2 ¼ cups flour ¾ cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 2 eggs ¾ cup milk 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract   Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a medium size bowl and stir until well blended.  In a separate container, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and beat until smooth.  Use a donut batter dispenser (see note below) and fry in 2 inches of oil 365° to 375° F., about 2 min

Fastnachts 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 sugar ¾ tsp. ground mace or nutmeg 1 cup sour cream (room temperature) 2 eggs (room temperature) 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder Vegetable oil for frying Cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar for topping  In a medium size bowl, combine oil, sugar, sour cream, and eggs and beat with a whisk for two minutes.  In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder and stir until thoroughly combined.  Add egg mixture and

Strawberry Cream Scones--use the good china! If I were going to choose a recipe to teach to a newbie baker an I had less than an hour, I would definitely choose scones as my ideal recipe: easy to make, infinitely versatile, using simple ingredients and prepared with ordinary equipment. AND you get to eat them, warm with butter, within forty-five minutes or less. What's not to love? Vintage pastry blenders Some people might take exception to the "ordinary equipment" part, sin

Need a quick sweet treat to spoil your spouse or thank a co-worker? These puff pastry Chocolate Bites are just what you need! You can use frozen pastry sheets, but why not make Homemade Puff Pastry to show you really care? Makes 24 bites, so you can give away the good looking ones and keep a few "seconds" to sample yourself! 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry 24 small squares of chocolate Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray 24 mini muffin-pan cups with veget

Bouchée comes from the French for "mouth" and  these tiny pastries will disappear in just a couple of bites! Ingredients 1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry Large and small cookie cutters of the same shape Egg wash (one whole egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) Filling of choice (pudding, pie filling, etc.) Whipped cream Preheat oven to 400° F. and line a baking sheet with parchment or cooking spray. Roll pastry sheet out to about 9” x 9”. Use the larger of your two cookie cutter

These breakfast treats are a  great addition to a special breakfast or brunch. You can use my Quick Puff Pastry or the frozen sheets in the grocery store (but my pastry is better, and yours will be, too!)  1 batch of Quick Puff Pastry  ¼ cup shredded cheese 4 large eggs Salt, pepper, garnish (parsley, chives, etc.) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. You can also use cooking spray or a silicone baking mat.  On a lightly floured surfac

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup (one stick) cold butter 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup minced fresh chives 8 oz. bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (about 1 cup) 1 cup sour cream  Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet and set aside. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl whisk together until blended. Work the butter into th

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt¼ cup (½ stick) cold butter cut into slices 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (2 tsp. dried) 2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (1 tablespoon dried) ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (¼ teaspoon dried and ground) ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil) ¾ cup crushed tomatoes  Preheat oven to 425° F. and lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch cake pan.  In a medium

Sweet puff pastry treats to share with family and friends.

Homemade Bagels are a little more work, but totally worth it! Bagels   Dough 1 ½ cups warm water 1 package active dry yeast 2 teaspoons brown sugar ½ teaspoon salt 3½ cups bread flour (see note)   Boiling Water 3 tablespoons of honey   Baking Egg wash Toppings like poppyseed, sesame seed, onion flakes, etc.   Place the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl and add the yeast and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve and allow to develop for 5 to 10 minutes

This yummy coffeecake can be made with any basic roll dough, but I'm including the recipe that works especially well. The batch of dough will make two coffeecakes, so consider making cinnamon rolls with the remainder and popping them in the freezer for later, or make something share with a friend. Ingredients - Basic Coffee Cake Dough 2 packages active dry yeast ¼ cup warm (110° F) water 1 cup milk (skim, 2%, or whole milk all OK) ¼ cup of butter ¼ cup sugar 1½ teaspoons salt