• Mix together in mixer:
• 5 c. flour
• 3 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ginger
• 1/2 t. allspice
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• In a separate bowl, whisk together:
• 4 eggs
• 15- oz can pumpkin
• 1 c. apple sauce
• 1 c. vegetable oil

Grease & flour 2 loaf pans. Pour batter into pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Options: This recipe is also yummy with chocolate chips stirred in! Or to make a honey butter to serve with it is also tasty, especially if the bread is warm. It can work for muffins, too, but I can’t remember how long I baked them for so. . .

To make the honey butter: Start with butter that is just at room temperature ~ soft enough to easily whip with a wire whisk. Although, the wire whip attachment to the mixer works if you are going to make a larger amount. I just whipped it by hand. The measurements are rough estimates since I didn’t accurately measure!

• Mix together with a wire whisk in a small bowl:
• 1/2 c. soft butter
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. brown sugar

• In a 9″ x 13″ pan slice 1/4 c. of margarine and set into the pre-heating oven at 350 degrees. When it is melted, layer on the following ingredients in the order given:
• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs (GF something works good, too!)
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. coconut
• 1 c. butterscotch chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 c. chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

These freeze great! I often make 2 pans at a time, freezing one pan of the bars. I just cut them up and place them into Tupperware containers.

Another thing I do is use white chips instead of butterscotch chips and use macadamia nuts with them. Yum. Make them to your desired preference!

• 2 c. soap flakes
• 1 gallon water

Cook over medium heat. Stir gently to avoid many suds AND just stir occasionally. Bring to a boil and make sure the flakes are dissolved. Lower hear and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool part way. Maybe until it just almost touchable.

Add: 25 drops LEMON essential oil.

Stir slowly for about 3 minutes. Pour into storage bottle. Of course it makes about one gallon of soap!

SOME NOTES ON THIS: A high quality oil needs fewer drops while a less potent brand would require more drops. If I am using a good brand/quality oil, I will use 20-25 drops. Sometimes I will do a mixture! Here is a list of ideas for dish washing oils:

• Theives (Young Living) for in flu season. Just add 5-10 drops so it’s not potent but worth dropping in.
• Lemon is great as many of you already know for washing dishes.
• Lavender will give a calming while washing pots and pans but only a drop or two so you don’t overpower the actual dishes for cooking or eating on later!
• Tea Tree oil is good for cleansing bad bacteria
• Basil and Lemon mix is a common mix
• Wild Orange can be used, but it is powerful more than pleasant

• I only ever and always use Gold Medal UNBLEACHED white flour
• I store my flour in a Rectangle 4 Tupperware container. Always.
• I leave a stainless steel 1-cup measure cup in my flour container for when I use it.
• I “shake” my flour container or use the measure cup to “fluff” my flour before measuring it. Back in the “olden” days they would sift the flour. I don’t do that, I just shake or roll the container to make it more airy. This makes it less dense so it’s technically using less flour in my recipes. This may be why my bakery is better?
• When making cookies, cakes, bars… I usually put half the amount of flour in the mix originally and mix well. This helps the baking soda, salt, powder, cinnamon…. blend in better. And then when the mixer is on I add the remaining amount of flour.
• I use a Kitchen Aid mixer. I always need to be sure that the bottom of the bowl gets mixed in better. Especially with flour.
• Most people use some type of spray on their pan. Like PAM or even that more natural way using the Pampered Chef spritzer thing. Well, back when I was a girl (hehehe!) mom taught me how to grease and flour the pan when the recipe told me to. We had stainless steel 9″x13″ pans. I would use Crisco on a plastic sandwich bag ~ my hand inside the bag, using it like a glove ~ and smear it around the pan. Then I would sprinkle the pan with flour and knock it around the pan until a fine white dusting was over the Crisco. Then I would tap the pan and dump the excess flour back into the flour container. Good memories. I maybe better teach my girls to do that! We just use PAM.
• OK, so maybe this isn’t about flour, but there are a few preferences that I have:
• I always use butter flavor Crisco in all the recipes that call for shortening.
• PAM is the only spray I use.
• I love my Kitchen-Aid
• I prefer GLASS 9″x13″ pans to anything else
• Tupperware Modular Mates containers hold all of my flours, sugars, grains, cocoa, salt, baking soda & powder, chocolate chips, M&M’s, coconut, nuts…
• I mix my breads in Tupperware Thatsa bowls
• I use stainless steel bowls for mixing, marinading, storing meats

This is a basic recipe that you can make to your preference. Put in chocolate chips, blueberries, or whatever!

• Mix together:
• 3 c. flour
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt

After mixing well, either cut in with a pastry blender or shred in on a vegetable grater:

3/4 c. cold butter

Make a well in the center of the mix. Pour in 1 c. milk and slowly mix together to form dough. Do not over mix! Now you can blend in desired amount of whatever. Maybe a cup of blueberries, 2 c. white chocolate chips and 1 c. macadamia nuts, 2 c. cinnamon chips (and actually I have included 1 t. cinnamon into the main flour mixture for this option), Lemon zest, or. . . .

Plop dough onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half. Press into a 6″-8″ circle. Cut each circle into 6 pie pieces. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool about 20 minutes on cooling rack (or eat warm!).

Sometimes I use this glaze on them:

• 2 T. melted butter
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. – 3 T. hot water (depending on how runny you like the glaze.)
• I prefer my glaze to be a little more thick so I use about 1 1/2 T. water and frost HOT scones still on the cookie sheet so the excess falls onto the pan. And we eat some hot with forks on a plate. The other scones cool on the cookie sheet in the glaze and then when they are cool enough I put them in a Tupperware container. Store at room temp for a day or 2.

OK! More to this recipe: I have used GF flour many times for this recipe. And often when I do that, I use almond milk or rice milk in the recipe as well. They are more crumbly but very tasty, especially warm. The recipe is so diverse. Make what you want with them. I have a separate recipe for pumpkin scones so don’t try pumpkin or other moist things like that. Just the chips and nuts and fruits option.

This first recipe is for a 9″ x 13″ (thicker) OR 11″ x 15″ pan (normal):

• Mix together in a bowl:
• 3 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. cocoa
• 1 t. salt
• Now form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in (in order given):
• 2 c. water (room temp)
• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 2 t. baking soda
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• Wait for the water to get fizzy! If it doesn’t, give the water part a little stir to activate the soda and vinegar. You want it to get fizzy before mixing everything. After it the fizzing subsides, mix the ingredients well. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl before pouring the batter into a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Use a cake tester (or tooth pick) to make sure it is done.

I like to make this cake into cupcakes and do a yummy filling! But I also like to use a baker’s half sheet (about 11″ x 17″) often! When I do these I use the following measurements, following the same directions.

• 4 1/2 c. flour
• 3 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• In the well part pour in:
• 3 c. water
• 1 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 T. baking soda
• 3 T. apple cider vinegar
• MIX WELL!!!!

This is often a requested birthday cake. With Betty Crocker’s Funfetti frosting. I even use 2 tubs on this large size cake! Looks boring. Tastes great!

• In a small bowl pour in 1 1/2 c. warm water
• Sprinkle on: 1 packet (about 3 T.) yeast
• Sprinkle on: 1/4 c. sugar
• Set aside. Let the yeast work/grow.
• In a large bowl stir together:
• 1 c. milk (slightly warmed up but not hot)
• 3 1/2 c. hot water
• 1/2 c. molasses
• 2 T. salt
• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 6 c. rye flour

Now mix both bowls together. Add 3 c. white flour. Knead in 3 more cups of white flour. Wash your hands and dry completely. Dump dough onto a floured surface. Knead in more flour until the dough is not sticky. Rise in a greased and covered bowl until double in size. Divide into desired size pieces. Form loaves. (I make 5-6 round loaves) Rise again on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

• Mix together in a bowl in the order given, stirring after each addition:
• 1 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. flour (I use GF flour for this recipe and it’s great!)
• 2 c. quick oats

Press about 3/4 of the mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Set aside.

• Melt all together:
• 1/2 c. MARGARINE
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 c. chocolate chips (I often end up adding 1/4 – 1/2 c. more just because!)

Pour chocolate over the crust. Now sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top of the chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. They will be gooey but harden as they cool.

I store them at room temperature with a plastic wrap over the pan. These also freeze GREAT!

• Pour into a small bowl: 1 1/2 c. warm water
• Sprinkle on: 3 T. yeast
• Sprinkle on: 3 T. sugar
• In a large bowl mix in the order given:
• 4 1/2 c. HOT water
• 2 T. salt
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 9 c. unbleached white flour
• Mix both bowls together.
• Add & stir: 3 c. flour
• Add & stir/knead in: 3-4 c. flour

Turn onto floured surface. Wash your hands and dry them completely. Sprinkle on a little flour. Knead lightly so a soft dough forms, just until it is not sticky.

Pour about 2 T. vegetable oil into the bottom of a bowl. Place dough in bowl, wiping the oil around the bowl and then turning the dough upside down so the oiled side is now up. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a warm damp muslin cloth. Rise to double.

Plop dough onto a lightly oiled counter top. Punch it down and roll into a fat log. Divide into 6 equal parts for regular size loaves. I have used this recipe for round bread bowls, dinner rolls, flat bread, and mini loaves as well. Rise loaves again. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Butter (or use oil or margarine or shortening) the tops of the bread lightly when it is fresh out of the oven. Let it set in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before bagging it. Or enjoy warm!