You know, Pinterest can be a time suck. Especially when you
are new to the social media site. But over time, I have come to enjoy my time
with Pinterest. It keeps me occupied during lulls in Giant’s games, helps me
decide on projects to introduce at my monthly craft circle, and it provides me
with a never-ending wealth of recipes.
I have Pinterest boards for Breakfast, Lunch, Appetizers,
Dinner, and Dessert. There is a general Food category, Party food, High Tea, and
Inspired Food, which I share with Brilliant Daughter. Easter, Halloween, and
Christmas boards all have food items on them, and there’s a secret Paleo/Atkins
board when I want a substitute for carbs.
Needless to say, that’s a whole lotta pins.
So, I thought I would share some of my more positive
experiences with Pinterest recipes. (Because, believe me, not all recipes turn
out wonderfully….)
I thought I would start with two breakfast items: Lemon-Blueberry Bread and Cinnamon Swirl Donut Bread. Back in the
day…when all my kids were at home, I often made breads, muffins, scones,
coffeecakes, etc. Over the last few years, these items have been few and far
between. But I now cook every week for a friend with cancer. I like to include both a breakfast item and a
dessert, along with 3 meals. (The more calories, the better.) So, I spend every Saturday and/or Sunday on food
prep and baking.
The Blueberry-Lemon Bread recipe originally came from Glorious
Treats. Her pictures are far
more appetizing than mine could ever be, so I didn’t even bother with snapping
a photo. This moist breakfast bread is the perfect foil for my Meyer lemons.
(And yes, I still have about a dozen left on the tree!)
The tartness of the lemons with the sweetness of the
blueberries, all tucked nicely into a slightly sweet and dense cake-like quick
bread was a big hit with all who tried it. Perfect with a cup of tea (or
coffee), good for morning or afternoon (or even for dessert!). You will not be
disappointed. I promise.
Note: I also tried making this bread with dried
blueberries, but it just didn’t work. You need the moisture of the fresh
berries to keep the bread from being too dry. While it was still tasty, it was
only about 40% as good as the original recipe using fresh blueberries.
Blueberry-Lemon Bread
recipe can be found here.
My second Pinterest find for today is Cinnamon Swirl Donut
Bread from Lauren’s Latest.
I chose this recipe because it reminded me of one of the first things I
learned to cook in high school home ec. We made these very simple plain cake
muffins. No spices or fruit or nuts inside. Just a plain cake muffin. But when
they came out of the oven, and were still warm, we rolled them in melted butter
and then in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Oh. My. God. They were delicious. I must have made those
things dozens of time every year until I went to college. (Then I lost the
recipe and the internet wasn’t a thing way back then.)
This recipe has a similar bent, but instead of that plain
cake mixture, it has a swirl of tasty cinnamon goodness. It took only about 5
minutes to make it and there are no fancy ingredients. In fact I had everything
in the house, except the buttermilk, and you can make your own quite easily.
In essence, you have a tasty batter, of which you take out ½
cup and add a bit of cinnamon and molasses. Then you layer your plain
mixture—cinnamon mixture—plain mixture and then give it a quick swirl. Pop it
in the oven for 45 minutes and let it cool for about 10. While it cools, you melt
some butter and make the cinnamon-sugar coating. (I put the butter in a sheet
cake pan and then in the cooling oven to melt.)
Pop out the bread, roll it into the butter and then coat all
sides with the sugar. We actually had some while it was still slightly warm –
better than any donut I’ve ever had. Seriously, you’ve got to try this, but be
prepared; it won’t last for long!
Cinnamon Swirl Donut
bread recipe here.