Zucchini Bread

Delicious bread!!  With a surplus of zucchini, you can make this bread up in small loaves and freeze it.  You will always have some to take to a friend in need.  Or when you need a quick dessert in a hurry.  I think this would be great served with cinnamon ice cream.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans or 4 small loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, add eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add zucchini, dry ingredients, and nuts, if using.  Mix well.  Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 50 minutes for 4 small loaves, or 65 to 75 minutes for large loaves.  Or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes.  Remove bread from pan and cool completely before slicing.  (Bet you can’t wait that long!)

Tip:  If you would like to make Orange Zucchini Bread, just add the zest of one orange to the batter.

“When you open your Bible, ask the Author to open your heart.”

Apple-Cheddar Bread

This is not a sweet bread, although it is lightly sweetened and delicious.  My husband and I couldn’t stay out of it.  So, so, good!!

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 apple, cored, peeled and diced
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Combine milk, oil, whole egg and egg yolk in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Gently fold in apple and cheese.

Divide batter between 2 greased 8″ x 4″ loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.  Store in the refrigerator.  Makes 2 loaves.

“God’s call to a task includes His strength to complete it.”

Pull-Apart Biscuit Bread

This is the bread I made for our Easter dinner.  It was really yummy!

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup minced green onion (I minced mine in the food processor)
• 4 (7.5 oz.) cans refrigerated biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter;  add green onions;  cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove saucepan from heat.

Dip each biscuit into butter mixture; fold in half.  Arrange biscuits in rows, folded edge down, in one layer in 12″ x 8″ baking pan.  Bake 25 minutes or until browned.  Remove bread from pan.  Serve bread warm.  Let each person pull biscuit from loaf.

Makes 20 servings.

“We honor God’s name when we call Him our Father and live like His children.”

Eggnog Bread

After making 6 to 8 quarts of eggnog this year, I decided to use some of it up making this bread.  You don’t need to make your own eggnog for this recipe, just buy some ready made.  It was so good I think I made 6 batches to give to my friends and family.  Try it, you’ll love it.

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, or three 3 x 5-inch loaf pans with no-stick cooking spray.

Mix butter and sugar until well blended.  Add eggs and mix.  Add eggnog and vanilla extract and mix.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until just moistened.  You may have lumps.  Pour into your prepared pans.

Bake large loaf for 50 to 60 minutes, smaller loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pan.  Cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and store in refrigerator.

“If God never does anything more than redeem us, He has already done far more than we deserve.”

Cranberry-Eggnog Muffins

These are fabulous muffins!

For the muffins

• 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup apple juice or rum
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 cups eggnog
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

Prepare the muffins:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mist muffin pan with cooking spray.  Warm cranberries and apple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove from the heat and let steep 5 minutes.  Drain.

Whisk flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk butter, eggnog, eggs and vanilla in another bowl.  Gently fold into the flour mixture.  (The batter will be lumpy; do not overmix.)  Fold in the cranberries.  Divide the batter evenly among 18 muffin cups.

Make the topping:  Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, salt and brown sugar in a bowl with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand.  Sprinkle generously over the batter.

Bake until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes.  Cool slightly in the pan, then carefully remove to a rack.

Makes 18 muffins.

“Our salvation is secure because God does the holding.”

Banana Crumb Muffins

These are the “best” banana muffins ever.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

Topping:

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle topping over muffins.  (To keep topping from falling off, put a cookie cutter the size of the muffin cup on top and then fill with topping.)

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Serves 12.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”