Pecan Pie Muffins

I hate to admit it, since we had virtually no summer weather, but there is a cool breeze blowing through the window and fall is in the air. Some leaves are even beginning to change.  Fall weather makes me think of baking, and baking makes me think of pecans.  My parents were from Texas, and the best pecans come from there.  Today I ordered a large amount from Sunny Land Farms.  I can't recommend them highly enough.  There is absolutely no comparing their plump, delicious nuts with the dried and shriveled things that pass for pecan pieces in my local supermarket.  Check them out at www.sunnylandfarms.com and don't let the prices deter you.  They are not cheap, but they are worth every dollar.  I found this recipe there today, after I placed an order for 6 lbs. of pecan pieces.  Can't wait for them to arrive (sometime after the October harvest) so I can try out this recipe.

1 cup Small Pecan Pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine pecans, sugar and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in center, add beaten eggs and melted butter. Stir until just moistened.

Line 9 muffin tins with paper cups, or spray muffin tin with a non-stick cooking spray. Fill 2/3 full.
Bake at 350° 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Makes 9 muffins.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Here in Wisconsin, we have had a glorious fall so far. Sometimes fall is miserable here, with seemingly endless stretches of coldly grey days. Sometimes the leaves start to turn to the beautiful hues of autumn only to be blasted bare by rain and wind before the transformation can be enjoyed. Not this year! We have had plenty of sunny days with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s even though it is getting chilly at night. I just heard that frost is finally in the forecast for next week, but meanwhile some of our flowers are still in bloom and the colors on the trees are becoming beautiful.
 

Fall makes me want to savor a cup of coffee along with something baked in the oven, especially something with cinnamon in it. I'm planning on this for Saturday morning, and I don't want to even think about how many calories are in it.

Ingredients for Cake

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt

1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Ingredients for Topping

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Ingredients for Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

What to Do
Mix all cake ingredients together except for the butter. Next, slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. Meanwhile, brew a pot of coffee and mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. While cake is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top.

Pumpkin Bread

I really enjoyed my first sample of this bread and I am not a big fan of pumpkin.  So for those who like pumpkin, you probably can't go wrong!  It is about the easiest bread recipe I have ever seen, and it makes three tasty loaves. 

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup water
1 cup oil (you can substitute some or all of the oil with unsweetened apple sauce)
31/2 cup flour
1 15 oz. can pumpkin  (you can also use cooked pumpkin or squash)

What to Do

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 3 loaf pans.  Mix everything together in a large bowl.  Bake for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes our clean.  If using glass pans, reduce heat to 300 degrees.  

Mindy's Hot Rolls

I shamelessly swiped this from Bits and Odd Peices of Mindy's Kingdom. One can never have too many bread recipes...that's my opinion. Thanks, Mindy.  The comments about the recipe are Mindy's, not mine. :-)

1 envelope dry yeast
2 Tab sugar
1/4 C warm water
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C butter
1tsp salt
1 C hot milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 1/3 C flour
2 Tb (I swear that is all I used, I promise.) melted butter

Use as much butter as you want....I cannot lie....I used more.
Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the very warm water in a large bowl. Do NOT leave the sugar out. A lot of recipes do not mix yeast with suger but TRUST ME....your yeast will love you for it!

Stir until the yeast dissolves. Let cool a bit. In a pan, heat your milk and allow your 1/4 C butter to melt it in. Also allow to cool down until it is just warm. Add your milk mixture to your yeast mixture then add in your egg. Beat in your 4 1/3 C of flour 1 cup at a time with your wet ingredients until you get a soft dough. You can then turn your dough out on your board and knead it for about 5 minutes. I just leave mine in my kitchen aide mixer (I would marry it if I could) and let it run a few minutes with the dough hook.

Place your beautiful dough in a warm greased bowl and allow it to rise until it has doubled. You can then punch it down and make your rolls. Place your rolls in a butter greased pan and allow them to rise.

Bake in a 350 degree over for 15-20 minutes until a pretty golden color and your family is standing around the oven holding a jelly jar. I then like to slather them with butter while they are still hot. This is a really forgiving easy dough. I let mine rise the first time and then punched them down and made hot rolls. Then, instead of letting them rise again, I put waxed paper over the top and put them in the fridge. Took them out the next morning and let them warm up and rise. Then we cooked them and ATE THEM all gone!! People are afraid of yeast and making bread....I promise you it is not hard!!

Mrs. Bateman's Hot Rolls

I don't know Mrs. Bateman. She was a neighbor of the family when I was a baby. But she shared her recipe with my mother who wrote it down and kept it for nearly six decades, so I think Mrs. Bateman deserves the credit for these yummy yeast rolls.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
4 Tbs sugar
5 to 6 cups flour
1 yeast packet (or about 3 Tbs.)
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. melted butter or cooking oil

Mix warm water and sugar. Add yeast and stir till dissolved. Add eggs and beat until foamy. Add salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix well. Add the melted butter and enough flour to be able to handle. Knead on board about five minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn over so top is greased, and let rise. Punch down. Form into rolls and place covered pan in refrigerator (the recipe says "ice box"). I like to use a muffin tin and place two or three small balls in each spot. About two hours before dinner, place in a warm place, let rise and then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or till browned on top.

The Duchess' Lemon Bread

Those who have read my other blog, The Owl's Song, may know that my husband and I like to play dress up--that is we participate in what is called Rendezvousing. It is a sort of reenacting of the fur trade era, pre 1840. It was at one of these gatherings that I first met the "Duchess Anna," aka Carol Knuth. At the recent Baraboo, Wisconsin Rendezvous, the duchess (as usual) held one of her special tea parties, Victorian era style. It is a highlight of this particular rendezvous.

Along with delicious samples of tea, each party includes a few sweets as well. The Lemon Bread was so delicious I asked for the recipe and our hostess was kind enough to share it. It was light and sweet but not too sweet, and reminded me of pound cake.


Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon or lemon peel
1 1/2 cups flour
2 level tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 c flaked coconut or chopped nuts

What to do:
Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add melted butter, juice, salt and grated rind and blend well. Sift the flour with the baking power and add flour mixture alternately with the milk, just stirring enough to blend. Add flaked coconut (or nuts). Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Carol ("The Dutchess") adds:
"You can moisten 1/4 cup sugar with lemon juice and pour over loaf. I didn't think it needed this; it seemed kind of granular. Other recipes heat the lemon juice and sugar to dissolve sugar. That may seep in top of bread nicer to give a little crunch. But for me less sugar is fine too."

Note from me:
The samples we ate did have a bit of the crispy lemon top. I liked it but have yet to try it without. The loaf for the tea party had coconut. Delicious, and part of the light texture. Haven't made it with nuts yet, but I will. This simple recipe is too good to pass up trying some variations!

Added note: I just made a loaf with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Nice. Not sure which way I prefer. I wonder what would happen if I put in nuts and coconut? Hmmm...

No-Knead Yeast Loaf

This is a lovely and easy bread to make when you are short on time but want that nice yeasty flavor. The texture is not quite like a kneaded bread, but it tastes great. It's just a little heavier-- sort of a cross between a kneaded bread and a quick bread.

This is what it looked like when I turned it out of the casserole dish.
Ingredients

2 cups warm water
2 packages yeast
2 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. softened butter or margarine
1/3 cup dry milk powder
4 1/2 cups unsifted flour

What to Do

Measure the warm water into a large, warmed bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir till dissolved. Stir in sugar, salt, dry milk, butter and half the flour. Beat with an electric mixer till smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or till more than doubled. Stir batter down and beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Turn into a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or till done.

We are about to eat this with a bowl of homemade chicken soup. :-) It also makes nice toast or sandwiches after it has set for a day.

Leta's Orange Nut Bread

I am about to make several loaves of this wonderful nut bread, a holday favorite for our family and nice to give away too. The recipe is one that my mother made for years. The smell is fabulous and the flavor is even better. Try it sliced with butter and orange marmalade or cream cheese spread on. It makes terriffic toast to pair with your morning coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
2 cups sifted flour (sift before you measure)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. grated orange rind
1/3 cup orange juice
1 slightly beaten egg
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 chopped pecans

What to Do:

Melt butter in boiling water. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add nuts. Combine orange juice and rind, egg, vanilla, and sugar. Add water and melted butter. Mix liquid and dry ingredeints just till flour is moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees farenheit. Check after 45 minutes. Inserted toothpick should come out clean and top should be a nice golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. The bread is better if you wrap and save it for the next day.

Pull-Aparts

This is a must-have on our Thanksgiving table. The recipe calls for frozen rolls from the grocery store (and those work well) but if you have time and want to make these two recipes extra delicious, I suggest you use Mrs. Bateman's Hot Rolls.

Garlic Pull Aparts

One package Rhodes frozen rolls, thawed.
One stick butter (not margarine).
Garlic powder
Parsley flakes
Nature's Seasonings (This is a seasoning blend from Morton salt. Look for a bright yellow label on the jar.)

Melt the butter. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Amounts vary each time I make these. Don't worry about proportions. Roll each roll in butter, and then dip them in the dry ingredients. They don't have to be completely covered in the herbs, just make sure some is on each roll. Pile them in a bundt pan till the pan is about 1/2 full and then put the rest in a cake pan, if needed. Pour any leftover butter over the rolls. Let rise in a warm place till doubled. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how many rolls you used. Check often. Turn upside down on a platter and "unmold" the rolls. If all goes well, you will have a golden mountain of bread ready to "pull apart.". MmmmMmmmm! Fabulous! Come to think of it, these would be great with pizzaa soup!


Lemon Pull-Aparts

I saw this one over at Bits and Odd Pieces of Mindy's Kingdom and totally copied! But I love our old standby so much that I was quite sure I would love this new pull-apart as well! The picture is of the pan I just pulled from the oven and drizzled with glaze.

ROLLS

12 Rhodes Dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
Zest from 2 lemons
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup butter

Mix the lemon zest with the sugar. Cut rolls in half and place in a 9 x 13 pan that you have greased, cut sides down. Drizzle the 1/4 cup of butter over the rolls. Sprinkle the lemon zest/sugar mixture on top, reserving 1/2 of the mixture to sprinkle on right before baking. Let the rolls rise until double in size. Sprinkle on remaining zest sugar. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let cool.

CITRUS GLAZE

2 Cups powdered sugar
2 TBL butter, melted
Juice from your 2 lemons
Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over the pull aparts.

(I thought there was too much glaze. I think half of this would be plenty, so next time I'll cut the amts. in half and use the lemon juice from one lemon in something else.)

Mindy says, "Get 2 forks and split the entire pan with someone." I agree. These are great, especially when warm. The only problem was that it was nearly impossible to eat just one. I am going to try this with oranges next and see how that turns out.

English Muffins in a Loaf

Years ago Ken and I lived in a town where the local diner served English Muffin toast with their breakfasts. When we moved away, he asked me to please try to find a recipe. This is it, and it does taste like English Muffins, only better because it is homemade. I have never tried it in a bread machine, but I am about to do so. We'll be taking it with us on a camping trip. I'll come back and comment about how that turned out.

Ingredients:

6 cups unsifted flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
2 cups milk
cornmeal

What to Do:

Combine 3 cups of flour with the sugar, yeast, baking soda. Heat liquids together until quite warm. Add to dry mixture and beat well. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Spoon batter into two greased and cornmeal sprinkled loaf pans. Sprinkle top of loaves with more cornmeal.

Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool.

Variations:

If you like you can add one of the following-

1. 2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2. 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

3. 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 tablespoon cinnamon (add to dry mixture)

4. For whole wheat bread, use 4 cups white flour and 2 cups wheat flour.

5. For rye bread, use 4 cups white flour and 2 cups rye flour.