Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

 Mix together dry ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 ½  cups white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

½ cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger powder

1 tsp mace

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

Mix together wet ingredients:

1 cup (soy) milk

½ cup oil

1 ¾ cups puréed pumpkin

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Mix together wet and dry ingredients. Spoon into muffin tins. Makes 18-24 muffins

Bake at 375℉ for 25 minutes+

Sour Cream Coffee cake muffins

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Makes 10 medium muffins.

*** Combine well in a large bowl:

1/3 cup oil

2 Tbsp water

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 tsp vanilla

1 diced apple, cored, skin on

 

 *** Combine in second bowl:

¼ cup brown sugar

 ½ cup walnut pieces

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

 

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  Mix for 10 strokes.

Spoon into greased muffin tin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Combine and set aside:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

In a large bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
½ cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

To soaked oats mixture, add:
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas (4-5 medium)

Chocolate chips (1/2 to 1 cup)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix only until the flour is moistened. Add chocolate chips,

Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 350° for approx. 20 minutes.  Makes 14 to 18 muffins.

Wacky Cake

This has been a staple for birthday cakes in our house for decades:

3 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa (1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and cocoa.

In a separate bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar and vanilla.  Pour liquids into flour mixture and beat until smooth.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool

Jennifer’s famous apple pie

I think Jennifer has perfected the apple pie recipe with this one, modeled on variations in the Five Roses Flour Cookbook.

1 double crust pastry recipe, below.
6 medium apples (Courtland works well)
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter or margarine
1/tsp grated lemon rind (optional - Jennifer usually omits it))
6 Tbsp whipping cream (can be omitted, but why would you want to?)

Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare pastry and line a 9” deep dish pie plate, reserving some for top crust. Core, peel and slice apples. Combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together, and then mix with apples (we layer the apples in the pie crust and alternate with sprinkling the sugar-cinnamon mixture as we go, it saves time). Spread apple mixture into unbaked pastry shell. Dot with butter; sprinkle with lemon rind. Pour whipping cream over the top. Cover with top crust, sealing carefully and making slits to allow steam to escape. Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F and bake until apples are cooked, about 30 – 35 minutes.

Double Crust pastry recipe

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup lard
8-9 Tbsp ice-cold water

Stir flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Cut in lard and butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add water, a little at a time, using just enough to bind the mixture so that dough can be patted lightly to form a ball. Handle as little as possible. Split dough roughly in two. Roll dough from center outward, with a light, even pressure to form a circle, 1/16” thick and 1” larger than inverted pie plate. Fold double and lift gently into pie plate. Unfold and fit loosely in place. Do not stretch. Bake as directed for filling.

The Night Before Breakfast

Prepare this Ham & Egg bake the night before, and bake it fresh in the morning. It's easy and our kids love it! All measures are approximate, you can add more stuff as you wish.

6 slices bread
1 lb or more ham cubes or pieces or slices
(or your favorite pre-cooked breakfast meat)
12 eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
1 cup shredded cheese

Beat eggs well and add milk. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer bread and ham. Sprinkle on the cheese. Pour egg & milk mixture over top. Cover and let stand overnight in the fridge. Bake for one hour in oven preheated to 350°. Serves 6.

Adapted from Renaissance Cuisine published by Fontbonne Auxiliary of the Saint John Hospital, Detroit.

Shredded Wheat Bread

This is one of our favorite bread machine recipes:

1 ½ cups water
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups white flour
2 large biscuits shredded wheat cereal, broken
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp instant skim milk powder
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp yeast

Put in bread machine on the dough cycle. Remove and split dough, place each half in a greased bread pan. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes at 350° degrees.

Fry's Fudgey Mint Brownies

This recipe is from the Fry's Cocoa package and has become our brownie of choice. Jennifer usually leaves out the peppermint and nuts, but either way they are great:

1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup oil
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl combine oil and cocoa powder. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and peppermint. Blend in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into greased 9” x 13” pan. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

France Pronovost's Cranberry Orange Bread

This is one of Rick's favorites, with a mug of Earl Grey tea:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup water
1 egg
1 cup cranberries (cut in half if fresh)
1 cup sugar
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp vegetable oil
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp orange zest
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 60 minutes.

Letitia Cousens' Oatmeal Scones

Not only are these thin scones healthy, they've become one of our favorites and a staple in our house. The kids and parents both love them and, although the batch makes several dozen, they seldom last more than a day as they 'evaporate' very quickly:

3 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk (sour if desired)

Mix and roll thin on a floured surface, about ¼" thick max. Cut into rectangles with knife, or use cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets (they don't expand much, so you can put them quite close together).

Bake at 350° until lightly browned around the edges, about 12 - 15 minutes. (If they remain soft in the middle when they are cool, you didn't cook them long enough.) Letitia's recipe says, "serve buttered if desired."

Wheat Germ Griddle Cakes

Better than pancakes, these are light and fluffy. We serve them with applesauce, fruit compote, or the traditional maple syrup. We often have these for dinner when we find the fridge is empty. (Serves 4 - 6 for a light lunch. We usually double this for a dinner meal.)

1 ½ cup wheat germ
1 ¼ cup white flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
1/8 tsp mace

2 ¼ cups milk
3 eggs
6 Tbsp oil (90 ml)
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Optional:
1 cup blueberries or
2 apples, peeled and chopped

Combine and beat wet ingredients.
Add to blended dry ingredients and mix.
Bake on a hot griddle, turning once.