Author: longdistancebaking

Cinnamon Buttercream

Cinnamon Buttercream

Guys, I’ve found a new favorite treat to eat by the spoonful. Sorry Nutella, move aside, this is now my go to addition to any baked treat. And soon, it will be yours too! Today I bring you Cinnamon Buttercream. As we have mentioned multiple 

Passion Tea Lemonade

Passion Tea Lemonade

In one day I got both a pumpkin spice latte and a passion tea lemonade.  My taste buds are so contradictory! I want the smells and the tastes of fall, yet I can’t quite get rid of summer and sunshine just yet. So here we are. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

pancakes_1

I love 3 day weekends. I think every weekend should be a 3 day weekend and that working hours were 10-2 instead of 9-5. What a great schedule, don’t you think? Ok, so maybe that is not realistic but it sure is nice when these 3 day weekends pop up and this past weekend was no exception. I visited with family, had an amazing workout in which I am still sore, planned some of my trip to Ireland with my cousin, saw my best friend, finally finished watching The Sopranos (a.k.a Best. Show. Ever!!), and made these homemade buttermilk pancakes with my cousin.
pancakes

I think it’s important for everyone to have some breakfast basics to whip up. Such as these homemade buttermilk waffles or Steph’s banana muffin recipe or these yummy baked doughnuts. Now, you can add these buttermilk pancakes to the list!

My cousin, Bailey, mixing the batter
My cousin, Bailey, mixing the batter

These pancakes are the right amount of fluffiness and in the spirit of Fall, I added some cinnamon to the batter to give the flavor that little extra umph. The only negative is that pancakes are so filling you’ll want to eat more than your stomach can hold! These are so easy to whip up and great for a weekend brunch or even breakfast for dinner. Hope you enjoy 🙂

-Kelly
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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients into bowl and mix until incorporated. If batter is too thick, add more milk. If it’s too watery, add  more flour.
  2. Butter skillet and heat. Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter onto skillet. When tiny bubble start appearing, flip the pancake.
  3. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Enjoy!

P.S. Check out these photos from the awesome sunset in Elk Grove this weekend!
sunset

 

Chocolate Espresso Macaroons

Chocolate Espresso Macaroons

Confession: I have a huge sweet tooth (shocker, I know). Mostly for chocolate. I rarely ever crave candy or other sweets…but I think on a weekly basis I say something along the lines of “OMG I  need chocolate!” While I have been known to bake 

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

2 more days until September, which means it’s practically Fall. Of course, Starbucks has already started selling their Pumpkin Spice Lattes so if Starbucks ran the world, the best season/time of year is already upon us. Thank you, Starbs. Here at LDBaking, we love Fall 

Homemade Dog Treats

Homemade Dog Treats

Last week I decided to go home. Now, usually I consider Boise home. I’ve lived here going on 8 years. My friends are here, my job is here…I readily claim this city as my own. But every now and then, I still get homesick. For my real home. For the town I grew up in and to spend some time with my family. Even though I see them throughout the year, I hadn’t actually been home since Christmas. So you know what I did? I drove home.

Home on the Palouse | longdistancebaking.com

Through gorgeous fields and hills after hills of golden wheat. It’s harvest season y’all! Just kidding. We don’t say y’all up here. It was harvest time though! Meaning it’s not uncommon to get stuck behind slow moving combines and grain trucks on the drive. I finally made it home. Safe and sound.

Then do you want to know what happened? My mom left me a list of chores. Yes…at 25, I still get chores. Things like do the dishes, water the plants, return some old fair ribbons to the fair office (which is not the same thing as the 4-H office…fyi…) and last but not least, make some dog treats for my puppy doggy!

Homemade Dog Treats | longdistancebaking.com

Now I know Patches isn’t realllyyy a puppy anymore. But he’s my baby. So he still gets homemade treats. It’s weird not having Rookie around, but Patches doesn’t seem to notice. He’s pretty much completely deaf now and lives in his own little world. His nose still works just fine though, he’ll wake up if you’ve got treats nearby!

Homemade Dog Treats | longdistancebaking.com

These treats are super easy to whip up. Plus you can feel a little better about spoiling your pet if you know exactly what you’re feeding them. The original recipe is from a pet cookbook called “Goodies for Dogs and a Few for Cats” from our local humane society. It has super cute recipes, all compiled from other humane societies. Think titles like Snickerpoodles and Peanut Butter Basset Biscuits. Adorable, right?? Don’t get too excited though, this one is just called Dog Biscuits. Sorry to get your hopes up.

 

Homemade Dog Treats | longdistancebaking.com

As you can see, these treats are Patches approved! It’s not just our human friends that want baked goodies…our four legged friends do too! Plus this just goes to show you’re never too old to feel the need to go home. Or be too old for your mom to leave you chores.

~Stephanie

Homemade Dog Treats | longdistancebaking.com

Homemade Dog Treats (adapted from The Peninsula Humane Society)

  • 1/2 c cornmeal
  • 2 c whole wheat flour
  • 6 tbsp oil
  • 1 egg + water to total 2/3 c
  1. Using hands, combine all ingredients. Add a little water if dough seems too dry.
  2. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into small shapes and place on greased baking tray OR press into parchment lined baking sheet until 1/4 inch thick, and using a knife score the dough into small squares.
  3. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Once cooled, remove from baking sheet. If you scored the dough, now break or cut pieces apart.
  5. Store in airtight container

*Note* Depending on how often you give your dog treats, you may want to keep some in the freezer in a ziplock bag. They will keep longer this way and you can thaw them as needed.

Buttermilk Waffles

Buttermilk Waffles

One of my favorite breakfast foods, really anytime foods, is a frozen waffle with peanut butter. Steph and I have even bonded over our shared love of peanut butter waffles- seriously the best! I could eat them every day and not just for breakfast. I have, 

Caramel Apple Spice Blondies

Caramel Apple Spice Blondies

Caramel. Apple. Spice. Blondies. Do these scream fall or what?! I was questioning saving this recipe for later. Figured even though I’m obsessed with everything fall already, maybe other people are still enjoying the last rays of summer. Maybe they’re not ready for fall yet. But then I 

Vanilla Cake

Vanilla Cake

cake

Come May 16th, I will be an official wedding cake baker. Because on May 16th my best friend is getting married and I am making her wedding cake! Am I nervous about making the cake, yes. Kind of freaking out about the cake, yes. Excited about being a wedding cake baker, yes! I’m just praying it turns out.
cake_2

I’m not nervous about the actual cake itself. It’s just a matter of finding the right recipe; that part doesn’t scare me. I’m confident that after some trial and error, I will find a recipe that works perfectly. I am, however, terrified about decorating the cake because I have never decorated a cake before. I’ve only ever slathered frosting on top and called it a day. Was it delicious, yes? Wedding cake worthy, no.

To help in my efforts of becoming a wedding cake baker, I signed up for a “Building Buttercream” class at my local Joann’s. The class was 2 nights from 6-9pm. It was 6 hours of cake decorating practice and I learned a lot! These pictures show my finished product. I wouldn’t say I’m pro yet but I’m definitely close. I mean, I bet I could give Duff from Ace of Cakes a run for his money…
pinkcake

Ok, I definitely can’t but for our second class, we had to bring in homemade buttercream frosting and cake so I made Duff’s vanilla cake. It was so delicious! It wasn’t too dense like a lot of homemade cakes I’ve had in the past and paired with the buttercream, it was delicious! I made enough batter for 2 8′ pans but only one of the cakes survived… I didn’t quite cook the other one well enough. Ooops! At least one made it and it’s definitely worth making again. Last week we had chocolate cake, this week we have vanilla! Hope you enjoy 🙂

-Kelly
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Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 sticks of butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tsp vanilla
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 tbsp oil (I used canola oil)
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:

  1. Spray 2 8′ or 9′ baking pans and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar for about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add in vanilla and then eggs, one at a time.
  4. Add in buttermilk and oil and mix until incorporated.
  5. Mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
  6. Pour evenly into baking pans and bake for 18-20 minutes.
  7. Let cool completely and then frost as desired.
  8. Enjoy!

 

Crock Pot Fresh Tomato Sauce

Crock Pot Fresh Tomato Sauce

You’re probably tired of hearing about my excessive amount of tomatoes, but even after making salsa…I still have TONS! Every time I eat one I swear two more are ripe. I’m not complaining, I just needed to figure out something to do with them! If