Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I've tried several pumpkin bread recipes, and this one is by far the best!  The oil makes this bread moist but not greasy, and the chocolate chips are a yummy bonus. The grandkids love this bread slathered with my Spiced Pumpkin Butter.

3 cups white sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T ground nutmeg
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips (or regular choc chips, chopped)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x5 loaf pans.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water and eggs.  Beat until smooth.  Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.  Fill the pans 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Bake for one hour, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

Serve with homemade pumpkin butter!

Bread AND Butter Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

My mother never prepared a sandwich, no matter how humble the ingredients, without first buttering the bread.  When it became apparent, that not everyone came to school with a buttered bread sandwich, I asked Mom why she added the butter.  Her response was both practical and esoteric, "Because it keeps the bread from tasting dry, AND because we're Irish."


When I stumbled upon this bread pudding recipe in an Irish cookbook, I stopped to examine it further because I was intrigued by its title reference to bread AND butter.  I immediately thought of Mom, and her penchant for buttered bread.  This simple recipe and the whiskey sauce, are proven winners!


In Ireland, bread puddings were born out of the thrifty-desire to find a use for day-old, bread.  For a special treat, substitute a yummy, swirled, cinnamon bread.  Be creative!!


1/4 cup golden raisins (optional, but recommended)
1/2 cup hot water
4 tablespoons butter, softened
10 slices white sandwich bread
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten

Whiskey Sauce
1 large package of vanilla pudding (cook and serve), prepared according to directions on box
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine the raisins and water, and soak for 10 minutes.

Butter the bread, remove the crusts, and cut each slice in half diagonally.  Arrange half of the bread, buttered-side-up, in the prepared pan.  Drain the raisins, and sprinkle them over the bread.  Top with remaining bread slices.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Cook over medium heat, just until mixture begins to boil.  Remove from heat, and whisk in eggs, one at a time (whisk quickly so eggs don't cook in the hot milk).  Pour the custard over the bread, and let soak for 10 minutes before baking.

To bake, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and place it inside a larger baking, or broiler pan.  Place all inside the oven.  Carefully add hot water to the large baking pan, to reach two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pudding dish.  Bake until the custard is set, 50 to 55 minutes.  When done, carefully remove pudding from the water.

Scoop the warm pudding into decorative glass dessert dishes, and spoon the Whiskey sauce over the top.

Sauce:  Whisk the Irish whiskey, into the prepared vanilla pudding (I've made my own for this recipe, but it's hardly worth the effort it takes to keep the homemade pudding from curdling) until smooth.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Irish Brown Bread

I absolutely love the brown bread served in Ireland, and this recipe is a dead-ringer for the real thing.  Many Irish breads don't contain yeast.  They're easy to make, and are best eaten within 24 hours.  

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons wheat bran
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Combine first eight ingredients in large bowl.  Mix well. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal (take your time) or use a pastry blender.  Stir in buttermilk to form a soft dough.  Transfer to the loaf pan.  Bake until bread is golden brown, and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.  Turn bread out onto cooling rack.

Slice while still slightly warm, and serve with butter, and sweet marmalade.

Irish Soda Bread

If you've never tried soda bread, you don't know what you're missing. I've tried oodles of different recipes, but this is the one I've stuck with because it's tender, tasty and moist.  Its really hard to find dried currents in the United States, so I substitute raisins, or craisins.  I think the yellow raisins give the bread an added touch of sweetness. Be careful not to over-bake, as the bread will be dry.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup corn oil
2 teaspoons caraway seed (optional)
1 cup currents, raisins or craisins (optional, but yummy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9 inch round cake pan.  Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, and oil together.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.  Pour the buttermilk mixture in the well.  Add the caraway seeds, and the currents.  Stir until a soft dough forms.
 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board (flour hands for easier handling of dough, but be careful not to use too much flour or the bread will be dry).  Shape into a large round ball, and remove to the baking pan.  Cut a large X on the top, using a sharp knife.

Bake until golden brown, 30 - 40 minutes.  Cut into wedges. Serve while still warm, with butter and sweet marmalade.

Mornin' Glory Muffins

I've always loved the name of these hardy little breakfast muffins.   Though the recipe belonged to my Aunt, they invoked memories of my dear little grandmother, who would greet me each morning with a cheery, "Mornin' glory," as I'd enter her breakfast room.


I'd thought the recipe lost, until I found it tucked inside an old recipe box my cousin had stashed away for safe keeping.  This particular version is lower in sugar than most you'll find for similar muffins.  If they were any sweeter, they'd have to be called cupcakes.  


My Aunt justified serving them for breakfast, by reasoning that they were chock full things that were good for you - apple, raisins, and carrots.  The coconut and pecans add both taste and texture.


I loved staying at my Aunt's home, which oozed hospitality.  Each morning her guests would rise to a selection of homemade muffins she'd bake in advance, and slip into the freezer.  It was always hard to choose, but in the end, we always had a glorious morning!


2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots (can substitute a cup of zucchini for one of the cups of carrot)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened, coconut
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Into a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients.  Stir in the grated carrots, raisins, chopped pecans, coconut, and apple.  Set aside.

In small bowl, beat eggs with vegetable oil and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into the fruit and flour mixture, just until combined (don't over-mix).

Spoon batter into lined, or well greased muffin pans, filling them to the top (for a real meal, bake them in the larger, bistro-size muffin pans).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 35 minutes, depending upon size.  Watch them, as they tend to burn easily.  When fully cooked, they should be springy to the touch.

Serve warm, or freeze and reheat in a toaster oven.  To add a bit more sunshine, split the warm muffins, and add a dollop of peach or apricot jam to each half =)

I couldn't resist pairing the image of the sunflowers, taken on the sidewalk in Pittsburgh's Strip District, with this happy recipe.

Buttery Garlic Croutons

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
3 large, thick slices of high quality bread (I prefer French, Italian or sourdough), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt
These deliciously light croutons are the perfect garnish for a hearty bowl of soup or chowder.  Try tossing them in a salad for a bit of extra crunch!

Heat butter and oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for one minutes, stirring constantly.  Add bread cubes and cook, tossing gently with a rubber spatula so all sides of the bread brown lightly.  Remove from heat to a paper towel-lined plate and salt to taste.

Old Fashioned Skillet Cornbread

This is a traditional, Southern-style cornbread, which is low in sugar content.  The bacon fat is not overpowering, but gives the cornbread a wonderfully crispy bottom.


If you like your cornbread a bit sweeter, slather it with softened butter and honey!

4 teaspoons bacon drippings
1 cup yellow cornmeal (divided)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup rapidly boiling water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Add bacon drippings to 8 inch cast-iron skillet, and place in oven.

Combine 2/3 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda, in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Place remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal in a medium size bowl.  Pour bowling water on cornmeal in medium bowl, to make a stiff mush.  Whisk in buttermilk gradually, stirring to break up lumps.  When smooth, whisk in egg.

When oven is fully heated, and skillet is very hot, stir remaining dry cornmeal mixture, into the wet cornmeal mush.  Stir only until moistened.  Carefully remove skillet from oven and pour the hot bacon drippings into the cornmeal batter. Stir to incorporate, then quickly pour the batter into the skillet.

Bake until golden brown, 20 minutes.  Watch so the bottom doesn't burn.   Remove from oven and instantly turn cornbread onto wire rack;  cool five minutes, then serve immediately.

Sweet Sausage and Dried Fruit Stuffing

Delicious paired with a boneless, stuffed turkey breast, goose, or butterflied pork tenderloin.  Be creative and use whatever dried fruit you like, or mix several like I do.  
Makes about 2 cups.



Boneless Turkey Breast With Sweet Sausage and Dried Fruit Stuffing (click here for recipe)


2 cups dried, cubed, bread from a loaf of good quality bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning (or, to taste)
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage (bulk)
1/2 cup (or more) chopped dried fruit (I've used cranberries, golden raisins, apples, pears, apricots and prunes)
1/3 cup chicken stock

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until soft.  Add the sausage and brown, crumbling as you go with a wooden spoon.  Remove excess fat.  Stir in the fruit and chicken stock.  Cook for one minute.  Finally, add the bread cubes and seasonings, stirring well to coat the bread.  Add more stock if needed to make sure the bread is fully moist, but not dripping.  Bake in casserole coated with olive oil, until puffy, or use in a recipe calling for bread stuffing.

Yorkshire Pudding

Though the centerpiece of our Christmas dinner table has always been a roasted prime rib of beef; the highlight and family favorite, is the Yorkshire Pudding.  My husband contends, it wouldn't be Christmas without them. 

These tasty little bread-like puddings, originated in Yorkshire, England, in the early 18th century.  Called dripping puddings, because they were made with the fat drippings from roasted lamb, and beef, they've become a staple on English menus. 

4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup fat, rendered from a roast beef or lamb, or from suet*

Note:  It's often hard to gather 1/4 cup of drippings from a roast beef these days, especially if you intend to make pan gravy.  I ask the butcher for a piece of suet (beef fat) and melt it in the oven for my pudding.  You can freeze the leftover suet for future use.  If you are really opposed to using beef fat, you may substitute vegetable oil.  Your pudding will be almost as tasty as if you've used beef fat.

There are several tricks to making Yorkshire Puddings.  First and foremost among them, is timing.  You must time your dinner perfectly or else you'll be serving either cold, over-cooked meat, or deflated puddings, as the puddings must be served immediately.  If you've a double oven, no problem.  Here's what I've done when only a single oven is available:

Since your batter must be room temperature before baking, I like to wait until my roast is just about cooked, and I remove it from the oven to rest on a carving board or warming tray (tent with foil).  The roast will continue to cook another ten degrees while resting, so remember to count the resting time in with your roasting calculations.

Now, you begin cooking the puddings.  While they cook, prepare your pan gravy, and lastly, carve your roast beef (or leg of lamb).  When everyone is seated, serve the puddings, hot-out-of-the-oven!

Directions for preparing batter:
One hour before baking, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy, and well blended.  Whisk in the flour, one cup at a time until all lumps are gone and the mixture is thick and frothy.  Set aside, at room temperature, for at least 30 minutes.

To bake:
There are two ways to proceed from this point.  You may either bake one large pudding in a 13 x 9 casserole dish, or individual puddings (popovers) in muffin tins.

For the 13 x 9:  pour all of the fat into the casserole.
For the popovers:  divide the fat into either 6 large muffin cups or 12 regular size muffin cups.  I really like the larger cups for popovers because you really get a good healthy portion of pudding.

Place casserole/pan in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until smoking hot (watch carefully so you don't end up with an oven fire).

Remove from oven, and pour batter into the fat (divide evenly among muffin cups).  The batter will sizzle and begin to rise slightly.  Immediately, place in the oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Keep an eye on the pudding so it doesn't burn.  The finished pudding should be golden brown and very well-puffed.

Serve immediately or else the puddings will deflate.  If you need to buy a few minutes, turn the oven off, and leave the pudding in the oven with the door slightly open.  Hurry!

The large pudding is best cut into rectangles and served with gravy.  Popovers are to be split and filled with a good size dollop of roast beef gravy.  Mmmm!  There's nothing better!

Cinnamon-Spiced Sweet Rolls with Pecans and Cream Cheese Frosting

The secret to the golden-glow, is the pumpkin!

My grandmother's homemade, caramel-pecan sticky-buns, where a staple on every holiday dinner table.  My brother and I were always on the look-out for seconds and thirds, and would gladly have made them our entire meal.

I followed Grandma's recipe for the gooey, golden yeast rolls for years, but was disappointed when I'd find myself having to toss a half-eaten, or slightly picked-at sticky-bun in the trash.  I finally conceded that Grandma's vintage recipe produced a roll that was heavy and dense by today's standards.  My family just didn't seem to care for them.

Unwilling to give-up on the family sticky-bun tradition, I tried several different contemporary recipes, but none seemed special enough to accompany a stuffed roast turkey, or standing rib roast.  I'd nearly given up, when I stumbled across this very different recipe in our local newspaper.  While not a true sticky-bun (no caramel) these sweet, cinnamon-infused spirals, are a delightful accompaniment to any holiday meal.

This no-knead recipe is incredibly easy to follow, and produces an extraordinarily light, and tender yeast bread. The secret to the golden glow, is the pumpkin.  I topped mine off with a cream cheese glaze.  Unlike many homemade yeast breads, left-overs stay fresh-tasting and moist for a day or two, after the main event!  Pop one in the toaster oven the morning after, and enjoy it with a cup of chai-tea or a lightly spiced holiday coffee.

Dough

1/4 cup water

1 package yeast (one level tablespoon)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 1/2 cups flour

Filling

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups finely chopped, toasted pecans, divided in half

Frosting
powdered sugar
cream cheese
milk

For dough:
Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and mix to dissolve.  Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter is melted.  Pour the milk mixture over the sugar, in a large mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the sugar. When the milk/sugar mixture is still very warm, but not hot, stir in the dissolved yeast mixture.  Add the pumpkin puree and stir to combine.  Finally, add the salt and 5 cups of the flour.  The dough should form a shaggy, moist ball when all the flour is combined.  If it appears to be too wet, add up to 1/2 cup of additional flour (too much flour will make the rolls heavy).

Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 3 hours (until doubled in size).  Punch the dough down and refrigerate until ready to use (overnight or up to 18 hours).

To continue:  Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.  Pat it into a rough rectangle (the dough will be soft and tender).  Using a floured rolling pin, shape into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick.

For filling:  Melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar, and spices.  Spread filling mixture over the rectangle of dough, to the ends of both short sides and one long side.  Leave a 1 inch band of dough free of filling on one long side (the top of rectangle).  Sprinkle one cup of chopped pecans evenly over top.

Beginning with the bottom of the rectangle, roll the dough into a cylinder.  Pinch the dough together at the top of the rectangle to seal.  Coat two 9 x 11 glass casserole dishes with butter.  Cut the cylinder into individual 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.  Place each piece in a casserole dish, spiral side up, leaving a little wiggle-room between each piece.  Continue until the casseroles are both full.  Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for for 30 - 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let baked rolls cool for about 10 minutes.

For glaze:    Place about 2 cups of powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Add 3 ounces of softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of milk.  Carefully, blend until all lumps disappear and glaze is smooth (add more milk if necessary).

Beginning at the center of each roll, spread a dollop of glaze.  Quickly, sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans on each casserole.  To serve, remove rolls from casseroles using a spatula, and place each on an individual bread plate to the left of the dinner plate.  Serve with additional soft butter for a real treat!

Note:  After further contemplation, I bet these could easily become sticky-buns, with the addition of a simple caramel syrup in the bottom of the casserole.  The buns would have to be inverted onto a cookie sheet immediately after baking.  I think I'll try this variation at Christmas, and let you know how it turns out! 

Farmhouse Bread Stuffing with Oysters and Pecans

I have the most wonderful memories of my mother preparing stuffing for a holiday turkey.  The process always started days in advance, with loaves of bread, that were baked, cubed and dried.

Upon awaking Thanksgiving morning, the entire house smelled of melted butter, onions and celery.  Mom always grated her onion, which intensified the aroma, before adding it to the melted butter and chopped celery waiting in the skillet.  When ready, she'd drizzle the mixture over the dried bread in the bottom of a big roaster, before seasoning.

I loved to snatch a few of the saturated bread cubes before Mom stuffed them inside the bird.  Mmm. . . I can still taste that buttery goodness (with just a hint of onion) now.

I still follow the same basic recipe that my Mom used for her bread stuffing, but I've jazzed mine up a bit with mushrooms, pecans and oysters.  I grind my pecans, but if you like the idea of biting into a piece of nutmeat, go ahead and chop rather than grind.  The same goes for the onion, mushrooms, and celery - feel free to dice or slice into bigger pieces if you wish.

Finally, don't be afraid to add the oysters.  You can't actually see them once the stuffing is cooked, and the taste is very subtle.  I served this stuffing to my children for years, and they loved it.

1 cup butter, divided
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
2 T dried thyme
2 T dried sage

1/2 cup ground pecans

1/2 cup oysters, drained and chopped

8 cups dried, cubed artisan-style bread, crusts removed
1 can chicken broth

In a large skillet, cook onion, celery and mushrooms in 1/4 cup butter until moisture is removed.  Add remaining butter, just to melt.  Add oysters, and pecans to butter mixture.  

Place bread cubes in extra large bowl, or roaster.  Drizzle butter mixture over bread cubes, mixing continually with a large spoon so that cubes are evenly coated (or, roll up your sleeves, and use your hands in place of the spoon - I like this method best!).  

Sprinkle the bread mixture with seasoning, again mixing well to coat (once again, I use my hands).  You may add more seasoning if you wish, but remember, the seasoning will taste stronger once the stuffing is cooked.

Finally, sprinkle small amounts of chicken broth over the stuffing, and mix (you guessed it, I use my hands).  Repeat this process until the stuffing is as moist as you like it.  I like my stuffing moist (similar in texture to Stove Top Stuffing), but you can make it as dry as you'd like.  Remember, if you plan on stuffing a turkey with this dressing, the bird's natural juices will add more moisture.

Place desired amount of bread stuffing, loosely in the turkey's body cavity (just prior to roasting).  Turn remaining stuffing into a greased casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note:  You can usually find fresh oysters in the fresh seafood department of a larger grocery store.  They store them on ice, and should have an expiration date.

Stuffed French Toast Strata

Wonderful for a holiday breakfast treat.  This is easy to make and can be assembled the night before. I love the orange-pineapple version below, but you can customize this with your family's favorite jam and cream cheese spread.

12 slices raisin-cinnamon bread, or plain cinnamon bread, lightly toasted
1/2 cup pineapple cream cheese spread
1/2 cup orange marmelade
2 T butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Spray rectangular baking dish (13 x 9) with cooking spray.  Place six slices of bread in bottom of dish.  Spread each slice evenly with cream cheese and marmalade.  Butter remaining bread slices; place butter-sides up on top of bread in dish.

Beat eggs, milk and vanilla in medium bowl with wire whisk until blended.  Pour over bread.  Cover with foil and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350.  Uncover dish and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until deep golden brown and slightly puffed.  Serve piping hot with maple syrup.  Fantastic!