Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*.

Mix flour and b.p. Set aside. Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, spice, 1 ¼ cups sugar, b.s., and salt. Combine with flour mixture. In small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Divide batter evenly among 12 paper-lined muffins. Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

These are pretty much my new favorite Fall treat. I love them, and they are a big hit with everyone that has had them!! I highly recommend them!! You shan't be disappointed.

Mountain White Bread

Makes 2 9x5 inch loaves

3/4 cup warm water

1 package yeast

pinch of sugar

1 1/2 cups warm milk

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon salt

6 - 6 1/2 cups flour

1. In small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of warm water. Sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Set aside.

2. In mixer, with paddle, combine remaining water, milk, butter, honey, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Beat hard until creamy, add yeast mixture. Add 2 more cups of flour, beat until smooth. Switch to dough hook. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn over. Cover with Saran wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface to deflate. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of loaf pans. Without working the dough further, divide it into 2 equal portions with a metal scraper or a knife. Pat each portion of dough into a long rectangle; it does not need to be exact. Fold the dough into thirds, overlapping the 2 opposite ends in the middle. Beginning at the short edge, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion into a log that is about the same length as your pan. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal. While placing the loaf in the pan, tuck the ends under to make a neat, snug fit. The log should be of an even thickness and fill the pans about two-thirds full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again at room temperature until the dough is fully doubled in bulk and about 2 inches over the rims of the pans, about 45 minutes.

5. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the over to 375. Removed plastic wrap and , using a serrated knife, with a quick motion make a long slash lengthwise down the center of the loaf, no more than 1/4 inch deep. Immediately place on the center rack of the oven and bake 40-45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of The Bread Bible

Potato Rolls

Combine 1/4 cup warm water with 1 TBS sugar and 2 packages active dry yeast in a small bowl. Stir and set aside. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup buttermilk with 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 large egg, 1 TBS sugar, and 1 TSP salt. Stir well and add the yeast mixture and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Work in another 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead for 4 to 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic. Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour, until the dough doubles in size.

Grease 24 muffin tins. Punch the dough down gently and push out all the air bubbles with your palm. Pinch off small pieces of dough to form 1-inch balls. Put 3 dough balls in each muffin cup until all the dough is used, cover, and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned. Brush the rolls with melted butter as soon as you remove them from the oven. Serve warm.

I made these on Sunday for dinner with my in-laws. Everyone really loved these rolls. They are light and fluffy with great flavor. I was a little concerned about the potatoes when I was kneading the dough, but they cooked into the bread and made it very moist. I just boiled two potatoes and got them really soft and then mashed them up with a fork. I didn't do this in my mixer, because I wanted to follow the recipe exactly...as exact as I could. I didn't have buttermilk, but instead I made my own with lemon juice and milk, and I think they turned out great.

**Sorry I didn't do a meal this week. The funding for the project has run out at the present time. Stay tuned**

Broccoli Cheese Soup in an Italian Bread Bowl

Okay, so what I loved about this meal is that you can make it as quickly or as longly (I know that that is not a word, but go with me) as you want. If you have nothing on your agenda for the day, take the long route. Making bread bowls sounded a little overwhelming to me at first. It was, however, quite fun and made the soup all the more special. If you're short on time, you can buy bread bowls at your grocery store, or if you're really pressed, forget the bread bowls! The soup is still delicious!! So here ya go!

Italian Bread Bowls

(courtesy of mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

Combine warm water and yeast in mixer. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes until dissolved.

Next add salt, oil, and 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth with Kitchen Aid Mixer's paddle. Once smooth, change to Kitchen Aid Mixer's dough hook. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. You want the dough to end up being sticky to the touch, but not stick to you. So add enough flour until it get's to that point. I only used a total of 6 1/2 cups of flour.

Remove dough from mixer and knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth.

Spray the inside of a bowl with PAM. Wipe the inside of the bowl with the ball of dough to coat and place the dough (greased side up) in the bowl.

Cover with a clean towel.

Let the dough rise until doubled. This takes about 45 minutes. Then divide into 6 - 8 equal pieces. Form individual balls. Sprinkle with corn meal. Let rise for an additional 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Now for the soup - the quick and easy part!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

(courtesy of mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, adapted very slightly from Liz K.)

1 can chicken broth

1 small onion, diced

1/3 c. flour

1/4 c. butter

Pepper to taste

2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese

steamed chopped broccoli

First you chop the onions. Toss onions along with chicken broth in a stock pot. Simmer until onions are tender.

Then you MAKE A ROUX. Haha! Okay, so you melt your butter, add the flour, until well mixed. Oh, in the meantime, heat your milk in the microwave. Okay, so add your milk to the rue. Keep on stirring until the milk thickens. Once thickened, add to onions in stock pot.

Steam some broccoli.

Grate cheese. Approximately 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese (the sharper, the better) and 1/2 cup of swiss cheese.

Once the broccoli is steamed and the cheese is grated, toss it in the stock pot.