Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 vanilla extract

How to Make It:
1) Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in the center of mixture. Combine sour cream and next 3 ingredients; add to dry mixture, stirring just until moistened.
2) Spoon batter into greased muffins pans, filling two-thirds full.
3) Bake at 400 degrees for 17-18 minutes or lightly browned. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire on racks.
4) Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over muffins and let glaze set.

Yield: 1 dozen

From the Southern Living Cookbook

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Ginger peach brown betty

I have a confession to make. It's about my basement. Supposedly, I love peaches, and every Labor Day my mom and I laboriously can approximately two bushels of peaches, just so we can enjoy them all year long. My confession: I have several dozen jars down there . . . and they're not all from 2009. We never finished the jars from 2008!

I'm determined to find creative ways to use them all up before peach season '10 rolls around, so I invented this recipe a few weeks ago and it was a hit. Making use of three things I always have too much of — canned peaches, bread, and fresh ginger (I buy large root segments in shrink-wrapped packages at a discount) — this quick and easy recipe is also a great way to get fruit into your family during the colder months when fresh fruit is neither appetizing nor local.

Ginger peach brown betty

2 quarts canned peaches (fresh or frozen would work, too!)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup flour

1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 slices sandwich bread, or equal amount of unsliced bread

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain peaches and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and flour. Add ginger and cinnamon, and transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. In a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs appear. Tip: If using a chunk of unsliced bread (and you don't want to use a food processor), simply grate it with a box grater. Pour breadcrumbs on top of fruit mixture, and dot with butter. Cover with foil or glass lid and bake 25-30 minutes, until fruit mixture is quite bubbly. Remove foil or lid and bake 5-10 minutes more, until breadcrumb topping is golden brown.

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Best Banana Bread

All I need to say about this banana bread is that it's my mama's and it is fabulous. The banana and butter flavors really make it great!

Best Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups bread flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. banana flavor
1/2 tsp. butter flavor
2 eggs
1 cup bananas, mashed (3 large)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup shortening, melted
1 cup pecans, chopped

How to Make It:
1) Sift together the first four ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Beat the remaining ingredients (except the nuts) together in a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients.
3) Mix in 1 cup pecans.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (or until toothpick comes out mostly clean).
5) Cool 5 minutes before serving warm with butter.

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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten. My mom originally got this from Pillsbury and it's the only recipe she's used since we were kids. Here are two tips to make sure they are perfect: 1) use bread flour instead of all-purpose and 2) cool these on foil instead of the cookie sheet.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter flavor Crisco

1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 egg

1-3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)*

How to Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine Crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.
3. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
4. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes for chewy or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to foil.

*If nuts are omitted add an additional 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.

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