Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

3 1/2 cups milk, divided
2 Tablespoons vinegar
3 cups pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup oat flour **
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 plus 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt

** Oat flour:
I put oats in food processor
and run until it is coarse flour.

Combine vinegar and 3 cups of the milk, set aside.

Combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 

cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in large bowl..   

    In Large bowl, mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla. 

Mix in the milk vinegar mix. Stir  the flour mix into the pumpkin mixture

 stir in last 1/2 cup of milk until proper texture for batter.
    Cook as usual for pancakes. :D

Jonny Applesauce

Jonny Applesauce

12 apples, (or pears) peeled, cored, and chopped

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Put apples and water in saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Drain and add sugar and cinnamon and heat, stirring, until sugar melts and apples are soft.
if using pears, omit cinnamon.

remove from heat, and let cool.

Put into food processor and process until a smooth as you want.

And the greatest compliment EVER.... Jonny loves it, both with apples, and with pears :D

Pepperoni Rigatoni

Before baked:

Pepperoni Rigatoni

6 cups spaghetti sauce
 (I make mine homemade, but I don't measure anything) 
2 1/2 pounds ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, sausage)
1/2 chopped onion
 1- 8 0unce box rigatoni noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
sliced pepperoni

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground meat with onion,

 drain and mix in the sauce.

simmer on low heat while making the noodles 

according to package directions.

Mix the 2 cheeses together in a bowl, set aside.

Drain noodles well and mix into meat sauce. 

Layer into a roasting pan. Noodles with sauce, cheese, pepperoni... 

Repeat layers.

Bake in oven 20-30 minutes, until cheese in melted and browning.

Freezes well for later meals.

After Baking:

Apple Fritters

Apple Fritters

oil for deep-frying
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup milk
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped

Glaze:
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup

Heat oil in frying pan, over medium heat..
Mix the ingredients for the glaze in bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil and stir until well blended. Mix in apples until they are evenly distributed.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes depending on the size. Fry in smaller batches so they are not crowded. Remove from the hot oil using a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels. Put on cooling rack. Spoon glaze over the top, while cooling, let set.

Butternut Squash Cake With Cinnamon Frosting

Butternut Squash Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups mashed, cooked butternut squash
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
3 1/2 cups cake flour

Preheat oven to 350.

       In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. mix in vanilla. Add squash ; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.
       Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Frosting

1 cup butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and vanilla.
In large bowl mix sugar and cinnamon  Blend in the sugar mix, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

I put chopped walnuts on frosting and drizzled the top with maple syrup for one in top picture and pecans on one in lower picture.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

4 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (20 ounce) can sliced pineapple
20 maraschino cherries
1 1/3 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 Tablespoons yogurt.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large cast iron skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter over very low heat. Remove from heat, and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over pan.
 Arrange pineapple slices to cover bottom of skillet (reserve juice).
 Distribute cherries around pineapple; set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
 Separate the eggs into two bowls. In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and yellow, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice. With a wire whisk or rubber scraper, using an over-and-under motion, gently fold egg yolk mixture and flour mixture into whites until blended. Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Spread batter evenly over pineapple in skillet.
    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Loosen the edges of the cake with table knife. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Pancakes

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground dried ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups water
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate mixing bowl with the vanilla and molasses until smooth. Whisk in the water until completely incorporated. Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined -- a few lumps are okay. fold in the chocolate chips.
 Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook like regular pancakes..

Sweet Golden Cornbread

Sweet Golden Cornbread

preheat oven to 400

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Oil a large cast iron skillet.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Stir in eggs, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. 

Pour batter into prepared pan.
 Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until

 a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Peppermint Sugar cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 3/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
colored granulated sugar for decoration
Peppermint kisses

unwrap kisses and place in freezer.
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the eggs and peppermint . Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. flatten slightly.
    Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. place a kiss on top of cookie when still on cookie sheet.  Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

7 Tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt
1 cup strong coffee

 FROSTING:
 1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

optional: grated unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate, oreo crumbs, Reeses Pieces, etc to decorate...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
melt chocolate in coffee, let cool while making the rest.
    In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar; beat in eggs, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the yogurt, and the chocolate coffee mix.

Pour into three greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes (cupcakes 20-25 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
    For frosting, cream the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth; set aside.
 spread with about 1/2 cup frosting.
    Repeat layers Frost. top and sides of cake. decorate as desired.

Press any optional decorations into sides and/or top.

Jumbo Banana Butterscotch Muffins

Jumbo Banana Butterscotch Muffins

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 applesauce
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 mashed ripe bananas (2 1/2 cups.. give or take) :D
1 bag of butterscotch chips
1 cup slivered almonds

preheat oven to 350 -
mix honey and cinnamon together, set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, and honey mixture. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and butterscotch chips. Fill greased or paper-lined jumbo muffin cups two-thirds full. sprinkle almonds on top of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28-32 minutes (23-25 for regular sized muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  makes 18 jumbo muffins.