2013 Johnson County Fair Recipes

As a long-time baker, one of my goals was to win a baking contest. I tried, unsuccessfully, a few years ago when I entered Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins in the County Fair for a cranberry baking competition. Those muffins were delicious and looked big and fluffy, but didn't even place because "the white chocolate flavor overpowered the cranberry flavor".

A year or two later, I was ready to try again. This time, I tried three recipes to increase my odds : Light Rye Bread made in a bread machine; Birthday Cookies baked in the microwave; and Apple Muffins sweetened with honey instead of sugar. As it turned out, all three won a first place ribbon for their category! The Birthday Cookies even won the Champion ribbon for the whole Make It in the Microwave group! Best of all, though, we have a couple of great new recipes to treat my family.

Apple Muffins

½ c whole wheat flour

1 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ c vegetable oil

¼ c honey

½ c milk

½ c apple sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped 

Combine dry ingredients, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Bake at 375^o until golden brown (approximately 20-25).
Servings: Makes 7 to 8 muffins

Birthday Cookies

4 Tbsp light margarine

¼ cup + 1 Tbsp sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 container of Betty Crocker Cookie Icing

1 Tbsp multi-colored sprinkles

Cream sugar and margarine, then beat in the egg. Add flour, salt, and baking powder to the bowl, and then beat the ingredients together. Chill for 1 hour. Drop 3 tablespoons of batter on parchment paper on plate to make 3 cookies at a time. Microwave the 3 cookies at a time for 90 seconds. Cool cookies on a wire rack, then frost the cookies. Top the cookies with sprinkles. Servings: Makes 9 cookies 

Light Rye Bread

⁷/₈ cup water

1 ²/₃ cups bread flour

¾ cup Rye flour

1 ½ Tbsp sugar

1 ½ Tbsp dry milk

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp margarine

1 ½ tsp Rapid Rise Yeast 

Add ingredients in the order listed to the bread machine pan. Bake in the quick baking, light crust setting (total machine time: 1 hour, 53 minutes).

Banana Bread (or Muffins) a la Mike

When Mike & I first got married, I told him that I had never attended an auction. I was intrigued by the sign a few miles down US 31 that boasted a weekly auction... So, he brought me to my one and only auction that weekend. I got excited during the auction about "all the bananas you can fit in a bag" for some silly, low price. The auctioneer organizers had somehow intercepted a truckload of bananas from the South. As it turns out, you can fit A LOT of bananas in the particular bag they employed.

We had raw bananas, smoothies with banana, banana bread, banana cake with banana cream frosting, banana on cereal, banana pudding... You get the idea (think Bubba Gump Shrimp, but with bananas). We couldn't give enough bananas away! For a couple who would have banana on cereal every morning in addition to one as a snack on most days, no one is more surprised than us that we got sick of eating them. The result was a month-long banana strike... and a loss of my auction privileges.

However, one of life's simple pleasures is homemade banana bread. The delicious smell is like a promise of the sweetness to come. Probably every household that contains a baker has its own recipe; I like to add raisins instead of nuts to ours, and swap some of the whole flour for oats and whole wheat flour. The result is still tender, but delightfully more wholesome.

Banana Bread a la Mike

1/2 c oats

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c Splenda for Baking

1/2 c raisins

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 c Egg Beaters

1/2 c shortening (or 1/4 c each shortening and applesauce)

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend the dry ingredients. Mash the shortening and bananas together, then mix in EggBeater. Mix all ingredients together. Transfer either to a prepared bread pan or prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the top with sugar for some sparkle. The bread should be baked at 350F for one hour, while the muffins should be baked at 400F for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Lately, my husband and I have been enjoying weekend-quality breakfasts even on weekdays. Call it the blessing of a wife on summer break! This morning, I wanted to try a new recipe rather than making my typical pancakes or waffles. Without strawberries, I hesitate to make crepes.

Muffins + Eggs = perfect!

As any good mom of a toddler, I have several varieties of canned fruit to augment the fresh fruit that's in season. So, I pulled out a trusty can of peaches packed in juice to tinker with a recipe from the Dean brothers (of Paula Dean fame) that I saw on Food Network.com. Needless to say, the first ingredient to be changed was the cup of butter...

Note: The recipe calls for self-rising flour. You can make your own with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Peaches and Cream Muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/3 cup sugar or Splenda for Baking
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, butter, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Gently fold in the peaches.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a serving platter and serve immediately or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, before storing.

Makes 10-12 muffins.

Husband-loving Heart Healthy Apple Muffins (Bread)

One of the highlights of summertime is the county fair. We live two streets away from the festivities and walk or bike there every day to enjoy the milkshakes, animals, and carnival games. Every year, there are also two baking contests sponsored by the local 4H Homemakers group. This year, I developed a heart-healthy quick bread recipe to enter in the open class contest.

Mike was super sweet about tasting several iterations of this recipe, as a bread machine bread as well as a muffin, while I honed the quantity of apple, type of apple, and amount of spices. He is always supportive of my projects, big or small. A comment on apple variety: go traditional with Granny Smith, sweet with Gala.

Husband-loving Apple Muffins/Bread
A Heart-healthy (low cholesterol/high fiber) Recipe

½ c Egg beaters
¼ c 2% milk
1/3 c canola oil
¼ c applesauce
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c oat bran flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ c Splenda for baking
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ c apple, diced

1 Tbsp sugar

Combine all the ingredients except the 1 Tbsp sugar, and then spoon into muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

If you prefer a loaf of bread in the oven, bake in a prepared pan at 350 for approximately 1 hour. (Don't forget the sprinkling of sugar on top!)

Lastly, you can dust off your bread machine to use this same recipe. Add the ingredients in the order listed, but omit the last Tbsp of sugar. Bake in the quick bread setting.

Ham & Pepper Calzones

I'm intrigued by the idea of making pizza at home, but I hesitate to compete with the glorious taste of Papa John's delights. Plus, I wanted to serve fewer points at dinner tonight, so here is a great idea: make a calzone.

The warm ham, melted cheese, and sauteed bell peppers are an unbeatable combination. Everyone, including the dog, was excited about the aroma of fresh bread and meat that filled the house. Those of you who are vegetarians could substitute roasted red peppers for the ham. Anyone looking for a place to inject more whole grain could use whole wheat pizza dough like I did.

Ham & Pepper Calzones

2 tsp olive oil

2 bell peppers, sliced (one red, one green)

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz tomato paste

1/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into thin strips

1 lb pizza dough

1 c shredded mozzarrella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile,heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Saute the bell peppers and garlic until tender (5 minutes). Add the ham and cook until lightly browned (3 minutes). Allow this mixture to cool.

Turn out the pizza dough onto a lighlty floured surface. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 10-inch circle. Spread half the tomato paste on a dough circle, sprinkle with half the oregano, alf the ham mixture,and cheese, leaving a one-inch border of dough clean. Fold the dough over the filling, crimping the edges to seal the calzone. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Bake the calzones on a baking sheet prepared with nonstick cooking spray for 20 minutes. Serves 4 (7 points each).

Irish Soda Bread

Wow! I like to celebrate holidays by planning special foods. Not just Christmas an Easter, either. We celebrate any day that has earned special recognition: Flag Day, National Pie Day, etc. So, of course, I made Irish food last night for dinner. It doesn't matter that neither Mike nor I have any Irish heritage.

This was one of the best breads I'd ever made. It is hearty and sweet at the same time. Without restraint, I would have eaten half the loaf by myself last night!

Irish Soda Bread

1 1/2 c + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c raisins

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c buttermilk ( I used 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar and the remaining volume of milk)

3 Tbsp honey

1 tsp sugar

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, except the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and honey, then pour over the flour mixture. Stir until the dough is mixed and not a second more. Sprinkle your work surface and hands with flour, then knead the dough seven time. Form the dough into a round loaf and mark with a cross hatch on top. Sprinkle suger over the bread. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes on a baking sheet prepared with non-stick cooking spray. Serves 10 (leprechauns I presume) for 2 points each.

Popovers

Last time I tried to make popovers, we joked that they would be better dubbed "stuckins". These, however, flopped right out of the dishes with ease. These popovers are a great accompaniment to soups and stews, but they would also be a great breakfast item. Serve them hot out of the oven with butter (or margarine) and your favorite jelly inside the lovely, eggy cavity in the center of each. You won't mind a bit if your hand gets a bit sticky. I know we don't!

There are three things you need to know for success with this impressive alternative to dinner rolls. When people say that all good things come to those who wait, they're referring to popovers. Second, you cannot over-spray the dishes. Third, do not, under any circumstances, open the oven to peek during the cooking time or they will fall. We all know you will be dying to open the oven door when you walk over the change the temperature; after all, you're only human.

Popovers
1 c bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c 1% milk, warmed
2 Tbsp melted light margarine
3/4 c egg substitute

Preheat the oven to 425 degree. Meanwhile, mix together the flour and salt in a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, margarine, and egg substitute. Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the milk mixture, and whisk to make a smooth batter. Set the batter aside for 10 minutes.

Place 6 Pyrex dishes on a cookie sheet (or do this with a popover pan, if you happen to be a kitchen gadget aficionado) and heat them in the oven for 5 minutes. Then, spray the dishes liberally with cooking spray. OK, give yourself a pep talk about not opening the oven for the next 40 minutes. Ladle the batter into the dishes and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Without opening the oven to check on the popovers, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately poke each one's center top with a paring knife to release steam. Serve immediately. Serves 6 (or fewer, if you want to really satisfy a primal bread craving).