Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

-1 ¾ cups flour

-3/4 cup sugar

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1 tsp. baking soda

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 egg

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

-1 cup mashed ripe bananas

-3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

-In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine egg, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

-1 cup butter, softened

-1 cup light brown sugar

-1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided

-4 eggs

-1 Tbs. vanilla extract

-1 tsp. baking powder

-3/4 tsp. salt

-3 ¼ cups flour, divided

-3 6-oz. packages fresh blackberries,

  about 4 cups

-4 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches

-3 Tbs. maple syrup

-1 cup roasted glazed pecan pieces

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat first 2 ingredients and 1 cup granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

-Stir together baking powder, salt, and 3 cups flour; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Spread ¾ of the batter in a greased and floured 13x9-inch pan; sprinkle with blackberries.
- Stir together remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a medium bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Spoon mixture over blackberries.

-Stir pecans into remaining batter; dollop over peach mixture.

-Bake for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cut into bars.

Dad's Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

-1 cup rice

-2 cups water

-2/3 cup sugar

-1 ½-2 ½ cups milk

-1/2 tsp. coconut extract

-Combine the rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer until done, 15-20 minutes. Add enough milk to just cover the rice. Cover with a lid again. Continue to simmer until the rice has mostly soaked up the milk. Take off the lid, turn off the heat, and let sit for 20-30 minutes until the rice has cooled a bit and is creamy. 

Grandma Welch's Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup butter

-1/2 cup buttermilk

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp. corn syrup

-1 tsp. baking soda

-1 tsp. vanilla

-Combine first four ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add the baking soda and vanilla and serve.

Buttermilk Waffles

Yield: 8 waffles

Ingredients:

-1 ½ cups flour

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1 tsp. baking soda

-1/2 tsp. salt

-2 Tbs. sugar

-1/2 cup cornmeal

-1 2/3 cup buttermilk

-2 ½ Tbs. unsalted butter,

  melted and cooled

-3 eggs, separated

-Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large bowl and stir in the polenta. Put the buttermilk, cooled melted butter, and egg yolks into another large bowl and beat well. Stir the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture, then beat to form a smooth batter.

-Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and beat with a wire whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter with a metal spoon, being careful not to over mix.

-Depending on the size of the waffle iron, spoon ¼-1/2 cup of the batter into the preheated compartments, so it almost covers the base. Cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

Yield: 6-8 waffles

Ingredients:

-1 ½ cups flour

-3 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-1 tsp. cinnamon

-1 tsp. nutmeg

-1 tsp. ground ginger

-Pinch of salt

-1/2 tsp. black pepper

-2 eggs

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-8 oz. canned pumpkin

-1 2/3 cup milk

-4 Tbs. unsalted butter,

  melted and cooled

-Zest from 1 orange

-Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and pepper into a large bowl. Put the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, cooled melted butter, and orange zest into a second bowl and beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

-Depending on the size of the waffle iron, spoon about ¼-1/2 cup of the batter into the preheated compartments. Cook until crisp, about 4-5 minutes.