Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This recipe is adapted  from the Loin House Cookbook.  The Lion House is a Salt Lake City landmark from the pioneer days and a must see if you are in the area.   They have had a restaurant in the basement of the home for many years and have the best homemade rolls, to die for, which are worth the visit alone.

This recipe for the Pumpkin Bread is simply the best recipe I have found.  Since I had some pumpkin left from my pumpkin muffins just sitting in the fridge I thought I would make and post this recipe as well.   If your a nut kind of person by all means add a half a cup of walnuts or pecans.  

Pumpkin Bread 

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup pumpkin

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 

Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy.  Add eggs and pumpkin.  Whisk dry ingredients together and add to the mixture.  Add mini chocolate chips.  Pour into loaf pan, 9x5x3, sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until bread tests done.  Makes 1 large loaf.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins With A Crunchy Crumb Topper

A little bit of rain and fall in the air so what do you think of ?  PUMPKIN.  We are getting ready for a major trim on our two apple trees and hope we don't kill them.  We have one Delicious and one Macintosh tree and have neglected them way to long.  I had a tree man come over and tell me I could really cut them back if I don't care if I loose them so we will give it a try.  He seems to think you can't kill them, so here we go.  If they don't make it I think I will plant a peach tree in their place.  This sounds like it will be an on going story, keep tuned.  I am fine with them not bearing fruit next year so I can get them under control.  An apple tree is no good if you can't reach the apples or have to wait till they fall off.  I know what some of you may think and that is that I should have planted dwarf trees.  Guess what?, they are dwarf trees.  Very healthy dwarf trees.  They are also 20 years old.  Sooo... on to the Pumpkin Apple Muffins. 

These muffins speak of Fall.  Can't beat a combination of pumpkin, spice and a few apple bites here and there.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup apples (cored and chopped)

Mix all dry ingredients in mixer bowl.  Add all wet ingredients except the apples and mix for a minute or so until well blended.  Fold in chopped apples. 

Fill 12 regular sized cupcake liners.

Crumb Topper

1/3 cup dry oatmeal

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 teaspoons butter

Blend together crumb topping to make it a course meal texture.

Top batter with crumb topper, about 1 1/2 teaspoons per muffin. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-22 minutes or until pick comes out clean. 

Peach Upside Down Cake

It's peach season and I'm definitely in peach mode.  The fuzzy little buggers are my favorite fruit.  At least that's what I'm saying today.  Peaches as with all fruit I guess are so versatile.  There's peach crisp, peach pie, peach jam, peach salsa, or just biting into a cold sweet peach.  With this recipe I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you should definitely go for it and garnish this cake with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream. :o)

Topping:

1/2 cup melted butter

8 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix the melted butter and brown sugar in a 9 inch round cake pan.

3 fresh peaches, peeled

Slice and arrange on top of the brown sugar mixture.

Cake:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons orange zest

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture and cream together.  Blend in the flour, baking powder and salt then blend in the milk and orange zest until fully combined.  Spread over the peaches and brown sugar. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let cool for about 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan then place a plate on the top of cake and hold the pan and plate as you turn it upside down.  If it doesn't fall out of the pan just tap on the inverted pan. That should take care of it. 

Dessert Crepes

A perfect marriage, strawberries and Nutella.  Put it in a crepe with a sprinkle of powdered sugar 
and some whipped cream and my oh my it's very tasty. 

Crepes

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

Whisk eggs until well blended.  Add vanilla, water and milk.  Whisk until combined.  Add flour and whisk until all lumps are gone and it is smooth.  I use a 10 inch fry pan but if you have a crepe pan of course use that.  I heat my pan until it is pretty hot and then I run some butter over the pan, be careful not to burn it.  Pour 1/4 cup batter in pan and turn pan around so batter is even on the bottom of the pan.  When the top of the crepe looks done, turn it over.  I like mine a little crisp on the edges.  Of course the butter helps with that. 

Sliced strawberries

Nutella

Powdered sugar

Whipped cream

Spread about a heaping teaspoon of Nutella on the crepe and then put about five slices of strawberries on top of the Nutella and roll up the crepe.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with whip cream.

Minnie's German Potato Salad

This is a great potato salad for your Labor Day Barbecue.  If you have never tried a non mayonnaise potato salad you are missing out.  I grew up eating this marvelous side dish and it's one of my favorites.  This recipe is my Grandma Minnie's recipe.  She was the most fantastic cook and baker and I know that's where I get my love of baking from.  When I was a little girl and I would spend the night on Friday it was a real treat.  We would get up early and she would make apple strudel and it was so fun to watch her stretch the dough over the whole kitchen table and make it very thin.  She would then add the apples and the rest of the ingredients and roll it up.  She was a master. 

This salad is to be eaten at room temperature since there is a warm bacon dressing on it.  I like my dressing a smidgen on the sweet side but some like the little bite of vinegar, so be careful when adding the sugar and taste as you go along.  Remember when you add the flour roux it will make the sauce a little more mild. This may seem like a lot of bacon to you but you will need it to make enough sauce. The flour roux will make it nice and creamy and will keep the potatoes from getting soggy.

German Potato Salad 

8 medium red OR white rose potatoes, (boil whole and leave the skin on)

10 slices bacon

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

3/4 cup finely diced celery

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar or more depending on taste

flour and water for roux

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced for garnish

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Boil the whole un-peeled potatoes until a fork goes in easy.  Be careful not to cook them to long or they will fall apart.  Better to have them under cooked than over cooked. Takes about 15 min. but keep checking them after they start to boil.  When done set aside to cool a little.

Boil eggs and set aside. 

Chop onion and celery and set aside.

Mix a couple of tablespoons flour and water to make a roux as you do when you make gravy and set aside.

Slice the bacon and brown in frying pan.  When browned remove the bacon to drain on paper towel and set aside.  With a low flame add the water, vinegar and sugar to the bacon grease and stir until blended.  Bring mixture to a low bubble and then add some of the flour and water roux.  Add just enough to thicken a little to make it creamy.  Not to thick.  It should be the consistency of thin gravy.

Slice potatoes and add to bowl.  The un-peeled red potatoes make a nice presentation but as you can see by my picture I had the white rose on hand so I used them and peeled them a little after boiling.  Add  celery and onion and half of the fried bacon.  Add sauce to the potatoes and gently mix.  O.K. now this is where you have to taste it again before you garnish in case you want to add salt or pepper and just because you are dying to taste it.  Of course as it sits for a while all the flavors will meld in to the potatoes. Garnish with the other half of the bacon, the eggs and parsley.