By Popular Demand

Here's the recipe for Cheddar Batter Bread, which I showed in a previous post. It was good, but make sure you bake it long enough (ahem).

2 c all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c milk
2 T butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1/2 c cornmeal
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
additional cornmeal

In a mixing bowl, combine 1-1/2 c flour plus next 5 ingredients. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat until moistened. Add egg; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in cornmeal and remaining flour. Stir in cheese (batter will be thick). Do not knead.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes. Stir dough down. Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan and sprinkle with additional cornmeal. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

by Debbie Keslar in Taste of Home's Best of Country Breads

Enjoy!

English Muffin Recipe

Mrs. L, one of my faithful readers, asked for the English muffin recipe. Since I can't find the recipe online that I originally copied, here it is.

English Muffins

1 c hot water
1/2 c milk
2 tsp honey
4 c flour (I used more than half whole wheat)
2 tsp instant yeast
3 T softened butter
cornmeal

Mix together water, milk, honey and salt. Add 2 c of flour and the yeast. Mix until you have a loose batter. (I used my Bosch mixer.) Cover the mixture and let rise for about an hour. Mix in the butter and the remainder of the flour. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick on a surface generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cut into circles. Let rise until doubled.

Fry on a hot (about 350 degrees, however one tests this) well-buttered griddle until they are light brown. Turn once.

Enjoy!


Here's another recipe that only has one rising time. It also has lots of pictures! Maybe I'll try it next time.

Mississippi Mud

I remember this recipe from my childhood, when Aunt Shirley made it for our get-togethers at week-long Bible conferences. Wow! Steven likes it a lot (so do I!), so I make it for his birthday cake sometimes.

Mississippi Mud

Cake:
2 cups (c) sugar
1 c oil
4 eggs
1/2 teaspooon (t) vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 c chopped pecans (optional)
small jar marshmallow creme

Cream sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, stirring by hand. Stir in pecans if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then spread a jar of marshmallow creme over it. (Be patient, this is rather fiddly.) Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:
1 c butter or margarine
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
1 c nuts (optional)

Make frosting with these. :o) I like to sift the powedered sugar and cocoa together. It's good to chill it for a while, since the frosting will set up a bit. Very rich.

Pumpkin Muffins

These are so yummy! Thanks, Kitty! and Patricia, who wants the recipe.

Pumpkin Muffins

3 1/2 c flour
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin pie spice
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2/3 c water
1 c oil
16 oz can pumpkin
1 c raisins or Craisins

In a very large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Separately mix together "wet" ingredients. Add wet to dry, mixing just until moistened. Fold in raisins. Bake at 400 for 18 minutes or until done. Makes about 2 dozen.

Granny and Cranberry

Well, the Baby Project is not at all how I first pictured it! I have new yarn, and not in baby colors at all. There is no pink, which the mother stipulated. So this little girl will have a granny square blanket she can use until she is too big! Here it is so far. The colors are: tangerine, turquoise, cherry red, honey, fuchsia (this was misspelled on the label!) and guacamole (Red Heart's Soft Yarn, if you're interested). The green is my favorite. :o)

On Sunday mornings I make muffins for breakfast. We have an extra half hour compared to our church down South, so that's how I use it. . . Yesterday I made my mom's Cranberry Yum Muffins. Wow! The last time I made them I was out of oil and used applesauce--not so good. But this time they were spectacular! I do have a food processor, otherwise I probably would hardly ever make them! (T=tablespoon, t=teaspoon) Here is the recipe:

Cranberry Yum Muffins

1-1/3 c sugar
2 c shredded (or chopped) unpeeled apple
1 c chopped cranberries
1 c shredded carrot
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans
2-1/2 c flour
1 T baking powder
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon (I used 1 t cinnamon and dabs of cloves and nutmeg)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 vegetable oil

Combine sugar and apples. Fold in cranberries, carrots and walnuts. Combine dry ingredients and add to fruit. Combine eggs and oil, stir into fruit mixture. (Batter will be very thick.) Bake at 375 for 20-23 minutes.

Thanks, Mom!

This n That

First, I am giving away eight BJU yearbooks:

1991
1992
1993
1994

1998
1999
2000

If you are interested, let me know by next Wednesday (August 20) and we can arrange the exchange.


Second, a recipe for

Single Serving Homemade Ice Cream

1/2 c whole milk
1 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 small resealable plastic bag
1 large resealable plastic bag
Ice (enough to half-fill the large bag)
6 T salt

Pour milk, sugar, and vanilla into the small bag. Seal. Place ice and salt in the large bag. Put the small bag into the larger bag. Seal the large bag. Vigorously shake the bags 5-10 minutes, or until mixture becomes ice cream consistency.

This works great and is very good! I bet cream would be even better. :o)


Finally, this from a Chinese fortune cookie:

Travelling to the south will bring you unexpected happiness.

Whatever.

Scheveningen

My heritage is Dutch. As a friend of our family used to say,

"If yer not Dutch, yer not much!"

Of course I don't really feel this way, but I guess all nationalities should say these things, right? So when I saw the book Knitting from the Netherlands: Traditional Dutch Fishermen's Sweaters by Henriette van der Klift-Tellegen (I just had to include her name!), I snatched it up!

Ladies would knit these sweaters for their fisher-men, using patterns unique to their villages. So when these men would go to various ports, people could recognize their hometown from their sweater patterns. The patterns were also sometimes used to identify the bodies of dead fishers. Here's another neat tidbit:

As soon as a girl gave her 'yes' to a fisherman and the wedding date was set, she would begin a sweater for him. This special sweater had to be completed prior to the wedding day so she could give it to him as a present. She knitted into the sweater long hairs which she pulled from her head. This not only strengthened the yarn, but resulted in a very personal and romantic garment through which she bound herself closely to her man.

In talking to my mother, I discovered that my ancestors came from the village of Scheveningen, (make that sound in your throat with the Sch) and there is a pattern in the book for this village! It has cables on the top half, then plain stockinette on the bottom half and plain sleeves. I am so excited!!! I mean, my great- great- great- etc. grand-father probably wore one of these sweaters! It makes me want to knit one in the worst way, but who would wear it? I guess I could make one for Samuel. . .


Maybe this should be another post, but my sister asked me for this Nacho Dip recipe, so I'll just post it here for your enjoyment. It's from Mrs. Becky R, our youth pastor's wife.

Nacho Dip

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 blocks Velveeta
8 oz. salsa/picante/enchilada sauce
2 lb. ground beef, browned

Combine in crock pot on high until heated through, then on low until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 20.

I used this when our family hosted the teen fellowship Easter Sunday and the kids loved it. We're still eating the leftovers!


One more item: Thank you for praying for my mom's friend Amy. The doctors at Mayo made a diagnosis and she has begun treatment.


Have a happy day!

Banana Split Bread

This bread will make you want to jump up and down! :o)

2/3 c shortening
1-1/4 c sugar (I used a scant cup)
4 eggs
3-1/2 c flour
2-1/2 t (teaspoon) baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1-1/2 c mashed ripe bananas (about 4 med)
2 cans (12 oz each) crushed pineapple, drained
1 jar (10 oz) red maraschino cherries, well drained and chopped
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas and pineapple. Fold in the chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts. Pour into two greased 9 x 5 x 3" loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves. (Four 5-3/4 x 3 x 2" pans--bake for 50-55 minutes)

Poem and Recipe

I read this poem this morning and it was such a blessing.

If Thou but Suffer (allow) God to Guide Thee

If thou but suffer God to guide thee,
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days;
Who trusts in God's unchanging love
Builds on the rock that nought can move.

What can these anxious cares avail thee,
These never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O'er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

Only be still, and wait His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whate'er thy Father's pleasure
And all-discerning love have sent;
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving;
So do thine own part faithfully,
And trust His word,--though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee;
God never yet forsook at need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Georg Neumark, 1621-1681



Don't worry--this will not be turning into a recipe blog! This simple recipe is so tasty and good for Fall. My kids love it!

Pumpkin Whip
from Taste of Home magazine

1 pkg (3.4 oz.) instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups whipped topping

In a mixing bowl, beat pudding and milk until well blended, about 1-2 minutes. Blend in pumpkin and pie spice. Fold in whipped topping. Chill.
Yield: 6 servings


Have a lovely day, and I'll chat with you this evening.

:o)