Cornbread and Jiffy Dinner rolls

Here are two recipes that use a Jiffy yellow cake mix, the little 9oz. kind. I make both of these a lot this time of year to go alongside soups and chili.

Cornbread

1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Blend ingredients, batter will be slightly lumpy. Let sit 4 minutes. Pour into greased square pan or muffins cups. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (square pan) or 15-20 (muffins).

*Note: if I am just making these to feed my family I cut the recipe in 1/2 and use only 1/2 of each boxed mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk.

This is my favorite cornbread, the cake mix makes it slightly sweet, so yummy with butter and honey!


Jiffy Dinner Rolls

1 9oz. box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 pkg. active dry yeast (equal to 2 1/4 t. yeast)
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cup warm on wrist tap water
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, yeast and salt. Stir in water and flour to make a soft (very sticky) dough. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Stir down and place on floured surface. Turn dough gently to coat with flour. Shape in rolls and place on a greased baking sheet, or shape in balls and place in muffin tins. *Cover and let rise again til doubled. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes til golden.

*At this point I often cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until I am ready to bake them. Just get them out of the fridge in time for them to fully come to room temp and bake as followed.

These are also a slightly sweet "crescent" type roll. They are yummy brushed with butter right from the oven!

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Yet another way to use some zucchini: allrecipes.com

Best Honey Wheat Bread

It has been a while since anyone posted here. Must be all the sunshine! I just made some honey wheat bread that is so delicious. I got the recipe off my ciber friend, Michal's blog. I followed the substitutions mentioned at the bottom of the recipe and it turned out perfectly, the best I've ever made and my family agrees.

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup honey
scant Tablespoon coarse kosher salt or 1/2 t. fine salt
6 cups whole wheat flour (I like white wheat flour best, from whole white wheat)

Mix ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes. 

Meanwhile, proof the yeast:
3/4 cup very warm water
3 Tablespoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
When yeast is proofed, add to bread mixture along with:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white, all-purpose flour
Mix on low or medium to incorporate, then on high for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Turn out into bowl sprayed with cooking spray and allow to rise in a warm place for 25 minutes. Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and separate into four loaves. Shape loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Allow to rise for 25 minutes more.

Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from oven and from pans immediately. Rub or brush tops of the loaves with butter. Allow to cool on wire cooling rack. Freeze what you're not going to use today or tomorrow.

Variations: Substitute 1/4 cup of the oil with an equal amount of applesauce. Substitute 1/2 cup flour with equal amount ground flax seed, toasted wheat germ, or leftover oatmeal. Add 1/2 cup sunflower seeds with final 4 cups of flour (my kids don't love this version).

Orange Knots

I'm making Orange Knots for Easter morning. I made them before, a few years ago, and couldn't find the recipe anywhere when I looked through my recipes. Their deliciousness remains in my husband's memory and he keeps asking for them. I finally found them at Rhodesbread.com. Here is the link: http://www.rhodesbread.com/recipes/view/2038

Whole Wheat Bread in a Bread Machine

If you have a bread maker you'll want to check out my post at my personal blog. I've finally come up with a recipe that makes whole wheat bread taste soft and chewy like store bought bread! You can find the recipe here. Thanks!

Basic Muffins

2 cups flour, okay to use 1 cups white, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour + 1/4 cup wheat germ

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. sugar for sweet muffins, 1 tsp. sugar for savory

1 egg slightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 12 muffin cups. Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients until just combined. Batter will not be smooth. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 17-22 minutes.

Sweet additions: 1/2 cup dried fruit.

Savory additions: crumbled bacon or finely chopped ham and 1/3 cup cubed cheese. I also added a few additional spices like a touch of garlic powder, thyme, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Perfect served along side soup.

I've baked this recipe both savory and sweet now, both time with whole wheat flour/white flour combo. The muffins are fluffy, healthy, and have a nutty-buttery taste. This is a super easy and fast snack.

Buttery Soft Pretzels

My kids love those soft pretzels from Auntie Anne's at the mall (so do I!) and these are just as good, and fun to make. Go to allrecipes.com and type in Buttery Soft Pretzels for the recipe.

8th grade home-ec biscuits

As the title implies I learned this recipe and have been making these biscuits since the 8th grade. The recipe is now just in my head, so forgive me if you like preciseness.

BISCUITS

Stir together in med. sized bowl:
2 C. flour
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Cut in:
1/3-1/2 C. room temp butter til incorporated and crumbly

Pour in 3/4 C. milk. I pour slowly while stirring with a fork only about 10-12 stirs just until flour mixture is moistened and come together (may need a tad more milk if it seems very dry). Dump on floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. (Or if you are short on time just plop big spoonfuls on baking tray for drop biscuits.) Cut out biscuits and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. They are done when light golden. We serve them along side dinner with butter and strawberry jam.

Garlic Cheddar Variation: substitute 1 t. garlic salt for salt and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese before adding milk. I bake these as drop biscuits in muffin tins and brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle with more garlic salt (if desired) when they come out of the oven. They are almost as good as Red Lobster :)

Irish Bread

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Patty, from church and I am loving the ease of this bread. It is a great looking bread too and is tender and moist, even the second day. 

4 cups flour

dash of salt

2 tsp baking pwder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 cup of sugar

approx 1 cup of raisins

1 beaten egg

Mix dry ingredients, then work in butter. Add raisins. Beat egg with buttermilk and add to dry ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 min and then 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes (I usually just set the oven to 375 and then when I put the bread in I just turn it down to 350 and bake for 50 minutes and check it to see if it needs to go any longer). These fit into small to medium loaf pans. My mom often makes 1 and a half of the recipe and makes 2 larger loaves or puts it into a round tube pan.

Pumkin Muffins

I don't know about you, but I just can't get enough pumpkin this time of year. I spotted this recipe on an old friend's blog and had to try it. (She got it from someone who got it from a restaurant in Disneyland--so it must be good). They were fantastic. I was fresh out of cream cheese (or rather, out of fresh cream cheese), so I made them plain. They are totally addictive. I don't know if anyone could resist them with the icing. I also skipped the raisins. It just seemed weird to me. Let me know how it turns out if you try the raisins. The leftovers (yeah right) freeze great too.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Pumpkin Muffins:
2 cups pumpkin purée (canned)
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup canola oil
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup raisins


Preheat oven to 325ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. Over mixing may result in less tender muffins.
Fold in the raisins until consistently distributed.
Portion mixture into muffin pans and bake at 325ºF for 25 minutes.
Insert a toothpick into center of muffin and remove. If toothpick is clean, the muffins are ready. If not, allow muffins to cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until toothpick is clean.
Allow muffins to cool for 30–60 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ cups cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon

Allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature for about an hour.
Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.
Remove from mixer, and cover and refrigerate until needed.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with icing.
Poke a hole into the center of each cooled muffin and squeeze icing directly into the middle of the muffin, finishing with a rosette on the top.

Ode to Zucchini

It's that time again ladies. What to do with all that zucchini? Gosh - I don't even have a garden this year and it's still coming out my ears. I LOVE this squash (can I say that?). In the past weeks I've eaten zucchini sandwiches, feta and zucchini fritters and of course zucchini bread. My recipe for Zucchini Bread comes from "More with Less" by Dorris Janzen Longacre. This recipe book is really a good investment if you don't already have it.

Zucchini Bread

Preheat to 350.

Combine:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used half vegi oil, half applesauce)
2 C raw, peeled and grated zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla

Sift:
3 C flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 2)

Add to zucchini mixture and stir until blended
Pour into two loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.

Pumpkin Bread

Who are we really kidding? This is pumpkin CAKE baked in a loaf pan so that you don't feel bad about eating it for breakfast! It's very good. It's a recipe that I often get asked for and it's the perfect time of year to bake it.

1 large 29 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup canola oil (or use 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 oil)
4 cups sugar
2 well beaten eggs
5 cups flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt


1. Mix pumpkin, oil, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs.
2. In another bowl, mix together remaining ingrediants.
3. Gradually add dry ingrediants to wet mixture until well mixed.
4. Grease and flour loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees. For 2 large loaf pans bake 70 minutes or more. For 4 small loaf pans bake 50 minutes or more. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. I usually end up baking it for 90 minutes, because it has a tendancy to get gooey in the middle.