Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

From cooks.com I've been talking about this recipe for a couple of days because it is just so simple and so delicious . . . so I figured I better hurry up and get it posted here. 1 3/4 c. apples 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. melted butter 1 egg 1 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 c. raisins (optional) Peel, core and chop apples to measure 1 3/4 cups. Add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Add melted butter and egg. Add flour and dry ingredients, including raisins if desired. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees in a lightly greased loaf pan for 1 hour (or until done). I used 1/2 c. chopped walnuts in place of raisins. I just doesn't get much simpler than that.

So, there's nothing particularly remarkable about cranberry scones, you say? Well, that may be true, but these were especially tasty and easy to make. I served them this morning when two close girlfriends came over for tea, coffee, and kvetching. Take my advice: This is a great way to spend a morning! We ate these with a variety of toppings, including marmalade, pear butter, regular butter, and sour cherry preserves. Yum! I think these would also be good with the addition of pecans. Cranberry Scones 1 cup sour cream 1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour ( *I don't sift for these. A good tip is if you stir really well with a wire whisk, you'll have a "good enough" effect.) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 large egg, at room temp (*I used mine straight out of the fridge and it didn't seem to impact the scones. Did it, tasters??) 1/4 cup dried cranberries Directions: Preheat the ov...

Want a use for leftover scalloped potatos? Make soup. After a holiday meal I always use up my leftover ham and make scalloped potatoes and ham with brocolli, but this year, I made too much! Now what? Scalloped potato soup... I found this online. 4 cups leftover scalloped potatoes 1 cup cubed ham (optional) **NOTE: I added some leftover bacon(cubed) as well. 4 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon garlic powder salt and pepper to taste 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Directions Place the scalloped potatoes and ham into a large pot, and pour in enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes completely. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. This sticks to the bottom of the pot easily, so I heated well and transfered to a crock pot to keep hot. Stir in the Cheddar and Parmesan cheese, and simmer for about 10 minutes. or In crockpot mix liquid and seasonings, throw the leftovers in the crockpot before work so supper is ready ...

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bakingtips.ingredientsubstitutions/IngredientSubstitutions.cfm This is a quick reference site when you don't have what you need for that meal. Substitues are sometimes necessary. "Bon Appetit!"

Banana Nut Bread Recipe For A Bread Machine (found online and altered) Although this is called bread, it is more of a cake. 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup milk 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2-3 mashed over-ripe bananas 2/3 cups sugar 2 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup walnuts chopped 1. Into baking pan of breadmaker add first 5 items in order. 2. Select"basic dough" setting; press"Start" 3. Allow to mix and then press "stop." 4. Add dry ingredients. 5. Press "start" again. 6. When beep sounds after 5 minutes, add nuts. ***NOTE: I never wait.... 7. The"Complete" light will flash or beep when batter is ready. 8. Place mixture in greased loaf pan or 2 small greased loaf pans. 9. Bake at 350 for 55+ minutes. **note when the knife was inserted into the bread and came out slightly gummy, I turned the oven off but left it in the oven until it was partly cooled. 10. Turn bread out ...