Squash Muffins

Tried these out for a dinner with friends recently, and they got rave reviews.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cooked squash
1/2 t vanilla

1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1-1/2 cups flour

sprinkle of ginger, nutmeg & cinnamon

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a muffin pan large enough for 12 muffins, or line with paper muffin cups.

Cream together the sugar and shortening, until very light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and squash.

In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

Add this to the creamed mixture very gradually, beating well after each addition.

Spoon into 12 muffin cups (they will be quite full).

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

High altitude tips: slightly decrease baking soda, sugar, and shortening. Add 2 tsp of water to the wet mix.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

In the spirit of fall here's a wonderful recipe that I just received from a friend.  I made my first batch of them yesterday, and since the kids ate them all as soon as they were cool enough to eat I am making a second batch today and hoping that they last a little bit longer.

1 2/3 C flour
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 C melted butter
1 C pumpkin
6 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Add eggs, pumpkin, melted butter (that has cooled slightly), mix well.  Add chocolate chips, stir.  Pour or spoon into greased muffin tins and cook for 20 minutes or until done (do not overbake).
My friend included the note that if you can actually have any left over, once they are completely cooled you can freeze them and then just pull them out and microwave them for 20sec. for a great after school snack.  Obviously I haven't tried this step as there were none left when I made them.
Happy Fall!

Banana Bread

Tip: freeze old, over-ripe bananas; they turn dark/black in the freezer. Defrost them, and the bananas are already mushy, easy to pop open, and perfect for use in baking.
High altitude tips: slightly decrease oil, baking powder, sugars; slightly increase flour, liquid.

2 1/2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 1/4 C mashed bananas (~4 bananas)
3 T veg oil
1/3 C milk
1 egg
Optional additions: Chocolate chips, chopped nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla.

Heat oven to 350.
Grease and flour 2 loaf pans (or use cooking spray).
Mix all ingredients together and divide between pans.
Bake 55-65 min.

Zucchini Bread

One of our regular favorites--especially when I have fresh zucchini from my garden!
[High altitude tips: slightly decrease oil baking powder & soda, sugars. slightly increase flour, liquid]

Preheat oven to 325    

Grease and flour 2 bread pans (or spray liberally with cooking spray)

½ c vegetable oil                                  

½ c apple sauce                                   

1 c sugar                                             

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

3 c flour

2 c grated zucchini (~2 small zucchini or 1½ large zucchini)

Optional:

1 or 2 tsp cinnamon

½ c (or more) chopped nuts

Mix all together and divide between the 2 pans.

Bake: 1 hour

Spectacular Cinnamon Almond Ring

(From Sharron's Grandma Ruth who said it's one that she and my grandfather always loved and was always a successful recipe for her.) 

NOTE: May need high altitude adjustments: decrease fat, sugar, leavening/yeast; increase liquid and flour.

5 ½ to 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast (suggest rapid rise)

1 cup milk

½ cup water

½ cup butter or margarine, cut up

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten

2 tsp each finely shredded lemon and orange peel (optional)

1 cup sliced almonds (or substitute walnuts)

6 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 recipe powdered sugar icing

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups flour and the yeast.  In saucepan, heat and stir milk, water, the ½ cup butter or margarine, sugar and salt.  Stir to warm (120-130 degrees), till butter almost melts, add to dry mixture, mix, add eggs, lemon and orange peel.  Beat with electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly.  Beat on high for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in almonds and as much flour as you can. (I use the walnuts with the last cinnamon and sugar after I have rolled out dough)

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make moderately soft dough, 3-5 minutes.  Put into a greased bowl. Let rise until double in bulk, about an hour.  Turn onto floured board and cover and let set for 15 minutes. 

Roll out dough to a 20X12 rectangle.  Spread with 6 tbsp margarine, sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and the walnuts.  Roll up as a jelly roll.  Put roll in a greased Bundt pan, seam side down sealing the two ends together.  Cover and let rise about 45 minutes to about double bulk.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if getting too brown last 10 minutes (will rise high).  Invert pan onto a wire rack. Drizzle with the powdered sugar icing. 

Icing:  1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 tbsp milk and ¼ tsp vanilla.  Stir in additional milk 1 tsp at a time until icing reaches drizzling consistency.