This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support. It is rare for me to bake bread at the beginning of July. The summer here does not invite that type of activity. But, the other day I shared a recipe for Bannock, a stovetop bread. That got me to thinking about what other breads I could make on my griddle and I knew that English Muffins was one of them. I had only made English Muffins once before, and that was YEARS ago! I had thought that I could only make them with sour dough starter, and I never end up keeping any around my kitchen. But, I decided to try to make them with regular yeast and see how they turned out. Guess what! They were a hit with everyone in my house! (There are currently quite a few of us here!) My muffins came out light and fluffy. One big deal is that they cooked all of the way through! That seems like a giant feat for me because:
English Muffins are baked on a griddle that is sprayed with cooking spray and then sprinkled with corn meal or farina. The dough should be soft and smooth. Check out this gallery of photos: Okay, there aren't really any "nooks and crannies," and no sour dough flavor, but the fluffy, yeasty flavor is really, really good. I hope you give these a try.
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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support. I woke up this morning and thought that biscuits would be really nice to have with eggs and bacon. But, then I thought, "No, that would require turning on my oven." That was when Bannock came into my mind. I had made Bannock once before just for fun when we were cooking outside over the firepit. It is the way trappers of centuries ago may have eaten bread in the wilderness. It is said to have been brought here from Scotland and even adopted by some Native American tribes in Canada. I like Bannock because it is very much like biscuits, but can be cooked on the stovetop in a skillet. Bannock comes out moist and tasty and holds up very well to dipping in your egg or making a breakfast sandwich or just spreading it with jam! Making the dough is so simple. Because this isn't a yeast dough, I like to just put my hands in it and pull it together into a soft ball of dough to mix it. Next, I broke the dough into 8, roughly the same size, balls of dough. I make the bannock in a cast iron skillet that is well seasoned and covered with a thin coating of vegetable oil. Then, flatten the balls of dough and lay them into the preheated skillet. Don't over heat your pan, a medium heat is sufficient to keep it from burning on the outside and staying raw on the inside. Bannock this morning made our breakfast particularly special and delicious! If you don't want to heat up your house by turning on your oven, but you are craving some biscuits, give bannock a try! Here is the recipe!
This post was originally posted in July of 2018! Although Independence Day was yesterday, many people will still have the day off today. So, there is no reason not to keep the celebration going with a great American traditional meal! This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for your support. Hey guys! Alicia here with more recipes from my ancestry. This month I decided to do American food, as in The United States of America. My ancestors have been here for a long time from many other countries throughout Europe. It's been difficult to find purely American foods, because the great thing about this country is it's a melting pot of people and cultures. And in fact today we have a meal that is an blend of foods from other countries, that when together makes a quintessential American meal. Hamburgers, Fries, and a Milkshake![]() Hamburgers, wereminced Hamburg beef steaks made in Hamburg, Germany. They were usually very expensive. When Germans came to the USA, they made a version of the Hamburg steak here. These steaks were passed out to factory workers during the Industrial revolution, but proved difficult to eat standing up. This was until one chef put the patty between to slices of bread. This popularized the hamburger across the country. And I'm so glad! I love hamburgers. To make mine, I usually just make a patty with ground beef (80/20 or higher). Sometimes I mix in spices like pepper, garlic, thyme, or onion powder. Then as I put them on the charcoal grill, I salt them. When they're cooked through, and just about done, I add a slice of cheese. Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Swiss...to me all cheese has a place on a burger, it just depends on what else you're topping it with. For our burgers this time we used cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and onion. All on a lightly grilled sesame seed bun. It was so delicious. I don't have a recipe for you because hamburgers are the perfect food to experiment with. There are so many delicious combinations. The bacon cheeseburger like we made is an American classic, But I also love Swiss cheese and sautéed onions. To go with hamburgers, the classic way here in the USA is with French Fries. While named French fries, they're actually from Belgium! During World War I, American soldiers in Belgium tried these delicious fried potatoes (that date back to the 1600's in Belgium). Because of the language spoken in that part of the country, the soldiers called them French Fries and the name has stuck (except for that very brief moment in time where we changed it to Freedom Fries in one of the most hilarious forms of animosity between countries). Fries are eaten all over the world now and in different ways. In Canada they use them to make Poutine. In the UK they're called chips and eaten with fried fish. No matter how you eat them, they are delicious. To make my fries I peel russet potatoes, and then slice them into long thin rectangular prisms (not exactly since the potatoes are round). Then I soak them in water or blanch them. I feel like this helps them to get plump up and be crispy when they are done frying (instead of soggy). I fry them in my 10 inch frying pan with about an inch of oil. As soon as they come out of the oil I put them on a plate with a paper towel and salt them. You can also bake them, just coat them in oil and salt first. To finish off the meal, is a milkshake! From my research it seems milkshakes are an American invention. Now we don't always have milkshakes with fries and burgers or even for dinner. Usually it's an after dinner treat! But we made an exception for this meal. Milkshakes are easy to make. Get your favorite ice cream, put it in a blender, add some milk and blend it up. It's so so simple and so delicious! You can make it as liquid as you want. We like to be able to drink ours through a straw but many people eat theirs with a spoon. Sorry I don't have a good picture of our milkshake. We drank it too fast. This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made at those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support! The Fourth of July, or Independence Day should be an awesome celebration this year, now that the pandemic restrictions are being lifted! It will be wonderful to spend this important holiday with our loved ones and count our blessings that we live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave. My husband, my dad, my brother, many other family members and dear friends are in the ranks of those brave ones, and I am so thankful for them. I am happy and blessed to be able to express that gratitude on this holiday. Whenever we have family get togethers, it is always nice to have simple snacks for people to munch on until the actual meal happens! This year we are doing fruit kabobs with fruit dip and Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats! They all take very little time, the kids love to help make them and they fit many dietary needs! The little flamingo skewers were from Dollar Tree. They were actually stir sticks, but we snipped the knob off of the bottom so that they would have a pointier end to stab into the fruit. My 3 year old granddaughter loved helping me making the pattern of fruit as we put it on the sticks, and popping a few extra pieces into her mouth in between. Putting the kabobs on this star studded plater from Walmart makes these simple fruit snacks more festive! The fruit dip is one that I learned to make years ago from my friend Cindy! Now I see it all over the internet! It is a super simple recipe, but so delicious. 3 Ingredient Fruit Dip
*You can use vegan cream cheese to make this dip vegan! Two of my grandchildren helped me with the Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats! My 6 year old grandson was able to measure out the 6 cups of cereal just fine and my 3 year old granddaughter assured me that she could handle the marshmallows and the sprinkles! She was awesome at both. I simply followed the recipe on the Rice Krispy box, threw in a few sprinkles and then after pressing them into a 9 x 13 pan, (which my grandchildren had buttered), we pressed in a few more sprinkles on top. My gluten-free SIL is grateful when I make these gluten-free treats and if you use vegan butter and marshmallows, they are vegan as well. I am going to visit a couple of my grandchildren who live an hour and a half away and bring them these treats all wrapped up. This would be cute for neighbor gifts or your kids friends. I love these simple ideas and how simple they are with a big result. What are you doing for the 4th this year? I hope that you all have a wonderful celebration!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
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Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
June 2024
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