A little bit of Southern charm: Beignets

Cinnamon rolls on Sunday mornings has become tradition in our house. And usually, I cop out by just buying mine pre-made from the grocery store and all I have to do is pop them in the oven, then BAM! Instant happiness for my family.

Unfortunately, when I went to the grocery store this week - I forgot to buy the beloved cinnamon rolls (I blame pregnancy brain), and thus, I'm given horrified stares the night before.

It's not that I have a problem with making cinnamon rolls from scratch - I actually prefer them that way.

It's the fact that i refuse to wake up at 5am to have them ready for breakfast.

Maybe later in the pregnancy when my insomnia kicks in, but not at this point - no siree.

So while contemplating a good substitute (and believe me, I have a plethora of cinnamon roll substitutes), I decided to browse Pinterest this morning while watching cartoons with my daughter. And low and behold, I came across a Southern classic that I have yet to grace my family with.

Beignets.

Deep-fried, sugar-covered, French donuts.

They're better than donuts in my opinion, especially when I saturate them with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. Oh. My. Gosh.

Now don't get me wrong here, I am not a fan of any kind of deep-fried food. 

I know, I know. You gasp and wail in the shame of the Southerner that I am - believe me, my husband does. But I have never been one for the greasy, deep-fried stuff that my American counterparts seem to love.

I blame it on my mom who raised me as a health-nut.

I was even a vegetarian when I worked at a summer camp on a ranch. Don't even ask how I managed that.

But. I love these.

Back to the beignets.

I found these babies on Pinterest (I actually have a Lousisana/French cuisine cookbook with the same recipe, but I was too lazy to dig it out), so props go to Chocolate, Chocolate and More.

Let me tell you, beignets sound scary, but they're super easy to make.

Yes, they have to rise like every other yeast-based dough, but it's a one-hour rise time and then it's straight to cooking and they cook up crazy fast.

Also, you can tweak the recipe as needed and they stay pretty much the same.

So without further ado,

Buttermilk Beignets

(Adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate and More's recipe for Buttermilk Beignets)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4-5 cups bread flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Oil for frying
• Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan until just warm. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, yeast, sugar, and milk. Stir to combine. Let the mixture rest for about five minutes or until the yeast mixture begins to foam. 
2. Add in 4 cups of bread flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. With a dough hook, mix on low until all the ingredients are combined (about 3-5 minutes). Switch speed to medium and knead the mixture until the dough begins to pull away from the sides. Add bread flour by 1/4 cup as needed. The dough should still be sticky.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour.
4. In a fryer or large pan, pour in about 3 inches of oil and preheat oil to 375 degrees over medium heat. Line a draining rack or plate with paper towels and set to the side.
5. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll out dough into a square and then fold it over itself a few times. Roll it out again to about 1/2 inch thickness. Folding the dough will help create air pockets and make the beignets fluffy.
6. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch squares (I never measure my squares, but I like them about the size of my palm). Gentle stretch your squares and then drop them into the hot oil.
7. Let fry for about a minute on each side until golden brown, then remove them to a plate and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
8. Repeat with remaining squares and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, feel free to check out some more of my recipes!

Photos taken with iPhone4 and edited with iPhoto.
All images owned by Butcher, Baker, and the Homemaker.

Easy Strawberry Smoothie

I love breakfast.

It's one of my favorite meal times in the day. 

You can have something sweet or savory, or both.
It can be quick like a smoothie or time-consuming like cinnamon rolls.

Plus, when you have a great breakfast - it just seems to start your day off right.

Lately, breakfast has been the hardest thing for me to get going.

I don't feel like eating and when I do eat, I feel even worse.

Not only that, but I'm slowly running out of breakfast ideas that I haven't already made.

So what is there left to save the day?

Smoothies.

Personally, I think this version tastes a bit like Smoothie King's. It's creamy, thick, and flavorful.

Not to mention my daughter loves them.

They're easy enough for me to gulp down and be full without feeling the after effects.
And the nice thing about smoothies is that you can enjoy them any time of the day.

A lot of substitutions can't be made with this recipe.

I generally like to use coconut milk, but seeing as I was out - I opted for regular milk.

My strawberries and blueberries were already frozen which makes for a creamier and colder treat (thanks to an over abundance of summer bounty and sales).

I definitely recommend using frozen fruit.
Also, you can really use any variety of fruit for this recipe. It's incredible versatile.
Plain Greek yogurt will transform any smoothie.

Easy Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (can be any kind from almond to whole)
• 1-2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberry Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey

Directions

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend away! If your berries are fresh, feel free to add a few ice cubes to make it colder.

Seriously. Was that not easy?

Sorry for the lack of decent pictures, I was on a time crunch.

Photos were taken with an iPhone 4 and edited with iPhoto.

All photos belong to Butcher, Baker, and the Homemaker.

Banana Bread with Streusel Swirl

The warm smell of baked bread wafting through the house in the early morning. It's a homey smell, laced with warm cinnamon.

It's a smell I woke up to a lot in my childhood home.

The smell of freshly baked banana bread.

Oh, the memories.

My mother has a slight obsession with baking this Southern comfort food during the summertime and especially in the holidays. But who doesn't love Banana Bread?!

The recipe I used for this is a tried-and-true family recipe that goes all the way back to my Great-Grandmother in the 1950s.
It's a bit different than my own, but I couldn't think of a better recipe to share with you than this version.

It's a very sturdy version, that bakes up beautifully into a tall one pound loaf. I've tweaked this a tiny bit and added a streusel filling and topping along with some chocolate chips. I have a lovely coffee cake recipe that's my go-to (I'll add this later) and rather than make two different things, I thought I would combine them.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

Firstly, gather your ingredients!

Cream the shortening and sugar.

Beat your two eggs in a small glass before adding them to your batter. I like to use my Norman Rockwell collector's glasses. Also add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and lemon juice at this point. Mix it well!

Finally, add in the rest of your ingredients and mix until it's all incorporated and looks delicious!

Be sure to preheat your oven to 375 F and put half of the batter in a well-greased loaf pan.

Now it's time for streusel!

Combine all of your streusel ingredients in a bowl (I used a glass bowl, I promise it's not just sitting on my counter!) and crumble with your hands until the butter is well incorporated in everything. It should be crumbly, not wet. Put a very generous layer of streusel (about half of what's in the bowl) on the batter that's in your pan and sprinkle generously with chocolate chips. I like the mini kind.

Pour the remaining batter on top. Use a knife to swirl the batter and the streusel filling around in your loaf pan. Top with remaining streusel and some more chocolate chips (if you feel like it). Put it in the oven and bake until set and a knife comes out easily without a lot of batter on it. 

Note: The knife test might come out with butter on it from the streusel filling. This is fine.

My Little Bird enjoying some of the finished product for breakfast this morning. 

Big slice for a little girl.

Mers' Banana Bread

• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. mashed bananas (about 3)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Streusel Filling

• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 4 tbsp. cold butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream shortening and sugar in a stand mixer. Beat eggs in a separate glass or bowl and add to the creamed mixture. Add in mashed bananas (or whole overly-ripened bananas - which will smash themselves), lemon juice, and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl and add to the wet mixture in batches to make sure it's well-incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter for the streusel until crumbly.

Pour half of the banana bread batter into a well-greased loaf pan. Sprinkle streusel filling on the batter and adorn with chocolate chips. Add in remaining batter and swirl with a knife to get a swirl effect. Top with remaining streusel and chocolate chips.

Bake in the oven for an hour or until bread is set and knife comes out clean.*

Makes 1 one pound loaf.

* Baking times vary depending on the weather or the type of oven you have.

Photos were taken with my iPhone 4 and edited on iPhoto.