Bran Muffins

It's no secret: I love food. I love autumn, too, for the food. Okay, I love other things about the season, too... but the food is awesome. One of my favorite food moments concerning autumn is that my kids actually want to eat something other than cold cereal for breakfast. Enter Bran Muffins! This recipe is easy and convenient. Just bake up as many muffins as you like and store the remaining batter in your fridge. Done and done.

Let's get cooking!

To a large bowl add one whole box of All Bran Cereal. It should be 6 cups.
Pour over the top of the cereal 2 cups boiling water. The water will soften up the cereal.

After a few minutes, pour 1 quart buttermilk over the cereal. Stir until it's all mushy and gross looking.

Cream together in a separate bowl 5 eggs, 1 cup shortening and 2 cups sugar.

Add to the cereal mixture.

Sift (or just toss into...) the cereal mixture 5 cups flour,

5 teaspoons baking soda,

and 1 tablespoon salt.

Stir until well blended.

Bake as much as you'd like in prepared muffin tins for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Store whatever batter you don't use in fridge for up to 30 days.

By the way... it's also delcious to add nuts, raisins, or dates to the batter prior to baking! My family's favorite it to serve these with apricot jam.

Banana Bread

Today I'm deviating from our pumpkin recipes, because my darling friend Stephanie brought me a bag full of really ripe bananas. Thanks, Steph! I love banana bread (oh, and my family does too).

Let's get started!

Since I figure that if I'm going to go to the work to make something, I usually double it so that there's plenty for everyone and enough to share. That's the case again today. I made three small loaves, but this recipe easily makes two regular loaves. If that's too much for you, just cut the portions in half.

Put 6 ripe bananas in a clean bowl. The darker they are, the more sweet and flavorful the bread will be.
Blend them until they're creamy.
Add two eggs.

Add 1 1/2 cups sugar.


Add 1/2 cup applesauce or oil. I use applesauce, because it means no fat. See how healthy I am today?

Mix all these ingredients well.
In another clean (or stained but clean) bowl, put 3 cups of flour.
Add 1 tablespoon baking powder.
Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda,

and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Mix just until incorporated.
Add more dry to the wet...

and again until all the dry ingredients are in the wet ingredients bowl.

It's really important that you don't over mix the bread batter, so stir in the last of the ingredients by hand.
Pour into prepared (that means greased) bread loaf pans.
Kenzie's getting artistic with her shots now...Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Please, by all means, make sure your oven's preheated. It's just silly not to.Your bread should look lovely and that a toothpick test comes out clean.Banana Bread
oven 350 degrees
yields 2 loaves

6 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup applesauce (or oil)
3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon

Bake for 50 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container. Freezes beautifully.

Pumpkin Bread

I adore the smell of pumpkin treats baking in my home. This bread offers a delicious lingering scent that invites one and all to gather in your kitchen to indulge.

Okay, that was corny!

Let's get started!

I am making 2 loaves of bread, so I sprayed 2 loaf pans. This recipe is easy to cut in half if you just want to make one loaf.
Into a large clean bowl, add 2 cups flour.
Add to it 2 cups brown sugar,
1/2 teaspoon baking soda,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
2 teaspoons cinnamon,
2 tablespoons baking powder,
and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
Mix well.
Measure out 2 cups canned pumpkin.
Add it to the flour mixture.
Then add 1 cup cold milk.
Add 4 eggs.
Add to this batter 2/3 cups high quality shortening.
Mix until well blended.

Add 2 more cups flour to the batter.


Blend well.
Add 1-2 cups chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts. My family really digs chocolate chips, so they won today.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour.
The bread is done when a toothpick test comes out clean.
Store the bread over night in plastic wrap or a zipper bag. This bread freezes really well, too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread
yield 2 loaves

2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup cold milk
4 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts or a combination of your favorites

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.