2021’s Most Loved

December 31, 2021December 30, 2021 RefreshHer6 Comments

As I close out my blog for 2021, I’m looking back at the posts that were most visited during each month of the year. Here’s the list!

It’s no surprise to me that this was May’s top-rated blog post!

Five Routines that Will Help During Difficult Times – If you don’t know what to do next because you’re in a tough place in life, this post will give you practical help.
Valentine Memories to Keep – Here are fun ideas to show you love on Valentine’s Day!
Conversational Respect in Marriage – Our words are clear indicators of our respect (or lack of it) for our mate. You can see how we show that in this post.
The Best Anniversary Celebration – Reflections of our 40th party celebration. You’ll find some good ideas here!
French Breakfast Puffs – Possibly the BEST breakfast muffin EVER!
Refreshing Little Things – Here are a whole list of little ways to make each day more refreshing!
Creating Periods of Regular Rest – Even if you can’t have a sabbatical or vacation, here are ways to create regular days of rest in real ways you can actually do!
Need a Little Help Loving Your Man? Read how can we love our husband better – even when times are hard.
Why You Should Decorate Your Home…Even When There’s Trouble in the World – Even though this was a fall decorating post, the truths about the need to decorate especially when things are hard, will apply to every season of the year.
One Decorating Tip To Instantly Enlarge Your Room – Possibly my favorite tip that was AMAZING when I did this in my home!
Thanksgiving Dinner Favorite Recipes – My favorite comfort/fall foods all compiled together!
The Thin Ice of Despondency – We can all get to a place of depression and despondency, but here are some ways to push out of it.

Thank you to each of you who regularly read; I am so grateful! It is truly my heart’s desire to refresh your heart each time you stop in. I love hearing your comments, too! You encourage and also give some great ideas! I’m thankful that you would take the time to read my posts.

I would love to hear what you would like to read more of in 2022. Would you be so kind as to fill out this survey? It would help me know how to encourage you in this next year!

In 2022, what would you like to read more of here on RefreshHer?

Share one or more suggestions in the comment section. Thank you so much!

I pray this next year is full of spiritual refreshment as you read God’s Word and draw close to Him. I pray you’ll have daily joys in your home as you love those that enter its doors and serve with the love of Christ. I also pray that you life will be filled with the joy of refreshing others as you are refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Happy New Year!

baking · breakfast · Gifts

Peach Cream Cheese Danish

December 13, 2021December 20, 2021 RefreshHer7 Comments

For quite a few years I have been baking these Cream Cheese Danishes because after making them the first time, I was hooked! I usually make them for gifts at Christmas time, but save one for our family’s holiday breakfast!

It’s hard to believe these are light, but they are, but they taste every bit as good as any danish you could purchase at a lovely bakery! I made this recipe up last week and have been enjoying a little sliver with my coffee, fruit, yogurt and granola each morning. It’s made this a much anticipated meal! It’s soooo good!

These do take a little time, but I usually make the dough in the evening, stick it in the fridge, and then finish making them the next day. They are so worth the effort! You get four large danishes out of this recipe. Whoever you choose to share this with, will be your humble servant for life! (!) Okay, maybe not life, but they’ll love you for your kindness!

I like to set them on a piece of thin cardboard, covered with foil, then slide them into one of my large bread bags and tie with a ribbon. The cardboard will keep the delicate danish from breaking. You could top these with almonds, if you wish!

Here’s the lightened up recipe from Cooking Light ~

Peach Cream Cheese Danishes

½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup butter
½ teaspoon salt

1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream
2 packages dry yeast (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
½ cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
⅔ cup Peach preserves – Or your favorite flavor!
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
Glaze:
1 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1 To prepare dough, combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream mixture and 2 eggs. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually stir flour into sour cream mixture (dough will be soft and sticky). Cover dough; chill 8 hours or overnight (my preference).
Step 2 To prepare filling, combine preserves and next 4 ingredients (preserves through 1 egg) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Step 3 Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Turn each portion out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 or 5 times. Roll each portion into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread one-fourth of filling over each portion, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at a long side, carefully roll up each portion jelly roll fashion; pinch seam and ends to seal.
Step 4 Place 2 loaves on each of 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cut 4 (1/4-inch-deep) “X”s in top of each loaf with scissors. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 25 minutes or until doubled in size.
Step 5 Preheat oven to 375°.
Step 6 Place 1 baking sheet in oven (cover remaining loaves to keep from drying). Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining loaves. Cool loaves slightly.
Step 7 To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle warm loaves with glaze.

These are amazingly easy…really! I hope you’ll try them! You’ll keep making them, like I do. I’m sure!

Could you enjoy a little danish with coffee in the morning? It makes morning even sweeter in my book!

Bread · breakfast · muffin · Quick Bread

French Breakfast Puffs

May 10, 2021May 8, 2021 RefreshHer12 Comments

While visiting my parents recently, I wanted to make a muffin for breakfast that wouldn’t require any “special” ingredients. I thought for a minute, then these beauties came to my mind…French Breakfast Puffs. They require the basics – flour, butter, eggs, milk and spices. The muffin is so fluffy and delicious and it is encased in a crunchy, buttery, cinnamon/sugar coating.
These have been a favorite in our family for years! Here’s the simple recipe:

French Breakfast Puffs

1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 C butter, melted

Topping
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C butter, melted

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add milk, beaten egg, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Mix well. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
While the puffs are baking, mix the cinnamon, sugar in a shallow dish. Place the melted butter in another shallow dish.
Remove the muffins from the pan while still hot; dip in melted butter, then mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Makes 1 dozen

These are heaven! What a delicious way to start the day!

Do you have a “go-to” muffin you make? If not, these are a great choice!

Bread · breakfast

Sour Dough English Muffins

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 RefreshHer6 Comments

Sour Dough English Muffins make getting up in the morning a delight! When you have a yummy breakfast item waiting for your first meal, you’ll be glad that you went to the trouble to bake these the day before! These don’t take any more patience than sugar cookies would, and they are truly worth the effort. I hadn’t made these in a while, so I decided to bake up a batch and get them in the freezer to keep on hand. Yummo! These are just delicious!

I got 25 muffins for just pennies. As I intimated earlier, these freeze great, so we’ll be able to enjoy them for a long while! I like to mix up the dough and let it set overnight. In the morning, here was my “happy little loaf”(I Love Lucy fans will recognize that phrase!)

The dough is rolled into 1/2″ thickness and cut in 3″ circles and left to rise for an hour.

Then the muffins are transferred to a skillet where they are cooked on medium heat until browned. They are then placed in the oven for a few minutes to finish baking the insides.

Fresh from the oven…

Mmmm!

Here’s the recipe for the Sour Dough muffins from King Arthur Flour:
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) warm water, 105° to 110°F
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
7 to 8 cups (1 pound, 13 3/4 ounces to 2 pounds 2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) non-fat dry milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid), optional
approximately 2 tablespoons cornmeal or semolina

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Stir in and dissolve the yeast, and then mix in the sourdough starter and 1 cup of flour. Let this sit for a few minutes, until the mixture begins to bubble.

Add the dry milk, butter, salt, sour salt (if you’re using it; it’s a nice flavor-booster) and a second cup of flour, and beat well. Add 5 to 6 cups of flour, one cup at a time, to form a dough that holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth and springy, but slightly on the slack side, about 8 minutes. Add flour only as necessary to prevent sticking. Clean out and grease your bowl and place the dough in the greased bowl, turning it so that a thin film of oil coats all sides. If you want muffins with just a hint of sourness, cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel, let it stand until it has doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, and proceed from * below. If you want muffins with a more pronounced sour flavor, be sure to add the sour salt to the dough for extra tang; then cover the finished dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, in a cool place.

* When the dough has risen your chosen length of time, punch it down, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, cover it and let it sit for a few minutes (to relax the gluten). Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out separately to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds; re-roll and cut any remaining scraps. Place the rounds, evenly spaced, onto cornmeal- or semolina-sprinkled baking sheets (12 or 13 rounds per sheet), sprinkle them with additional cornmeal or semolina, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise until light and puffy, about 1 hour.

Carefully transfer the rounds (as many as a time that will fit without crowding) right-side up to a large electric griddle preheated to 350°F, or to an ungreased frying pan that has been preheated over medium heat. Cook them for about 10 to 12 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a muffin registers 190°F. Remove them from the griddle and cool on a rack. Note: If you find you’re having trouble getting the muffins to cook all the way through on a griddle, cook on both sides as directed, then finish in a 350°F oven.

Yield: twenty-five 3-inch English muffins.

You can make a wonderful breakfast sandwich with these, adding scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon and a tomato slice. They’re also great as little pizzas for lunch! If you don’t want to go to the fuss of these muffins, try English Muffin Toasting Bread.

“The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” Proverbs 13:19 The extra effort is definitely worth it!

Refresh breakfast (or lunch) with a homemade English muffin!