Breakfast Banana Bread

I've had this recipe since my daughter was born and it has been a family favorite ever since.  It is from the cookbook which was very popular at the time called Feed Me I'm Yours, which had a lot of good recipes for babies and toddlers... and for grownups!

Breakfast Banana Nut Bread

¼ C     Butter, room temp (sometimes I use 1/2 Cup, or one stick)

½ C     Brown Sugar

1          Egg, beaten

1 C      Oatmeal (uncooked)

4 – 5    Ripe Bananas

1 t        Vanilla

1 ½ C Flour

2 t        Baking Powder

½ t       Baking Soda

½ t       Salt

½ C     Nuts, chopped (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until light.  Add egg and mix well.  Then add oatmeal, bananas, and vanilla.  Mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add to first ingredients and stir only long enough to moisten the batter.  Add nuts if necessary, stir gently.

Grease loaf pan, pour in batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until bread tests as done (I usually check after 45 minutes).

I often bake these in mini loaf pans and they take approx. 30 min. in my oven.

Cool before eating if you can wait... that doesn't always happen at our house.  It's actually better the next day.

Cranberry Orange Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
10 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries (I used fresh frozen cranberries)
1 tablespoon milk

Glaze: 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2+ tablespoons orange juice

In large bowl, mix flour, 7 teaspoons of sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In small bowl or measuring cup, combine orange juice, cream, orange extract, egg, and dried cranberries (if using fresh cranberries, add when kneading). Add to flour mixture, measure just until soft dough forms. On a floured surface, knead very gently about six times. Pat dough into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.

Separate wedges and place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk, sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine glaze ingredients to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over each scone.

To use food processor:

Combine all dried ingredients into food processor bowl. Add butter and pulse just until mixture becomes crumbly. Pour liquid ingredients without any cranberries into processor. Pulse just until mixture comes together.

Proceed as above recipe, adding cranberries after taking out of processor.

This recipe is delicious and moist. I'm going to try it using lemon juice, lemon extract, and poppy seeds very soon.

Cinnamon chip scones

This recipe is easy and delicious!
From: The White Lily Tearoom
in Bluff Park, Alabama

Cinnamon Chip Scones
3 cups self-rising flour*
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature (yes, I know scone recipes usually call for cold butter)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter cookie sheet.

In large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer), mix flour and sugar.

Mix in butter with dry ingredients just until mixture resembles cornmeal. (I just used the paddle attachment and it worked fine.)

Add heavy cream and cinnamon chips to mixture. Mix together until dough forms, mixing as little as needed.

Pat into a 1/2 inch thickness and cut out with a 2 inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 9-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Do not overbake.

I let them cool on the baking sheet.

Makes nine scones.

*If you don't have self-rising flour, for each cup of flour add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4th teaspoon salt.  Whisk together with the flour before using it in a recipe.

Tea Time - Amish Pumpkin Bread & Cranberry Bread

These are the two quick breads I serve the most (especially Fall and Winter). Last year we were in the process of moving after Christmas and I forgot to purchase cranberries for my freezer. I am so glad cranberries will be appearing on grocery store shelves soon.

I went to a reception last year, in association with the local youth symphony. I love to see how caterers present their food and at this reception, I found the answer to the household "nut argument". My husband loves nuts in breads, my son hates them.

At this reception, they had made a bread without nuts (I think it was a zucchini bread), slicing it as usual on one plate. On another plate, they had cut the bread into thick slices and then cut those slices into quarters. They buttered these quarters and had dipped the butter side into finely chopped nuts before serving. What a great idea! Same recipe, one plate with nuts and one without...genius. Why hadn't I thought of that? I believe replacing the butter with cream cheese would be nice, too.

The first recipe, Amish Pumpkin Bread, came from Country Woman magazine (somewhere in the 1980s I believe). This is from the diary series written by an Amish farm wife. It always gets raves. The Cranberry Bread recipe is from Ocean Spray.

Amish Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar1 C. vegetable oil (I use canola or mild olive oil)
4 eggs, beaten
1 lb. can pumpkin (cans are less than 1 lb., just get the closest to 1 lb. you can find)

3 1/2 C. unbleached flour, whole wheat flour or a half-half mixture of the two
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg
(or 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, I use the Kroger brand)

2/3 Cups water (I measure this out first and set it where it can't be forgotten)

1-12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 cups if you buy in bulk)
Chopped nuts can also be added if desired.

Mix sugar, oil and eggs together. Add pumpkin and beat very well. Add dry ingredients, then water, stirring just until mixed.  Don't forget the water!  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (check after 45 minutes, though).


Cranberry Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 Package cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
4 Cups flour- unbleached, whole wheat or half-half mixture
2 Cups sugar (all white or 1 C. white with 1 C. brown sugar)*
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
1 1/2 Cups orange juice
2 eggs, beaten
1 to 1 1/2 Cups chopped nuts (optional)

Chop cranberries if you have a food processor (they work without being chopped, too). Mix cranberries, nuts and orange peel. Set aside.

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in shortening. (I usually use oil, which I just mix with the orange juice and eggs before adding to flour mixture.)

Stir in orange juice and eggs, mix just to moisten. Fold in cranberry mixture. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake 60 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before taking out of pan.

For muffins: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake 25 - 35 minutes.

As with a lot of quick breads, both of these breads taste better the next day but they rarely last that long in our house. They definitely slice easier the second day.

*I now use 1 1/2 cups sugar