Cinnamon Bread

I was reading this GREAT book on being a Mother called “The Mother’s Mite” by DeAnne Flynn.  This book highlights how even our smallest (and what we think are insignificant) efforts matter.   Each chapter has a personal story describing a great personality trait portrayed by a real mother’s life.  It highlights that trait and tells how that mother displayed that certain trait.  One of the chapters had this great Cinnamon Bread recipe in it.  I had to try it because it seemed so easy.  It WAS easy and delicious!!  The personality trait highlighted in this chapter was “Reassurance” and described how a mother baked this bread and then when the daughter was older and off at college she would always have it for her when she would come home to take back to school with her.  When she was lonely or discouraged, she would make this bread or buy some and it would remind her of her mother’s love.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl and set aside
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

Combine all dry ingredients together and all wet ingredients together and then combine and mix until moist throughout. (It’s thin like pancake batter)
Pour half of batter into loaf pan and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Pour remaining batter carefully over cinnamon/sugar mix and then top with the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Swirl a knife through batter to marble it.
Bake for 45 min at 350.  Let cool in pan for 10 min.  It’s easier to cut after it cool and been wrapped in foil or plastic rap and refrigerated.  However it’s great warm too, just a little crumbly.  I’ve made it for an after school snack and it’s great for breakfast too.  My kids LOVE it!!

Lemonade Cake

This is an easy fun recipe if you like “lemon” flavor anything like I do.  Sorry the picture isn’t great.

1 Box Lemon Cake mixed and bake according to directions on box

After it cooks, cool it for 10 min.

Top with 1 can lemonade concentrate mixed with 3/4 cup powdered sugar.

Pour over top of warm cake and poke holes in the top so the lemonade seeps through.

Cool in fridge for 3-4 hours

Top with whipped cream and garnish with lemon zest.

My Mother's Rice Pudding

There is a story to this wonderful recipe.  I grew up on this Rice Pudding, as my Father did (or some version of it).  I've been making this Rice Pudding since I was first married and much more recently since having kids.  I've probably made it 50 times.  It's a Gottfredson family recipe (well, not this version, but a previous one).  I was always told that the Rice Pudding was from my Great Grandmother.  I assumed up until this day that this was HER recipe.  My cousin posted a Rice Pudding recipe on her blog and said it was Great Grandma Gottfredson's but it was different that my recipe so I had to do some investigating.  I quickly called my mother to find out the story to the rice pudding recipe.  Turns out, my Mother is just like me (or I'm like her rather) and she altered the recipe from my Great Grandma to her liking.  So actually, this is My Mother's Rice Pudding, not my Great Grandmother's.  I have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it- and so do my kids.  We make it and eat it for breakfast.... no worse than sugared cereal I presume.

Warning:  Be careful, this recipe is very easy to mess up.  You have to be a student of the recipe and learn from it.  You can't overcook it and you have to be very careful not to turn it into egg drop soup.

3 cups Long Grain Rice

6 cups water

Cook Rice until all water is absorbed.  (Boil about 10-15 min- until rice is just under the top of the water, turn off heat and cover until it is done absorbing all the water)

Add to cooked rice and stir:

3 cups Milk

1 Cup Half n Half

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins (optional)  (Raisins in Rice pudding are never an option at my house, it's always a no- but some people like it so I put it up there.)

Turn the heat back on the stove (Medium-Low)

As soon as you get that stirred in, mix these ingredients together and add to warming rice/milk combination.

5 beaten eggs

2 TBSP vanilla (I like to use double strength vanilla)

 1 tsp lemon extract

1 cup half n half

1/4- 1/2 tsp nutmeg (how much you want)

You have to add this before the above mixture gets too warm on the stove or it will quickly cook the eggs and you will have little bits of cooked egg in the pudding.  I add it and whisk it quickly into the 1st rice/milk mixture.  Keep it on the stove just until it warms and then I turn off the stove and let it sit.  It will continue to cook and thicken (I give it about 30 minutes).  You can easily over cook this and  it over-thickens so be careful.  Milk can also scald on the bottom and burn so watch your temperature. 

We love this recipe and we hope you do too!!!

Enjoy

Banana Bread/ Banana Cake

This is a coveted family recipe from my Grandma Margaret.  It is her infamous Banana Cake recipe, but I love it better than my banana bread recipe so if we want to make banana bread, we just bake it in a loaf pan.  If I make it a cake, we frost it with her oh so delicious cream cheese frosting.  It is heaven and I bask in my memories of her every time I make it.  My Grandmother's middle name should have been Banana because she is famous for so many wonderful Banana recipes- Banana Bread, Cake, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, and the most wonderful of all, Banana Drink.  Thank you for passing on your love of cooking and your wonderful Banana recipes.  I love you!!!

1 cup sugar

3/4 butter or margarine

2 eggs

2 mashed bananas

1/2 C sour milk  (to do this you measure almost a 1/2 cup milk (about a TBSP less) and add enough vinegar to make it 1/2 cup- it will immediately curdle like sour milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

 1/2 tsp lemon extract

 2 1/2 C flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional) (I never use the nuts- my kids don't like them in breads or cakes)

Mix together sugar, butter and add beaten eggs.  Add bananas.  Sift flour together with soda and baking powder.  Add alternately with sour milk.  Bake in a loaf pan or a 9x13 cake pan.  I also love it in a bunt cake pan.  If you make the loaf, Bake it at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  Check for doneness  with a toothpick.  If you cook it as a 9x13 cake, 25-30 min at 375.  For a Bunt Cake pan, 375 for 40 minutes- checking for doneness.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found these on the Betty Crocker website and we decided to try them this Holiday Season.  I'm sure glad we did because they are SUPER EASY and SUPER DELICIOUS!!  If you like the Mint Chocolate flavor combination- you will love these. Enjoy!!

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix (1 lb 1.5 oz)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I tried each one and liked the way the margarine ones turned out better- just my opinion)
1/4- 1/2 tsp mint extract (in the seasoning isle- next to the vanilla, etc.)
6-8 drops green food coloring
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips (next to the chocolate chips)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  Combine Cookie mix, butter/margarine, extract, food coloring an egg until soft dough forms.  Stir in chips.  Cook for 8-10 min.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

I grew up on Pumpkin Chiffon pie rather than the traditional pumpkin pie (however, I love traditional pp, I don't think my mother did).  This is a very YUMMY pie  recipe and is SO EASY!!!

1 pie shell - you can use a graham cracker pie crust, shortbread crust, or a traditional pie crust.  I personally like it best in the traditional pie crust.

1 cup pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)

1 Large instant vanilla pudding.

1/2 cup cold milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 8 oz cool whip

Mix pumpkin, pudding, milk and spice together until it is mixed thoroughly.  Fold in Cool Whip and put in crust.  Refridgerate for a few hours until firm.

Lemon Cloud Pie

This is our FAVORITE holiday pie.  You could make it anytime, but I usually only get around to it during the holidays.  I love LEMON stuff and this is a spectacular pie.  Just lemony enough and a great texture.  My kids fight over the last piece.

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust- cook for a 1 shell pie. (450 for 9-11 min)  I poke holes in the crust with a fork all along the bottom and up the sides.  Then I line the bottom of the uncooked crust with raw pinto beans to weigh the crust down so that it doesn't bubble up.  Then I  throw the bean away when I'm done cooking the crust.

Filling:

1 cup sugar

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 cup Water

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 egg yolks slightly beaten

4 oz cream cheese softened

lemon zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar and cornstarch and mix well.  Add water, lemon juice and egg yolks.  Cook over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  Add cream cheese and lemon peel, stirring until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool to room temp.  I usually stick it in the freezer to speed up the cooling time.  After the lemon mixture is cooled, add the whipped whipping cream and fold together.  Place in cooked and cooled pie shell and place in fridge for 6 hours or overnight.  Top with a dollop of whip cream and ENJOY!!

Pilgram Hats

This was a fun little kids treat to make for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I made the ones in this picture a few years ago.  I made some to take for Sharing Time at Church last Sunday and didn't get a picture of them. 

It's a Fudge Striped Cookie upside down.  Glue the Reeses Mini Peanut Butter Cup on upside down with yellow squirt can icing by putting the frosting around the bottom edge of the PB cup and placing it upside down on the cookie.  Make the buckle with a little more frosting and an Orange Tic Tac.  This time I didn't use an orange Tic Tac, I just used a circle of red icing.  The Tic Tacs are REALLY hard and sometimes kids crunch down on them expecting them to be candy- but they are harder than that- so this time I just used the red icing for the buckle.  I  didn't get a picture of them before they scarfed them up in Primary.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

THis is just a classic pumpkin pie recipe- the one that I really like.  I wanted to put it on my blog for my own recipe collection.  Soon I'm going to make this into a recipe book and so I wanted this one in for sure.

1 can pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

2 eggs

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 pie crust (I just use a Pillsbury rolled up pie crust- yes, I cheat)

Unroll and flute the pie crust.  Fill crust and bake at 425 for 15 min.  Reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 35-40 min or until center is firm yet soft.  Cool.

Sugar Cookie Bars

These are TO DIE FOR!!!!! We made these for my daughter's baptism and everybody loved them. I found the cookie recipe from mybakingaddiction.com and then used my Grandmother's cream cheese frosting recipe. It was fabulous!

Cookie

1 cup butter (I used salted butter- not margarine)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (I use a vanilla that says it is double strength- so it was super yummy)

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. Spread on a greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan with sides- 13X18)

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 lb. powdered sugar (about 2 cups- add more or less depending on the consistency you like your frosting)

1/2 tsp vanilla

food coloring if you want it colored.

*Side note: We made 3 of these sheet cake cookies and made 4 batches of frosting to go on them, so you may want to double the frosting if you like it thicker. These were great to freeze too. We baked them and froze them and then took them out and frosted them as they were thawing. Great for a large gathering!!!

Easy Cream Cheese Pie

This is an oldie but a goody. My family all loves this treat and its so easy to make. It's a favorite for Family Home Evening Treat because we can whip it up so fast.

1 graham cracker pie crust (I try and buy the "2 extra serving" one so that it goes further)
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all together and pour in pie crust. Refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours) and top with your favorite toppings.

Super Delicious White Chip Brownies

This is one of our all time favorite brownie recipes. It calls for White Chips but you can use, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and we have even used mint chips. So fun to mix it up and have a different brownie with the same recipe.

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups white chips

cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. Mix dry ingredients together and mix them into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chips. Melt the rest of the chips and drizzle them over the brownine after if you want, or just use all 2 cups in the mix. Cook at 350 for 25-30 min.

Ice Cream Cake.... Any flavor

The cake we made for Kayla's friend party

What was left of the cake we took to Julian's birthday party (a friend from Brady's work)

I've made this Ice Cream Cake a few times in the last year. The first time I made it was for Brady's Birthday last year, and it's almost his birthday again. I made it again for the first time just after my birthday a month ago and then for Kayla's friend birthday party and we had to provide the birthday cake for a colleagues of Brady's birthday party. Hence, we've made it quite a few times in the last month and could stand a few more times too. I totally made up this recipe and it is very versitile so you can do what you like with it. Have fun!!!

The great thing about this cake is that you can make it any flavor combination you like. Whatever Ice Cream your family likes- use that. If you like a flavor that goes well with chocolate, make the crust out of chocolate oreos. If it's more fruit flavored, use the vanilla oreos.

1 pkg. chocolate or vanilla oreos

1/2 stick butter, melted

carmel, chocolate, chopped nuts (whatever you want), strawberry sauce........

2 different flavor cartons of ice cream

1 10 in round springform pan ( I don't recommend any other kind of pan- the springform pan you can remove the sides so that you can cut the cake and serve it)

The top cake, I used vanilla oreos. Crush and stir in the melted butter. Use all but 1/2 cup to press down on the bottom of the springform pan. Save the rest to sprinkle on top. Place the crust in the freezer for about 10-15 min. so that you can easily spread the ice cream on it without it pulling up. Then you melt your bottom flavor of ice cream enough to spoon out thin layers so you can press it along the top of the crust. I used strawberry ice cream on the top picture, and chocolate fudge brownie on the bottom picture. Then you top that ice cream with chocolate/carmel/nuts (if you're using a chocolate crust) or strawberry sauce (if you're using a fruity ice cream. (this is a totally optional ingredient). Place inthe freezer for 10-15 min. to harden the ice cream. Then spread the second flavor of ice cream on top. On the top picture we use Birthday Cake flavor ice cream and the bottom picture I use Vanilla Bean. Then top with the same stuff you put in the middle and sprinkle with the remaining crushed oreos. Freeze for 1- 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 20 min. before you want to cut it. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Place the cake on a cookie sheet because it tends to get pretty messy cutting it up. It is SOOOO yummy!!! My favorite cake for the summer.

Homemade Granola

I decided to try and use up some of my Food Storage oatmeal. This is a great way to do it. My kids even like this stuff. It's great with milk, in yogurt, or even dry.

4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 sliced almonds (you can also use slivered)

1/2 cups chopped pecans, or walnuts (just about any combination of nuts you like)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, coconut, and nuts- set aside.

In a saucepan mix water, oil, honey, and peanut butter; bring to a boil. Remove from head and add vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients. Spread onto a large greased baking sheet and bake at 325 for 20-30 min. stiring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes 2 pounds.

Pumpkin Bread

2 2/3 cup sugar

1 can solid pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cloves

Mix sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. put in 2 9x5" loaf pans and bake at 350 for 60-70 min.

There are lots of mix-ins that you can put in pumpkin bread. It's so versitile that it makes it fun. You can add:

raisins

craisins

walnuts

chocolate chips

cinnamon chips (that is what I added in this loaf. SO YUMMY!)

Egg Nog Bundt Cake

This is a super easy cake that looks very pretty finished. It flavor is so yummy! We love Egg Nog at our house and the girls look forward to "egg nog season" every year.

4 TBSP melted butter

1 pkg White or Yellow Cake Mix

1 1/2 cups Egg Nog

2 eggs

1 tsp Rum extract

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Bake 350 for 40 min in greased bundt pan.

Glaze:

2 cups powder sugar

2 TBSP melted butter

3 TBSP Egg Nog (more if you like the glaze thinner)

1 tsp vanilla

a few shakes of nutmeg

( in the picture I followed the glaze exactly as the recipe and didn't make it any thinner- that should give you an idea of how thick the glaze turns out with 3 TBSP egg nog)

The cake tastes the best after it has cooled and been in the fridge for a while- it also cuts much easier if it's been in the fridge for a few hours. Store in the refridgerator.

Super Easy Key Lime Pie

This is SUPER easy and VERY yummy! My kids really like it- and it's so versitile- you can change it to be any flavor you want.

1/4 cup water

1 pkg. lime flavor jello (you can even use Sugar Free if you'd like)

2 6 oz containers Key Lime Pie Yogurt (you can use the regular of Lite versions)

1 8 oz. container Cool Whip

1 graham cracker pie crust

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the water for 45 -70 seconds or until boiling. Add the jello and wisk until jello is dissolved. Add Yogurt and fold in Cool whip. Spread in crust. Put in fridge for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake (or dessert)...

This is so yummy! My kids love it so much that it never makes it out of the oven and until breakfast the next morning- so usually it's dessert or afterschool snack and leftovers for breakfast.

1/2 cup butter/margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1-1 1/2 cups blueberries (you can use fresh or frozen)

Struesel Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter/margarine

Combine butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat well. Add milk, flour, salt, BP- mix well. Fold in blueberries. Put in a square baking pan (9"). I like to line it with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Then I can easily remove it and cut it nicely.
Combine struesel topping ingredients and mix with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle on top and cook at 375 for 35-40 min. Remove and cool for 10 min and the lift foil from pan and fold down edges so it can cool completely. Good warm or cold.

Frozen Strawberry Pie

Who doesn't like fresh strawberries in the summer? Who doesn't love a frozen treat in the heat of the summer?

This is a fun easy pie that we like in the summer. You could probably use frozen strawberries instead, but we usually use fresh ones. This recipe makes two pies- you can make one for yourselves and take one to the neighbor.

1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups fresh strawberries chopped and mashed a little
1 12 oz carton of cool whip
2 chocolate crumb crusts

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and strawberries. Fold in cool whip. Put in crusts and freeze 2-4 hours. Remove from freezer 20 minutes from serving so you can cut it.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies... An all time fav!

I found this recipe in a magazine and I really like it because it always turns out well (I seem to alway screw up cookies) and it only make a small batch (I can get about 2 dozen and a few ). That way the fam can eat them all in a few days before they get dried out and stale. And... because I have little will power when it comes to homemade chocolate chip cookies. As Kayla would say, I have a sweet tooth!

1/2 cup butter flavor shortening
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk- whichever you like)

Mix shortening and sugar until creamy. Add molasses , egg and vanilla- mix.
Add dry ingredients except oatmeal and mix- then add oatmeal- mix- add chips- mix. You know the rest of cooking making so I won't bore you with those directions. Cook at 350 for 8-10 min depending on your oven. Mine work best at 9 min. Remover from oven and let cook on pan for 5 min.