Dilly Bread

This is a definite favorite of every member of my family, so I'm posting it again with an updated picture. Yummy!

Original post 10/20/10:
Here's another recipe I didn't realize had neglected for so long. How I overlooked it, I don't know, because it's one of my absolute favorites. There's just something about dilly bread that is good for the soul (at least mine) :).

I've tasted several other people's dilly bread over the years and they're all yummy, but I prefer mine made with whole wheat flour instead of white. Of course, it's more healthful that way, but honestly I hate how white bread sticks to the roof of your mouth, gumming up the whole mastication process. This version doesn't create that annoyance, is more filling, and is just as delicious!

Whole Wheat Dilly Bread

1 Tb. yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. cottage cheese
1 Tb. butter
1 Tb. honey
1 Tb. minced onion
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. dill seed*
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 unbeaten egg
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (or more, as needed)

Soften yeast in warm water.
Heat cottage cheese and butter to lukewarm. Put in large bowl, add honey, minced onion, dill weed, dill seed, salt, baking soda, and unbeaten egg.
Add yeast mixture.
Mix in flour until not sticky. Knead all air out (or let your mixer do it). Let rise 30-40 min.
Knead down and put in well-greased bread pan. Let rise 30 min.
Bake at 350 for 30 min, or until well browned.

*I've always made it with both dill weed and seed, but this last time I started the recipe without realizing I had run out of dill seed. So, I found out that using 2 tsp. dill weed in place of the 1 tsp. of each still yields great results--just in case you don't have both, or have a difficult time finding the seed (which is sometimes the case).

Unbaked Berry Cheesecake

My mom came up with this recipe when one of my sisters wanted an unbaked cheesecake for her birthday dessert last year. Since they don't eat refined sugar, Mom had to figure out how to make it without. The result was exquisite--in looks and taste--as we found out this Thanksgiving.

Unbaked Berry Cheesecake

Crust

1 c. soft butter
dash salt
1/2 c. sucanat (or raw sugar)
2 c. whole wheat flour

Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Press mixture into 9 x 13" pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Allow to cool completely before filling with recipe below.

Filling

2- 12 oz cans apple or raspberry apple juice concentrate
4 c. frozen berries
1/2 c. cold water
5 Tb. cornstarch

2 c. whipping cream
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3 or 4 Tb. honey

Pour juice in large pan on stove top and bring to boil.
Add berries, bring back to boil.
Mix cold water with cornstarch in separate bowl.
Take juice mixture off heat, mix in cornstarch mixture, return to heat. Stir until boiling and thickened. Cool.
Whip whipping cream.
Blend in cream cheese.
Fold in honey.
Pour cream cheese mixture over crust and chill while making berry mixture. Then pour berries over all. Refrigerate.

Whole Wheat French Bread

This Family Favorite goes wonderfully with soup --and just about anything else. It's that good!

Original post (5/6/2010):
This bread is so delicious that I might make it as our regular bread if it took less time to make. But when I can take the time to make it, we sure enjoy it.

Whole Wheat French Bread
makes 1 medium loaf

2 1/4 c. hot water (but not scalding)
1 Tb. yeast
1/6 c. oil
1/4 c. honey
1/2 Tb. salt
4-5 c. whole wheat flour

Pour hot water into mixing bowl, add yeast and allow a few minutes to soften.
Add oil, honey, and salt.
Add flour gradually as you mix, until well kneaded and to proper consistency.
Cover with clean dishtowel and let rest 15 min.
Knead again for a few seconds.
Let rest 15 min.
Knead a few seconds, let rest 15 min.
Pour dough onto floured surface, knead until smooth.
With rolling pin, flatten into rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Roll up diagonally into very tight roll; taper ends.
Sprinkle cornmeal or sesame seeds (optional) onto greased baking sheet, and place dough on top.
Brush loaf with water or beaten egg (optional).
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top (optional).
With knife gently slash diagonally 6 times to make parallel and evenly spaced lines across top.
Let rise till double in size.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 min., then lower temperature to 350 degrees for 35 min.
(Important note: You may need to place pan on lower oven shelf to avoid too-early browning--and/or cover with foil after first 10 min.)

Gingerbread Cookies (with no refined sugar)

First posted two years ago, this beloved recipe from long ago is an all-time favorite among kids of all ages--particularly, but not exclusively, during this time of the year.

Original post:
Everyone agrees that this whole wheat cookie recipe is extremely tasty. And every time I eat them I wonder why anyone would ever make another kind of gingerbread cookie--and why some people think frosting is necessary.

They are particularly appropriate around the Christmas season, of course, but we would love to eat them year round with milk, if I made them that often.

Gingerbread Cookies

1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
1/3 c. molasses
2 3/4 c. flour (more or less, depending on whether you're making round or cookie cutter cookies and how stiff you need the dough)
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger

Cream butter and honey. Add egg and molasses; mix well.

Sift and stir in dry ingredients. Blend thoroughly.

Chill dough (optional, but does tend to make it easier to use cookie cutters). Drop by teaspoons on lightly greased sheet 1" apart, or roll out on floured table and use floured cookie cutters.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

German Pancakes

I originally posted this recipe over three years ago and it has remained a beloved family favorite.

Original post:
This is one of our Saturday morning breakfast variations. Super easy to make, as well as delicious and filling.

German Pancakes

1 c. milk
1 c. whole wheat flour
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tb. butter

Mix all ingredients except butter in blender until smooth.
In a 9x13" baking pan melt butter in oven until hot and sizzling.
Remove pan and pour batter into hot pan.
Bake immediately at 480 degrees for 15-25 minutes (varies depending on your altitude).
Cut in squares and serve with honey drizzled over the top.

Pumpkin Pancakes and Homemade Maple Syrup

We have consistently loved this recipe for a couple years now, which means it is now officially a Family Favorite. So filling and so tasty!

My original post:

Every now and then I'll make pancakes for dinner, which delights my kids. The other night, since we had the fresh pumpkin puree I had just made, I revisited last year's pumpkin pancake recipe. It was just as good as we remembered. (The only variations I made were to substitute honey for sugar, and whole wheat flour for white):

Pumpkin Pancakes
Yield: 12-16 pancakes

1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 Tb. honey
1 c. milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tb. vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients and spices in bowl.
In second bowl, whisk together, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, milk, and vegetable oil.
Stir wet ingredient into dry ingredients.
Use mixer to beat egg whites until peaks form. Then, fold them into the batter.*
Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto greased griddle/fry pan and cook until golden brown.
Serve with syrup (or honey).

*I recently tried making things easier on myself by not worrying about this step with the egg whites and the pancakes turned out just as good!

Last year we preferred the taste of syrup to honey on these particular pancakes, so this year (wanting to avoid the corn syrup, etc), I made my own syrup, using the (modified) recipe below.

Homemade Maple Syrup
Makes 2 cups

1 c. water
2 c. raw sugar
1 Tb. maple flavored extract*

Bring water and raw sugar to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in maple extract; simmer 3 minutes longer.

* If you don't have the maple flavoring, use 1 Tb. vanilla extract and 2 Tb. butter instead.

(Note: I would love to use real maple syrup, which would be even better-tasting and also more nutritious, but its cost, particularly in the western part of the United States, is prohibitive for us.)

Cornbread

I first posted this recipe three years ago. It continues to be, not only a Family Favorite, but also a staple side dish--and very easy to whip up.

Original post:
The first time I remember tasting "someone else's" cornbread--at Marie Calendar's, as I recall--I thought it tasted like cake! It was much too sweet for my liking and turned to sticky paste in my mouth (like white bread does). Not long ago, my preschool-aged daughter tried her first cornbread that someone else had made, and she said the exact same thing, which I found ironic. I still prefer Mom's recipe above all others I have tasted, and especially love that it really tastes like it's made with cornmeal. This is the real deal--undoubtedly much the same as what our ancestors would have made back before the widespread use of white flour.

CORNBREAD

2 c. whole wheat flour
8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. honey
4 beaten eggs

2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Stir together first 3 ingredients, then add cornmeal. Add other ingredients and beat just until smooth. 
Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees, or until browned slightly. Serve with butter and honey.

Note: I used to let each person cut their own piece of cornbread in half and spread butter and honey inside it, but now--as shown in these pictures--I slather both on top of the whole hot pan-full at once.

Gingerbread Cake

This is definitely a Family Favorite! We all absolutely love the delectable and comforting flavor of this cake. 

Vanilla Sauce is shown here, which is wonderful, but I think I even like Lemon Sauce better. Recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, p. 163, with the only modifications being changing the white flour for whole wheat and the refined sugar for raw sugar.

Gingerbread Cake
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter (or shortening)
1/4 c. raw sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. molasses

In bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add raw sugar; beat until fluffy-ish.

Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute.

Alternately add flour mixture and 1/2 c. water to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Pour batter into greased pan. Can use round, square, or rectangular cake pan. I like to use my 9" x 12" pan.

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack (is very crumbly while hot).

Sauces:

Vanilla Sauce (from p. 484)

1/2 c. raw sugar
1 Tb. cornstarch
1 c. boiling water
2 Tb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract
dash salt

In medium saucepan stir together raw sugar and cornstarch. Slowly stir in water.

Cook over medium heat until mixture is gently boiling. Boil for 5 minutes; remove from heat.

Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt. Serve over gingerbread, etc. (Cover and chill leftovers for up to 3 days.)


Lemon Sauce (p. 483)

2/3 c. raw sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 beaten egg yolks
6 Tb. butter, cut up
1/4 c. half-and-half, light cream, or milk

In small saucepan, stir together raw sugar and cornstarch.

Stir in water, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly.

Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Remove from heat and gradually stir egg yolks into hot mixture. Return mixture to stove. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Gradually stir in butter until melted. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Serve warm. (Cover and chill leftovers for up to 3 days.)

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Here is another Family Favorite, which has been in our family for many years.

My kids love these muffins! They're wholesome and filling, but with just enough sweetness. Note: Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce.



Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen

1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. honey
3 T. vegetable oil
1 egg

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins (or use paper muffin cups).
Combine first 5 ingredients.
Add next 5 ingredients and mix just until moistened.
Fill cups until almost full.

Combine ingredients below and sprinkle over batter*:
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 T. honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. melted margarine

Bake 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
(We like these best warm and cut in half with some butter spread inside.)

*For the last few of years I haven't bothered with the topping because it makes the muffins even messier than they already are, and they're very good without it anyway.

Homemade Baked Pretzels

Updated Note: I first posted this recipe 3 years ago and am now reposting it as a family favorite, along with an updated picture. My kids get excited whenever I make these.
                  * * * * *
This is one of our favorite recipes and everyone else I have made it for has really enjoyed it too. It's also super easy and a fun recipe for kids to help you with. If you use red wheat flour, you may need to use a portion of refined white flour instead of all whole wheat flour to make it pliable enough to shape into pretzels. But if you use white wheat flour, as we do, no refined white flour is needed.

WHOLE WHEAT PRETZELS
(makes 12)

Stir 1/8 c. honey into 1 1/2 c. warm water in large bowl (or bread mixing bowl).

Sprinkle 1 Tb. yeast. Let sit 5 min.

Stir in 4 c. whole wheat flour. Kneed (or let mixer mix). Divide into 12 lumps and let rest 5 min.

Make 12 ropes, form into pretzel or other shape.

Boil 1 c. water with 2 tsp. baking soda in shallow pan. Place pretzel in water for 10 seconds.

Place on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with margarita salt (found in liquor section of grocery store) or course Kosher salt.

Bake at 450 for 8 min.

Enjoy with honey butter or other dipping sauce.

Zucchini Pancakes

We still have shredded zucchini in our freezer from last harvest, so I decided to look for a zucchini pancake recipe last weekend. They turned out so good! Everyone was a fan--but I should've doubled the recipe. They went so fast I had no chance to take pictures. So check out Smitten Kitchen's beautiful photos and hilarious commentary. The only modifications I made were (as usual) to use whole wheat flour instead of white and honey instead of brown sugar.

Zucchini Pancakes
Yield: 10-12 small pancakes

2 large eggs

3 Tb. olive oil
2 Tb. honey
1/4 c. buttermilk or 2 Tb. each of milk and plain yogurt, whisked until smooth (I only had milk and that worked great too)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. shredded zucchini (from about 9 ounces whole, or 1 1/2 medium zucchini), heaping cups are fine
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Butter or oil, for coating skillet

In a large bowl, combine eggs, olive oil, honey, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in zucchini shreds. (I opted to puree all the ingredients together in my blender.)

In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into zucchini batter, mixing until just combined. (Or just add it all to the above mixture and puree in blender, as I did.)

Preheat oven to 200°F and place a tray on a middle rack.

Heat a large, heavy skillet (or if you're like me and only have fry pans, they work too) over medium heat. Once hot, melt a pat of butter in pan and swirl it around until it sizzles. Scoop scant 1/4-cup dollops of batter 

 in pan so the puddles do not touch. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook another minute or two, until golden underneath. 

Transfer pancakes to prepared pan to keep warm inside oven, and to ensure they’re all cooked through when they’re served. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Pumpkin Muffins

I found this recipe on Very Best Baking, and with the modification of whole wheat flour and honey (instead of refined flour and sugar), my family loved these muffins! Yet another tasty dish to make with pumpkin.

Pumpkin Muffins

3 c. whole wheat flour
1 Tb. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. honey
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin--or use your own homegrown pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. water or orange juice (I didn't have orange juice this time, but would love to try it next time)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Paper-line or grease about 24 muffin cups.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

Combine honey, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. 

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store muffins in covered container or resealable plastic bags. These also freeze well.

Pumpkin Squares (with honey)

I still have homemade, homegrown pumpkin puree in my freezer from our fall harvest. So when I needed to make a dessert the other day, I opted for something with pumpkin. After searching and comparing online recipes, I opted to most closely follow the recipe at MarthaStewart.com. It called for chocolate chips, which I didn't have, so I used white chocolate chips instead. Modifications are in italics.

Pumpkin Squares

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
5/8 c. honey
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (I put half this amount of white chocolate chips and it could have used a little more)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13" pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and honey on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). 

Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate (or white chocolate) chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350 until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Apple Nut Pudding (Very Old Family Recipe)

This is one of those pudding recipes that actually means "cake." It's one of my very favorite dessert recipes of all time and brings with it all sorts of good family memories.

This recipe fits in the categories "traditional family recipe" and "tried and true recipe" because it comes from my maternal great grandmother (who died when I was two years old), and I don't know when it started before that. Since Grandma was born in Denmark, it may very well have come from there. Whatever the case, this "pudding" is oh, so tasty...

Of course, these days I make it with whole wheat flour and honey (and/or raw sugar).

Apple Nut Pudding
Yield: 8" square pan (about 9 servings)

2 eggs
1/2 c. honey or 1 c. raw sugar (or 1/4 c. honey and 1/2 c. raw sugar)
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped nuts (the original recipe calls for walnuts, but as my mom is allergic to them, pecans were a good substitute when I was growing up--or omit the nuts altogether; it will still be good)
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
1 1/2 c. diced raw apples

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add honey or raw sugar gradually, beating in each addition thoroughly.

Stir into this mixture the sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add almond extract, nuts (if using), and diced apples. Mix well.

Pour into well greased 8-inch square pan. (Double recipe for 9 x 12 pan.)

Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 min, or until crisp and golden. Serve with whipped cream (the real kind, not the oily stuff from the can :)).

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with no refined sugar)

I recently adapted this recipe from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (which comes from a friend's mom), then added cinnamon and nutmeg. It turned out perfectly, so we ate way too many in one sitting. :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Yield: About 4 dozen (scoop small because they spread!)

1 c. butter
3/8 c. honey
3/4 c. raw sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. hot water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins

Cream together butter, honey, and raw sugar until smooth.
Add eggs and blend well.
Add water and blend. Add vanilla and blend.
Add oats, flour, and other dry ingredients and mix well.
Add raisins at end and mix briefly.
Drop small scoops on greased cookie sheet two or three inches apart (they spread).
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Let cool before removing from pan or they may be too crumbly.

Budget Saver Tip #34: Buying Wheat, Part II

We don't eat as much wheat now as we did back when I started this blog, simply because of Bountiful Baskets and our subsequent increase in eating fruits and vegetables. But wheat is still one of our food staples, so we have no problem rotating it in food storage. In fact, we had recently gotten down to the last 50 lbs or so (which is alarmingly low for us and should theoretically never happen), so my husband made a couple inquiries to find the best deal.  In the past we have generally bought bulk wheat from one of our church's canneries, as I detailed in a post I wrote two years ago, here--the Part I of this Budget Saver Tip. The Church Canneries typically have the best price and we always buy a lot at once, so this has worked out well for us. But last year my husband found out that about once a year or so, IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association) gets in wheat for even cheaper. And it's good, triple-cleaned wheat, too. Now, for those of you not on the western side of the country, IFA isn't an option, but I wonder if there aren't other comparable farm stores in your area...

So now, as you can see from the picture, we have replenished our wheat supply--by 700 lbs. This should last us a little over 2 years and it cost us $19 per 50 lb. bag. That's a 2+ year supply for less than $275! I love it.

For more numbers, check out my post on money saved by home grinding (and home bread making) here.

For more information on how we store our wheat, see this post. (To add to that information, we now have multiple buckets--which we purchased secondhand for a dollar or two at our Wal-Mart bakery--to make things even easier.)

And lastly, for those unsure of the nutritional difference between white and wheat flour, see my post here.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas (Without Canned Soup)

The other night I wanted to make something with the whole wheat tortillas we had and decided on chicken enchiladas. But I needed a fast recipe because my time was limited. And since I don't cook with canned soups anymore, I needed a recipe that didn't use any. I was willing to make up my own, if need be, but I thought I'd check online and see if anyone had already done the legwork for me. I'm glad I looked because there was a delicious recipe here, on Food.com. There's a beautiful picture there with the original recipe. I made a couple of changes to speed up the process and also added vegetables.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb. chicken breast, or 1 pint home-canned chicken breast, diced or shredded
1 medium onion, chopped

Vegetable(s) of choice, diced and cooked (I cooked and pureed a zucchini, tricking my daughter into eating it, since she didn't know it was there :))

10 whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed until pliable
1 1/2 c. grated cheese of your choice, divided
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth (or homemade stock)
1 c. sour cream

Cook onion and vegetables in small amount of oil, until done.

Melt butter in medium pan, stir in flour to make sauce. Stir and cook until bubbly, then slowly pour in chicken broth and bring to boiling, stirring frequently.

Remove sauce from heat. Stir in sour cream, diced or shredded chicken, chopped and cooked onion, and 3/4 c. of the shredded cheese. Salt and pepper (or other spices) to taste.

Fill tortillas with chicken sauce mixture, fold, roll, and place in baking dish. Leave 1/2 c. to 1 c. sauce at end to pour over prepared tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over all.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce near edges is bubbly.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

This bread is seriously addicting! My friend, Jennalee, sent the recipe link to me and I've made it twice now.  Since we harvested our pumpkins, I've been wanting more pumpkin recipes, so I was excited to try this. And honestly, this is a recipe that can't be improved upon.  It tastes perfect--both ways I made it. I modified it, as usual, to substitute whole wheat for white flour and honey for refined sugar.

The first time I made it, I think my pumpkin puree was too watery, and I put more cloves than the recipe calls for. Though the bread sunk because it was too moist, it still tasted amazing. The second time, I did the spices right, cut the butter amount in half, and added 50% more pumpkin. That batch was scrumptious too. So, I've concluded that if you like pumpkin, then however you make this recipe, it will be perfectly delicious.

PERFECT PUMPKIN BREAD

3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. honey (I even used only 1 c. and it was tasty)
1 c. butter, very softened
3 large eggs
2 c. homemade pumpkin puree, or a 16 oz can

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two loaf pans.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl, cream together butter and honey. Add eggs and beat well. Add pumpkin and mix again.
Add dry mixture gradually, mixing between each batch.
When all mixed thoroughly, pour into two prepared pans.  Bake side by side for about 1 hour or until passes the toothpick (or knife) test.

Ranger Cookies (Healthy Style)

This past Sunday I made cookies with my girls and we had a great time!  And, of course, after we made them, we had a great time eating them. I love having "healthful" cookies around! (Original recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, p. 212.)

Ranger Cookies
Yield: about 48 cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oats
1 c. coconut
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In mixing bowl beat butter, then add honey till creamy.

Add and mix baking powder, baking soda, egg, and vanilla.

Add flour gradually, then oats and coconut.  When smooth, add raisins and chocolate chips last and mix only briefly.

Drop dough by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute (or more) before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Hand Grinders

I love our electric wheat grinder and use it weekly.  But in the event of a long-term power outage, we would need a hand grinder to continue using our wheat.  So, those of you with hand grinders: What brand do you have and use?  What style is it?  Do you like it?

In my online research I've seen that there are a lot of options in type and price and don't know what would be best.  I'd like to get as much feedback as possible so as to make an informed decision for our family.

Thanks in advance!