Coconut Bread

In high school I had a project where I typed up all of my mom's great recipes in a book and made copies for all my family and some friends. It is FULL of typos and errors and it is one of my motivations for this blog, to re-organize them and type them up correctly. I am most know for that cookbook for the recipe where I tell you to "ass the chicken" (it was meant to say add chicken). I still get asked by people who have this cookbook how to ass a chicken. This recipe is in that cookbook that I typed many years ago and yesterday is the first time I have ever made it. Where have I been and why haven't I made it sooner? I guess I have been too busy figuring out how to ass a chicken to notice this gem of a recipe hiding in there. I do not know where my mom got this recipe so many years a go, I just know that it was a delightful treat for a rainy, foggy afternoon. Instead of making two loaves, I made 6 small loaves so I could give them away.

Mom's coconut bread

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 Tablespoon coconut extract

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sugar, oil and coconut extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk to egg mixture. Fold in coconut and pecans.

Bake at 325 degrees for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 Tablespoons butter

Put butter, sugar and water in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add almond and coconut. Pour over warm bread and let sit for a couple of hours to soak in.

Makes 2 large loaves or 6 small loaves.

Easy Breadsticks

I am not really a bread maker, I wish I could whip up heavenly dinner rolls but I have yet to master that. I try but mostly mine turn out mediocre. I really love these bread sticks because they are easy, fast and they always turn out, even for someone like me when it comes to yeast bread.

Easy Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2-4 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tablespoon garlic salt

1-2 tsp italian seasonings of your choice

4 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil onto the bottom of a cookie sheet. Roll out thebreadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and large enough to fit onto baking sheet. Place whole sheet of dough on baking sheet, then brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil over top of dough making sure it is all lightly covered. Sprinkle garlic salt and herbs of choice over top of olive oil. Using a pizza cutter, cut breadsticks into desired length and width. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap and place in preheated oven and allow to bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush melted butter all over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Siggy Spice via Baking and Creating with Avril

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

This is the perfect pumpkin bread, it is one of the things I love most about Fall. My mom has made it all my life and what a lucky girl I am! My mom is THE best cook I know and I have been spoiled with her cooking. I have made this on several occasions for friends and everyone absolutely falls in love with it and wants the recipe. It is extra yummy served warm and smothered with cream cheese frosting.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

Beat sugar, eggs, oil and pumpkin in large bowl together well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon with a whisk. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add nuts (optional).

Grease two bread loaf pans and divide batter into the two pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

For cream cheese frosting:

mix:

8 ounces cream cheese

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 pound powdered sugar

Add more sugar to thicken and/or milk to thin out. You want it to be pretty thick. Serve with slices of bread.

Sour Cream Banana Muffins

These are by far my favorite banana bread recipe. This one comes from my mom who is absolutely fabulous in the kitchen! I don't know where she got it from but I do know that I love her that much more for passing it onto me. I have to make a plan ahead of time to give them away or I will surely eat every last one. Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cube of butter
2 eggs
4 Tbs. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas

Mix the above together and add:
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

When they come out of the oven mix 1

cup powdered sugar with 2 Tbs. milk

With a pastry brush cover the tops in the glaze

printable version