Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I know I talk about it PLENTY....but I always have tons of blueberries at my house.  We load up in the summertime, and I love having them year-round for smoothies, baked goods, syrups, etc.  

I made this one night when I wanted some breakfast for dinner.  So after whipping this up and having some omlets, dinner was served...and it was AWESOME!  Enjoy :)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar

Zest of one lemon

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 cups of flour (divided)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 cups of fresh blueberries

1 tbsp white sugar (for the top)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together with a mixer until creamy & smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the blueberries and toss to coat evenly. Mix the remaining flour together with the baking powder and salt until well mixed. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries gently. Spread batter into the pan evenly. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top of the batter. Side note: The batter will be very thick.

Place into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  For the Love of Cooking

Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

I hate that we live far away from family.  I LOVE when they come visit :)  This time they came up to visit in the heart of October, so I tried to plan lots of fun fall time activities.  We went and pressed apple cider, decorated cookies, painted pumpkins, went hiking, and ate lots of good food.  We made these cookies, and they are soooo good!  Homemade frosting completed the yummy cookies, and it was great to have lots of helpers around to eat all these cookies...otherwise I would have!

Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

For the Cookies:

6 cups flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups light sour cream

For the Frosting:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

6 tablespoons heavy cream

Several drops food coloring

Sprinkles

In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough needs to obtain the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour). Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Generously flour a work area and rolling pin. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined.

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Recipe Source: Sweet Peas Kitchen

Banana Blueberry Bread

To let the truth me told...I miss food blogging like I used to.  I miss getting excited to try new recipes EVERY SINGLE DAY.  No lie, for a period of about 3 years, we did not eat the same dinner twice (well, it was a rare occasion anyway).  On Sundays when the ads and coupons came, I would make my game plan for the week (many times I would meal plan for 2 weeks at a time), and Monday I'd hit the store with my list and coupons in hand.  I only went to the store every 2 weeks back then.  I spent a heck of a lot less money doing it this way.  

When my husband got out of professional school and we moved across the country, and our income was a bit more, I just got out of the habit...because lets face it, couponing takes time...lots of time.  By the time you match the coupons to the sales at different stores, meal plan around the ads, make your way to all those stores, it takes a lot of time.  I want to find a happy medium to where I can save a bit of money, still try new things all the time, AND not go to the store every other day for things I have forgotten.  I'll post back on how that goes.  

We've been eating a lot of bananas at our house lately.  By the time each of my 3 boys and I each eat one every day, we are going through bunches and bunches every week.  I was surprised I even had a banana with a brown spot on it.  I have been craving banana bread for a while now, and I saw this recipe using blueberries (which I have a plethora of in my freezer), so I decided to go for it.  This bread is perfectly moist, and the blueberries are a nice change from the regular old banana bread.  A winner for sure :)

Banana Blueberry Bread


4 ripe bananas ~ 1 1/2c mashed
1 c fresh blueberries
1 1/4 c flour (I use 1/2 c wheat, 3/4 c AP)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbls butter, softened
3/4 c light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325. Peel and mash the bananas.  Stir in the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the dry ingredients. Pour half of the flour and baking soda mixture into the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Add the blueberries to the remaining dry ingredients and coat the blueberries with the flour mixture.  Stir in the blueberries and remaining dry ingredients just until combined.

Grease and flour a bread pan and the pour the mixture in.  Let the bread bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.  Slice, serve, and enjoy! I love seeing the bright blueberries and banana chunks in each slice of bread - YUM!

Recipe Source:  Mom On Timeout

Want more bread recipes?  Try one of these:


Chocolate Chip Zucchini Walnut Bread


Lemon Zucchini Bread


Copycat Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread


Double Chocolate Banana Bread