Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ cup milk

½ cup canned pumpkin

¼ cup butter, melted

1 egg

½ cup raisins (if desired)

½ cup chopped walnuts  (if desired)

Recipe X 4 to serve more!

6 cups flour

2 cup sugar

2 Tblsp. + 2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

2 cups milk

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup butter, melted

4 eggs

2 cups raisins (if desired)

2 cups chopped walnuts  (if desired)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups.  Mix all ingredients just until flour is moistened.  Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle ¼ tsp. sugar on top of batter in each cup.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes.  Immediately remove from pan.

Note: I usually multiply this recipe so I can use up the whole can of pumpkin. If necessary, I then freeze the leftover muffins to eat at a later date. Or, you can just share them with your family and friends. In my family I am the only one who likes them with the raisins and walnuts, so I usually make up the batter and pour a few into the muffin cups before adding them to the rest of the batter for myself!

Pancakes

Mix together:  1 cup milk or buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tablespoons salad oil

Add:                1 cup flour

                        1 Tbsp. Sugar

                        1 tsp. baking powder

                        ½ tsp. baking soda

                        ½ tsp. salt

Mix until moistened.  Pour batter onto heated and greased skillet.  Flip pancakes when bubbles appear on top of batter.  Serve with butter and/or syrup.

Note: While this is just a simple recipe, I use to makes these for breakfast all the time. When I had all four kids at home I would have to quadruple this recipe to feed them all! I also use to add wheat germ and/or bran to make them healthier, and when two of my kids developed milk allergies, I made them with apple juice instead of milk! You can also add a tablespoon of organic soy flour or powdered milk to boost the protein if you like. I always use unbleached flour and nowadays I often use organic flour.

Buttons and Bowknots

2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt                 

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar added to sour it)

1 egg

¼ cup butter, melted

½ cup sugar

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients and shortening in bowl.  Cut in shortening until mixture looks like meal.  Add milk and egg.  Beat 20 strokes.  Round up dough on lightly floured board.  Knead 5 times.  Roll ½ inch thick.  Cut with floured donut cutter.  Twist rings into bowknots.  Use centers for buttons.  Place on cookie sheet and bake 8 – 10 minutes.  Immediately after baking dip in melted butter, then sugar. Yum!

Note: Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning!

Butter Dips

½ cup butter

2 ½ cups flour

4 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cups milk.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Melt butter in oblong baking pan 13 x 9 inches.  Remove from oven.

Measure dry ingredients into bowl.  Add milk; stir just until dough forms.

Turn dough onto well flour surface.  Roll dough around to coat with flour.  Knead 10 times.  Roll into oblong shape.  With flour cover knife, cut dough length wise, then cut crosswise into strips.  Dip each strip into melted butter, coating both sides.  Arrange strips in baking pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Note: I use this recipe when I want to make something quick and easy to go with soup or stew. Sometimes I add a bit of oat bran or ground flaxseed to make it just a bit healthier. My kids love this one!

Christmas Eggnog

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 pint whipping cream

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint milk

Nutmeg

In large bowl beat eggs until light and foamy.  Add sugar and salt, beating until thick and lemon colored. Set aside.  In a separate bowl with clean beaters beat whipping cream and 1 tablespoon sugar until it forms soft peaks.  Beat in vanilla.  Pour beaten eggs into pitcher or serving bowl. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Slowly stir in whipped cream and milk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir before serving and sprinkle with additional nutmeg if desired.

Note: Nothing speaks of Christmas and the holidays like eggnog. I adapted this recipe long ago to create a foamy whipped cream top and it is a family favorite. Yes, I use raw eggs. Do so at your own risk!

Pumpkin Pie

(Prepare pastry for one crust pie)

9-inch                                                                          10-inch

2 eggs                                                                          3 eggs

2 cups pumpkin                                                         2 ¾ cups canned pumpkin

¾ cups sugar                                                              1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt                                                          ¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon                                                1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger                                                     ¾ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves                                                      ½ teaspoon cloves

1 2/3 cups evaporated milk or light cream              2 ¼ cups evaporated milk or light cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry.  Beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining ingredients.  Pour into pastry lined pan.  Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Bake 9-inch pie 45 minutes longer and 10-inch pie 55 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool.  If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Pastry      10-inch one crust pie

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening or ¼ plus 3 Tablespoons lard

3 – 4 Tablespoons cold water

Measure flour and salt into bowl.  Cut in shortening.  (Chill in fridge a few minutes for flakier crust)  Sprinkle in water 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl.  Roll out on flour covered surface.  Fold into quarters and ease into pan.  Crimp edges.

Boston Creme Pie

Bake Dinette cake (for 1 pie) or Golden layer cake (for 2 pies) in round layer pan(s).

Cool and split into 2 thin layers.  Fill with Cream filling. Spread top with chocolate glaze.  Refrigerate any remaining cake.  Tastes best when made a day ahead and refrigerated over night.

(For 2 pies double the cream filling and chocolate chip glaze.)

Dinette Cake

(Measurements in parentheses are for altitudes below 4,000 ft)

1 ¼ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder  (1 ½ tsp.)

½ tsp. salt

2/3 cup milk (3/4 cup)

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour round layer pan.

Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl.  Blend on low speed ½ minute scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour into pan.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool.

Golden Layer Cake (for altitudes between 4,000 to 6,000 ft)

2 1/3 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

½ cup shortening

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour round pans. Measure all ingredients into large bowl.

Blend on low speed ½ minute scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour into pans.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool.

Cream Filling

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tblsp. Cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups milk

2 egg yolks slightly beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

Blend sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan.  Combine milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla, cool to room temperature. 

Chocolate Chip Glaze

½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

Heat all ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Spread on cake/pie immediately.

Whoopy Pies

Whoopy Pies

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

5 Tablespoons cocoa

1 cup milk

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients well. Using ungreased cookie sheet, drop batter by teaspoons onto sheets. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool well.

Filling

6 Tblsps Crisco (no substitutes)

1 cup sugar

4 Tblsp flour

1 stick butter  (1/2 cup)

2/3 cup milk

For the filling, mix all together and beat on high speed for 15 minutes. Fill cookie part. Unused portion of filling may be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.  (I often double the filling recipe for fatter whoopy pies.)

Note: I got this recipe from a friend when I was a young wife and made these for my family all of my life. They are a big hit with my kids even though they are all grown and I have grandkids now. I especially remember making them when we lived in Idaho and I would ave the brown cookie parts spread all over the kitchen counters. 

Introduction

I've been thinking about this blog for a very long time. Originally I was going to try to publish a cookbook for my family but that was too expensive and too time consuming. I am the mother of four kids and numerous grandkids now. I have been cooking from "scratch" since I was a teenager in the late 1960's and 70's. Once I had kids, it was only natural to have them help me in the kitchen, and like many families, we have some of our fondest memories from cooking together. I wanted to name this blog "The Brown Family Recipes" but after googling that title I discovered it was already being used by some "sister wives!" Well, there are no sister wives here, just me and my kids and lots of food cooked with love in our family kitchen. Now when my kids call and ask me, Mom, what's the recipe for...? I will be able to tell them to just look it up online and if it is not there already, I can type it up quickly and they and anyone else can access it! Whenever possible I will try to connect the recipes to a memory, but mostly I hope to keep this blog simple and easy to use. There will be an archive in the sidebar as well as a labels list so that if you are looking for a certain recipe or subject you can easily find it. Enjoy! And welcome to my kitchen! (Photos will be added when possible.)