Cornbread & Honeybutter

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

1. Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny -don't be alarmed!).
2. Bake in an 8 inch square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
3. You can double in a 9 by 13 pan

Honey Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

1. Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

submitted by Misty Shawcroft

Ribbon Pumpkin Bread

Filling:
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 egg whites

Batter:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped walnuts [optional]

Combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and 2 egg whites in a bowl; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, 1 egg, 2 egg whites and oil.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves together and add to pumpkin mixture. If desired, stir in walnuts.
Divide half of the batter between two 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread filling in each loaf pan, then top with remaining batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers.


submitted by Chelsey Jones

Carmel Scone Syrup

1 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda

In a medium sauce pan over medium to medium high heat, mix the first four ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda.

Serve with butter with your favorite scone recipe.


We had this after a baby blessing we went to on Sunday. It was so good. They also had some cinnamon and sugar mixed together to sprinkle over it too. It was so good that I had to share the recipe. They used the Honeyville Farm scone mix and it was to die for.

Rosemary Bread

2 pkgs. dried yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
2 c. warm water
Mix together and let sit until bubbly
Add
2 tsp. salt
4 c. flour
Mix all ingredients together, put dough into a greased (with olive oil) medium sized glass pan. Let rise until doubled (45min-1 hour).
Spread olive oil on a cookie sheet. Dump risen dough on the cookie sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt, granulated garlic and fresh rosemary on top. Let sit for 45 minutes and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot, dipping in oil and balsamic vinegar if desired.

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

So, I've been in the mood for banana breads lately. These are my two favorites!

This recipe and photo are from Cooking Light

Yield 1 loaf, 16 slices (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

PreparationPreheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, egg substitute, and yogurt; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 183 (23% from fat)
Fat: 4.7g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.2g)
Protein: 3.1g
Carbohydrate: 33.4g
Fiber: 1.3g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 180mg
Calcium: 18mg

Banana Muffins

These are sooo moist and very banana-y! :) The recipe and the photo are from Martha Stewart

*I never use the extra bananas for garnish unless I'm making them for a special occasion*

Makes 12 Muffins or 36 Minimuffins
4 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) ripe bananas, plus 1 for garnish (more if making mini muffins)
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (I use fat-free plain yogurt and they turn out great!)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan, regular or mini, with paper liners.
Peel four bananas, and place them in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until mashed, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar, oil, and egg; beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until combined.
Fill muffin liners three-quarters full. Slice remaining banana into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; place a slice on each muffin. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes for regular muffins and 20 for mini, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store, covered, at room temperature.

Sauteed Pasta Bar

I got this recipe from my mom, and it has become a regular at our house. I love that it is so versatile and so easy. Just a simple extra step changes this meal from boring, home cooked pasta noodles and sauce to something worthy of the Olive Garden. (Maybe this is an obvious step to everyone else, but it's new to me!)

Anyway, it's so delicious! It's also great because it can feed our small family of three or a huge crowd with very little extra effort. Also, if you have any picky eaters, this meal makes it so everyone can have exactly what they want (or DON'T want), and so everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

• pasta noodles of your choice (my favorite is penne)
• garlic, minced
• pesto
• pasta sauce of your choice
• olive oil
• any meat you want: Our favorite is Italian sausage rolled into one inch balls and cooked. You could also do chicken or hamburger... And of course, meat is optional.
• any vegetables you want: mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, olives, etc.
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook any meat you plan to use thoroughly. Cook the pasta noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Then, have each person take a bowl and assemble the following in their bowl: cooked noodles, a scoop of minced garlic to taste, a scoop of pesto to taste (in my opinion you can NOT skip the pesto - trust me), and any meat and vegetables they want. Do not add any sauce yet. Meanwhile, heat about 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet. Dump the contents of one person's bowl onto the heated skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until warmed through and mixed well. (If you are serving a bigger group, you can have several skillets going at once.) Remove from the pan and return to the bowl or the person's plate. Top with the sauce of your choice and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Here is a picture of my pasta before I put my sauce on the top, but after it had been sauteed. 

Side Dishes: This is yummy with a fresh green salad and a piece of Tuscan Flat Bread (recipe below).

Tuscan Flat Bread

I like this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it's pretty fast for a homemade bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. yeast
  
• 1 T. sugar
  
• 2 c. warm water
  
• 4 c. flour
  
• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 tsp. crushed rosemary
  
• 1/2 c. melted butter
  
• parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes. Add flour and salt. Knead 2 - 3 minutes (optional). Spread dough to the edges of a greased, lipped, jelly roll pan (12 x 16). Pour butter on dough and spread to cover all the dough. Sprinkle rosemary and Parmesan over surface of dough. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm.

English Toasting Bread

11 Cups flour
5 ½ Cups water
2-3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. yeast (rounded)
2 Tbs. salt
Mix dough and let rise. Divide into 4 loves. Let rise again and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
(dough is sticky)

I have to be honest here...I've never actually made this. But my mother-in-law makes it and I absolutely love it, so I finally got the recipe from her. She says it is simple to make and I can't wait to try it!

Sticky Buns

Sticky Buns
Heat the following ingredients on low temperature stove burner in a small sauce pan while stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth (texture should be thick grainy liquid), then remove from heat:
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons corn syrup
Generously spray cooking spray in a bunt cake pan and a medium size loaf pan.
Pour about 2/3 of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the bunt pan and the rest in the loaf pan; (optional: sprinkle about 1 - 2 cups pecans or walnuts over caramel).
Melt 1 cube of butter in medium size microwave bowl.
Stir together in separate medium size bowl: ½ cup sugar & 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Roll 32 frozen rolls (dinner roll variety, not sourdough) in butter, then in sugar. Arrange about 12 rolls in the loaf pan with 6 staggered on a bottom layer, and the rest staggered on a second layer, leaving open spaces underneath for dough to rise.
Arrange remaining 20-24 rolls in bunt pan, leaving space for dough to rise. Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover pans (cooking sprayed side down). Allow to rise at room temperature 5-8 hours* or keep in fridge overnight and in the morning preheat oven to 200º; boil a pan of water and place in the warm oven, then remove plastic wrap and set rolls in the warm oven and shut door. TURN OFF THE OVEN and allow dough to rise for about 1 hour, check periodically and repeat process if necessary.

Remove all pans from oven and preheat to 360º. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Pans may drip while baking. To prevent a possible mess, place a aluminum foil lined baking sheet underneath.

*If dough has not risen sufficiently, use the boiling water/oven method above for 15-20 minutes, then check.

Ingredient list: 32 frozen dinner rolls, brown sugar, 2 cubes butter, corn syrup, cinnamon, sugar, pecans or walnuts (optional)

French Bread

This recipe is so easy and takes very little hands on time.

1 T. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 C. warm water
1/4 C. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/8 C. oil
2 C. hot water
6 C. flour

In a bowl ad 1/2 cup warm water, sprinkle the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar over the water. Let sit until yeast has dissolved. Stir together. Mix in 1/4 C. sugar, salt, oil, and water. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead bread for three minutes.
Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubles. Divide into two pieces.
Roll like a jelly roll.
Sprinkle corn meal on bottom of a baking sheet. Put bread on sheet, let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Sometimes I find I need a little more flour, or a little less. I add more flour as I knead the dough and it gets sticky.

Sometimes I roll out the dough to make breadsticks.

Stromboli

This might be a no-brainer for some but I just discovered it and I LOVE it! This is the recipe I made but you can mix it up however you like

1 package refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 cup pizza sauce
turkey salami slices (about 15)
turkey pepperoni slices (about 20)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
olive oil
Italian seasoning

roll out pizza dough on floured surface. Spread the pizza sauce on 1/2 the dough. Top with cheese, salami and pepperoni and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Fold the other half of dough over top and cinch the ends together. Add a little olive oil on top and brush on dough then sprinkle some more Italian seasoning on top. Bake according to pizza dough directions.

*I thought this would be really good with mushrooms, olives and onions as well. So many options with this recipe, I love it! You could also omit the sauce inside and just dip your Stromboli in your favorite marinara...I would suggest Amy Lepore's marinara recipe cause it's the BEST!

butter rolls

You will all be pleased to know that this is not a healthy, light recipe at all! It's an old family recipe (Thanksgiving and Christmas wouldn't be the same without them). They are really moist and tender. It's kind of a process to make them, but you won't be disappointed.

Butter Rolls

In a your largest mixing bowl combine 4 1/2 teaspoons (2 packets) active dry yeast, 1teaspoon sugar and 1/4 cup warmest tap water. Set aside and melt 4 sticks of butter over low heat (or in microwave). Stir 2 cups of cold milk into the melted butter (this cools it down just enough so that it doesn't kill the yeast) and add this along with 4 beaten eggs to the yeast mixture. In another mixing bowl (probably you next biggest), combine 8 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture 2 cups at a time. For the first few cups use a whisk to combine them so that you won't have any lumps. When it starts to get too thick to whisk, switch to a spoon. When the dough is combined place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough (to prevent drying and another layer on the top of the bowl. Place in fridge over night to rise. The next day divide the dough into 5 equal sections. Roll each into a circle until the dough is about 1/4" thick. Cut into wedges and roll up (like crescents). Place on cookie sheets, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm kitchen for about an hour. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.