Recipes

I will admit right up front I don't consider myself a cook. Any success I have had has come from what I have learned from Rachael Ray and finding simple and easy recipes. Baking is even more of a challenge for me as I tend to not have perfect success with it. So, when I found these recipes and they worked and were wonderful...I had to share them!!

Shake 'M-Up Bars

These taste like a really moist orange cake that doesn't need frosting. They are named this because you are supposed to shake all the ingredients but I just whisked them instead. If Jack was older I may have had him do a little shaking. It also works great for using up that last bit of Orange Juice at the bottom that no one wants.

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup Orange Juice

Grease 8x8 baking sheet. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Break eggs into a 1 qt. jar with tight fitting lid. Shake 10 times. Add sugar, oil and orange juice. Shake about 20 times. Add flour mixture and shake about 40 times. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.


English Muffin Bread

This doesn't take any kneading, it takes like English Muffins, and it makes 2 loaves.

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 packages dry yeast
1 tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
cornmeal

In a bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a saucepan, heat up milk and water until hot, then pour them into the flour mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in more flour, enough to make a stiff batter. Spoon the batter into 2 well greased loaf pans sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes (0r until done) in an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Remove from pans immediately. Serve toasted.


Night Before French Toast

I always doctor up my french toast with grated fresh nutmeg and some cinnamon. I also used a different rustic bread and it turned out just a good.

1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced
8 large eggs
3 cups milk
4 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. butter cut into small pieces

Grease 13 x 9 in. pan. Arrange bread in bottom of pan. Beat eggs into remaining ingredients, except butter. Pour over bread in pan. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 4-6 hrs. or overnight. Dot with butter. Bake 45 to 50 min. at 350 degrees. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

I hope you get a chance to try some of these...or maybe they are already in your repertoire. I did not get a chance to chronicle my steps like our wonderful pioneer gal but the product was yummy!