A Midweek Recipe Roundup.

I had planned to do a post about scones today but forgot that they need to be refrigerated overnight before baking, so that will have to wait until tomorrow or Friday. In the meantime, I thought I'd share with everyone links to some of my favorite recipes that already have great, detailed instructions and lots of pictures.

Blueberry Muffins
This recipe is quick, easy, and works just as well with 1/3 cup melted butter in place of the vegetable oil, although it is a little easier to spoon into a muffin tin with the vegetable oil.  If you have a larger family and/or want them to last longer, definitely double the recipe.

Chocolate Croissants
These are not that easy or quick, but they are so, so good, and they smell wonderful when they're proofing and baking. The link to the dough recipe is in the ingredients at the bottom. Don't try to substitute regular butter for the European-style in this recipe; the higher fat content/less water content makes the croissants buttery and flaky.  It doesn't specify salted/unsalted, but I use unsalted Plugra, figuring that most pastry dough calls for unsalted butter, and it turns out well.  If the European-style butter is not in the section with the "normal" butter in your grocery store, it's probably with the specialty dairy/cheese near the deli section.

Easy White Bread
If you've never made bread before (or even if you have), this is a great recipe to follow.  The only part that is time-consuming is waiting for it to rise, and even that doesn't take as long as some breads.  It also works well as a base for olive oil/herb bread; just substitute oil for shortening, add the herbs with the flour, and to let the dough rise, put it into a bowl rubbed with olive oil instead of butter.

Waffles
Like the muffins, this is a fairly simple recipe, and you can use just one bowl.  You can add berries or bananas, but make sure they aren't too chunky, because like pouring in too much at once, it can make the batter overflow in the waffle iron (believe me... I know about these things).  If you like extra-fluffy waffles, though, try beating the egg whites separately in another small bowl until they're foamy and folding them in just before folding in any fruit.

Best Ever Banana Cake
The name says it all.  It's not a difficult recipe but does take some time; if you want banana cake, though, the results are most. definitely. worth. it.  The only thing I changed (and it wasn't exactly a change) about this recipe was toasting the walnuts to use as garnish (spread in an even layer on baking sheet and bake at 375 for ~8 minutes or until they brown and give off a fragrant scent, checking often so they don't burn).


... And don't worry; once I find that elusive fried chicken recipe, I'll be sure to share it, too!

DEEMS THESE RECIPES:
Easier than pie, easy as pie, and everything in between.  But all very yummy.