Everything is better with butter is my motto, but things can go horribly wrong if you don't know what you are doing. Here are some of the common mistakes made when using butter.

1. Using the Wrong Temperature of Butter
Most recipes for baked goods call for creaming butter and sugar. It's very important that the butter be at room-temperature, completely softened butter. This allows the sugar crystals to slice through the fat, creating air pockets that give your finished product lift. When the butter is melted the result is a flat chewy texture best used in a cookie not a cake.

When making pie dough the butter needs to be very cold. This is important because too-soft butter won’t form the tiny pea-sized “crumbs” in the dough that lead to a flaky crust. As for recipes that call for melted butter and eggs, like pancakes, it’s best to let the butter cool slightly before combining it with the other ingredients. Hot melted butter will partially cook the eggs, turning your batter into scrambled eggs.

2 Swapping out Butter
Because it has a similar consistency to butter, you may think that you can swap out butter for shortening or coconut oil. The results will not be the same. Butter has unique properties, like the addition of water.  Other solid oils do not, and the results will show in your finished product.  Baking is as much a science as it is an art. Success of any given recipe depends on the specific chemical reactions between ingredients. Stick with recipes that have tested the variables. The same rules apply for oils, like vegetable and olive oil. Each oil has a different burning point, which are all higher than butter.

3. Adding Butter Too Soon When Searing
The reason butter is so tasty is also the reason it’s not ideal for high-heat cooking. The milk solids that give it a full, rounded flavor burn more quickly compared to fats like canola, vegetable, or virgin olive oil. But there’s a way to beat the system: Baste seared meats, seafood, and veggies in butter when they’re almost done cooking. The butter will turn fragrant and nutty, while helping turn the ingredient a beautiful golden brown. Alternatively, you can give protein like steak or chicken a hard sear with ghee, which is clarified butter (which contains no milk solids).

4. Balancing the Richness of Butter with Other Flavors
Butter is rich and fatty. but it needs supporting flavors to really make it come alive. When cooking with butter in savory applications, it should be tempered with acidic and bright ingredients, like lemon juice, zest or vinegar and a  little salt.

5. Know Your Butter Salted or Unsalted
I prefer to bake with unsalted butter that way I can control the amount of salt that goes into a recipe. If you can not find unsalted butter, the salted version  will work for cakes, cookies, and the like,  just adjust the amount of or eliminate the pinch of salt you’d usually add to your baked item. Unsalted butter is also ideal for savory sauces, allowing you to add your own level of salt. Butter is salted to keep if fresh longer, and the amount of salt is typically 1/4 tsp per stick of butter, so not a huge amount.

Source
Bon Appetite, Rochell Bilow 3-2016

I'm not sure why I love upside-down cakes, maybe it's the caramelized sugar and fruit on top, or just their simplicity. You can turn almost any recipe into an upside-down cake. There are a few types of cakes that will not work, for example an angel food cake or chiffon cake are to delicate to support the weight of the fruit topping. Also a flourless cake is not the best option. But any kind or yellow, spice or pound cake will work. If your recipe is a layered cake cut the batter ingredients in half so it makes a single layer.

The simple magic of caramelized fruit works with pears, apples, peaches, plums, oranges, berries, banana, cranberries, and pineapples. In the bottom of a 10 inch cast iron skillet melt 1/2 c. butter (113g) and 2/3 c. sugar (145g). As the butter melts combine it with the sugar. At this point you may add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg what ever you think will go with your selection of fruit. Then add the thinly sliced apples, pears or your fruit of choice. Arrange the fruit slices decoratively in the skillet. Cook the mixture, undisturbed for about 25 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the sugar is a golden caramel color and thick.

Nuts also work as a caramelized topping. Consider adding nuts to your fruit, or skip the fruit entirely and just go with the nuts. For a cake that has fruit in the batter already, like a banana cake, a topping of caramelized nuts would be tasty.

Then pour the cake batter over the caramelized fruit or nut mixture, being careful not to disturb the arranged fruit. Bake according to the cake directions for time and temperature. When done you need to flip it to reveal the decorative caramelized fruit topping.

Timing is critical in order get a good looking topping. You want the cake pan to be cool enough to not burn you when you flip it, but still warm enough that the caramelized fruit will release easily from the bottom of the pan.

Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes and up to half an hour, then lay a flat plate over the top of the cake pan. Carefully flip the cake over onto the plate. Bang on the bottom of the pan for good measure, then lift the pan straight up and off. If a few pieces of fruit decide not to leave the pan, don't worry; just peel them off and arrange them back into the topping. Since the cake is still warm, they'll re-congeal just fine. This is another reason not to wait to flip your cake until it's cooled completely.

I have 2 upside-down cake recipes on my blog for you to try.
Spicy Pear Upside-Down Cake
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Source:
Epicurious; Turn Your Cakes Upside-Down
Anna Stockwell

When was the last time you drug out the waffle maker from under everything in the pantry? If it's been a while, go ahead and take it out, treat your family to wonderful waffles for breakfast.

I have always been fond of waffles, we have them about once a week. Last year my husband bought me a new waffle maker, not that my old one was broken or anything. He said, "I had earned a bigger better waffle maker". I love my new waffle maker it makes two Belgium waffles at a time and is certainly BIG.

If your considering a new waffle maker you should think about how much you are actually going to use it, every week or only on holidays. The good ones are expensive, don't get me wrong they are well worth the money.

Bigger is better when selecting a waffle maker. You need a waffle maker with mass, to heat up and retain the heat evenly when removing the waffles as they cook. The shape is also important, round waffle makers will always make better waffles they cook and heat up more evenly. These are the basics, then there are details that are nice like a timer, ready light, beeper when done the list goes on...

I sell waffles at the Farmer's Market so stop by and taste my Belgium waffles. A package of 2 large waffles is $5.00. They freeze very well and can be reheated in the oven, toaster or microwave for a quick breakfast.

Waffles are basically quick breads, made with flour, butter, milk, and eggs. I have tried many different waffle recipes but my favorite came from a friend and it uses yeast to create a light Belgium waffle.
Link to....Belgian Yeast Waffle Recipe

Cooking a Better Waffle
1. Spice It Up
To the Belgian Yeast Waffle recipe, add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. allspice and  1/4 tsp. ginger this will give your waffles a holiday flavor.  A tablespoon of lemon or orange zest is always nice in any season.

2. Grease Your Waffle Iron
Unless your waffle iron is reliable for giving you a clean release, make sure you give it a good coat of butter or oil before starting.

3. Know How Much Batter To Add For Each Waffle
My old waffle maker made shallow-pocket waffles and needed about 1/2 cup batter for a square 5 inch waffle. This new one takes twice as much, 1 cup of batter, to fill the deep pockets. The best tool to use is a medal scoop, I use my #8 size which is 1/2 cup. Take the time and learn your waffle maker's  optimal capacity so you will have no waste and perfect waffles each time.

4. Know When Your Waffles Are Done
A good clue is the amount of steam given off. When the waffle quits giving off steam it's usually ready. Some models have a light or a timer, that will help you judge when it's ready. Never try to lift the iron to check on the progress it will tear your waffle in half, I know from experience.

5. Serve Immediately
Waffles cool down quickly so serve them right away. If you need to keep them warm put them into the oven, right on the oven rack, at 200 degrees. This will keep them crisp and warn until you are ready to serve them.

Dig into your pantry and drag out that old waffle maker and fall in love with waffles again. Your family will love you for it.

When it comes to baking, you need to play by the rules. Baking is more of a science that requires precision, and timing. For flakier pie crusts, moister cakes, and chewier cookies, there are just some rules that can’t be broken. If you follow these 10 rules your sure to have a better baked product.

1. Use Room-Temperature Ingredients
Many baked goods start by creaming together butter and sugar, which is made easier with gently warmed  ingredients. The more important reason the butter needs to be at room temperature is, it allows the sugar to aerate the butter properly, which results in a lighter product.

2. Invest in Quality Bakeware
I am always looking to save money but you get what you pay for in bakeware. Ask your husband, to do a great job you need good tools. Flimsy, thin pans and sheet trays won’t conduct heat efficiently, causing your cake, pie, cookies, or pastries to bake unevenly.

3. Butter and Flour Your Pans Generously
 When a recipe calls for a greased and/or floured pan, it’s for a reason. Your batter or dough has the potential to bake on and adhere to the pan.   Be generous and thorough with your application,  get into corners and at the seams where the bottom and sides meet.

If you’re also flouring a pan, add in more than enough to cover, tip the pan to coat completely, then tap out the excess. Be careful where you hold it—finger marks on the interior leave the pan exposed, and are opportunities for the batter to stick.

4. Weigh Ingredients
I weight out everything, and once you get use to doing this, you will save so much time and labor on washing dishes. Weighing out the ingredients eliminates potential for error.  A cup of flour measured in volume, for example, can vary as much as five ounces,which means the difference between buttery and flaky or and dense and cakey. A good digital scale will cost you about $20.00 and eliminates all the guesswork. 

5. Toss the Old Stuff
The majority of ingredients used in baked goods, like baking soda, baking powder and yeast, have a relatively short shelf life.  purchase them in small quantities so they don’t sit in your cupboard and go bad. If you’re not sure how fresh an ingredient is, either simply buy a new one or test it. To check the freshness of baking powder, pour boiling water over a small quantity—if it bubbles, it’s still fresh. Flour should smell fresh and feel light, not chalky; and fresh yeast dissolved in warm (110-115˚) water will bubble slightly after a few minutes.

6. Take Your Time to Fully Complete Each Step
There is a reason for the ingredients added in a certain order. It’s important to take the time to follow the instructions in the order they’re given. A good example is creaming together butter and sugar with a handheld or stand mixer. This should be done before the addition of the wetter ingredients, like eggs. The reason is the fat in butter holds air, and, when whipped or creamed. In this process, sharp sugar granules slice through the butter, creating air pockets that ultimately give the baked goods lift. Skip this step (or do it half-heartedly) and your end result will be dense and heavy.

Pay special attention to key instructions like “cream until light and fluffy,” “mix until just combined,” and “fold in gently.” Over mixing will develop the gluten and deflate the air pockets. Most of the time sifting is not needed. I do sift the baking powder and soda into the bowl because nothing is worse then getting a bite of baking soda in you muffin.

7. Use Salt
The half teaspoon of salt added to two dozen cookies won’t set you over your daily allotment, but leaving it out will drastically change the taste of the cookie. Salt isn’t necessarily in a recipe to make it taste salty it’s there to keep the baked good from tasting flat. Salt makes other ingredients, like vanilla, almond, lemon, and sugar come alive.

8. Rotate Halfway Through
Every oven has a hot spot, and if you don’t correct for it, you run the risk of unevenly baked goods When a recipe calls for turning a baking sheet or pan 180 degrees halfway through the process, don’t ignore it. If the back of your oven is hotter than the front, you need to give every corner and side of your baked item the same treatment. Don’t, however, open the oven constantly to check on progress, it’ll lower the temperature and alter the baking time.

9. Don’t Mess with the Oven Temperature and Cooking Time
  If a recipe for custard calls for an hour at 300 degrees but you’re pressed for time, don’t tweak it to 30 minutes at 425: It won’t be as silky or luxuriously creamy. Cakes especially lose moisture when cooked hard and fast, and you also run the risk of burning more delicate ingredients, like an almond-meal crust.

Find out if your oven runs hot or cold. If  it’s consistently 25 degrees colder than what you set it at, adjust accordingly. A thermometer that lives inside your oven will eliminate any guessing. Also important is that you set and use a timer. I could not live with out mine, they are cheap and you can use them for many other reminders like taking your medication at the correct time.

10. Let It Cool Completely
If you’ve taken the proper steps when buttering and flouring the pan you should have no problem removing it once it’s properly cooled. Some desserts and pastries must be removed from their pans as soon as they come out of the oven. Others, like a fragile chiffon cake, need to settle and cool completely before being handled.

Baking is a science and if you follow these simple tips your baked goods will be top notch every time.