Hootenanny!

Just like my mom makes it...

 

1/2 cup butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour 

 

Preheat oven to 425 F with the stick of butter in the 9x13 pan so it melts.  Beat the rest of the ingredients (blender works great) and then pour them over the butter.  Bake for 25 or 30 minutes.

Cake-like Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not sure it's the best but I somehow always have trouble finding a simple fluffy pumpkin cookie recipe.  Thank you Lauren Conrad, thank you.

•  
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16 ounces pumpkin puree (1 can)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 24 ounces chocolate chips (1 bag)

Directions

1. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl; adding chocolate chips last.
2. Place one inch balls of dough on a buttered or sprayed cookie sheet
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
4. Let cool on a wire rack or briefly place in fridge to cool. Pumpkin tends to make the dough quite soft so although refrigerating is not recommended for baked goods, these are an exception to the rule.

This also makes a good dense cake.  Bake in a 9x13 pan at 325 for about 25 minutes or more, depending on thickness.

Easy Italian Meatloaf (or Meatballs)

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 pkg. seasoned stuffing (about 6 oz) - whole wheat or use your own

1can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained (I use whatever tomato product I have)

4cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1cup spaghetti sauce, divided

1-1/2cups Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Mix and mash everything except 1/4 cup of sauce and cheese.  Shape into little personal-sized loaves and place in glass pan.  Bake at 375 until done - about 40 minutes for the little loaves or about 1 hour if you do it in a giant loaf.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese right before finished.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Finally!  A whole what pizza dough that is light, easy, fluffy and delicious.  This will be my go-to when I have enough time to let it rise...I found this on tablespoon.com but it was posted by Stephanie over at www.girlversusdough.com (her instructions are much, much more clear than mine).

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

Combine yeast, water and 1 tsp sugar and let sit for a few minutes while you put 2 cups flour, salt and remaining sugar in your mixer.  Then add the yeast mixture and olive oil.  Let your mixer knead your dough (about 5 minutes) as you add a little flour at a time until the dough looks like it should (like your bread dough).  Let it rise for about an hour (or however much time you have). Roll out your dough and put it in/on your pan.  I have used it on my stone baking sheet but it was delicious in my cast iron frying pans. For your stones, if you can't preheat them (I can't) just throw your dough and toppings on and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes.  For your cast iron frying pan, stick your dough and toppings in, then warm on the stove top for about 8 minutes and then throw in the oven until it looks done.

Cornbread Topping for Crockpot Meals

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
3 T sugar (opt.)
2 t baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup cheese
1/4 cup oil

Mix together and put on top of chili (or whatever). It will be done well within an hour on high. This amount works best in my large crockpot - half it when using a smaller one.

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

These are great for chicken noodle soup...add chicken, the water you cooked it in, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I haven't tried these in anything else.

Mix 2 cups flour and 2 t salt. Add one egg and three egg yolks. Mix until crumbly. Add enough water to get a good consistency before rolling out and cutting. Boil fresh or dry for later.

Pear Bread

Adapted from "Buster Bucks" at http://busterbucks.hubpages.com/hub/Worlds-Best-Pear-Bread

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce (or pear sauce = mash up pear in its own juice)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
1.5 t salt
1.5 cups peeled chopped pears

Mix wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add pears and mix. (Add nuts if you want.) Bake in two greased loaf pans at 325 for about an hour (check after 45 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can sprinkle the tops of the loaves with sugar before baking, which will make a delicious crust. Let cool for ten minutes, then remove from pans.

Next time I make this I will try to decrease the sugar. As it is tastes like delicious dessert bread, but I would like to make it into a more healthy snack.