p.s. you know at really nice bakeries they sell “day old” baked goods for $1? That’s the best deal ever! Yes, I like to bake. Yes, I think I’m good at baking. But no, I’m not someone who only eats fresh day-of goods.

Ingredients
Source: Baking Illustrated
Scones
1 1/2 cups rolled oats or quick oats
1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted
1/4 cup whole milk (I used almond milk because it’s what I had on hand)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (B.I. recommends Gold Medal or Pillsbury. I used Whole Foods brand)
1/3 cup sugar plus 1 T. for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. butter, cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Glaze
3 T. maple syrup
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375
1. Spread oats and chopped pecans onto baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and lightly brown, 7-9 minutes.
2. Increase oven temperature to 450. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. When the oats are cooled, set 2 T. aside
3. Whisk milk, cream, maple syrup and egg in a large measuring cup. Remove 1 T. from bowl and set aside for glazing
4. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a food processor fitted wit a metal blade and process until combined. Scatter butter pieces over mixture and process until mixture resembles cornmeal, with twelve to fourteen 1-second pulses.
5. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add in oats and pecans. Using a rubber spatula, fold in wet ingredients until large clumps form. Using your hand, gently knead mixture in the bowl until it becomes a cohesive mass.
6. Dust work surface with half of leftover oats sprinkle the rest on top. Gently pat the batter into a 7-inch circle about 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Brush the surfaces with leftover milk/maple syrup/egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 T. sugar. Bake until golden brown, 11-13 minutes.
8. To make the glaze: whisk confectioner’s sugar and maple syrup together until combined and smooth. Once the scones are cool, using a spoon, drizzle glaze over scones.

Voila!

Ingredients
Source: Slightly adapted from Ezra Pound Cake
Bread
1 1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted and divided
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 (15-oz) can pure pumpkin
1 cup water
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and line with parchment paper 2 9×5 loaf pans.
1. Toast pecans. Spread pecans on baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil. toast for 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup for streusel topping.
bread
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, pumpkin and water, and whisk until combined.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, spices and salt just until combined.
4. Gently stir in 1 cup pecan pieces.
5. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans

topping/finale
6. With your fingers, mix the sugar, butter, cinnamon and the reserved 1/2 cup of pecan pieces in a medium bowl. Pieces should be the size of peas. Sprinkle the topping over the loaves or muffins before baking.
7. Bakes the loaves for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Voila!

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
2 oz. sliced prosciutto, shredded into ribbons
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 oz. Parmesan cheese shavings
5 oz. (8 cups) arugula
raspberry vinaigrette, to taste

Directions
1. Place arugula in salad bowl. Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Mix with dressing and serve.

Voila!

For some of you that are wondering: what do I look for when I research recipes? 1. The quality of the website. Is the recipe from Frankenstein’s Favorite Foods? Or is it from a reputable site like Joy of Baking or Simply Recipes? 2. Quality of the photos. Does the food have an unnatural yellowish tone and looks like they took the photo in the basement of their house? Or does the food actually looks appealing/mouthwatering? 3. Beyond aesthetics, I also look for recipes to get ideas. One recipe may use spices that another doesn’t, so looking at multiple recipes can influence the final result.

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Joy of Baking
Makes 16 mini-loaves (half the recipe to make 1 9×5 loaf)
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
2 T. orange zest
8 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and line mini-pans with parchment paper
1. Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
2. In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg with the orange juice and vanilla extract.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and orange zest.
4. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend it into the flour mixture using your fingers or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the chopped cranberries and nuts. Pour into the prepared mini-pans and bake for 22 minutes (if making it in a 9×5 pan, bake for 50-60 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Voila!

Ingredients
Source: My Tasty Curry
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 Cups fresh cilantro
1 oz. Parmesan cheese
3-6 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
1. Put all the ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process it.
2. Scrape the sides down and drizzle olive oil, pulse the machine till all the oil is well incorporated and creates smooth paste
3. Spoon it out in a jar and use as needed. Note: I’ve found that if I add pesto to cooked pasta, it cools down the pasta. Keep the pesto warm by heating it up a bit in the microwave before mixing it with the pasta.

Voila!

I decided to go with a Dutch apple pie recipe, which means there’s a streusel topping instead of a pie crust on top. I didn’t have sour cream so I used greek yogurt and it is delicious! The pie is super moist and all I have to say is mmmmmmmmmmm.

But wait! The story doesn’t stop here. I had left over dough and filling, so in a flash of inspiration I pulled out the mini-tart pans and went to work. The leftover apple slices were too big for mini-tart pans so in another flash of inspiration (I was on a roll. I felt like I was in Chopped kitchen with Ted Allen watching me), I thought I could emulsify the apples into some sort of apple custard. I tried it with an electric handmixer. No good. Just splatters everywhere. Tried a blender. That kind-of-but-mostly-didn’t work. The apples were more chopped up than before and small enough to fit into the mini-tart pans. Time flew and before I knew it I had 5 pans on my hands.

And finally, I want to thank one of my closest friends for the mini-pie dishes. They are adorable and mean so much to me. She gave them to me after my dad was diagnosed with MSA and decided to make my dad pie’s as often as possible. I love her for it. Thank you.

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes
filling
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
2/3 cup sugar
2 T. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
3 1/2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, sliced thin
1 9″ (or mini-pie dishes) unbaked pie shell, frozen or chilled in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (store-bought or homemade)

topping
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 400
1. Beat together sour cream or yogurt, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg (can beat by hand) in a large bowl. Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.
2. Put filling into a pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.
3. While pie is cooking, mix together topping ingredients in one bowl
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with topping. Bake for and additional 20 more minutes.
5. Let cool before serving

Voila!

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting pan
1/4 cup rolled oats, plus 1 handful for topping
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. all-spice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
1 1/2 cup cranberries

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch pan and line with parchment paper
1. In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, all-spice and salt.
2. In a measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. To the buttermilk, add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs, light brown sugar and white sugar together until thick and pale, approximately 3-5 minutes. Mix in smashed banana and buttermilk mixture. In two batches, add flour mixture, mixing until just combined, being sure not to overmix.
4. Fold in cranberries and transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Top with a handful of rolled oats.
5. Bake quick bread for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert bread onto a rack to cool. Bread will be moist up to 3-4 days. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to preserve its freshness.

Voila!

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Baking Illustrated
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely and toasted
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour loaf pan.
1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and toasted walnuts in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix mashed bananas, yogurt or sour cream, eggs, butter and vanilla.
3. Lightly fold in the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Fold in figs and chocolate chips. Pour batter into loaf pan.
4. Bake until loaf is golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 45-55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. (Bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to three days.)

Ingredients
Source: Adapted from Epicurious
3-10 oz bags frozen cranberries
1 bottle of wine, mixed with 1/3-2/3 cups of sugar
2 1/4 cups orange juice
1-7 oz.bag dried figs, quartered
1 2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions
1. Dissolve between 1/3 plus 1/6 cup of sugar in wine
2. Mix all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes. Tweak sugar and spices as needed.
3. Turn heat off and let cool completely before covering and placing in the fridge overnight.

Voila!

We’re now going to travel to a little town in Poland where James’ (paternal) great-great grandmother, Anna Butenas Yesenofski, born in 1886, made poppyseed rolls. Anna brought the recipe with her from Poland when when she sailed for America alone in 1904! This recipe got passed down the line to James’ mom; and just this weekend James’ mom passed it on to me. Do you realize what that means? This recipe has been passed down and baked for more than 107+ years! Talk about tradition! (note: the recipe below has been adapted overtime for 20th and 21st century bakers).

James snagged a few pieces before I snapped the photo (evidence: James' shoes)

Ever since I started celebrating the holidays with James’ family, poppyseed rolls and Kotecki Krunch have been part of the festivities. I’m so excited to now be part of this tradition! My favorite part of this recipe is Direction #14.

Rollin' and shmearin' poppyseed fillin'!

Ingredients
4 sticks butter
1 cup full fat sour cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs + 2 more for brushing
3 dry packets regular yeast dissolved in 2 cups warm water for 5 minutes
10 cups flour
4+ cans poppyseed filling (find in your local grocer, order online, go to upstate NY or Chicago Polish markets)
1 generous cup golden raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Melt butter in a very large pan, then turn off heat.
2. Add all other ingredients (except filling) one at a time, mixing well after each.
3. Knead a little right in the pan.
4. Cover pan with a towel and allow to rise 4 hours in a non-drafty/warm spot.
5. Knead a little again in the pan, adding flour as needed. As Grandma K says “Remember, you can’t hurt that dough…use as much flour as you need to so it rolls out easily without sticking”.
6. Grease cookie sheets.
7. Separate dough into 16 balls.
8. Sprinkle flour on smooth clean surface and roll out one dough ball at a time to approximately 8×6″ rectangle….not too thin….flour sprinkled when needed as you go.
9. Spread with a generous 1/4 cup of poppyseed filling, mixed with some raisins if desired, and spread to the edges gently with plastic spatula or spoon.
10. Starting with the shorter side, roll up and place on greased pan, seam side down. Usually you can fit three per cookie sheet….they expand quite a bit as they cook.
11. Brush dough with egg
12. Bake at approximately 26 minutes, or until golden. Let cool then slice. They’re really good warmed up for 10 seconds in the microwave.
13. Let cool, then you must test for quality control! They freeze very well when wrapped in heavy foil….and make great holiday gifts!
14. Enjoy and share the love!

Voila!