Banana Muffins

from gimmesomeoven.com


3 cups old-fashioned oats*
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plain or vanilla
1 cup tightly-packed mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas depending on the size)
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or any mild-flavored oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: turbinado sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners, or lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside. 

2. Puree oats in a blender or food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency. Add in the pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and sea salt, and pulse until the mixture is evenly combined. Set aside. 

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mashed banana, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract until evenly combined. Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredient mixture, and stir until the mixture is just combined. (Try to avoid over-mixing.) 

4. Portion the ingredients into prepared baking cups. Then sprinkle a pinch of turbinado sugar on top of each muffin, if you would like. 

5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. 

6. Serve warm. Or let the muffins cool to room temperature, then store in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Or feel free to substitute in 240 grams (8.4 ounces) oat flour. And as always, be sure to use certified gluten-free ingredients if making this recipe gluten-free.

When I went to the store to buy coconut oil I was amazed at all the options! This is the one I picked and I really like it. I enjoyed spreading a little of this on my warm muffin!

Husband and boys said thumbs up!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

from Marilyn Richards, slightly adapted

Ingredients
3 1/2 c flour
3 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 c water
1 can pumpkin

2 c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper muffin cups in muffin pan.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl beat butter, applesauce, eggs, water and pumpkin. Slowly add in dry ingredient mixture. Mix in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 22 minutes. Watch the muffins. Ovens vary and you may need a minute or two more or less. Makes three dozen muffins.

Boys say: thumbs up!

Banana Bread

adapted from allrecipes.com, submitted by Shelley Albeluhn

Ingredients
2 c all-purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened (or coconut oil for dairy free option)

1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 6 large bananas)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). For muffins, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. For muffins, place baking cups in cupcake tin. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. 

In a separate bowl, cream together butter, vanilla and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. 

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. For muffins, bake for 25 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Boys say: more please! thumbs up! "you're the best mom in the whole world" 

Cornbread Muffins

from allrecipes.com, submitted by: Anne O. Nymous

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or better yet, put 12 muffin cups in your muffin pan! Have the kids help with this. Little hands love this job!

Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, butter, and egg; mix well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pans 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

I love these muffins because they hold together better than my previous cornbread recipe. It's really hard to get all that wonderful honey butter on the bread when it's falling apart! So this recipe solved that problem!

To make honey butter: add 2 tsp of honey to 1/2 c softened butter

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Cinnamon Rolls

Family Recipe

Cinnamon Rolls

1 c milk

1/2 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

3 beaten eggs

4 1/2-5 c flour

Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in a pan.  Heat over medium heat until the butter is almost completely melted.  Cool to luke warm and pour into your mixer.  Add yeast and stir well.  Add eggs; stir.  Add flour slowly until dough is soft and elastic.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (at least and hour).  

Turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide in half.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Lightly grease two 9 x 1.5 round baking pans or 2 baking sheets.

Roll one half of dough into about a 12x8 rectangle.  Melt 3 tbsp butter and mix with 1/2 c of sugar and 2 tsps ground cinnamon.  Pour onto dough.  Using the back of a large spoon spread mixture evenly over dough.  From a long side carefully roll up dough and seal seam by pinching dough.  Cut into 12 rolls and place in prepared pan.  Repeat with other half of dough.  Cover and let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until golden.  Cool about 10 minutes.  Drizzle with powdered sugar icing.  

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 c powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp milk

Mix ingredients.  Add additional milk, if necessary, a few drops at a time until frosting is the right consistency to drizzle.

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls!  

My rating:  5 stars!

Our Family Crescent Roll Recipe

by Melinda

1 c milk

1/2 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

3 beaten eggs

4 1/2-5 c flour

Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in a pan. Heat over medium-low heat until the butter is almost completely melted. Pour into your mixer. Add yeast and stir well. Add eggs; stir. Add flour slowly until dough is soft and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (at least an hour).  

Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. 

Roll each half into a circle. Brush with melted butter. Cut like a pizza. Roll each piece up from the large side. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until double in size (roughly 30 minutes). 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake about 9-13 minutes (until golden). Brush with more melted butter and let cool on a cooling rack.

These rolls bring back memories of family dinners. I don't think we've had one Thanksgiving dinner without them! My mother loves to bake. We have many good memories cooking together in the kitchen. Maybe that's why these rolls make me happy! And I'm glad I can share them with you to use in your family meals.  

Zucchini Bread

by Jesse Coleman

3c shredded zucchini
1 2/3 c sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs


Mix above together in big bowl. Preheat oven to 350. Move oven rack to lowest position so tops of pans will be in center of oven. Then mix in:


3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking powder


Pour in to loaf pans. Bake 8" loaves 50-60 minutes, 9" 1 hour 10 minutes or mini loaves about 40 minutes. (I have dark pans so I usually decrease time by 10 minutes or so.)

I grow zucchini's every year in my garden.  I love using them in this recipe.  Thank you, Jesse!

Husband Rating:  5 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Chili and Cornbread

Ella

2 cans (27 oz each) dark red kidney beans, drained
2 lbs ground beef, browned, drain fat
2 cans (16 oz each) stewed tomatoes (I like to pour entire can in blender and chop for a few seconds)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 green pepper, chopped
1-2 onions, chopped
2-3 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and mix.  Cook on low all day.  Serve with chopped onions and grated cheese.

This is my grandmother's recipe.  I love cooking something my mother and grandmother have cooked.

Marie Calendar's Cornbread

2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
1 cube (1/2 c) soft butter
2 c bisquick
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.  Mix the first three ingredients together then add the next four ingredients.  Pour mix into pan.  Bake for 30.

This is best served with honey butter.  Mix 2-3 tbsp (or more to taste) of honey into a 1/2 c softened butter.

Husband rating:  4 stars
Boys say:  thumbs up

Ham and Potato Soup

Ham and Potato Soup

from allrecipes.com submitted by ELLIE11

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes 1/3 cup diced celery 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 3/4 cup diced cooked ham 3 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste 5 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk

1.	Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

2.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

3.	Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

I've also added corn to this recipe and liked that.

Bisquick Biscuits

2 1/4 c original bisquick mix
2/3 c milk

Heat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, stir ingredients until soft dough forms; beat 30 seconds. If dough is sticky, gradually stir in enough Bisquick mix (up to 1/4 cup) to make dough easy to handle.

Place dough on surface generously sprinkled with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into a ball; knead 10 times. Press or roll until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with 2-inch cutter dipped in Bisquick mix. On ungreased cookie sheet, place rounds.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Husband Rating:  4
Boys say: thumbs up

Zucchini and Italian Sausage Penne and Cheese Bread

Zucchini and Italian Sausage Penne

1 lb penne pasta
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 lb Italian sausage
2 cups chopped zucchini
parmesan cheese

Start pasta cooking. 
Brown sausage in a skillet. 
Add zucchini and cook until soft. 
Add cooked pasta to the skillet and mix well.  Pour pasta sauce over noodles.  Mix well and cook until heated through. 
Sprinkle with as much parmesan as desired.

Cheese Bread
from the kitchen of my sister-in-law, Elizabeth

6 slices of wheat bread
butter
garlic salt
finely shredded cheese blend
dried parsley

Place slices of bread on a cookie sheet.  Butter the bread.  Sprinkle with garlic salt.  Add cheese.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Broil in oven until cheese is bubbly and edges of bread are darkened.

Husband Rating:  3.5
Boys say:  thumbs up

Chicken Florentine and Garlic Bread

Chicken Florentine

1/4 c white wine
1 tsp minced garlic
10 oz fresh baby spinach
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (look for the lower fat healthy variety)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 c half and half or 2% if that's what you have on hand
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c bacon bits
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package angel hair pasta

Wilt spinach with wine and garlic in a skillet over medium heat.  Place in 8x8 baking dish.

Mix the cream of mushroom, Italian seasoning, half and half and Parmesan cheese.

Place the chicken breasts on spinach.  Cover with cream of mushroom mix.  Sprinkle bacon bits on top.    Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Top with 1 c mozzarella and bake 10 minutes more.  Serve over angel hair pasta.

Garlic Bread

One way we love to do garlic bread is with a loaf of french bread.  Cut the bread in half length-wise.  Spread on the butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and top it off with some dried parsley.  Put the halves together in foil and warm in oven (350 degrees for 8 minutes or so).  Cut across the loaf to make easy pieces to share.

Husband Rating:  3 stars

Boys say:  Thumbs neutral for pasta, up for bread