Cream Cheese Filled Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup bran cereal (not flakes)
3/4 cup raisins or chopped dates, optional
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1 egg, partially beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup bran flakes
Filling (see below)

Method:
Preheat oven to 4000 F. Prepare filling (below) and set aside. Grease, or line standard muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Pour boiling water over bran cereal and optional raisin/dates; and allow to stand 5 minutes.
Stir in melted butter, buttermilk, egg, and sugar; mix well. Stir in flour, soda, and salt. Add bran flakes and stir just until combined. Place approximately 1 tablespoon batter in bottom of prepared muffin tins; gently spread batter over bottom of cup. Spoon in approximately 2 teaspoons prepared filling. Cover filling with additional muffin batter to fill cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Makes 12-15 muffins

Filling

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) low-fat cream cheese
2 T sugar
1 egg

Method:
Soften cream cheese; add sugar and egg. Beat together until smooth and creamy.
NOTE: If desired, soften 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, add 1 teaspoon milk and stir until smooth. Divide into small bowls; add a drop of food color to each bowl, and stir. Spread cream cheese over muffins. Use different the colored cream cheese in pastry tubes to create fun designs.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Not the best pictures, Sorry!

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups boiling water
5 cups unsifted flour
4 cups 100% bran cereal, blended
2 cups bran flakes cereal
5 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:

Add soda to hot water; cool. Cream sugar and shortening. Add beaten eggs. Mix in large Tupperware. Stir in buttermilk, water, bran, flour. Pour in greased muffin pan and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Store in fridge for up to six weeks with tight lid.

Garlic Bread Pasta Bake

½ cup butter, divided
20 thin French bread slices
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup grated parmesan
8oz. linguine, cooked & drained
½ cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. flour
½ tsp. pepper
2 ½ cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups mozzarella, divided
2 T. basil

Melt ¼ cup butter in small saucepan, add garlic; cook 3 minutes. Brush 9x13 dish with butter mixture. Line bottom and side of pan with bread. Brush bread with remaining butter mixture and place in preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in sauce pan, stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually stir in milk; cook stirring constantly until thickened. Add parmesan. Stir some of the sauce into the eggs, and then stir back into the sauce. Set aside. Combine linguine, 1 ¼ cup mozzarella, onions and basil in large bowl. Pour sauce over linguine mixture; toss to coat. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup mozzarella and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Let stand 5 min & serve.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread by Grandma Green

This is an amazing recipe by my mom's mom, Marjorie Rose McFarland Green. She is an amazing cook and is very generous with her recipes for which I am very grateful. I promise this recipe will not disappoint.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread by Grandma Green

Ingredients:
2 C. Zucchini, grated
3 large Eggs, well beaten
2 C. Sugar
1 C. Oil
3 C. Flour
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Baking Soda
2 t. Vanilla
2 t. Cinnamon
1 1/2 C Milk Chocolate Chips (optional)
1 C. Nuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*. Spray loaf pans and line with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper as well.

2. Sift dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat eggs, sugar, oil and zucchini together. Add dry ingredients until just mixed. (DO NOT OVER MIX.) Dust nuts and chocoltae chips with flour and stir into mixture.

3. Bake regular loaves 1 hour, medium loaves 40 minutes, mini loaves 30 minutes UNTIL THEY SPRING BACK when pressed in the middle. (My oven takes a lot longer so just watch them the first time to see how long it takes.)

**To freeze for later, wrap in foil and then put into freezer bag to freeze. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.

This is the most recent picture I have of my Grandma Green taken on Christmas Day with her holding James. I just love him in stripes!

AMISH FREINDSHIP BREAD

The Starter:
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 deg. C)
3 cups flour
3 cups white sugar
3 cups milk

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 qt. container (glass, plastic or cermaic) combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. This is Day 1.

Days 2-5: Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely.
Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir with wooden spoon; cover loosely.
Days 7-9: Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely.
Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place each cup into three separate containers. Give 1 cup and a copy of recipe to 3 freinds. With remaining 1+ cup you can either start again (begin with day 2) or bake your bread. Recipe follows.

The Bread:
To the balance of the batter ( a little over 1 cup) add the following and mix well:
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring slowly. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Enjoy!

French Toast by Becky

Well last night we had spaghetti for dinner and we couldn't possibly eat the whole loaf of french bread that I bought from a great little Korean bakery here. Yes the Korean bakery is the best place for french bread that I have found in Texas so far. Sad hu? So this is what I made for breadfast. No, I don't usually wake up and make breakfast. It just happened to occure to me to use up the bread. This isn't the best picture but I only thought to take it after I had already made a mess of the plate and I didn't want to dirty another one. This recipe is great to use up leftover french bread (the real stuff from a real bakery not what you buy at the grocery store). It is best with real butter and real maple syrup. Hope you enjoy it.

French Toast

Ingredients:
4 Eggs
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
1 T. Sugar
1/2 t. Vanilla (real not imitation)
1/2 t. Cinnamon (optional)
Day old french bread cut to desired thickness.

Directions:
Turn skillet on med low heat to preheat. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients except the bread until well blended. Dip each piece of bread into the mixture and turn to coat both sides. Immediately place in buttered pan and cook till golden brown then flip and repeat. Enjoy with whatever toppings you desire.
I like butter, powdered sugar and real maple syrup.

By the way, feel free to post pictures with your recipes. Even if they aren't the best. It makes it easier for me to see how it is supposed to look. And it adds interest. Don't you think?