Pumpkin Bread

This bread is delicious and perfect for fall!

Pumpkin bread
Source: Tasty Kitchen

3 C sugar
3 1/2 C flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 C oil
1 C water

Stir together all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients. Mix well. Grease 3 loaf pans. Equally distribute the batter between the pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool on a rack. Keep moist by wrapping in plastic wrap.

Strawberry Bread

Since strawberries were on sale I needed to do something with the abundance of them that I had! We ate some straight out of the package, I covered a few in sugar and let them sit before eating, we had the strawberry cheesecake, and then the rest of them went to this! I had Book Club last night and this yummy bread is what I took to share.

The recipe comes from my sister Krystal and her family. Anytime I've been to a shower (wedding or baby) given by her side of the family they make this bread. I guess I should clarify that she is technically my sister in law, but I hate saying that. She is my sister, my one and only!

Okay, back to the bread. So they make this yummy bread and a really yummy spread to go with it. I didn't make the spread this time, but I'm including the recipe for it because I know how yummy it is! The recipe also calls for frozen strawberries and I used fresh. This is a perfect spring dessert, breakfast, snack, whatever you want it to be!
Strawberry Bread

Source: Krystal and her family

3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 C sugar

2 10 oz packages or frozen strawberries (thawed and sliced) OR 2 C fresh strawberries chopped

1 1/4 C vegetable oil

4 eggs, well beaten

1 C chopped pecans (I left this out)

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Create a well in the center. Add all the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon. Don't use a mixer! When it's all mixed together, pour into 2 greased loaf pans or 1 bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes.

For the spread

1/2 C strawberry juice (from the frozen strawberries)

8 oz cream cheese

Mix together in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Breakfast Bread

This recipe is a tradition from my childhood. My mom made this every Christmas morning. In fact, I think that was the only time she made it and it made us love it all the more because we knew we were only getting once a year! I made it for the first time this year for mine and Charlie's first Christmas. It was delicious and Charlie loved it! My mom usually made 2 loaves, so if you've got more than 3 people and this is the only thing you're serving, I would make more! I froze the leftover bread in individual servings and defrosted them the night before Charlie went to work. Then I popped it in the microwave to heat, wrapped it in tinfoil and sent it with Charlie to eat in the car. Homemade Hot Pocket! He loved it!



Breakfast Bread
Source: Mom


1 frozen loaf of bread dough
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb. ground sausage, cooked
1 C cheddar cheese, shredded


Defrost and rise the bread dough according to the package directions. You'll want to do this the night before. With your fingers, push out the dough so that it covers a baking sheet. Top with the sausage leaving an edge around the bread. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. The next part I got Charlie to help me with...Pull up the sides and ends of the dough to make a loaf. While you're holding together the loaf, pour the eggs inside. Seal together. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350. Yum!

Pumpkin Muffins...Round 2!

So I made these a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them! There's not enough time in the world anymore! I liked these much better than the other ones. Don't get me wrong...the last ones were good, but these appealed to me more! I still have 7 other recipes marked to make that involve pumpkin...not including the pumpkin pie I'm making this weekend for an early family Thanksgiving! I guess I should stock up on my pumpkin before they remove it from the shelves!

Pumpkin Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)
Source: Paige and Brooke


2 c. flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. butter softened (2 sticks)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)


Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin pan. In a medium bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls into your muffin pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.

Pumpkin Muffins

I made these for a recent camping trip Charlie and I took together. However, by the time we got to the campsite there were only a few left! :) Stay tuned for more pumpkin recipes. I've got a couple more muffin recipes with pumpkin too. We'll figure out our favorite!

Pumpkin Muffins

Source: Pioneer Woman

1 C All-purpose Flour
½ C Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt
4 T Butter - Cut Into Pieces
1 C (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
½ C Evaporated Milk
1 Egg
1-½ tsp Vanilla
½ C Golden Raisins (optional)

Topping

2 T Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into a greased muffin pan. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the top of each unbaked muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.

Almond Swirls

My friend Shelley introduced me to these. If you've ever been to any event catered by Shelley you've had the privilege of tasting these scrumptious treats! They are one of her signature dishes! Shelley made these for my bridal shower. Whenever I have one I almost forget how yummy they are and then I can't stop eating them! The recipe comes from Paula Deen, but we've altered it a bit. Shelley says to use more cream cheese than Paula says. And when Shelley says to do something you do it! I miss Shelley and the smell of almond will always make me think of her!

This recipe makes a ton. Mine turned out smaller than they normally do. This is dangerous because I think they're mini so I can eat more. I also doubled the glaze recipe. I've never done that before, but felt it was necessary. When you refrigerate the rolls, stick the knife you're using to cut them in the fridge too. It helps to use a cold knife.

Shelley, please chime in with any other helpful hints or anything I missed.

Almond Swirls

Source: Shelley Heinrichs and Paula Deen

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water

Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.

Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 while the rolls are chilling.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 (or 6, whatever you feel like) slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.

Strawberry Muffins

These were supposed to be strawberry cupcakes. When I made them I decided they were much better as "muffins" and make a great breakfast! We all need an excuse to eat a cupcake for breakfast, right? These were delicious! They may have turned out more muffin like than cupcake because of all my substitutions. I don't know. So, I'm posting the recipe via my substitutions rather than the original. If you make the original recipe I'm linking you to and your "cupcakes" are more like a real cupcake let me know.

Don't you just LOVE my awesome picture?! Thanks Krystal for your amazing photography skills!

Strawberry Muffins

Adapted from Annie Eats

Muffins:

2 cups + 3 T all purpose flour

5 T cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup salted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chopped strawberries

Frosting:

1/2 cup strawberries, puree

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temp.

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 T. vanilla

Heat oven to 350°. Line muffin tin with liners.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, with electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add buttermilk and oil. Beat in flour mixture in batches. Fold in strawberries. Fill tins 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 24 muffins.

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy with electric mixer. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Frost muffins once cooled.