Mom’s Chocolate Cake

This is one of those old family recipes, handed down from my spouse’s mother. It is from before the time when science discovered that trans-fats are no good for you, and before the reformulation of Crisco to exclude them from the product. This new formula has not proved to be a problem for any of… Continue reading Mom’s Chocolate Cake

Cran-Apple Crumble Pie

1 9 inch frozen piecrust, thawed4-5 medium apples¾ cup fresh or thawed cranberries½ cup sugar1 tablespoon flour¾ teaspoon ground cinnamonpinch of salt For crumble:¾ cup oatmeal¼ cup sugar½ teaspoon vanilla2 tablespoons flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamonpinch of salt2 tablespoons butter 1. Heat oven to 400°.2. Peel, core and cut the apples into ¼ inch slices. Chopped… Continue reading Cran-Apple Crumble Pie

Chewy Cranberry Cookies

Cookie:½ cup butter, softened1 cup sugar¾ cup brown sugar, packed¼ cup milk2 tablespoons orange juice1 egg3 cups flour1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon baking soda2 ½ cups chopped cranberries, either fresh or frozen1 cup chopped pecans Glaze:1/3 cup butter2 cups confectioners’ sugar1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract2-4 tablespoons hot water Heat oven to 375°. Grease… Continue reading Chewy Cranberry Cookies

Banana Nut Muffins

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 cup chopped walnuts½ cup toasted wheat germ½ cup brown sugar1 tablespoon baking powder1 teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg2 ripe bananas, mashed¾ cup milk5 tablespoons butter, melted1 eggcinnamon sugar, optional 1. Heat oven to 400°. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Line with paper liners.2. Mix flour, walnuts,… Continue reading Banana Nut Muffins

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (Christmas-Cookies.com)

http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe43.spicy-gingerbread-cookies.html 1 cup unsalted butter1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed2 large eggs1 cup unsulfured molasses( some brands of this: Plantation, Grandma’s, Wholesome Sweeteners)6 cups sifted all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon baking powder4 teaspoons ground ginger4 teaspoons ground cinnamon1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves½ to 1 teaspoon finely-ground black pepper, to taste Raisins, chocolate nonpareils, or Red… Continue reading Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (Christmas-Cookies.com)

Cumin Cornbread

¾ cup all-purpose flour1 cup yellow cornmeal2 teaspoons cumin seed1 tablespoon sugar1 ½ teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt1 cup milk1 large egg, beaten1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature Preheat oven to 425°. Mix dry ingredients in bowl; add milk, egg, butter, and stir until just combined. Put in a greased 8-inch… Continue reading Cumin Cornbread

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Notice how, that with soda bread, kneading the dough takes almost no time at all? The fact is, you don’t want to develop too much gluten, which would make the end result tough rather than tender. That’s because each loaf of Irish soda bread is nothing more than a giant buttermilk biscuit! 1 ¼ cups… Continue reading Irish Brown Soda Bread