Yellow Cake

Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks butter) softened
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs and 1 yolk
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

In medium bowl mix dry ingredients. In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs one at a time. Add buttermilk (will look curdled). Add flour in 3 additions.

Spread in prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup/2 sticks butter (softened)

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tblsp lemon zest

2 cup sugar

2 whole eggs & 3 egg yolks

1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tblsp

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

1 lemon sliced thinly & seeded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour 2 8x2 inch pans.

In medium bowl mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (1 and 1/2 cups of sugar). Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Alternate flour and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour. Mix until combined. Divide butter between pans, smooth out and bake 32-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. 

Boil 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water and add lemon slices and cook for around 15-20 minutes.

Remove lemon slices and boil syrup with remaining lemon juice (2-3 tblsp).

Poke holes in warm cakes and brush syrup with pastry brush. 

Frost with lemon buttercream and top with candied slices.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:
3 over-ripe bananas (smashed)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Topping
1 tblsp unsalted butter (cold)
2 tblsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together smashed bananas, olive oil, sour cream, sugars, vanilla and eggs until well combined. In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients together and add to banana mixture.

Mix flour/brown sugar and cut in butter, crumble heaping teaspoons to cover muffins. Makes 24 regular (bake for 25 minutes) or 48 mini-muffins(bake for 15 minutes).  

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tblsp baking powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl, cover and let stand for around 20 minutes. 

Heat large pan on high. Separate dough into desired size pieces and roll into a ball. Roll out the dough on floured surface. Reduce the pan heat to medium. Cook until bubbling begins (around 15-20 seconds). Flip tortilla and repeat. Keep finished tortillas on plate covered with clean towel to keep warm.

Cinnamon Swirl Quick-Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tblsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk (or yogurt or sour cream)
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Pour half of batter into the pan. Sprinkle with 1/8 to 1/4 cups sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Pour remaining batter in the pan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar on top and bake for 45-50 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).

Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients:
1/4 oz package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tblsp sugar
- Mix above ingredients until yeast/sugar dissolve (15 min) 

3 tblsp honey
2 tblsp olive oil

3 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tblsp chopped dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil

Mix all ingredients with wooden spoon until combined but crumbly. Knead dough by hand until well combined and completely smooth for around 8-10 minutes.

Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a mixing bowl, roll dough to coat with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand in warm place for at least 2 hours.

Punch down risen dough. Add olive oil to baking sheet and spread dough to ends. Dimple dough with finger tips, cover and let rise again around 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is simple to make and can be altered depending on personal preferences. Feel free to add your favorite seasonings or fruits to this recipe to develop your own cranberry sauce. 

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh whole cranberries

1 cup of sugar

Approximately 1 & 1/2 cups of water

Peel of 1 orange

Pinch of fresh grated ginger

Juice from 1/2 an orange

Put cranberries, sugar and water in a pot and boil until mixture thickens. Add enough water to barely cover the cranberries. Peel 1 orange with a peeler and add the peels to the cranberries before they are boiling. Also add juice from half an orange for flavor, as well as a pinch of fresh grated ginger. Once the mixture thickens, let it cool and then serve.