Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

Looking for a great homemade muffin recipe that incorporates the addition of healthy flax seeds? If so, I think you're going to really enjoy our guest post recipe today from the great folks over at Carrington Farms. Makes 12 to 24 muffins depending on how full you fill the muffin cups in your pan. The recipe can be easily doubled to make larger batches.

Apple and Flax Seed Muffins Recipe

1 and 1/4 cup Carrington Farms Organic Milled Flax Seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar or sweetener
4 large eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup liquid (syrup or water)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 medium apple, chopped fairly finely
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 12-muffin tin very well. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the rest of them. Let batter stand 10 minutes, then put into the muffin pan and bake for about 18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and muffins just barely start to pull away from the sides of the tin.

How many of you love making and baking sweet breads or quick breads? I enjoy baking some type of homemade bread about twice a month and most of the time I incorporate some type of fruit into the mix. Today, I'm sharing my grandmother's recipe with all of you on how to make a delicious and moist homemade Cranberry Orange Bread.

Cranberry Orange Sweet Bread Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
12 oz. frozen cranberries. thawed
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. orange zest (grated orange rind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking or baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another large mixing bowl beat together the melted butter, large egg and milk until creamy. Beat this wet mixture into your dry mixture until well combined. Fold in the thawed cranberries and orange zest.

Pour bread batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until done. Remove and let cool.

Note: Often times when I make homemade bread, I will double or triple my recipe. I will make multiple loaves and then freeze them for later. They will often keep for 1-3 months, depending on the type of bread that you make.

From September through the end of January I like to make several loaves of homemade pumpkin bread. Some of these sweet bread loaves we keep and other's we give away during the holiday season as foodie gifts. When it comes to making homemade sweet breads, pumpkin is one of the easiest to make! This recipe will make 6 mini loaves.

Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable cooking oil
4 medium eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup water
15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
non-stick baking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of your loaf pans. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together the sugar and vegetable oil with an electric mixer. Add in the eggs and beat again. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt.

Alternately add the flour mixture and water to the beaten sugar mixture. Beat after each addition until just combined. Beat in the pumpkin puree until all ingredients are well-combined.

Use a large spoon and spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pans. Place them in a preheated oven and bake for 22 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the baking pans that you used. Remove from oven and let cool.

Two years ago my 67 year old mother developed a lot of stomach issues, with most of them being contributed to foods that contained gluten. After her diagnosis, her doctor recommended a gluten-free diet. It's take months, but she has finally converted and 95% of her daily intake contains no gluten at all. Now that the holidays are here, we've been printing out recipes and coming up with a holiday menu to help keep her on track.

Today's recipe is courtesy of Blends by Orly. It will yield one loaf of bread.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups white granulated sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups Blends by Orly Sydney Blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins

Heat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 6x11-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.

Mix: Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin together in a medium-sized bowl until light and fluffy.Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix with spatula until fully combined. Fold in raisins.

Bake: Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before unmolding.

* Optional: Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of the batter before baking for garnish. Pumpkin seeds will get toasted in the while baking.

We love Italian food and will eat at least one Italian dinner every week. We love lasagna, baked ziti, spaghetti & meatballs, garlic shrimp pasta, manicotti stuffed shells and all sorts of other dishes. Every time we make something Italian for dinner, we like to serve it alongside a freshly prepared veggie salad and some cheesy garlic tomato bread. With that said, we do cheat when we make our bread! Makes 6 servings.

Quick and Easy Cheesy Garlic Tomato Bread

1 Box Frozen Texas Toast or Garlic Bread
1 Large Red Tomato, Sliced Thin
1/8 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
1/8 Cup Italian 3-Cheese Blend, Shredded
Parmesan Cheese
Oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the frozen bread slices in a glass baking dish in a single layer. Lay tomato slices on top of the bread. Mix together the shredded cheeses and the oregano. Divide cheese up into 6 portions and sprinkle the cheese on top of the bread and tomato slices. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Place baking dish into a preheated oven and bake until bread is done and all of the cheese has melted. This typically takes 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before serving. Simple to make and they taste delicious!

Variation: During the summer when I have excess bell peppers from my garden, we'll slice them up into strips and toss them onto the bread with the tomato slices and then toss the shredded cheese on top. From time to time my husband will add sliced onion onto his too!

I love whipping up a fresh loaf of homemade quick bread for my family to enjoy. Once of my go-to recipes is this Cranberry Pecan Bread that I got from my great auntie about 15 years ago. Once I tried her recipe...it quickly became a family favorite.

Cranberry Pecan Bread Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 large egg
3/4 cup orange juice
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup pecans, chopped

Note: If you're using large cranberries, I would recommend chopping them in half, otherwise leave them whole.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Mix in the granulated sugar and vegetable shortening. The dough will be lumpy and semi-dry. Beat in the large egg and orange juice until everything is well combined together. Fold in the fresh cranberries and chopped pecans until blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. Pour bread batter into the loaf pan and then place it into a preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until done. Remove and let bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

We love to make homemade corn bread and often make it during the Fall, Winter and early Spring months. During the summertime, not too much because I don't like heating up my oven. With that said, we always make my husband's recipe which makes a really nice moist bread that is packed with flavor.

Once you have the batter prepared...you can pour it into a loaf pan, muffin tin or in a round cake pan which is the way we prefer to do it. We then slice it into pie-style wedges for serving. In addition, we like to melt some honey butter and drizzle that over the top right before we serve it. Super delicious!

Homemade Corn Bread Recipe

1 cup white corn meal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
20 oz. canned cream corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl until well combined. In a separate bowl mix together the vegetable oil, milk and egg. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the 20 oz. of canned cream corn until everything is well combined.

Lightly grease a loaf pan or round cake pan. Pour the batter into the pan and use a spatula to get an even layer of batter. Place baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until done. (the top will be lightly golden). Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for another 4-5 minutes before serving.

The cool weather is here and soon our houses will be full of friends, family, and holiday cheer. Heather Bell and Jenny Engel of Spork Foods have created a delicious Pistachio Chewy Bite Bread Pudding that will be sure to please even your pickiest house guest. So whip up some holiday cheer this season and fill your house with the sweet scent of a new twist to an old favorite. This recipe will make 6-8 hearty servings.

Pistachio Chewy Bite Bread Pudding Recipe

2 cups un-sweetened almond milk
1/3 cup organic dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1?4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated buttery spread
6 slices whole wheat or organic white bread
4-5 Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites, roughly chopped
1?4 cup pistachio kernels, finely chopped or pulsed until fine

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Add almond milk to a bowl. Add sugar, flax seeds, arrowroot powder, flour, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sea salt. Whisk until slightly frothy. Set aside.

Spread each slice of bread with a small amount of buttery spread and slice each piece into 6 small triangles. Place in a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, crowded together. Pour liquid mixture over bread and gently press with a fork to help bread absorb liquid.

Gently fold in chopped Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites. Top dish with pistachios.

Bake about 38-40 minutes, or until pudding is set and top is lightly browned.

(C) Spork Foods, 2015 - Reprinted with Permission.

Over the past 24+ years I've amassed a large cookbook collection. I love to cook but my main passion is baking...so the majority of the 300+ cook books that I own are within that niche. I was pretty excited to get a complimentary copy of the new "Baking with the Brass Sisters" to review for all of you.

Title: Baking with the Brass Sisters
Authors: Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 978-1-250-06435-6

The "Baking with the Brass Sisters" is a hardcover cookbook with over 125 recipes for classic cakes, pies, cookies, breads, desserts and savories from America's favorite home bakers. At the beginning of the book is an entire section of baking terms explained, baking tips, food styling tips, etc. I really learned a lot by just reading that section of their book.

The cookbook is broken down nicely into 10 different chapters:

* Rise and Shine
* A Piece of Cake
* The Cookie Exchange
* Filling the Bread Basket
* Easy as Pie
* We Gather Together
* Teatimes and Coffee Hours
* Summertime Treats
* Make Mine Chocolate
* Something Savory

Within the pages of the cookbook you will find easy-to-make and delicious recipes like:

* Cheddar Poppy Seed Biscotti
* Chocolate Bread Pudding
* Lemon Chess Pie
* Lemon Drizzle Tea Cake
* Brown Sugar Brownies
* Buttery Maple Walnut Pie
* Salt & Pepper Potato Bread
* Polka Dot Chocolate Bars
* Almond Chiffon Cake
* Breakfast Corn Cake
* Irish Soda Bread
* Buckwheat Pancakes
* Orange Sponge Cake
* Plus many more!

One of the things I love about the "Baking with the Brass Sisters" cookbook is that all of the recipes are really easy-to-prepare and utilize commonly found ingredients. I don't have to make any trips to a specialty kitchen stop or gourmet grocer to pick up ingredients or supplies. It's a cook book for the everyday baker who wants delicious recipes to serve to their family or party guests. It's not lavish baking and I really appreciate that!

I'm really impressed with this cookbook and it's the first one that I own by these two authors. The foodie photography is amazing and gives you ideas on how to present & serve your newly created item. I give this cookbook a 9 out of 10 spoons on my rating scale. It's fantastic!

Disclosure: Shelly H. received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review. No monetary compensation was received. Shelly's thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own, unbiased opinion about the product.

This past summer I had a great crop of fresh red raspberries and a wonderful crop of large zucchinis. I ended up using a lot of both in various recipes, canning and freezing some for use during the winter months. With that said, a few weeks ago I whipped up a delicious batch of homemade Raspberry and Zucchini Muffins and my family went wild for them! I have to admit, they are addictive and delicious! The recipe will yield approximately 24 muffins.

Raspberry and Zucchini Muffins Recipe

3 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups peeled and grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup fresh red raspberries

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs; then add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy.

In a second large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, beating with an electric mixer in-between each addition until all ingredients are well-combined. Beat in the shredded zucchini slowly until it is mixed in with all of the ingredients. Fold in the fresh red raspberries by hand until they have been distributed throughout the batter.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease each cup. Fill the cups 80% full with the batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Baking in a preheated oven for 10-12 or until done. They will spring-back and have lightly browned tops. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

My garden is putting out fresh zucchinis left and right...so I've been busy preparing various recipes that utilize this vegetable several times a week. A few days ago I decided to whip up a batch of homemade Chocolate Zucchini Bread and wow...it turned out delicious! This bread is very moist and not overly sweet at all.

My backyard garden is off to a great start so far this growing season. Already this year I've picked a dozen bell peppers, 8 large zucchini, several tomatoes and a few sweet onions. The garden is doing extremely well so far!

Yesterday I decided to get busy and start using up some of my fresh zucchinis and whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate zucchini muffins. Because you are using freshly grated/shredded zucchini, these muffins are really moist and delicious!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins Recipe

4 cups zucchini, grated
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together the granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in the grated zucchini, beating after each addition. I like to split mine into thirds which makes it easier on my electric mixer.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture to the wet mixture until all ingredients are well-combined. Lightly grease a muffin tin with butter or line baking pan with paper liners.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon batter into cups, filling them 80% of the way full. Place baking pan into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.

The Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast has an Irish Soda Bread recipe that's been top secret for years and keeps guests returning to the inn. This year, the innkeepers, John and Dena Finneran are choosing to share their recipe (well, in all fairness it's Grandma Finneran's recipe) for Irish Soda Bread.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds
1/2 cup raisins (use golden raisins and I always double the amount)

Mix together. Add: 2 eggs, beaten,
1 cup buttermilk
, 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Heat oven to 350. Put in greased loaf pan and bake for about an hour. You may need to cover the top with foil if it gets too brown.

** This mix gets really sticky. If you don’t have a standing mixer you may need to use your hands to mix it all together.

Recipe credit: The Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast

About Caldwell House: The Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast was once a refuge to an Irish family fleeing the British during the 1798 Irish Rebellion. The Caldwells, including a dozen children, crossed the Atlantic to arrive in New York City in the early 1800s. They later scrounged to amass 50-acres of land in Salisbury Mills and began to recreate the estate they had left behind in Ireland. Over time and generations, the buildings were sold off. Innkeepers John and Dena Finneran have been steadily reclaiming the buildings, once again piecing history back together.

Today the Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast is a multi-award winning member of the prestigious Select Registry© and Diamond Collection© groups of Luxury Inns. Located in the heart of the Hudson Valley - just 60 minutes from NYC - and close to the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Storm King Arts Center, Brotherhood Winery (and many of the Shawangunk Wine Trail Wineries), and the Woodbury Premium Outlet Mall. Some of the Hudson Valley’s most beautiful hiking/biking trails are within walking or easy driving distance. Built in 1802, this historic inn is full of many original features, antiques and original paintings, as well as modern amenities. Each guest room includes its own private full bath (several with Jacuzzi tub for two), “Smart HDTVs” with Netflix/Hulu, free Wi-Fi Internet access, individual room temperature controls, iPads, round the clock coffee, tea, and snacks, and much more.

The Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast is located at 25 Orrs Mills Road, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577. To make a reservation call 845-496-2954 or visit www.caldwellhouse.com. Also at: facebook.com/CaldwellHouseBandB

Every 6 months or so my mother and I get together and spend 2-3 days making our own homemade seasoned dry bread crumbs. We then pack them into glass mason jars or into plastic storage containers to use throughout the next several months.

When we make these, we have no specific recipe on it but today, I thought I would explain the process and how we do it.

You will need to a food dehydrator with several drying trays to make your own dried bread crumbs via this method, as well as a good blender or food processor. You can use any type of bread or rolls that you would like. We keep big freezer bags in our freezer and save/freeze all leftover breads, hamburger rolls, hot dog rolls, potato rolls, bread crusts, etc. They an be frozen for a few months. When you are ready to make your bread crumbs, thaw them out at room temperature the night before.
Plug your food dehydrator in and set it at the lowest heat seating. Split all of your rolls in half and if you want, cut your slices of bread in half too. This will speed up the drying time. Lay all of your breads and rolls onto the drying trays and place them onto the food dehydrator along with the lid. I like to rotate my trays every 2-3 hours throughout the drying process which takes about 1 1/2 to 2 days if that.

Your breads are done when they are completely dry, hard and crunchy. Break them into smaller pieces and put them in your blender or food processor. Use the PULSE setting to chop them up into find bread crumbs. While they are in there...you will want to drop in your favorite spices & seasonings.

We typically add the following:

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Use the PULSE function to blend the seasonings into your bread crumb mixture. You are done! Pour the seasoned bread crumbs into glass mason jars or plastic storage containers. One type of container we like to use is those empty plastic peanut butter pretzel nugget containers. We wash them out, dry them and they hold quite a bit of homemade seasoned dried bread crumbs! Make sure you label your containers with the contents and date made. Enjoy!

Whether you’re looking to cook up a decadent breakfast pastry, crowd-pleasing Piggies in a Blanket, or an Australian Meat Pie, this homemade light, buttery, flakey, layered goodness is worth all five steps.

Courtesy of: Maria Rodale, CEO of Rodale Inc., organic activist, food blogger & mom of three. As Maria says on her blog, “I am not a pastry chef. I’m a hungry woman who is fundamentally lazy, even though I’m crazy enough to make puff pastry from scratch… this recipe may not be perfect, but it will be perfectly delicious.” You can check out the Original Puff Pastry blog post from Maria's blog.

How to Make Puff Pastry from Scratch + Recipe

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled (plus a little more for dusting)
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons cider vinegar
¾ cup water, chilled
16 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

WARNING: Puff pastry needs at least 24 hours of advance work. Other than that, it’s not too hard.

Part one:

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and toss in the butter, which should be softened slightly. Mix together gently with your fingers. Add the vinegar to the water; add the vinegar-water to the dough and mix it together. Put it out on the counter (with some flour to dust) and gently knead to make the dough smooth. Flatten the dough into a round flat ball and wrap it in plastic then put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Part two:

Take the 16 tablespoons of butter out of the fridge and let it soften a bit. Get out some parchment paper and roll out the butter between the sheets to a half-inch-thick 4-inch square (or so). Get the pastry out and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to make a 4 x 8? rectangle. Put the butter at one end and fold it over to cover it. It’s like you are making/wrapping a butter present!

Part three:

Now the fun begins (the making a book part). Roll the dough out in a long 4 x 18? sheet. Fold both ends in toward the center as if you are making a “gatefold.” (I found that a spatula helps if it gets stuck.) And then fold it again so you have a “book.” Wrap it up in plastic and then put it in the fridge. Wait 30 minutes and then do it again, making sure that the “spine” of the book is always on the left (that’s how you know you are rotating properly). Now go to bed. Or whatever. Wait “24 hours,” give or take.

Part four:

Do this whole rolling, folding, and wrapping thing two more times (waiting 30 minutes between each). Let the dough warm up a tiny bit after you take it out from the long refrigerator rest. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before doing the final rolling and cutting for your pie lids.
Part five:

Roll out for the final time. Be gentle when you cut…don’t want to smoosh all those lovely layers! Make the lid slightly larger than your pie top because it might shrink a bit when you cook it. Use the egg wash (1 raw beaten egg and a bit of water) to glue it together and polish the top.

We love peanut and blueberries but never thought about putting the two together until recently when we saw a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Muffins by Musselman's Apple Sauce. While we do like bananas, I didn't have any on hand so we made their recipe using fresh organic blueberries instead. The result...delicious!

Peanut Butter Blueberry Muffins Recipe

1 1/2 cups baking mix (we used Bisquick)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries (or) frozen ones, thawed
1 cup Musselman's Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper muffin cups/wrappers. In a large mixing bowl combine together the baking mix, granulated sugar and the baking powder. In another mixing bowl combine together the blueberries, apple sauce, peanut butter, large egg and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring gently until all ingredients are well-combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling the cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 16 to 18 minutes or until done.

Tip: These muffins are really delicious & moist. We liked serving them with some honey butter melted inside them or drizzled on top.

I was digging through my 89 year old aunt's box of classic and vintage recipes and I came across a recipe for homemade applesauce mincemeat loaf that she used to make all of the time when we were kids. Now that she is no longer with us, I am starting to miss some of those classic things that she always made for us kids.

Today I wanted to share with all of you here recipe which is below. You can print it out by clicking on the share button at the bottom of this post. A new window will open, click on print and the recipe will load into the window. Enjoy!

Applesauce Mincemeat Loaf Recipe

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspcie
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup applesauce
1 cup moist mincemeat

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening, brown sugar, large eggs and beat until light and smooth. Sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground allpsice and ground cloves. Add this to the shortening mixture alternately with the applesauce, stirring well after each addition. Carefully fold in the mincemeat.

Pour batter into a 9" by 5" loaf pan that has been lightly greased or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for an additional 15 minutes before removing it.

Every week I make at least one loaf of homemade fruit bread. I love trying out a variety of different fruits or combination of fruits in various classic recipes. A few days ago I decided to make this very easy blueberry and banana bread which was absolutely delicious! This is a "one bowl" recipe so you won't be making a lot of dirty dishes which I always love!

We love to eat this bread fresh out of a hot oven. We serve it warm with some melted honey butter or regular butter on top. Delicious! This recipe will make 2 loaves.

Homemade Blueberry and Banana Bread Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups quick oats (oatmeal)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups bananas, mashed
2 cups blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray both of your loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, quick oats and ground cinnamon until combined. Mix in the vegetable oil, lightly beaten eggs, mashed bananas and blueberries, stirring well after each addition.

Pour bread batter into the loaf pans, even it out with the back of a large spoon. Place loaf pans into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until done. Remove and let cool in the pan.

To Print Recipe: Click on the SHARE button located at the bottom of this post. A new window will open, click on PRINT and the recipe will load into the window for printing. Enjoy!

During the holiday season I always enjoy making this homemade cranberry nut bread and I got this recipe about 15 years ago from my great aunt. This recipe makes a really delicious bread that is moist and not dry & crumbly which is one of the reasons we like it.

Homemade Cranberry Nut Bread Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 large egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another large mixing bowl cream together the granulated sugar and vegetable shortening. Add in the large egg and beat well until blended. Stir the orange juice into the egg mixture in small amounts, stirring after each addition and then beating well. Fold in the chopped nuts and the freshly chopped cranberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a loaf pan or spray it with non-stick cooking spray, make sure you spray the sides of the pan. Pour bread batter into the loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until done. Remove and let cool.

During this time of year I always look forward to baking a few loaves of bread and one of my family's favorites happens to be my mom's spiced apple bread and when we make this...we love to serve it warm with some melted honey butter on top.

Mom's Spiced Apple Nut Bread Recipe

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup raw finely chopped or grated apples
2 tbsp. white vinegar + water to make a full 1/2 cup of liquid
1/2 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

Sift together all of the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl cream together the vegetable shortening, blend in the sugar and add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add in the flour mixture alternating with the grated/finely chopped apple and the liquid vinegar mixture. Stir to combine all ingredients. Stir in the chopped nuts until blended.

Lightly grease two loaf pans or spray with non-stick cooking spray...including the sides of the pan. Pour bread batter into prepare loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and let cool.