Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

3 cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbl white sugar ½ cup raisins

1 egg beaten

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbl butter melted

In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder and sugar together.  Make a well in the middle and add buttermilk, egg and butter.  Stir until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed.  Mix in raisins.  Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for a few times just to even out the dough.  Handle the dough as little as possible.  Pat into a flat circle.  Place in a greased cake or pie tin.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until edges are golden.

Coffee Cake

1 beaten egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tbl oil
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl flour
1 tbl melted butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Mix egg, sugar, milk and oil.  Add flour, salt and baking powder.  Pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over cake batter.  Make at 375 for 20-25 minutes

Pie Crust

I love pie crust.  Like a lot.  At least when it's a good one, and this is one I always enjoy.  You have to be careful with it because it is very tender and falls apart easily.  I've found the best way to get it in the pie tin is to roll it out on a silicon baking sheet and the put the pie tin on it and flip the whole thing over.


1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup shortening
1 tbl sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbl nonfat dry milk
3 cups flour
1/2 cup very cold water

In mixer cream together the fats.  Add sugar, baking powder, salt and dry milk.  Add half the flour and mix well.  Add water and remaining flour mix until just combined.  You may need to add another tablespoon of water if the dough looks too dry. 

Roll our half the pastry very thin (start with a flatened ball and roll from the middle out) and place in bottom of pie tin.  Roll our remaining half of dough and and use to top filled pie.  Seal edges and cut several slits to allow for air escaping.  Bake according to individual recipe.

Sweet Potato Souffle

Sweet potato Soufflé

4 medium sweet potatoes            

5 beaten egg yolks

¼ c melted butter

1 c half and half

1 c brown sugar

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

5 egg whites

¼ c melted butter

Pecan halves

Cut sweet potatoes into chunks, place in microwave safe dish with water, cover, and microwave until very tender.  Remove skins when cool enough to handle.  Beat potatoes together with egg yolks, ¼ c butter, half and half, brown sugar, cloves and nutmeg until smooth.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold egg whites into potato mixture.  Pour into casserole dish.  Top with melted butter and pecan halves. 

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and crusty on edges.

Zucchini Bread

My mom's famous zucchini bread.  It's awesome!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp vanilla

1 c oil

2 ½ c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 walnuts, optional

Sift dry ingredients together.  Beat together eggs and sugar.  Then add oil and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients and zucchini and nuts.  Bake at 325 for 40 minutes for a small loaf or 55 minutes for a large loaf.  

This recipe also makes good muffins.

Crescent Rolls

I love bread. Really, really love bread. I wish I could make bread, but I've never managed to make it turn out in an edible fashion. I can make rolls though. I got this recipe from a college roommate, Christina. It's the best roll recipe I've ever had. I've even managed to convert some of my husband's family who grew up on different rolls.



3 c warm water
3 tbl yeast
1 c sugar
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 c softened butter
1 tl salt
6 eggs
10-11 c flour

Mix one cup water with yeast and set aside. Mix sugars, butter and 2 cups hot water. Add to this salt, eggs and yeast water. Mix in flour to make a soft, not sticky dough. Cover and let rise 40 minutes. Pull off pieces about the size of two fists and roll out into circles and cut into wedges. Roll large end of wedge towards point. Place on baking sheet and let rise, covered, for additional 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Makes around eight dozen rolls.


This recipe makes about a million rolls. I actually can't even fit the whole thing in my mixer, so I usually half the recipe. Here's the half for easier baking:

1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1 1/2 tbl salt
3 eggs
5-5 1/2 c flour



This dough can be very sticky, so it does sometimes need a little extra flour.

Pumpkin Muffins

As the baby is actually sleeping and the other two penguins are outside not killing each other, I can actually do something I want to do. I think time for that may be in very, very short supply for the next year or so, until the newest little penguin starts to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

But anyway, while I was in labor with penguin number three, the other little ones and I made these muffins. And then they ate them all in the next three days and we've had to make them again. And those are almost gone now. And so I think we will be making them again soon. They are very fond of muffins, I've learned. Too bad they wouldn't eat the egg muffins I tried a few months ago. Oh well. I got this recipe, or at least the original incarnation of it, not long after I got married from my friend Vickie. The recipe was supposed to be for bread, but I like muffins better. And so do my children. Somehow they feel like they are getting more or a bigger treat when it comes in it's own wrapper!



3 1/3 c flour (I used half white half wheat)
3 c white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbl cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c oil
4 eggs
2/3 c water
2 c canned pumpkin (or a 15 oz can)
1 - 1 1/2 c chocolate chips


In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs then add water, pumpkin and oil. Mix in dry ingredients. Place about 1/4 c batter into lined or greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 f0r 18 minutes. Makes about three dozen muffins.


If do want to make bread out of it (I did while in labor because we had to leave before the muffins would have been done), the recipe makes three loaves. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes before removing from loaf pans.