until brown around edges.

Conclusion: it’s a winner. Will be making more!

Charlotte

Lemon Summer Squash Bread Muffins

Lemon summer squash bread muffins with a dab of honey lemon glaze and spearmint sprigs from my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Lemon Summer Squash Bread Muffins

If you like lemon-flavored breads you will love Lemon Summer Squash Bread courtesy of This Delicious House. I was looking for something to use summer squash besides the usual and this was a nice alternative. A friend had suggested I try using summer squash in baking but misplaced the recipe she gave me so this one counts as hers.

I baked these in muffin tins so I have single servings to enjoy with tea and share with friends. These will be individually frozen so they can easily be popped out and enjoyed.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup summer squash, grated and squeezed dry

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (nonfat works)

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1/4 lemon juice)

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup candied lemon peel (optional)

  Honey Lemon Glaze Recipe

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside or prepare muffin tins. I used two 12-muffins plan but you can use just one and fill each to the top - this recipe does not rise.

I used a sieve to squeeze the summer squash dry. Also remove seeds before grating. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

• Grate the squash using the large holes of a grater. I didn’t first remove seeds and thought twice after it was grated. Picking seeds out can be an exercise in patience so if you don’t like the seeds, remove them first. I didn’t notice the leftover ones in the baked muffin.

• Squeeze out any moisture. I used a large sieve and pressed the squash with a spoon. There won’t be a lot.

• In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

• Beat in the eggs, yogurt, milk, lemon zest and juice until well combined. I didn’t have candied lemon peel so I skipped it.

• Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

This is a whole grated summer squash, I was sidetracked and forgot to measure, should be close. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Fold in the grated squash. I was listening to a podcast and forgot to measure the grated squash. One medium squash should make about one cup.

You can fill the muffin tins to the top for this recipe. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean. I used muffin tins and filled it only half full. You can fill them up to the top, this batter won’t rise.

Cool on a wire rack. Make sure bread is completely cooled before adding glaze.

• To make the glaze, whisk together the honey and lemon juice. Whisk in the powdered sugar. Pour overtop of cooled bread.

My glaze came out thick, more like an icing. I made it for a few muffins and will skip it for the remaining muffins. When serving, will just add a dollop of fresh honey!

This is a great recipe to add to your very own cookbook either for yourself or as a gift.

I will make these again, truly hard to believe there was something healthy in these!

Charlotte

Sourdough Starter Rolls

Maybe a year after getting this sourdough bread starter I finally made these rolls. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sourdough Starter Rolls

One of the favorite COVID 19 2020 lock down past times in the US was making bread. In particular, sourdough bread from a starter. Although I was lucky enough to have a friend share a starter with me, it wasn’t until the end of June 2021 that I found a recipe I wanted to try.

The good news is the starter, kept in the refrigerator and fed once a week, will live on. The starter, also called levain, is a fermented dough filled with natural, wild yeast and a bacteria called lactobacilli. The starter is what makes sourdough bread rise. I had to pour off some of the starter when it got too big for the jar but I was proud to keep it going for so long.

In addition, I read that the older the bread starter the more sour the dough.

So here’s the easy recipe. The hardest part is the waiting.

Sourdough Starter Bread Rolls

You Will Need:

• ▢3 ½ cups bread flour

• ▢1 ¼ cups warm, filtered or distilled water

• ▢½ tsp salt

• ▢¾ cup sourdough starter

To Make:

Without cling wrap I used a plate to cover the dough overnight. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

• Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a consistent dough forms.

• Cover with cling wrap or a tight lid and let it stand overnight on the countertop, if warm, or in a cold oven with the light on.

• In the morning, punch down the dough and shape the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Use flour on your palms to roll, if the dough feels sticky. Place the rolls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

• Sprinkle some flour on top of the rolls, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rise for 2 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 425° F.

• When the rolls have risen, score the top of each roll using a sharp knife. Make the cut fast, to prevent the roll from deflating. Scoring gives the gases that form in the bread escape while baking and helps the rolls rise.

• Place the rolls in the hot oven and bake 25-28 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden-brown. Remove from the oven and continue cooling on a rack.

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.8g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 0.4g | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Iron: 2mg

You will find other excellent recipes in the American Cooking Encyclopedia.

Easy to make and even easier to enjoy. I took half of my rolls to the person who gave me the sourdough starter in the first place. She said this must be some new record waiting over a year to use it!

Charlotte

Sourdough Bread Recipe

A slice of homemade toasted sourdough bread with a cup of tea. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sourdough Bread Recipe

Sourdough is not a dish often associated with Missouri cooking. No doubt summers spent in San Francisco with relatives as we grew up influenced my choice of breads, and favorite ones at that. If there is one bread I enjoy with a cup of tea in summer it’s a slice of sourdough bread.

During the COVID 19 quarantine I tried to make my own sourdough bread starter with dismal results. Then a friend was kind enough to share her starter and I was in business. This recipe is very simple and easy to make.

Sourdough Bread Recipe

You Will Need:

• 1 cup sourdough starter

• 1 ½ cups warm water

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• ½ cup white sugar 

• ½ cup corn oil

• 6 cups bread flour

To Make:

• Step 1

  Mix sugar, corn oil, salt, water, and 1 cup of sourdough starter together in a large bowl. Sift the flour and add to the mixture. Grease or oil the dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise overnight.

• Step 2

  The next day, knead the dough for 10 minutes. Divide in half, and place into two greased 4 x 8 inch bread pans. Allow the dough to double in size.

• Step 3

  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and taps hollow. Turn out to cool on wire racks.

Homemade sourdough bread ready to freeze for later use. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Toasted sourdough bread is good with a slice of cheese and sun tea. I also enjoy it with a fresh homemade salad.

And the memories. Well, those are yours to make!

Charlotte

Basic Homemade Biscuits

Basic homemade biscuits cooling off on cookie rack. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Basic Homemade Biscuits

This is one of those must have basic recipes that takes less than 5 minutes to make and, once baked, can be frozen for later use.

I like these in winter but I keep a supply handy in the freezer all year for visitors who want to share a cup of tea with really fresh honey and strawberry jam.

Basic Homemade Biscuit Recipe

Sift together:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Add 1/4 cup shortening and use two knives to cut it into small pieces.

Add 3/4 cup milk.

Mix gently, then roll out onto floured board. Cut into 3/4” biscuits.

Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool on cookie rack.

To freeze, I place the biscuits on cookie rack in freezer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Place cookie rack in freezer to individually freeze biscuits. Store in freezer bag.

To defrost, place in microwave for 30 seconds or allow to defrost at room temperature.

You can turn these biscuits into breakfast if you like gravy, or make your own breakfast sandwich with an omelet or scrambled eggs.

Or so I hear. I haven’t moved past adding honey from my apiary or strawberry jam from our local farmer’s market.

These basic recipes are the foundation of cooking. You will find others in our American Cooking Illustrated Encyclopaedia.

Maybe I will get adventurous this winter.

Charlotte

Rabbit Rolls Recipe

Here is my Rabbit Dinner Rolls recipe, which I understand is an old-fashioned angel biscuit recipe, replete with instructions on how to make the rolls look like rabbits. These will be lighter if made with all white flour but I mixed half white and half wheat.

Rabbit Dinner Rolls

2.5 cups *white all purpose flour

2.5 cups *whole wheat flour

*you can use all white flour, I mixed them to give the bunnies a little color. Wheat flour makes the rolls more dense.

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup chilled vegetable shortening

2 cups buttermilk

2 ¼ tsp active yeast (one package)

1/4 cup warm water

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Directions:

Empty active yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Cut in shortening with two knives until shortening is in tiny pieces and dissolves into the mixture.

Add buttermilk and yeast mixture. Mix until all ingredients are "mushed" together into one big ball of dough.

Cover. Chill for 1 hour.

To Make Rabbit Rolls:

Liberally dust a cutting board with flour and knead 4-5 times until dough is easy to handle.

Roll into a biscuit-size oblong shape with a narrow end for a face. Roll smaller round dough piece and attach withdab of milk as a tail.

With kitchen scissors, cut two long “ears” and shape to remove the pointed tip. Using a toothpick, add a line inside each ear. Add two holes in the front for eyes. Brush with egg for a golden finish.

Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. These freeze nicely.

How do you eat your rabbit rolls – ears or tails first?

Charlotte

Rabbit Rolls

The picture of the “easy to make” rabbit rolls was too cute to quickly be thrown together. The idea, however, stuck with me long enough that I had to try.

As a bunny lover going back to my first stuffed toy, a little music box rabbit, the idea that I could nestle a yeast roll that looks like a rabbit in a pile of salad made me smile. I also know that a number of do-it-yourself online projects and recipes are made by professionals with years of experience and a good half dozen or more assistants. Few things are as easy as they are made out to be.

Sure enough, this bunny roll recipe making the rounds started to collect disclaimers. These are made by an experienced professional chef, the first one said, suggesting we really should not be attempting to do this at home. I looked at the picture again. This may mean it will take a few dozen tries to even come close to having rolls have a shape, let alone look like a rabbit.

The second disclaimer was that it takes more than cutting the dough with kitchen scissors to make the rabbit ears. I noticed that the first time I saw the recipe, cutting the ears only made the rolls look more like cats than rabbits. The key was in the length of the cut and adding a center indentation so that they look more like rabbit ears.

The last disclaimer was that even though the picture of the rolls was with a particular recipe, the recipe was not the one the professional chef with years of experience had used to make the sample bunny rolls. The rabbit rolls in the original picture had been made out of an, as of yet, unidentified pastry dough recipe.

I will share my Rabbit Dinner Rolls recipe, replete with instructions on how to make the rolls look more like rabbits than cats although cat rolls will come in handy around Halloween.

Charlotte