Delicious, Easy, Mix & Pour Amish Cinnamon Bread

When I saw this recipe and shared it on Face book I knew I would make it and I have today!  My house smells delicious from it's baking and I think it just delightful.

There seems so many ways to serve this.  As a tea bread,  a sliced loaf cake topped with whipped cream or peaches? Maybe spread with a cream cheese and  apricot spread?  It seems a very handy bread to have in my freezer which is where one of the two loaves will go.  One thing I can attest too, I really do like this a lot.  It reminds me of a sour cream coffee cake but less dense and more tender.

Ingredients for Amish Cinnamon Bread:l

THE BATTER
2 sticks soft butter (1 cup)
2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
2 C. buttermilk
4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla

THE TOPPING
2/3 C. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter 2 loaf pans and set them aside.  Stir together the topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and eggs beating with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Mix in the buttermilk, flour, salt, and soda.  Fold in the vanilla then spread each of the 2 pans half full of the batter.  Sprinkle the batter with 3/4's of the cinnamon and sugar.  Cover the cinnamon layer with the remaining batter and smooth topping with the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Use a table knife to swirl through the batter.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until a bamboo skewer tests clean when placed in the center of the loaf.  Remove from the oven and cool 20 minutes then loosen the edges with a knife and invert to remove from the pans.  Place on racks and cool completely.  After cold wrap well in plastic wrap or bags until ready to slice and serve.  Double wrap to freeze.  Yield 2 loaves

Ramblings:  The aroma of cinnamon is said to be an aphrodisiac to men.  Just so you know!

Hash Brown Casserole with Broccoli Raisin Salad and Prime Sirloin Steak Dinner (Beef Grades)

We really like all sorts of potato dishes and when they can be prepared ahead and look good as well as easy it is a dish worth trying!  This is an adaptation of a recipe I saw Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman make on TV one day a few weeks ago.  This really made a great supper with Broccoli Raisin Salad and Skillet Roasted Sirloin Steaks I found at a bargain price.  The truth is the potatoes were good but not stellar as I would term some of our other favorite potato dishes.  It was liked but not "loved"!  So, I think they were worth a try and perhaps a repeat appearance on our families table,

Ingredients for Hash Brown Casserole:

1, 2 pound bag of frozen square cut hash brown potatoes
1 large onion diced
4 assorted spicy hot peppers diced (I used 2 jalapeno, 1 banana pepper, and 1 chili pepper, seeds and membrane removed and diced)
3 C. shredded cheese (I used half cheddar and half Jack)
8 slices cooked bacon and  2T. of the drippings

Cook the bacon until just before it is crispy in a large heavy skillet then remove and reserve.  Pour off the excess bacon drippings reserving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet to sauté
the vegetables in.

Toss the onion into the skillet and drippings then sauté about a minute next add the diced peppers and cook 2-3 minutes more until tender crisp.  Add the hash brown potatoes and brown.  Meanwhile butter a 2-3 quart casserole.

Add half of the potatoes and peppers mixture to the dish.  Top with half of the cheese.  Layer the rest of the potatoes then the rest of the cheese.  Top with the bacon.  At this point you can cover and refrigerate for later or bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30-40 minutes until bubbling hot.

To go to the recipe for Broccoli Raisin Salad just click on the following link!    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2010/08/broccoli-raisin-salad.html     Note:   This is a favorite favorite salad recipe from the old Lazarus cookbook.



I have been going to our local Sam's Club and do not normally buy meat there but love their produce. When there last week they did have a special I could not pass up without trying!  Prime (meat grade) sirloin steak.  Please click on the following link for a further explanation of understanding  beef grades.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/05/beef-grades.html  This grade you do not see just every day as those of you who know about meat grades can attest.  Plus the price was like maybe 5 or 6 dollars a pound (as I recall)??   So, with not much to lose by trying it I bought a package.


Ingredients for the Sirloin Steak:

Sirloin Steak trimmed and 1/2-5/8" thick
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 T. oil
2 t. butter

Allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before preparing.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.   Salt and pepper the steaks generously.  Heat a cast iron skillet until it is SCREAMING hot.  Add the oil to the pan and then the steaks and butter.  Sear 3-4 minutes on the first side.  Turn the steak then remove the pan from the stove to the preheated oven.  Leave in the oven about 4-5 minutes for medium rare.  6-7 minutes for medium.  Remove from the oven to a board or platter and tent with foil.  Let the meat sit for 8-10 minutes then serve.  ( Take the meat out of the hot skillet or it may over cook.  It needs to sit outside the pan on a platter or board.)  Easy and delicious!  I only cooked enough steak to serve 2 but froze an additional 4 servings for use another day.

The sirloin steak was the star of this meal and I will buy Prime sirloin steak again should I be fortunate enough to find it!

Note:  These cooking times may vary a bit based on the heat level of the burners.  I am using a 13,000 BTU gas burner for the sear and a gas oven for the roast.

Vanilla, Vanilla Ice Cream

My birthday was in March and I am the new owner of a Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker.
I am astounded at the simplicity and speed at which this new appliance works.  Gees!  I am used to the old salt and crank ice cream.  This little machine is easy all around and fast!  Ice cream in 20-25 minutes do far.  Yummy too.  MY RULE is to place the "CHILL" bowl into the bottom of the freezer and just leave it there until needed.  After using wash, dry, and place it back in the bottom of the freezer until next time.  Then I am always ready!

This weekend I adapted 2 recipes from the manufactures recipe book and they were both great.  Here is the first.

Ingredients for Simple Vanilla Ice Cream:

1 C. 2% milk
3/4 C. sugar
2 C. heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 T. pure vanilla

Whisk together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Add the cream and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Assemble the "chill" bowl and paddle in the ice cream maker and pour in the chilled liquid.  Place the cover on and turn ON.  Let it mix 20-25 minutes until it is the consistency of frozen soft serve.

I make it ahead and freeze to serve later or you could serve now.  I remove the ice cream to a covered container and freeze.  Yield about 5 cups.

Ingredients for Custard Style Vanilla Ice Cream:

2 C. 2% milk
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. sugar divided
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1 T. pure vanilla

Using a heavy bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half the sugar, and salt.  Bring to just BEFORE the boiling point.

While the milk mixture is heating combine the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until very pale and thick.

When the hot mixture is just prior to the bowl whisk about 1/3 of it into the eggs, whisk in the other 1/3 of the mixture then return it all back to the saucepan.    Use a wooden spoon and stir the mixture over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the spoon.  DO NOT BOIL!  It should thicken slightly in only a few seconds.

Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer and cool to room temperature.  Next refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Install the "CHILL" bowl from the freezer to the appliance and add the paddle and cold custard.  A fix the cover and turn the ice cream maker on.  Let it churn and freeze for 20-25 minutes.  This will be soft frozen and can be served or stored in a covered dish in the freezer until ready to serve.  Yield 6 cups.