The Leaf in a Page

  Holy Jalapeno Cheese Bread This is such a soft tasty loaf of bread. It could be made as a cheese bread if jalapenos are not your thing. I come from a family of 10. Mom struggled every day trying to find ways to feed us and the only spices we had in the house were turkey dressing spices, cinammon, nutmeg and cloves. Of course we had salt and pepper seasoning which made all the meat, potatoes, macaroni or kraft dinner tasty. As an adult living in the Halifax/Dartmouth area I finally tried jalapeno peppers on a plate of nachos at the restaurant called "The Thirsty Duck" (no longer in existence). It was my nursing class, after exam, celebration spot to go. It took several tries before acquiring a taste for the peppers. Once you do enjoy the taste of jalapenos this loaf of bread will give you just another chance to enjoy and celebrate any ol' accomplishment you choose. I wish there was another photo to share but be assured you will not be disappointed. Makes 3 loaves Bre...

  Winston Knot Challah baking in the oven.   Challah is a Jewish Celebration Bread and has much significance to the culture. It is often braided with three strands standing for truth peace and justice. Twelve humps on a braid stand for the miracle of 12 loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel. If you shape your braid into a circle it means no beginning and no end. Each style are used in different celebrrations. The cultural meaning of so many breads gives us much to learn. Wait until I do the white bread post! For a spiritual meaning of the ingredients I found one from a web site: https://www.ohelsara.com/women-and-the-home/hafrashat-challah/the-symbolism-of-challah/ which reviews the ingredient and the significance of each. It is interesting, but the main point of bread for most is that we share it, it tastes great and it fills us. Challah has loads of protein because of the milk and eggs, which makes it especially perfect for sharing and filling you up. It makes a beautiful f...

  Before making muffins it is good to know you can make the batter a day or two ahead of time and leave it covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. This is so great when you have company coming for a few days. You can wow them by serving home made muffins and not even look like you worked hard preparing them.  Preheat your oven, put the coffee on, drop the batter in the muffin tray, press the timer on your microwave as you put your muffins in the oven and by the time the first cup of coffee is ready the muffins are almost out of the oven.   Basic Muffin Batter   Creaming method   Unsalted Butter                                                ½ cup/125g      Sugar       ...

  Soft Molasses Cookies You have to try this recipe. Especially if you long for a soft molasses cookie you probably had as a child. They are great on their own as a large cookie that fits your whole hand, or made smaller to tease the taste buds. I have put a spicey buttercream in between and turned them into a mini molasses woopie pie. It was so good.  Ingredients: Sugar                                     1 cup Shortening                          ½ cup Butter                                   ½ cup Molasses  ...