Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil (or canola)

2 c. baking mix

1/3 plus 1/4 c. light brown sugar

2 medium apples, pared and chopped

1 t. cinnamon, divided

1/4 c. pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease 9" x 13" pan. Beat egg. Stir in milk, apples and oil. Stir in baking mix, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir just until flour is moistened - batter will be lumpy. Pour into greased pan. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of brown sugar, pecans and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over top of cake batter. Bake until golden brown - about 20 minutes. Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container.

This has been a favorite of my kids since they were little. I used to make it for the daycare kids too. We like it without the nuts. Soft and yummy and warm - perfect for a winter weekend!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 c. baking mix
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable/canola oil
1 c. packed brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 c. grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine the baking mix, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Whisk until combined then set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the white sugar and the oil, stirring until creamy. Add the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir well. This combination of ingredients will be creamy and fluffy. Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until well combined. Grate the zucchini and fold it into the batter. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Pour the batter into the pans and bake 50-60 minutes.

I had never made zucchini bread before but my garden produced a ginormous zucchini at the end of the season. I cooked half of the zucchini in a skillet with butter and seasoning for dinner and still had a huge part of the zucchini left. I knew I had to find a way to use it. I found a recipe online that looked promising but I discovered I was out of flour! I knew I had baking mix, so I set about trying to alter the recipe I had found, simply omitting the baking soda and baking powder. And I wanted to use all of my zucchini, so even though it only called for 2-3 cups, I used it all which ended up being around 4 cups. One of the loaves didn't come out of the pan very easily, but the chunks of bread were delicious. The second loaf I left in the pan longer and I made sure to score around the outside with a knife really well and it came out of the pan perfectly. I took that loaf to work and received many compliments. I will definitely be making it again!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 c. margarine
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, separated
4 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk

Glaze:
4 Tblsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl using mixer, cream margarine and sugar till fluffy. Mix in vanilla and egg yolks. In separate bowl, combine baking powder, flour, salt and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture alternating with the milk. Mix only enough to blend well. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold them into the batter. Pour batter into buttered 9"x13" baking pan. Bake 45 minutes. For the glaze: Cream together the 4 tablespoons of margarine, the powdered sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. After the cake has finished baking, immediatly sprinkle the glaze mixture on top and return it to the oven for 5 more minutes. Allow to cool briefly and serve warm.

This takes a little time and a few bowls, but it is so worth it. The glaze makes a nice crispy, flaky, sugary coating. The house smells wonderful and it is really delicious. Great for a brunch or for company.

My Sister's Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2-3 bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease & flour loaf pan. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Measure out the flour and add the baking soda, mix together. Add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix well. Add mashed bananas and mix until they are fully mixed through the batter. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours.

This is my sister Shari's recipe. I like it because it reminds me of my Grandma A's banana bread. I love bananas, but I really only like them when they are sorta green. So once they get ripe they usually just sit in the bowl on the table until we decide to bake some bread. My youngest daughter likes to make it, all on her own. It's a great treat for breakfast or an after-school or after-work snack.


Bonus: I decided to try it as muffins instead of a loaf. It worked great! I used cupcake liners and sprayed them with vegetable oil spray first. Then mixed everything up exactly as for bread. Then ladle into the 18 muffin cups. Your cooking time is only 40 minutes, and they came out great.