When Opened My Aunt’s Cookbook, This Was The First Recipe I Turned To

I am a huge coconut fan. Since my dad never really cared for coconut and one of my sons ins’t a big fan of it either I tend to shy away from making anything with coconut in it.

But you know what?  Sometimes you just have to give in to your cravings and treat yourself. I have a group of friends that meet every year.

We lovingly refer to ourselves as the Sycamore Sisters since we all met at a writers retreat and room together in the Sycamore cabin. During the day we are busy taking classes or meeting with editors but at night, we get into our PJ’s and have a regular gab fest that involves a lot of snacks, talking, and so much laughing I am pretty sure we have developed quite a reputation for late night raucous.

We have also had several years of getting to know each other, our families. We have helped each other grow as writers, and been there for each other in the disappointing times as well. This year I am going to bring something special to snack on. I am making up a batch of these yummy bars to share with those who have made my life sweeter.

This is what Anna has to say about her recipe.

“These bars were disappearing fast right before my eyes. My Hubby, who is not a coconut fan at all, declared these to be absolutely amazing. He loves cheesecake as much as I do, but he actually really loved these! That says a lot!”

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Quick Tip: To add just a bit of color, drizzle a little dark chocolate on top.

Recipe and image courtesy of Anna at Crunchy Creamy Sweet

The post Ready For Something Heavenly? Make These And You Will Hear Angels Singing! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Banana Cream Cheese Bread for Breakfast!

I love making small loaves of quick bread. Especially when I have some ripe bananas that need to be used. I have baked a dozens upon dozens of loaves of banana bread from a recipe I got from my sister in law, Barb. Trust me, anything that Barb makes is amazingly awesome. There have been times when I have made 4 loaves at a time because you have to bake these breads for up to an hour and I hate heating up the house for something that is going to be eaten before it is even fully cooled off.

The other day I had a coupon for Michael’s and decided to go ahead and get the mini loaf pan I have had my eyes on. Every time I walk by the baking isle I just can’t get over how adorable the little loaves and so finally I caved and bought it. I was going to bake my usual banana bread recipe but then I saw this! Banana bread with a baked in cream cheese layer? Wowza! My sister in law if going to be shocked when she slices into a loaf of this! And think of how beautiful it will look on a plate of baked goods at your next coffee time with friends.

This is what Averie of Averie Cooks has to say about her yummy recipe.

“The bread is soft, moist and the cream cheese layer is like having a layer of cheesecake baked into banana bread. No complaints here.”

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Quick tip: Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Recipe and images courtesy of Averie of Averie Cooks.

The post Smells Yummy in the Kitchen with this Banana Cream Cheese Bread appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Grab Four Favorite Sweater And Cozy Up TO This Cupcake

I grew up not far from a place called Apple Hill. I love anything made with apples and that includes apple butter. My oldest son is a huge lover of the brown spicy apple goodness. I think it was from remembering how the house smelled when I would have a huge crock-pot of peeled, sliced, and cooking apples mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg. I used to cook it for about three days. The house smelled so amazing! The taste was even more incredible.

Nathan asked if he brought me the apples me would I make apple butter. I totally agreed. At the time Nathan was working for a man with a few trees. . He told Nathan he could have as many apples as he wanted if he picked them.  Later that day I came into the house to find 4 laundry baskets of apples. Let’s just say we ate a lot of apple butter that year: ~D

This is what Nicole has to say about her recipe.

“Spiced Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect Fall dessert! This easy recipe is great for parties and meals. A very special secret ingredient adds a blast of flavor!”

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Quick Tip: You can also make this recipe into 2 8 inch round cake pans for a layered cake. I think that is what I want for my birthday!

Recipe and image courtesy of Nicole at Wonky Wonderful

The post No Wonder My Aunt Hazel’s Cupcakes Were So Popular. She Had A Secret Ingredient! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

A Cross Between Your Favorite Recipes Make This Single Serving A Huge Saving

Isn’t it nice to find a few creative ways to make our lives easier? I know I can use all the help I can get when it comes to making my days run a little smoother.  One thing I did was to de-clutter my entry closet. Wow! Why in the word would I need so much stuff in a place that should only hold a few items. In fact, I even found a packet of sample dog food in there. What is the problem with that? We don’t even have a dog!

My goal is to eventually go through each nook and cranny and get rid of things I don’t need so I can make more room in my life for the things that are the most important to me.

Being able to keep my meals planned and rotated are a huge help as well. If I can have several meals that are super easy, delicious, and a breeze for clean-up, I know that will have a huge impact on how things are run.

I have made meatloaf for years! But making them in muffin tins are a whole new experience. I can already see how this will freeze well so I can just take out what we need. Perfect!

This is what Food Network has to say about this recipe.

“These meatloaf muffins — a cross between a meatball and a mini meatloaf — are easy to freeze in individual portions. Make a double batch now and freeze half for dinner next week.”

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Quick Tip: Instead if plain dry breadcrumbs try Italian Breadcrumbs. Serving suggestions: mashed potatoes and a green salad

Recipe and image courtesy of Food Network.com

The post This Dinner Hack Changes The Way We Plan Our Meals appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Move Over Betty Crocker, There Is a New Cookie In Town

I have been an avid cookie baker from the time I was first married. I loved being able to fill up the cookie jar and be able to send freshly baked goods in everyone’s lunches.

I guess I grew up with that. My mom always had treats baked and my grandma always had a cookie jar PLUS a secret stash of cookies in case the jar was empty.

One summer, when my sister and I were staying with her, we found the stash. She worked during the day, leaving us to spend the afternoons swimming and playing at the lake they lived on. What a life! Anyway, around 2 in the afternoon we would get a bit hungry for something in the snack category. Over the course of two weeks, we ate all the stashed cookies. YIKES! We knew that my grandma was going to find out sooner rather than later so one afternoon after she left for work, we walked a mile into town and thankfully found the exact kind of cookies we had already eaten. By the time my grandma got home that evening we had covered out cookie thieving tracks.

I think these cookies would have been much better than the store bought ones we ended up purchasing. They would have blown our cover, but what can I say, sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

This is what Dragana has to say about her recipe.

“These cookies with cream cheese and mini chocolate chips simply melt in your mouth. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies are simple, light and delicious ♥”

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Quick Tip: These cookies are not super sweet so you may want to add a little extra sugar.

Recipe and image courtesy of Dragana of Sweet Spicy Kitchen

The post This Chocolate Chip Cookie Literally Melts In Your Mouth appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

This Is the Recipe Bakers Don’t Want You to See

This last summer I went to Colorado for my grandson’s first birthday. On a summery Saturday morning my beautiful daughter-in law and I walked to the local Farmer’s Market. We picked up a lug of peaches to turn into jam, along with a few other items. One of the things we could not resist was the little mini-donut stand. I mean they were making them hot right there and had a few toppings to choose from. It was a no-brainer. We picked the bacon maple donuts that had actual crisp bacon bits and maple glaze drizzled over them. We also got a dozen cinnamon sugar sprinkled donuts. Ohh my gosh! It had been so long since I had tried a donut that I seriously forgot how addicting they are!

But the time the three of us walked home we had eaten several of them. I do want to make it clear that they wee about the size of a donut hole but still, they were amazing. I think the biggest reason I don’t do a lot of donuts is that they are fried. Which can be a problem if you are trying to count calories.

This muffin recipe is combining the fluffiness of a donut with the batter of a muffin and the results will have everyone at work wondering where you bought these from.

This is what Nichole has to say about her recipe.

“Basically, I’ll come up with any excuse, these are that good. But, don’t be fooled by the simplicity – they have this amazingly light flavor of vanilla and spices.”

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Quick Tip: go ahead and make a maple glaze and sprinkle with bacon bits before glaze dries. All I am sayin’ is those were good treats!

Recipe and image courtesy of Nichole at the Salty Marshmallow.

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