Cornbread

This is one of the few recipes that my husband excitedly wants me to copy of his mom's.  A staple and a great version!

- 1 1/2 cups of corn meal

- 3 tbsp flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 2 cups buttermilk

- 1 egg

- 3 tbsp corn oil or bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients.

Pour into hot skillet with about 1/4 cup corn oil (up to 1/2 cup) or bacon drippings.  Bake about 20 min or until brown, on middle shelf of oven.

(This recipe fits an 10-inch iron skillet.)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Chocolate bread?  Yes, please!  Adding zucchini just makes it more acceptable to feed it to your family for breakfast, right?  One of my favorite recipe blogs to follow, and happens to be my cousin-in-law, Casual Cuisine posted this and I knew I had to make it.  I think it was actually one of those few that you see and then make it within the week!  I was not disappointed.  (She said that it is a Paula Deen recipe, so an added reason to already know it is going to be pretty good!)

I have made this recipe at least once a month since the first time.  The recipe makes two of the typical loaf pans.  Another reason I love to make it.  One for now and one in the freezer for a few weeks from now!  This week I made it for my Bible study's morning social.  I made one and half recipes.  Before adding chocolate chips I made some of the batter into muffins for Benjamin.  (Still looking for dairy-free chocolate chips.)  Now I have a go-to muffin in the freezer for Benjamin's breakfast!  One loaf for the social and one loaf for the family.  This is one of those recipes that I have made all ways:  with regular flour and with wheat, with the oil it calls for or replaced with applesauce.  All ways, it is great!

Enjoy!

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1/2 cup cocoa powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1 cup oil (or 1 cup applesauce or 1/2 and 1/2)

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 2 cups grated zucchini**

- 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray two 9x5 pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.  Add the oil and vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients along with the zucchini and chocolate chips.  Stir until just combined, and divide between the loaf pans.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and springy to the touch.

** Remember when grating zucchini:  Grate the zucchini into a colander in the sink about a half hour before wanting to add it to your recipe.  Add a pinch of salt and stir it in.  The salt will help draw out the excess water.  When you add the grated zucchini to your recipe, it will keep it from adding too much moisture.  (I learned this tip from our favorite chef-friend Julia Child.)

Blueberry-Poppy Seed Bread

Another yummy bread option!  The bonus of this recipe is that the recipe makes 2 loaves (or 4 mini loaves); great for the freezer or gifts!  (My tweaks will be in italics)

- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use white-wheat flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 cups sugar (I only use about 1 3/4 cups)
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract  (I didn't have this, so I used some orange zest and a splash of the orange's juice.)
- 1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease 4 mini loaf pans or 2 regular size loaf pans.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Beat the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and vanilla and almond extracts (or vanilla extract and orange zest/juice) at medium speed until combined.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined.  Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

When hosting, to make it look a little fancier, I made a simple icing to drizzle over the bread.  About 1-2 tbsp milk, a little orange zest, about 1 cup confectioner's sugar.  If runny add sugar, if thick add milk.  It's a really moist bread, so this is an added bonus and not required.


Thank you Food Network Magazine for another winner (May 2012, pg. 156)

Applesauce Bread

This bread sounds super healthy but, don't worry, it tastes super yummy!  We love bread for breakfast, so this has become a great addition to our repertoire!  Thanks to a friend for sharing it with me.

- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white wheat flour)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon  (I use a bit more of this and the nutmeg.)
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- dried cranberries (my addition)


Mix dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add applesauce, eggs, and butter.  Stir well.  Then mix in the dried cranberries (or even add some nuts or dried cranberries and raisins or....)  Pour into a buttered pan or stone.  Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I have said it with every bread I make; we love our carb-loaded breakfasts at this house!  This one is healthy enough to make me not feel guilty about that.  I also feel like this bread is a great base to add in whatever you like.  So, if you try something I didn't think of, let me know!  (This comes from the website Heavenly Homemaker.)

Zucchini Bread

Will, Anna-Kate, and I love breads, cereals, cinnamon rolls, etc for breakfast. We are not good at eating hearty eggs, bacon for breakfast. I have wanted to cycle in healthier and longer-lasting options. Will has given me his approval to make anything I want to try, even if it has whole wheat flour in it. (He is still getting use to how dense it makes things.) I am looking forward to experimenting a lot more!! Here is my first super-healthy breakfast bread attempt.

We all loved it!!

- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup oil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I didn't use any)

Preheat oven to 325 for large loaf pan and muffin pan; preheat to 300 for small loaf pans.

Blend the dry ingredients.

Make a well (or hole) in the center and pour in the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir just until mixed - do not over mix. (It appears quite dry while mixing, but the end product is not as dry as you fear it will be.)

Fold in grated zucchini (and chopped nuts).

Pour batter into desired pans. Bake 30-40 min for small loaf pans; 50-60 min for large loaf pan; and 15-20 min for muffin pan.

Thanks to inspiration from my sister-in-law and http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!!

Peanutty Chocolate-Banana Bread

This is a recipe I have made several times now. Will and I love sweet breakfasts: cinnamon rolls, apple turnovers, pumpkin bread, muffins, etc. So, this recipe is definitely a winner! I am not a fan of chunks in my banana bread, or an overpowering banana flavor. This recipe is perfect for that!

- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 2 medium (I puree in a blender so that there are no chunks)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate morsels
- 1/3 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray bottom of a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add bananas, milk, peanut butter, oil, and egg; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate morsels. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan to cooling rack; cool completely.

Anna-Kate loved this bread as well! Who doesn't love an allowable way to include chocolate in your breakfast?! Thanks to Pampered Chef for this recipe; it came with my loaf pan.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

I lead with the above picture, not because it is a great picture, but because it is true that my toddler has enjoyed these muffins! I have a toddler who will eat most foods as she wants to, but not consistently. I have normal amounts of mom-guilt that she doesn't get enough vegetables in her diet. Then I was given Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious for Christmas. The whole point is to sneak in vegetables where kids won't know, so that you can be mom-guilt-free and they can be happy eaters.

All I will say about this recipe is that it truly is good. I enjoyed eating them for breakfast, as well as Anna-Kate.

- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup [natural] peanut butter
- 1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree I used carrot.
**For the puree, steam the vegetables. Then puree in blender or food processor. I used two carrots for this recipe, which was not enough to reach 1/2 cup.
- 1/2 cup banana puree
- 1 large egg white
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the overn to 350. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and fruit purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

Put the flour, baking bowder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir/shake to mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not overmix.) Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar adn stir once or twice.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

I know you're skeptical, but really, try them!