Pumpkin Bread

I LOVE pumpkin bread, and the kids will eat it, too. And considering that we can count pumpkin as a vegetable, that is a good thing for all of us! This is a recipe I have modified from several others. I wanted to use the entire can of pumpkin, or otherwise the rest just goes to waste in the back of the fridge. And I added the yogurt and took out some oil from the original recipe. I also only used cinnamon, because the kids aren't big fans of other spices. And also no nuts for the same reason. The result is a simple and very moist bread.

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbl cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 large can of pumpkin (about 3 1/2 cups)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup oil

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans.
• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Mix wet ingredients together.
• Combine the two and mix well.
• Pour into pans.
• Bake 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool on wire rack.

The second loaf will freeze well, if it lasts that long.

Dairyland Rolls

I love making bread and rolls. It makes the house smell SO good, plus they are yummy. I found this recipe in The Oregonian in 1992. And now I feel really old. These go really well with a soup or a stew the first night (I have a stew in the crockpot now) and make good sandwich rolls the next day.

2 cups hot milk
6 tbl margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 packages yeast (or 5 tsp if you buy it in bulk)
7 cups flour, divided. (I usually use half whole wheat flour and half bread flour, but all purpose works, too.)
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup grated cheese

• To hot milk add margarine, sugar and salt. Let cool a bit so it isn't too hot for the yeast.
• Add yeast, and let stand for 3 minutes, or until all bubbly.
• Add 3 cups flour and beat thoroughly.
• Add eggs and cheese, and then the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup or so at a time, until you have a soft dough.
• Knead lightly. (I make it all in my stand mixer and let the mixer knead it for me.)
• Let rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down.
• Shape into rolls.
• Let rise until light. (15-20 minutes)
• Bake on cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The rolls will sound hollow when thumped when they are done.

Start to finish it takes about 2 1/2 hours.
I made it into 27 rolls (12 on a cookie sheet and 15 in a 9x13) and they were big rolls.

Cinnamon Balls or Snickerdoodles

This recipe if from a cookbook called 1001 Cookies. The recipe I originally made was called Cinnamon Balls and I noted "Very good! Fluffier than snickerdoodles. Very easy dough to handle." After I wrote those notes it occurred to me to check the snickerdoodle recipe in the same book, and the recipe is identical. So I guess we are down to 1000 cookie recipes in that book! But since they are fluffy hopefully they will be what Marla is looking for in a snickerdoodle.

Dough:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar:
3 tbl sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat over to 350. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl cream the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.

Pinch off 1 inch pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, until lightly colored. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

My little helpers. I wanted to point out the cookie scoop on top of the bowl of cinnamon sugar. I LOVE using it when making cookies. For drop cookies it makes the perfect size straight onto the cookie sheet. And for rolled cookies they are also uniform, and practically in balls already. I also have a bigger size that I use when making muffins, and scoop the batter straight into the muffin tin.

Question

Hey, does anyone have a great snickerdoodle recipe? I made some out of my Better Homes and Garden, cook everything cook book... and they were good, but a little thin. I like a slightly "cakier" snickerdoodle. Or at least one that doesn't wind up super thin...

Aunt Selma's Macaroni Mess

Since I just put on Lucas' Aunt Selma's mondel bread, I think it's only fitting that I now put on "macaroni mess", one of Lucas' favorite meals. Lucas is such a "foodie" but he loves this stuff! It reheats really well too. Think of a "healthier" less greasy form of hamburger helper.

Make a box of macaroni, drain.
Brown a pound of beef, drain the grease.
Open a "regular" size can of tomato sauce
Open a "regular" size can of tomato chunks or cubes or dices
Grate about two-three handfuls of cheddar cheese

Into a 9x13, dump the macaroni, the ground beef, all of the tomato cubes, and about 75% of the sauce (you could use it all, but we don't like it too saucy, but without it, it's too dry for my taste)
Add the cheese and stir all together.

Place in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot.

Selma puts mushrooms in hers... I prefer to omit the fungus.

Sour Cream and Dijon

I've been experimenting with different sauces and dressings of my own creation. So I decided to begin a new category.

Tonight, on top of baked fish (mahi mahi to be exact), I put the following sauce.

1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine and apply. A nice amout of zing.

Viva La Chicken Tortilla Casserole

As requested by Anne, a favorite Mother Oshel recipe.

(Make a day ahead of time to allow flavors to blend.)

5 whole chicken breasts
1 dozen corn tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 can/ jar green salsa sauce
1 onion, chopped & sauteed
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated

Wrap chicken in foil, 2-3 in a package.
Bake 1 hour at 400 degrees.
Cool. De-bone. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Save 3/4 -1 cup of the broth.

Mix soup, milk, salsa, and onion.

Cut tortillas into 6 pieces each.

Butter a 9x13 inch casserole.
Spread 6 tortillas on the bottom & spoon over some of the broth.
Place 1/2 the chicken on the tortillas.
Pour 1/2 the sauce over.
Sprinkle with 1/2 of the grated cheese.
Repeat layers.
Cover with foil & refrigerate overnight.
Day of service, bake 1 hour at 300 degrees, uncovered.

(1/2 of recipe fits well into smaller casserole)