TORTILLAS

I like this recipe because it does not use traditional lard, but still tastes great!

2 C. all-purpose flour (can substitute 1 C. for whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vegetable oil

3/4 C. warm milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk and stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for two minutes on floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes. After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands and place on a plate (make sure they aren't touching). Cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

After dough has rested, place one ball at a time on a floured surface and pat out into a four-inch circle. Roll with a rolling pin from the center until it's thin and about eight inches in diameter. Don't overwork dough or will be too stiff. Keep tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. it should start to puff a bit when it's done. Serve warm. (Can store in fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so, just reheat in dry pan).

Makes 8 tortillas.

from the Homesick Texan blog

BANANA BREAD

This is our current favorite recipe for banana bread. It makes great "cupcakes" (muffins) too!

Ingredients:

3-4 whole ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 C butter, melted

3/4 C white sugar

1/4 C Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking soda

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 C flour (all-purpose or white wheat)

1 T. milled flax seed (opt.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 4" x8" bread pan with butter and set aside. Mash bananas in large mixing bowl with wooden spoon. Add butter and stir to combine. Add sugars, egg and vanilla and mix. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until just combined. Pour into bread loaf pan. Bake for one hour. Cool completely before serving. (I use white wheat flour and add the flax seed...and it is really good...doesn't taste "healthy").

OATMEAL MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1 C. oats
1 C. buttermilk
½ C. brown sugar, packed
1 C. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 heaping tsp. baking powder
½ C. shortening (I use butter), melted
1 egg, separated

Directions:

Soak oats and milk. Add dry ingredients, egg yolk and butter. Beat white of egg and fold in. Bake in greased muffin pans for 15 min. at 425 degrees.

an aunt Joy recipe!

OATMEAL BREAD

this is great served warm or toasted!

Ingredients:

2 C. boiling water
1 C. Old Fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp. salt
1 T. butter
½ C. honey
1 pkg. dry yeast
½ C. lukewarm water
5-6 C. flour

Directions:

Pour boiling water over rolled oats. Add salt, butter and honey. Let cool to lukewarm. Mix yeast in lukewarm water and add to oat mixture. Work in flour (1/2 whole wheat and ½ white flour may be used) until dough consistency to handle. Cover and allow to rise. Punch down and allow to rise again. Shape into loaves and place in loaf pans. Allow to rise again. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Yield: 2 loaves.

FOCACCIA (ITALIAN FLATBREAD)

Mati's favorite bread!

Ingredients:

2 ½ to 3 C. flour
1 T. rosemary leaves, dried and crushed
or 2 T. fresh rosemary, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 T. olive oil
1 C. hot water
Olive oil
fresh garlic cloves, sliced (opt.)
ground pepper and sea salt

Directions:

Mix 1 ½ C. flour, salt, rosemary and yeast in large bowl. Add 3 T. oil and hot water. Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then beat on medium speed 1 minute. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead 5-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn dough greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double. Brush 12 inch pizza pan or large cookie sheet with oil. Press dough down into a 12 inch circle or rectangle. Make impressions into dough with knife, insert garlic slices (opt.). Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Brush with additional oil. Remove garlic slices.

Serve with a plate of Italian herbs, fresh cracked pepper and grated Parmesan covered in extra virgin olive oil (to dip the bread in.)

Variation: can use different herbs such as half rosemary and half thyme (or any Italian herbs you have on hand.) Can also add ½ C. grated Parmesan to dough.

EASY CARAMEL ROLLS

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen rolls (12-15 ct., like Rhodes)
1 pkg. butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)
½ C. butter
½ C. brown sugar
½ to 1 C. chopped pecans (opt.)

Directions:

Place rolls in bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding over rolls. Melt butter and brown sugar, stirring together. Pour evenly over rolls. Sprinkle with pecans. Cover with wax paper and leave on counter overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

LIGHT ROLLS

Ingredients:

4 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 C. vegetable oil
1 C. sugar
2 pkgs. active dry yeast, dissolved in ½ C. warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 C. lukewarm water
8 C. unsifted all-purpose flour

Directions:

Stir together egg whites, oil, sugar, yeast water, salt, water and flour in very large bowl. Mix until dough consistency (but will be pretty wet.) Cover and place in refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight. Dough may be stored for several days.

For rolls: Dust hands with flour and roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls (aprx). Place rolls almost touching in a greased pan (recipe will make two 9x13 pans). Let rolls rise for 2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush tops of rolls with butter as soon as removed from oven.

For bread: Using a floured board, roll dough into 4 loaves. Place each loaf in a greased bread pan and allow to rise for 2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

For cinnamon rolls: Roll dough on floured board into one flat rectangle (long side should be twice as long as short side). Brush entire surface with melted butter. Sprinkle dough with sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans (amounts depend on preference). Roll dough on long side, forming a long tube. Slice tube into aprx. 2 inch segments. Place in pan and follow same baking instructions as above rolls. Mix milk and powdered sugar for icing.

*Mark Stutler’s grandmother always placed a little melted butter and some sprinkles of brown sugar in bottom of cinnamon roll pan to make them caramel-chewy on bottom. Yum!

GARLIC CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Ingredients:

4 C. all-purpose baking mix (like Bisquick)
1 1/3 C. milk
1 C. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
½ C. butter, melted
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Stir together baking mix, milk, and cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden. Stir together melted butter, parsley, and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

This recipe makes a lot of biscuits, and they are not very good left over. I often make only half the recipe.

from Aunt Joy

CHEEESE BREAD

Ingredients:

1 pkg. yeast
¼ C. lukewarm water
½ C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1 C. sour cream or plain yogurt
2 1/3 C. flour
1 C. cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt, soda, egg and sour cream. Mix with wooden spoon. Fold in flour and then cheese. Pour into greased loaf pan. Let rise until doubled (about 4 hours). Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

from Lori Stutler

GRANNY'S BISCUITS

Ingredients:

1 ½ C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1 scant C. milk
vegetable shortening the size of an egg

Directions:

Stir together dry ingredients and make well. Add milk and shortening with wooden spoon. Knead gently and roll out and use biscuit cutter (gently pat the "extra" dough together and continue cutting biscuits until dough is gone). Melt some additional shortening in a pan (a dark, heavy metal pan is best). Dip each biscuit in shortening and turn over then place in pan (so tops are coated). Bake at 370 degrees for 30 minutes.

AUNT ANNIE'S PRETZELS

Ingredients:

1 ½ C. warm water
2 pkg. dry yeast
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp. salt
4 C. flour (can use 1 C. bread, 3 C. regular)
2 C. warm water
2 T. baking soda
desired pretzel toppings

Directions:

Sprinkle yeast in lukewarm water in mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir. Add flour and knead dough until smooth. Let rise in greased bowl ½ hour. Mix warm water and soda in separate bowl. After dough has risen, pinch off pieces and roll into long, skinny ropes and then shape them into pretzels. Dip pretzel in soda water and place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise (opt.). Bake at 450 degrees until brown (about 10 minutes). Immediately dip in melted butter and sprinkle with salt or cinnamon sugar mixture. (Or sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic and oregano to make Italian bread sticks).

from Lori Stutler's friend, Kim

CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 C. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C. cornmeal
½ C. flour
3 T. canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in pan (cast iron skillet or muffin pan). Whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add dry ingredients and stir well. Add hot oil and gently fold in. Pour batter into pan (greased from oil) and bake for 15-20 minutes.

PIZZA DOUGH

Mom used to make individual pizzas for our birthday parties. She would set out various toppings and let each friend "decorate" their own pizza. Then instead of traditional birthday cake, we'd have banana splits...again each person making their own culinary creation. Fun!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 ¼ C. warm water
2 T. oil (olive or vegetable)
4 C. flour
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in water and stir in oil. Add flour and salt. Knead until smooth. Put in greased bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double. Form 2 equal balls and then gently pull into crust form. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then fill with desired pizza toppings and continue baking until cheese melts and crust is done.

Two of our favorites: sausage, green chile, sauteed onion, fresh mozzarella OR

fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced tomatoes, and fresh snipped basil or Italian herb mix

Makes 2-14 inch pizzas.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES OR WAFFLES

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 C. buttermilk
2 C. all-purpose flour
1-2 T. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 T. unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon (opt.; Katie’s addition)
vegetable oil or cooking spray
maple syrup

Directions:

In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until frothy, 2-3 minutes. Turn mixer off and add the buttermilk, melted butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Continue to beat just until the mixture is smooth, 2-3 minutes more.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add 1/3 C. batter at a time and cook until bubbles appear on surface, about 2 minutes. Flip until finished cooking. Remove and repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup. Makes about 15 pancakes, or 5 waffles.

BRAN MUFFINS

Ingredients:
15 oz. Bran flakes cereal
(like Kashi oat flakes with wild blueberry clusters)
1 C. sugar
1 ½ C. honey
5 C. flour (can use half white, half whole-wheat)
5 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 C. oil
1 qt. buttermilk
Pecans, chopped (opt.)

(Original recipe called for 3 C. sugar and no honey.)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in large bowl with lid (aprx. gallon size). Store in refrigerator at least several hours before baking. Batter will store for 1 to 1 ½ weeks. Will make aprx. 3 dozen medium-sized muffins.

To bake: Place in greased or lined muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for aprx.15 min.

from Lori Stutler