Pumpkin Muffins

I received this e-mail recipe this afternoon from my daughter in Italy. Thought it was a good one.

The e-mail read: Mom, I made up this recipe the other day because I had a can of pumpkin that I didn't know what to do with. The family LOVED them. I thought you might want to post it on your blog and try them out yourself.

Pumpkin Muffins
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
sprinkle of salt
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat (Graham) Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup enriched flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup milk
Mix together with fork. Then stir just until ingredients are blended. Fill reased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown.

Gift of the Magi Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium )
1--11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup sliced almonds, divided
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1/2 cup chopped dates

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture along with bananas. Stir in the oranges, coconut, chips, and 1/2 cup almonds, cherries, and dates. pour into two greased 8 in. by 4 in. loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves

Lemon-Nut Bread

This recipe was given to me by my dear, dear friend, Marilyn O'Dell. She served this the other evening at our small groups and gave me permission to use it on my blog. I can personally tell you it is absolutely delicious.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
Grated rind of 1 lemon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine butter and sugar, creaming until light and fluffy; add eggs, beating well. Combine dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with buttermilk; stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Stir in lemon rind and pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar; stir well. Punch holes in top of warm bread with a toothpick; pour on glaze. Cool on wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf

Cranberry Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. soft shortening
2 eggs
Cream together.
Sift:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 orange( orange juice plus 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind plus enough hot water to make 1 cup liquid)
1 1/4 cups sliced cranberries
Nuts, if desired
Pour into greased bread loaf pan.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees
Let stand 24 hours before slicing.

Angel Flake Biscuits

5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup shortening
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix well. Then add the shortening to this. Add buttermilk and yeast mixture. Form into a ball and place on greased plastic bag. Pull together and seal tightly. Don't let rise. Put in refrigerator for 12 hours. Bake as needed. Don't let it rise before baking. When you want to bake, just pinch off or roll out dough, for as many biscuits as needed. Return remaining dough to refrigerator. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Rhubarb Bread

Another recipe from my sister, Rita Clark. Would you believe that we both loved to cook? We got that from our mother who also loved to cook.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar--firmly packed
2/3 cup margarine
1 egg
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. melted margarine

Combine brown sugar and 2/3 cup margarine. Stir in the egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Sift the baking soda and flour together and stir it into the margarine mix. Then stir in the rhubarb and walnuts. Pour into well-oiled loaf pans.
Combine the 1/2 cup white sugar, cinnamon, and melted margarine and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until done. Don't overbake. Let stand for 2 0r 3 minutes, then remove from pans and cool.

Zucchini Bread

1 lb. grated zucchini
2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2/3 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup raisins
Mix all together. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 70 minutes at 350 degrees.

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. quick cooking oats

In a mixing bowl, combine egg, oil, and buttermilk. Combine flours, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add to egg mixture. Stir in oats. Pour by 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on tops of pancakes. Yield: about 6 pancakes

Corn Bread

I love cornbread, but so many people make it dry and it falls apart. I have been using this recipe for many years and it is always good. It has never been dry and crumbly.

1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal ( This is best if you use Hodgson's Mill corn meal )
1 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
Heat oven t0 450 degrees. Put the 1/4 cup oil in 9 in. square pan. Heat in oven while mixing batter. Beat egg. Add rest of ingredients. Mix just until smooth. Pour hot oil from baking pan into the other ingredients, being very careful not to burn yourself. Stir until oil is mixed in. Pour batter into pan and bake about 20 min. or until golden brown. Don't overbake. It makes it dry.

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe was from Delores Matthews. She was my maternal grandmother. According to my father (who was her son-in-law ) she was the best biscuit maker ever.

1 tsp. salt
2 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda dissolved in 1 1/4 cups buttermilk. You may need a little more buttermilk if dough is too stiff.
4 Tbsp. melted shortening ( I am sure you can use oil. Wasn't available when she was young.)
Mix with milk and soda.
Sift dry ingredients and add to milk, soda, and shortening. Beat with spoon or mix by hand. Turn out on floured board. Keep dough very soft. Roll lightly or pat out and cut with a biscuit cutter and place in greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Bread

This is for you, LauraD. In our discussion this evening at church about souring milk when you don't have buttermilk, I told you to put 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar in a cup and then finish filling the cup with regular milk. In this recipe, you will need to adjust that to about 1 tsp. of lemon juice or vinegar and then put in the 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. regular milk. Let set about 5 minutes, give it a stir and you are ready to go.

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. buttermilk ( I personally think you get a better product if you use buttermilk, but I know many of you do not have it on hand, so souring regular milk will work.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Mix dry ingredients; blend in all other ingredients. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes ( 80 minutes )
in 325 degree oven. Recipe does not double well.

Pancakes

Mix together:
1 beaten egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp. oil
Add:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all together until everything is moist. Don't overdo it. Mix with spoon and not mixer as
too much mixing will make the pancakes tough. These are very, very good. Cook in skillet with a small amount of oil until brown on both sides.

Grandma Doubt's Raisin Bran Muffins

To those of you who don't know, Grandma Doubt is my mother. I have several family members who access this blog regularly, so this recipe is mainly for them.

1 box raisin bran cereal
3 cups sugar
4 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 quart buttermilk

You may make a few of these at a time each day or you can make a whole lot. Mixture will keep up to 6 weeks in container in refrigerator. Makes a wonderful breakfast . Bake at 350 degrees until done.

Mexican Corn Bread

1 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp. oil
1 cup cream style corn
1 cup grated cheese
small can green chili peppers
Mix all together and pour in 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan that has been greased. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. This is fantastic with ham and beans or some kind of soup.

Oatmeal Muffins

My grandkids really like these.

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Combine oats and buttermilk in small bowl. Mix well and let stand 1 hour. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Cream together margarine and brown sugar in mixing bowl, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add egg; beat until light and fluffy.
Add dry ingredients alternately with oat mixture to creamed mixture, blending well after each addition. Spoon batter into greased muffin-pan, filling 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree oven 20 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 12 to 16 depending on how full you fill muffin tins. I use this recipe when I need a quick bread for dinner. It is another way to get children to eat their whole grains.