ORANGE PUMPKIN LOAF RECIPE

ORANGE PUMPKIN LOAF ( 2011)

Make in two full size loaf pans, or in 11 mini loaf pans. Adjust time accordingly….(Be sure to double recipe to do this) Below is given ingredients for one regular loaf pan.

1/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup orange juice
1 grated and pureed orange
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ cup chopped nuts ( I use pecans)
½ cups dried cranberries ( I toss in a bit more for good measure)

Cream all wet ingredients, then add ground up orange. Add all dry and combine together..do not beat, or you will be sorry…gets tough that way. Plop into pans. The mini loaf pans are great. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour with larger loaf pans. Bake for about 30 minutes with mini pans. Just be sure to check after 20 minutes, with a sharp knife plunged into the centre to test for doneness.

Cool and wrap to freeze. Serve with anything and everything…..

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ( 2011)

(double the recipe for 5 cookie sheets of cookies)

½ cup margarine, not butter or shortening
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1      tsp vanilla
One 8 ounce container sour cream
2 ½ cups flour
2     cups semi sweet chocolate pieces

Combine wet ingredients, then add dry.Drop by rounded teaspoons , rather chunkily, on silpat lined baking sheets. Bake in 375 oven for about 9 minutes. Should be a gold brown on the edges of the cookies, and tender to touch, not wet or dried out. They are quite nice and the sour cream keeps them moist.
   I found they were a little "firmer" than my favourite Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies.....but freeze well. Would do great on any plate, provided they last that long...

Small Loaf tins

 Today it's not so much about the recipe as about the cute little pans I found. This way I can make indivdual loaves, freeze them, and not waste any part of the loaf. How many times have I taken out a larger loaf, cut off a few slices, and left it in the fridge to die.......The little loaves are 4" x 2", and the pan houses 8. So cute......Found them in a kitchen store, but have seen them in hardware stores and Superstore as well.  And they are so darn cute.......

Orange Pumpkin Loaf with real orange smooshed up and added to the batter.

ULTIMATE MAC and CHEESE with ANGEL FOOD CAKE

 ULTMATE MAC adn CHEESE....great birthday fare. Boil water, dump in rice pasta, cook till tender. Make a white sauce, pour in about 3 cups of grated cheese. Combine with cooked pasta, sprinkle a cup of bread crumbs over the casserole ( 9x13) . Bake 20 minutes at 350 then enjoy......

 Really nice. Morgan made it with a touch of garlic. I found it to be quite rich...just had a small portion, but I wanted to inhale the entire casserole......

And  what would a birthday be without cake? Stephen's facourite is Angel Food.  This is layered with jam, a very old fashioned way to do things. Makes its insides all pretty......

SOUP in a BOAT

Picked up these great little Lasagna boats at the kitchen supply store. Unfortunately, I do not like lasagna, so they will never see fat noodles  and sauce, in their lifetime. BUT, it is amazing how creative you can be when strapped for time, and ideas for dinner. I had  leftover soup ( any chunky soup will do, with lots of veggies and beans )....Plopped a serving in each boat, topped it with cheese. Just like in the commercials, cheese DOES make it better...........then broiled them on cookie sheets for a short amount of time. Added a salad, and voila, felt like we were eating at Boston Pizza.
    Amazing what a white glass "boat" can do..........

WHOOPIE PIES

 WHOOPIE PIES ( Contrary to popular belief , NOT named after Whoopi Goldberg). When we lived in the Maritimes these were a staple at any gathering. Neighbours would make them on a frigid Saturday and then invite us over to have hot tea, coffee and as many whoopie pies as we could muster.  Basically, they are sandwich cookies  slathered with a lovely buttercream filling. Morgan made these this afternoon to take to work. I doubt she will bring any back.....

 MORGAN'S RECIPE: 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups self rising flour ( add in 2 tablespoons bakingpowder to plain flour, or you can buy self raising flour),  1/2 tbsp cocoa, 1 tbsp baking powder, pipnch salt, 1 cup buttermilk ( the real thing), 2 tsp red food colouring paste ( organic, natural, paste found in good kitchen stores, not the liquid stuff. ), 1/2 cup hot water from tap.

Combine everything, except the hot water and whisk till well incoporated. Add hot water at the end. Put large spoonfuls into greased/sprayed whoopie pie pans, like in the picture above..... ( available at kitchen stores). Make tons. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.

 These are your finished whoopie pies. Aren't they lovely?

Use your favourite buttercream recipe, put a dollop in centre of one pie, top with another and squish down. But be gentle, as they will complain bitterly if broken.... Stack on plate, as in first picture, drizzle with melted chocolate and voila....you are a Maritime Whoopie Pie maker.  Everyone on the block with run to yur house to try one....

RAINY DAY YUMMIES

 Firs of all, let it be said, right from the start, that rainy days deserve to be celebrated. You don't have to eat the whole cake, or the entire pan of cinnamon buns. But it is nice to have a minute portion, before you share with friends or neighbours. To me, havemy ake and eating it to, is to make it easy. And what could be easier than a cake mix. THrow it in a bowl, whip it up, plop in a pan (I used a couple of those new silicone cake forms). Once cool, frost with a homemade frosting. You could also smother the insides with raspberry jam and just toss whipped cream on the devilish crowing glory.  All equally perfect when the rain is pelting down and everyone is stuck in the house.

Cinnamon buns get a good make over. Found this idea in one of those fancy dancy magazines. Take a thawed loaf of bread dough, push it into a rectangle, smother the flat surface with melted margarine, brown sugar, and any sort of raisin, cranberry, nuts, that you wish. Let rise in silicone pan ( see, it's green in the photo. Then bake at 35 for about 30 minutes. An easy way to have cinnamon buns for company.  So you can have your cake, and your buns, and eat them too....

COOKIES

Time for cookies. Lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies for the freezer. Couldn't resist taking a picture. Recipe has already been on blog  ("Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies"). Seemed like a  good thing to make on the first day of what felt like fall........

CARROT CAKE with GOBS of CREAM CHEESE

I don't think I need to post a crrot cake recipe. Everyone has one tucked away somewhere. In fact, I have found a Duncan Hines carrot cake mix that is WONDERFUL. Just like the real thing. Great in  apinch. But don't you believe that the frosting is what makes it? Without the govs of creamy cream cheese frosting it's just another pretty cake.  This time I actually made the frosting right.....proportional cream cheese to margarine ( or butter...if you wish), and then beaten to gobby creaminess. Then skillfully balanced in the fridge to chill till  it can be slathered over serated slices of cake.  Oh yum. Great for the first full week of back to the routine.......

AZTEC CUPCAKES

AZTEC CUPCAKES......oh yum. Morgan made these. A dark chocolate cupcake with a pinch of Cinnamon, chili and cayenne to give them zip. The frosting is a buttercream with  melted chocolate and topped with shards of chocolate.....great way to beat the heat, with a glass of Ice tea...
  Morgan takes these to work . Every week she makes something different for "snack"time at Walmart. Lucky employees.....

BLACKBERRY APPLE PIE with SHORTCRUST PASTRY

The shortcrust pastry is easy and good. You can substitute block margarine, if you do not eat butter. But the butter crust is wonderful..............

BLACKBERRY/APPLE PIE with SHORTCRUST PASTRY

MAKE: Shortcrust pastry for a two crust pie  and pastry leaves( see below)

 2 ½ pounds of peeled, cored and sliced Granny Smiths

3 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice
2-3 tbsp flour
1-2 tbsp butter for top of fruit
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Beaten egg with water to glaze top

SHORTCRUST PASTRY: 4 cups flour, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 ¼ cups cold butter, 10 large tblsp COLD water, approx.. ( Cut in butter with flour and salt, till crumbly, add water a little bit at a time, till forms a nice ball of pastry. Divide in two, flatten each disc. Wrap in cling film, and keep in fridge or freezer, till ready to use. 1 disc is good for one 2 crust pie and leaves)

1.    Pour lemon juice into large bowl. Cut in apples and turn to coat. This stops browning.

2.   Toss in Blackberries, add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3.   Divide one pastry disc in half. Roll out one half and spread in pie pan.

4.   Fill with prepared fruit. Dot with butter.

5.   Roll out other half of pastry disc. Lay over top of fruit layer.

6.   Cut around edges, not too closely. Whatever is leftover you can use to make leaves. Pastry should  not be too thick.

7.   Crimp or pinch edges to seal in the fruit.

8.   Roll out leftover pastry, cut in leaf shapes, lay on top pastry layer.

9.   Take beaten egg wash and brush over pastry and leaves.

10. Bake in 375 degree oven for about an hour.

11. My mother would serve this with cream ( not whipped..plain cream), or custard, if you are really traditional. Very good with ice cream as well. Not the end of summer without this pie!

WHAT TO MAKE WITH BUTTERMILK

 Oven has finally been fixed, after a month of waiting for a motor to arrive. Finally,MOrgan was able to make Rainbow cupcakes for work. Turned out so pretty. Has about 2 cups of buttermilk in the batter, all from scratch. And , yes, a lot of food colouring, so if you are avoiding food dyes, these are not for you. But, if not, they are light and pretty with a hint of coconut.

Broke one oftem open to see the actual rainbow effect. Frosting is a gentle buttercream. Lovely.Morgan toted these off to work.

 A good bread to toast or have with supper. Southern Soda Bread. Nice texture. Has about 3 cups of buttermilk in the mix. Simple, easy recipe........
4 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch kosher salt
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
4 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Combine all dry ingredients, add wet to the dry and beat into a fairly smooth batter. Pour into 2 veggie sprayed loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Make sure not to overbake, or underbake. Cool. Can freeze for later use. ( About a month)

Then after supper, have friends over and indulge on homemade Red Velve cake. This has 2 cups of buttermilk. Make the cake crumb fine and tender. Recipe has been on a previous blog.  I made a scant buttercream frosting.....but you could serve it with whip cream.
     So nice to have the oven back and working....