Homemade Bread

Homemade Bread

So today since it is chilly out, I decided that I would post my favorite recipe for bread machine bread.  It comes out perfect every time.  It's the perfect thing to warm you up on a chilly day to go along with your favorite soup or alone with a little bit of butter on it. 

To make it you put in warm water, sugar, and yeast and let it proof for 10 minutes. Yes, I know this goes against the bread machine rules, but I wont tell if you don't:) Once proofed it will be all nice and bubbly and ready for the next ingredients.

Dump in the rest of the ingredients... Put into bread machine on the white bread setting and hit start...Be sure to check on the bread while it is in the kneading cycle to ensure it has enough liquid or enough flour.  It needs to have a slightly sticky texture.

The Best Bread Machine Bread

Taken from allrecipes.com

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp white sugar

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 cups bread flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine.  Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes.  Add the oil, flour ad salt to the yeast.  Select Basic or White Bread Setting, and press Start. 

Homemade Applesauce

The smell of cinnamon and apples fills my house.  Who could resist this comfort?

 Peel and core 8 apples.  Add to a saucepan.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 cup Agave Nectar, and sprinkle with cinnamon.   Cook for about 20 minutes.  Let cool, then mash with potato masher.

Too simple!  I will never buy applesauce again!

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup

In a saucepan, slightly beat 2 large eggs. Turn heat on medium, mix in 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves. Whisk in 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree.  Then once well blended, whisk in 1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk, slowly.  Keep stirring until soup is thick.  It will still be spouting while stirring once done.  I like to add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream to each bowl, or whipped cream.  Perfect for a nice comfort meal, or dessert. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Take 2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese and set them on the counter with 2 eggs to come to room temperature.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar (I used 1/2 cup Agave Extract in it's place) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth.  Then blend in one egg at a time.  Remove 1 cup of the batter and spread in the bottom of a graham cracker crust, or as much batter as it takes to cover the bottom of the crust.  Then to the rest of the batter add 1 can pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.  Stir gently until well blended.  Pour over the batter in the crust.  Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.  Let cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight... Cover with whipped topping before serving and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

I was testing out my sister's pampered chef mini-loaf pan today.  I decided on a pumpkin bread and it came out wonderfully. 

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour mini loaf pans.  In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.

Pour into the prepared pans.  Bake for about 35 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(Now I know, I have to buy my own pampered chef mini-loaf pan....  www.pamperedchef.biz/marandamedina )

Pumpkin Dump Cake!

I found out late last night that my eldest sister's dog of 12 years passed away.  My heart broke for her so this morning when I got up I started thinking of a good comfort food that I could make and bring to her.  I decided that pumpkin dump cake would be a great and delicious option.  So, Molly, this post is for you.







 First I started off by greasing a 9x13 pan and turned the oven onto 350 degrees.  Then you take a pan of pumpkin and mix it with 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 Tbsp of pumpkin spice, and 1 (12oz) can of evaporated milk. Pour this mixture into the 9x13 dish. I then take a box of yellow cake mix and mix 1 cold stick of butter in with it then dump on top of the pumpkin.  (Hence the name dump cake.). Put cake in oven for 50 minutes or until the cake is a dark golden brown. Wait for the cake to cool, then slice and enjoy! You can really use any mixture you want.  I have used pineapple and yellow cake mix before and it turned out great as well!

Chocolate, Strawberry, and Banana Trifle

So, lately, I have been craving a Chocolate Trifle that my Mom made when I was younger.  Today, I decided to make it to see if it was as good as I remembered or if it was the fact that my Mom made it that made it so delicious...  Here's what you do...

You take one Angel Food cake and cut it into small bite sized chunks.  Put half of the chunks into a trifle dish.  Then start the pudding, I just use a box of regular instant pudding.  I put the pudding mix, 2 cups of milk, and 1 tsp vanilla into a bowl and whisk away.  When the pudding is done, pour half of the pudding over the angel food cake. 

Then, slice up whichever fruit you want to put in, and put half of it on top of the pudding.  I did a layer of strawberries and a layer of bananas.  Then put the rest of the angel food cake on top, and pour the other half of the pudding over the cake.  Put another layer of fruit down, then top with whipped cream.

 I then put one last layer of fruit on top of the whipped cream and also put some caramelized sliced almonds on top.  Then, with a vegetable peeler I, grated a piece of chocolate on top.   

  Too simple, and oh so delicious.  Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the pudding to soak into the angel food cake, then enjoy!