[pumpkin bread]

Yields two loaves

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin

2/3 cup of water

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix sugar and oil with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly. Fill pans equally and bake for one hour or until golden brown.

[vegetable flatbread sandwich]

We're getting sick of deli meat and PB&J… turns out healthy can be delicious.

Ingredients:
Flatbread
Balsamic vinegar
1 slice of Cheese: provolone, mozzarella, something thin sliced
Spoonful of Hummus (whatever kind you like)
Sliced veggies: bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, any mix of things you like

Directions:
Heat the flatbread in the microwave for 30 seconds. Dribble a small amount of balsamic vinegar directly on the flatbread. Lay down the cheese and smear one spoonful of hummus. Place desired vegetables on top. Fold & enjoy!

Serve with chips or your favorite lunch side.

[master recipe for american sandwich bread]

based on the recipe of the same name from The Best Recipe by The Editors of Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 package (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
PAM® Baking
vegetable oil for coating bowl
 
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. 
Once the oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat for 10 minutes and then turn off oven heat.

Mix flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook.  Mix milk, water, butter, honey and yeast in 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup.  Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid.  When dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes.  Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.
 
Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat.  Cover with plastic wrap, place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
Gently press dough into rectangle 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches.  With the long side facing you, roll dough firmly into cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure dough sticks to itself.  Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed.  Place dough in PAM® Baking- greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of pan.
 
Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and place an empty loaf pan on bottom rack.  Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil on stovetop.
 

Remove plastic wrap from filled loaf pan and place pan in oven.  Immediately, pour heated water into empty loaf pan, close oven door.  Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove bread almost immediately from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temp.

[honey cornbread muffins]

Based on a recipe by The Neelys

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
 

Special equipment: 12-cup muffin tin and Pam for baking (the one with the flour in it)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.
 

Prep the muffin tin by spraying each cup with Pam.  Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the cups. Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 375 and continue cooking for 8 more minutes (15 total).  At 15 minutes muffins should be golden brown on sides and a toothpick should come out of the center cleanly.

[bruschetta]

1 baguette
1 1/2 lbs ripe plum tomatoes (about 8-10)
2 tbsp finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced + 1 clove cut in half to rub on bread
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out seeds and juice. Dice tomatoes and put in bowl. Add onion, minced garlic, basil, vinegar and olive oil. Stir and add salt and pepper as desired. Store in fridge for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. Drain most of the liquid and serve at room temperature.

For the bread: Cut baguette into slices. Rub each side with garlic. Broil on a sheet pan in the oven and flip once until each side is golden brown. Serve bread warm or at room temp.

Note: Any extra bruschetta can be used within a week for pasta sauce or marinade for chicken.

[biscuits and sawmill gravy]

This is my altered version of a Paula Deen recipe, and it's not what anyone would call healthy - but it is the most delicious biscuit with gravy recipe I've ever tasted... totally worth every calorie. The diet starts tomorrow, right?

Ingredients:

For Biscuits:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 to 1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup melted unsalted butter 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork until it looks like cornmeal. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until well mixed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly two or three times. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch cutter. Place the biscuits in a greased iron skillet. Brush the biscuits with half the melted butter. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining butter. Slit the biscuits in half and ladle Sawmill Gravy (recipe follows) over the hot biscuits. 

For Sawmill Gravy: 

1 pound ground sausage
4 slices thick-cut bacon
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter

In a large skillet, combine the sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the sausage is browned and crumbles. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in the half-and-half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened. Stir in the butter until well blended.

[cheddar bay cheese biscuits]

Prep time: 20 min - Serves 4

2 Cups Bisquick
2/3 Cup Milk
1 Cup grated cheese (colby jack, cheddar, whatever)
Garlic Salt
Garlic Powder
Dill
Seafood Seasoning
4 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine Bisquick, cheese, dill (a couple shakes), garlic powder (a few shakes) and garlic salt (a couple shakes) and milk. Add 1 tsp of seafood seasoning.

Scoop dough onto nonstick cookie sheet, or sprayed with Pam. (Should form about 6-8 biscuits, depending on desired size). Keep dough lumpy and not in uniform balls - you want it to break apart easily. Put in oven for 8 minutes.

Melt butter in microwave. Add garlic powder (a shake). Remove biscuits from oven and brush butter mixture onto each one, (be sure to be messy and cover almost all of each biscuit). Put biscuits back in oven for 2 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot.