Pumpkin Crumble

Today’s recipe for Pumpkin Crumble is another in the series of “crumbles” that I’ve made – all with the same recipe! The original was Grandma’s recipe for Rhubarb Crumble, and since first making that, I’ve also changed the recipe just a bit and made a Blueberry Crumble, Apple Crumble, Peach Crumble, and Cranberry Crumble. I thought it was time I tried a pumpkin one. While I love pumpkin pie and need my pumpkin fix as much as the next guy, I didn’t want this to taste like a pumpkin pie (we get enough pie later one in the season), so I didn’t load it up with pumpkin pie spice, but I did still add the obligatory cinnamon required on the recipe. This is another delicious treat to serve at breakfast, as a coffee cake, or as a dessert.

 Here is the recipe as I made it:

Pumpkin Crumble

For the topping:

Mix together and set aside:

3 Tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

For the batter:

Mix together:

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

2 1/3 cups self-rising flour (I actually happened to have some this time!)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons grated orange rind

1/2 cup orange juice (juice of the orange used for rind plus water to make 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (you could use pumpkin pie spice, if you need to)

Pour batter into a greased 9″ springform pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.

It’s very easy to get the topping ready to go before you start.

The original recipe says to “spoon the batter” into the pan, but using the pumpkin instead of butter made the batter more runny. Will this work? We’ll find out!

The topping stayed on top – I thought it might sink – but it didn’t.

Oh – the topping is the best part – especially after baking!

So pretty! It worked!

This really is delicious!

Put on a pot of coffee and call some friends! They’re going to absolutely love this cake, and it goes perfectly with a nice cup of coffee! It doesn’t matter if you serve this for breakfast, have a slice with that afternoon coffee, or enjoy it for dessert – this is a delicious cake. That topping just makes it! This recipe is a great example of trying something new – I’ve tried this same recipe 6 DIFFERENT WAYS! How fun is that?!! As long as the basics remain the same, you’re pretty much assured that it will work out. Try this 6th different crumble – Pumpkin Crumble – and get your pumpkin fix!

 

First Day of School Cinnamon Dunkers

I have no idea where this recipe for First Day of School Cinnamon Dunkers came from, but at a certain point I started making these for my kids’ first day of school breakfast. Funny thing – they never ate much breakfast on that first day – they were too nervous! They would finish them up AFTER school on the first day, but they weren’t as delicious as they would have been in the morning warm from the oven. Recently they all decided that maybe they should make a batch and actually EAT them! You know – just to see what they missed – but they decided it might bring back memories of those nervous first days and they wouldn’t enjoy them, anyway. Oh well, too bad, it’s up to me and their dad to take care of these dunkers, I guess.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

First Day of School Cinnamon Dunkers

Mix together for topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Lay out flat:

1 tube of crescent dough sheet (back in the day I used a tube of breadsticks for this, but I had trouble finding them and this seemed the best replacement available)

Cut into sticks (I always made them in the shape of the kids’ initials, but made the rest into sticks).

Top with beaten egg for an egg wash and sprinkle on the sugar/cinnamon topping mixture.

Bake according to package instruction.

Serve warm with peanut butter that’s been warmed in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.

Mix up the cinnamon/sugar topping before starting. Then you’re ready to go.

I use an egg for the egg wash. Just an egg. Get that beaten up before starting, too.

I unrolled the sheet of crescent dough – didn’t roll it out with a rolling pin – just unrolled it from the tube. Then I cut the strips with my pizza cutter.

Just for old times’ sake, I had to form my kids’ initials! Ha!

The rest of the dough was just cut into strips. Brush on the egg wash and top with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. That’s it! Bake them and you’re done!

I was a little disappointed – the crescent dough sheet didn’t puff up like the breadsticks do – but they’ll still be delicious.

You should really serve them warm – and don’t forget to heat up the peanut butter in the microwave so it’s nice and smooth and easy to dip the dunkers in.

This really is a nice first day of school breakfast or after school snack. It makes the day even better by having a special treat that makes their initials! The cinnamon and sugar obviously make the dunkers very tasty, and dipping them in peanut butter just adds an even more delicious component – and it makes them healthy, right?!! 🙂 Why not start a new first day of school tradition? Your kids – big AND small – will love these First Day of School Cinnamon Dunkers – they may want them for breakfast AND a snack for years to come!

 

Tomato Galette

We’ve had a lot of tomatoes in our garden this year, so I decided to try to make a Tomato Galette. I have made a couple of galettes before (Apple Galette and Rhubarb Galette), and our tomatoes have been so beautiful, that I wanted to make something a little bit different. A galette makes a wonderful light lunch, or even a brunch dish. I think this is something Grandma would have liked to make. She loved tomatoes and she and Grandpa grew amazing tomatoes in their gardens over the years. My mom looks like she’s ready to go out to the garden and pick some tomatoes in this photo from when she was about 5 years old. I love the hat, and while she did drive the tractor for baling hay when she was older, I don’t think she was actually driving it here. So cute!

Anyhoo – back to the tomatoes – Grandma was famous for a certain soup she made, Grandma’s Tomato Soup, because it was unbelievably delicious, but it was also a way to use up tomatoes without having to can just jars of plain tomatoes. Grandma was also the one who got us started using garden tomatoes for BLT Sandwiches – and they aren’t all bad – all the tomatoes and bacon and mayonnaise – I just wanted to try something different. This recipe is much easier to make than Grandma’s Tomato Soup and is different from the ubiquitous BLT Sandwiches, and still uses the tomatoes from your garden. The hardest part of making this is having a single pie crust made and ready to go. The rest is the fun part.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Tomato Galette

Make a single pie crust, have it rolled out, chilled, and ready to go on top of a flat baking sheet.

Slice up and have ready to lay on top of the crust:

3-4 tomatoes (I used 3 sliced and a few cherry tomatoes cut in half)

1/2 of a red onion

Spread on top of crust, leaving at least 3 inches around the edge to fold up and over the filling:

1 package herb cheese, softened

Layer on top of herb cheese:

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced red onion

Fold edges up and over the tomatoes.

Brush the edges with an egg wash and sprinkle on some coarse salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden.

After removing from oven, transfer to cutting board to serve.

Top with basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

We’ve had such beautiful tomatoes from our garden this year.

I got the tomatoes sliced and ready to go.

The pie crust is ready, the tomatoes are sliced, and the onions are also sliced and ready.

Roll out the crust big enough to fit over a flat baking sheet. Spread on the herb cheese, leaving 3 inches or so around the edge.

Layer on the tomatoes and onions (I put my cherry tomato halves in the middle – it looked pretty that way).

Fold the crust up around the edges, brush on an egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse salt.

After baking, top with basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze (I used store-bought here).

Look how pretty!

This is one of the tastiest things I’ve made this year! It. Is. So. Good!

This was so much fun to make with our beautiful garden tomatoes! When it’s as delicious as this was, well, that’s just an extra bonus. You might even say it’s better than the usual BLT Sandwiches we make this time of year – EVERY year. I highly recommend making this recipe – maybe for lunch or brunch. My son said, and I quote, “this is pretty great”. The man knows his food. That means something. So take his word for it, use some of your beautiful garden tomatoes, and make this Tomato Galette.

Surprise Muffins

Surprise Muffins are the latest in the muffin recipe from one of Grandma’s old church cookbooks. This recipe was a basic one, but had several variations to try, and so far I’ve tried Cinnamon Muffins, the Date-Nut Muffins, and the Cranberry-Orange Muffins. This particular variation is perfect for breakfast or an after-school snack, and since it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school, I thought it might be time to try this fun muffin recipe. We all know that after school snacking can be the best part of the day sometimes (I know it was for me), so why not make it extra fun? I was able to go to my other grandma’s after school for the first 3 years, and she made amazing after school snacks, but then we moved to the lake and I was on my own for after school snacking. While most of the time I remember eating fairly healthy (like the apples my mom bought once that tasted like lilacs – who knows?), but sometimes I ate whatever I could get my hands on. I know that not everyone can have delicious homemade muffins after school, but maybe if they’re made ahead of time, it won’t go so bad. Or . . . maybe for a end-of-week Friday after school snack to celebrate a week well done. After being a stay at home mom, I know how small that tiny bit of time is after school when you get to talk about their day. Hey – why not pour yourself a cup of coffee and use that small window of opportunity to talk to your kiddos about their day?!!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Surprise Muffins

Put in mixing bowl and mix well with a fork:

2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine:

1 egg

1 cup milk

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used canola)

Add all at once to flour mixture, stirring only until moistened.

Fill 12 muffin cups 1/3 full.

Put 1 teaspoon jam (I used raspberry jam) in middle (the recipe suggests you could also put in a few raisins, chopped nuts, cut pitted dates, or a cube of cheese) and top with the remaining batter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mix up the dry and wet ingredients separately.

Add them together.

Mix just until moistened.

Fill the muffin cups 1/3 full.

1 teaspoon of jam (or whatever surprise you decide to put in) goes in.

Cover with the rest of the batter. This was a bit tricky and takes some time. I wanted to totally cover the jam or it wouldn’t be a surprise – it might peek through.

Before baking I sprinkled the muffins with a bit of coarse sugar for a bit of sparkle and crunch.

They baked up nice and golden brown.

Surprise! Look – how fun is that?!!

These are delicious!

I think anyone would love these delicious and surprising muffins, whether you enjoy them for breakfast, an after school snack, or with a cup of coffee. Let me know if you try these and what kind of surprise you decide to put in. I’d love to hear your ideas! Sit down with your kids, pour a cup of coffee, and enjoy that window of opportunity to chat after school while you can. We all know that those kiddos grown up waaaaay too fast, so before you blink that those days are over, make a batch of these Surprise Muffins and have a chat about their day!

 

French Toast Bake

Today’s recipe is for a French Toast Bake. I had a zip top bag of bread crusts in my freezer taking up room, and I needed to get rid of it. There is always Bread Pudding to use up the crusts, or make a LOT of breadcrumbs, or save it until next Thanksgiving to use in my famous stuffing/dressing recipe, but I wanted to try something different, AND get rid of that extra bag in the freezer. I came up with this recipe for French Toast Bake because I seriously just wanted to use up the crusts – my husband is worse than I am, but I just don’t like throwing them away. Why not make something delicious with them? Our family loves French Toast, – it’s total comfort food – so that’s why I decided to try this.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

French Toast Bake

 Let crusts sit out overnight to dry out, if possible (I used a gallon zip top bag full of bread crusts plus 3 slices of baguette from dinner earlier in the week – you could also use a day old French loaf or baguette).

Break up crusts into chunks and put into greased 9″ x 13″ pan.

Mix together:

8 eggs

2 1/2 to 3 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour over top of crusts and let sit for at least a half hour – longer, if possible.

Sprinkle on topping.

Top with 4-6 pats of butter placed evenly.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cover pan with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 5-15 minutes, or until crusty.

You could also make this the evening before, put it in the frig, and bake it the next morning.

The gallon bag full of bread crusts sure filled the pan. I let the crust sit out for the morning – we enjoyed this for brunch.

Simple ingredients = delicious!

Let the tasty egg mixture sit for a while on the dried bread crust chunks.

If you’re going to make this the night before, don’t put the topping or butter on until you’re ready to bake.

Adding a bit of butter just makes it better!

Uncovering is important to make the top nice and crusty.

It’s traditional for me to sprinkle the top (just like I do with French toast) with powdered sugar! So pretty!

I added some fresh strawberries and the obligatory maple syrup – wow! So good!

This is a winner in my book! Use up those extra crusts (saving money on this delicious bake), and make a delicious breakfast/brunch dish to enjoy with your family. It’s easy to make and it’s absolutely delicious – check and check! It fits our criteria and saves a little money on a meal to boot! Perfect! Save up those crusts, edges, baguettes, or day-old bread loaves and make this comforting French Toast Bake – your family is gonna love it!

 

 

Sour Cream Muffins

This recipe for Sour Cream Muffins comes from one of my mom’s old cookbooks. She had written on the recipe that she first tried it in 1986. Unfortunately, I don’t remember being around when she tried it, and that’s too bad, because these muffins are really tasty! I’m always on the lookout for a new and delicious muffin recipe, and this is definitely one of those. My mom was also always on the lookout for new and delicious muffin recipes. I’m not surprised she found this one, although I have to say that I’m a bit surprised she tried a recipe that didn’t have chocolate in it. 🙂 They’re really easy to make and they’re so good!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Sour Cream Muffins

Mix together until light:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:

4 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix thoroughly.

Pour into buttered muffins tins and sprinkle with some nutmeg and sugar (I used cupcake papers instead of just putting the batter in the tins).

Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees) for 15 minutes.

The batter is all mixed and now into the cupcake papers.

I just sprinkled on the nutmeg straight out of the spice container. You could use a coarse sugar, but for this batch I just used regular.

Oh man, these smell so good baking!

It’s not mandatory to have these muffins with a cup of coffee, but they sure do go well together!

These muffins really are good. My son’s direct quote, “these are pretty great”.

You might want to try these muffins – not exactly healthy ones – but once in a while it doesn’t hurt to enjoy a good old delicious muffin. They’re moist, tasty, and with that nutmeg flavor – seriously – they’re pretty great. I’m glad I found where my mom had written the date of 1986 on these, and therefore decided to try the recipe. They fit all my criteria – easy to make, fast to do, and they’re delicious! Perfect! Make some of these Sour Cream Muffins today and put the coffee on!

 

Orange Coffee Cake

Today’s recipe for Orange Coffee Cake is from one of Grandma’s very old church cookbooks, and it. Is. So. Good! I know she would have liked this one. Winter is citrus season, and aren’t we glad it is? Citrus brings a bit of sunshine during the darkest days of winter. I’d like to think Grandma would have made this coffee cake when having family over on a winter’s afternoon. Her family was very important to her, as was Grandpa’s family. In this photo, Grandpa’s mother and his only sister look like they’re ready to go visiting in the winter. My great-grandmother looks like she has a pretty nice coat and hat on.

I love the flowers on her hat! 🙂

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Orange Coffee Cake

Sift together:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

Add:

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

3/4 cup orange juice

2 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add:

1/4 cup melted shortening (I used avocado oil)

Stir only until ingredients are moistened.

Pour into 8″ square pan.

Sprinkle top with:

2 Tablespoons grated orange rind

1/2 cup sugar

 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve hot (my family found that the orange flavor was more pronounced the next day).

You probably have everything you need to make this in your pantry right now!

It makes a nice, thick batter like your usual coffee cake.

The topping really makes the cake – yum!

Put all that topping on there – this is truly the best part.

Out of the oven and smelling amazingly like orange.

While this coffee cake is delicious hot out of the oven, we found the orange flavor to be even more intense the next day.

This recipe is very easy to make and it’s very good. The flavors or orange and cinnamon just bring it all together, and I must say, they are perfect with a nice cup of coffee. You should make this Orange Coffee Cake for your family this weekend – they’ll be so glad you did!

Ham and Tater Tot Egg Bake

When you buy a 16.5 pound ham for 3 people to enjoy for Christmas Eve dinner, you end up needing to find recipes like Ham and Tater Tot Egg Bake to use it up. We had enough for at least 6-8 other meals when all was said and done, so I decided to make up a new recipe that uses ham for an egg bake. I used the recipe for Company Breakfast Bake as a guide when I was making this one up, because it is also delicious. Some year, I’ll have to post the recipe I use for making our annual gigantic Christmas Eve ham. It’s full of Christmas spices and it makes the most delicious gravy, but that’s why we make such a big ham every year – we don’t mind having LOTS of leftovers.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Ham and Tater Tot Egg Bake

Layer in bottom of a greased 9″ x 13″ pan:

2/3 of a 32 ounce package of tater tots, with the rest reserved for topping the egg bake later

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or substitute any kid of cheese)

1/4 cup red pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

2 – 4 Tablespoons red onion, chopped

2 cups cubed ham (or sausage or bacon or chicken or turkey)

Mix together:

8 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pour over top over all.

Top with the last 1/3 of the tater tots.

Cover and refrigerate overnight (I baked it right away, but the original recipe says it can sit overnight).

Bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes (Because I baked it right away and the tots were still frozen, it took a lot longer to bake than 30 minutes – closer to an hour – I let it bake until a knife came out clean from the middle of the egg bake).

Let stand 10 minutes.

I layered the tots on the bottom of the pan.

Next, sprinkle on the shredded cheddar.

Then on go the chopped peppers and onions.

Cubed ham is next.

Mix up the egg mixture . . .

. . . then it goes over the top of the layers.

The last layer is the rest of the tater tots.

This is it – out of the oven and beautiful.

What a great use of leftover Christmas ham!

This ham and egg bake was absolutely delicious! I’m so glad I happened to have a bag of tater tots in the freezer. It used up some of our leftover ham, and we had a delicious brunch to boot! The last topping of tots was nice and brown and the addition of the peppers and onions was really good! This will be on our egg bake rotation for sure – it was really good. I think this would be good to make on a Sunday so you have your breakfast ready for the week. Make this Ham and Tater Tot Egg Bake for your brunch this weekend – I know you’ll like it!

 

 

Cranberry Crumble

Today I’m sharing a recipe for Cranberry Crumble. It’s a recipe I’ve used before, starting with Rhubarb Crumble, Peach Crumble, Blueberry Crumble, and Apple Crumble. Holy cow – this is such a good one. That’s why I’ve tried it with what is now the 5th different kind of fruit. It’s a great coffee cake that would be great for your Thanksgiving entertaining – breakfast, brunch, or afternoon coffee! This is one of Grandma’s recipes, and I am not surprised – she only had the most delicious recipes to make for her friends and family. I think this photo looks like she and Grandpa are off to visit someone – maybe taking some kind of cake or baked goodie to share!

They sure are dressed up! Love the hats!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Cranberry Crumble

Topping:

Mix together and set aside:

3 Tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix together in order given:

1/3 cup margarine (I used butter)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Grated rind of 1 orange (remember to grate the orange first, THEN juice it)

1/2 cup orange juice (I used the juice of the 1 orange I grated and added enough water to make 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/3 cup self-rising cake flour (I never have cake flour OR self-rising flour in the house, so I found a recipe online – 2 1/3 cups flour, heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt, heaping 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder – whisk together and sift 5 times to make it light)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Fold in:

2 cups fresh cranberries, cut in half

Spoon into greased 9-inch springform pan.

Add topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.

Mix the topping first.

I mixed everything and then folded in the cranberries and nuts.

It’s a nice, thick batter. You’ll need to spread it out a bit.

On goes the topping – the best part!

After baking.

This really is best with a nice cup of coffee.

This crumble was just as good as when I made it with the other 4 kinds of fruit. I’m so glad I tried it with cranberries and orange – the perfect fall fruit combination. It’s tangy and sweet and absolutely delicious. If you’re having company for Thanksgiving weekend, or even if you’re just enjoying the company of your own family, try this tasty Cranberry Crumble!

Peach Crumble

Today I’m sharing Peach Crumble. It’s a variation of Grandma’s original recipe for Rhubarb Crumble, from which I have made variations of Blueberry Crumble and Apple Crumble.  This crumble is such a versatile cake. You can change the fruits and the nuts to use whatever is in season. It’s a great coffee cake – perfect for brunch or with your afternoon coffee. Afternoon coffee was always such a big thing for Grandma, her family, and her friends. Whether it was family who came to visit or friends from church who came for some gathering or another, afternoon coffee was the most important part. There HAD to be a big pot of coffee percolating, there HAD to be a sweet treat to go with the coffee, and it HAD to be “plenty sweet”. That’s how Grandma showed her love. If it was family that came for coffee, it had to be a delicious sweet treat that was special. If it was church friends that came for coffee, it had to be a delicious sweet treat that was probably pretty familiar and easy to make. Either way, you were in for something “very good” when you came to Grandma’s for afternoon coffee at 3:00!

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Peach Crumble

For the topping:

Mix together:

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

2/3 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Set aside.

Mix in order given:

1/3 cup margarine (I used butter)

2 1/3 cup self-rising cake flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup sliced almonds (I didn’t use nuts in the cake – just in the topping)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup orange juice

2 Tablespoons grated orange rind

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Fold in:

2 cups peaches, peeled and chopped (I used about 3 smaller peaches)

Spoon into greased 9 inch springform pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes.

I like to get the topping mixed up first – then you’re ready to put it on when the batter is ready and in the pan.

When the batter is mixed up, fold in the peaches.

This cake is loaded with sweet, juicy peaches! Smooth out the batter before putting on the topping.

Into the springform pan goes the batter and on goes the topping.

You can see how it puffed up a bit. After baking, let it sit in the pan for just a few minutes. I used a small knife to go around the edges – it was sticking just a bit, even after greasing it.

Oh my goodness! Look how pretty!

This crumble is such a great way to use a recipe in so many different ways! It’s versatile enough to use any fruit that’s in season, so who knows, I may just keep trying more and more kinds of fruit in this cake. The peaches are perfectly delicious right now, so they’re amazing in this cake, and the sliced almonds make a nice, toasty addition to the topping (which as we all know is the best part). You might want to make this crumble this weekend for your family to enjoy. They’re gonna love this Peach Crumble as much as all the other crumble recipes mentioned above!