BITS 'o BACON BREAD

Here you go, BeezieWeezie. This is a breadmaker recipe from a book called "electric BREAD" which is way WAY old - in fact it has a 1996 copyright which is when I got my first breadmaker, and I've been using it since then. But it has the most wonder-delish-mous bread recipes ever, like peanut butter bread (my #1 son's favorite in the world) and some of the most creative but still easy. Course they're all easy when you make 'em in the breadmaker, ain't dey? :)

The first measurement is for a small loaf and the measurement to the right is for a large loaf.

2/3 cup WATER (1 cup)
1 2/3 cup WHITE BREAD FLOUR (2 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup WHEAT BREAD FLOUR (1/2 cups)
4 tsp SUGAR (2 tbsp)
1 tsp SALT (1 1/2 tbsp)
4 tsp BUTTER (2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp GREEN (black will do) PEPPER
CORNS, CRUSHED (3/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp BASIL (3/4 tsp)
pinch GARLIC POWDER (1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup BACON (with fat) (1/3 cup)
1 tsp FAST RISE YEAST (1 1/2 tsp) or
2 tsp ACTIVE DRY YEAST (2 1/2)

You cook the bacon until its almost crisp. Set the fat aside while you crumble the cooked bacon, then remix bacon and fat before measuring.

A couple of times I made a down and dirty loaf of this recipe with the Hormel real bacon bits and it was still really good - you could tell the difference if you'd had the real stuff, but still REALLY good.

Extra pepper's good, brushing with butter when it's partially cooled is really good, sprinkling coarsely ground salt on top is good.

It usually gets eaten up right out of the breadmaker while its still warm so I try to have soup ready for it.

Tiedye *_*

Boggles

Another fabulous recipe taken from one of Joanne Fluke’s books: “Fudge Cupcake Murder”. Check out the books at www.murdershebaked.com

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup		butter, melted (2 sticks)
1 cup		brown sugar
1 cup		white sugar
1/2 tsp		baking powder
1/2 tsp		baking soda
1/2 tsp		salt
2		eggs, beaten
1 tsp		vanilla
1/4 tsp		cinnamon
1/8 tsp		nutmeg
2 cup		flour
1 1/2 cup		sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins or another brand) ***
1 1/2 cup		rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal)

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Add sugars and let cool a bit. Add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Add flour and mix. Then add the cranberries and oats and mix everything up. The dough will be quite stiff. 2 Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet. 3 Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to rack until cool.

Yield: 5 to 6 dozen, depending on cookie size

Cooking Tips

*** If you can't find the cranberries where you live you can substitute any chopped dried fruit such as dates, apricots, peaches, etc.

These freeze well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.

Whippersnappers

I made the “Spice Cake” version and they are pretty good. (Have also had the Strawberry version, and plan to try a chocolate version next week). Once again taken from one of Joanne Fluke’s mystery books - “Candy Cane Murder” Whippersnappers (Lemon, Spice, or other flavors)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees - rack in middle 1 pkg (appx 18 oz) Cake mix, the size you can bake in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan 2 cups Cool Whip (measure this) 1 large beaten eggs 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 Combine dry cake mix, Cool Whip, and beaten egg in a large bowl. Stir until it's well mixed. 2 Drop by teaspoon into the bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat the cookie dough 3 Place the coated cookie drops on a greased (using non-stick cooking spray) cookie sheet, 12 cookies to each sheet 4 Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let them cool on a the cookie sheet 2 minutes or so, the move to wire rack to cool completely Yield: 4 dozen Cooking Tips This is an old church recipe that you can use any flavor cake mix in these cookies. The author especially likes Lemon Whippersnappers in the summer because they're simple to make and very refreshing. Original recipe done with Lemon

Scandanavian Almond Cake

Scandanavian Almond Cake (taken from Joanne Fluke's "Carrot Cake Murder" book...the Hannah referred to in the recipe is the main character, Hannah Swensen)
	Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle 1/2 cup salted butter 1-1/4 cups white sugar 1 xtra large eggs 1/2 tsp baking powder 1-1/2 tsp almond extract 2/3 cup cream (can use half & half) 1-1/4 cups flour 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1 Before you start to mix up this recipe, grease (or spray with Pam) a 4-inch by 8-inch loaf pan.. 2 Cut a strip of parchment paper (or wax paper) 8 inches wide and 16 inches long. Lay it in the pan so that the bottom is covered and the strip sticks out in little "ears" on the long sides of the pam. (this makes for easy removal after your cake is baked). This will leave the two short sides of the pan uncovered, but that's okay. Press the paper down and spray it agai nwith Pam (or another nonstick cooking spray) 3 If you decided to use the sliced almonds, sprinkle a few in the very bottom of your paper-lined loaf pan). 4 HANNAH's 1ST NOTE: Don't let this next step scare you...it's extremely easy an dit will keep your cakes from turning too brown around the edges. 5 Place the stick of butter in a one-cup Pyrex measuring cup (or another microwave safe bowl). Zap it for 40 seconds on HIGH, or until it's melted) (You can also do this in asmall saucepan on the stove). Now pour that mleted butter through a fine-mesh strainer, the kind you'd use for tea (or a larger mesh strainer lined with double thickness of cheesecloth). After the melted butter has dripped through, dump the mmilk solids that have gathered in the strainer tinot he garbage (or throw away the cheesecloth) . What you have left is clarified butter 6 Set your clarified butter on the counter to cool while you.... Mix the white sugar with the egg in a medium sized bowl, or inthe bowl of an electric mixer. Beat them together until they're light and fluffy. 7 Add the baking powder and the almond extract. Mix well 8 Cup your hands around the bowl with the clarified butter. If you can hold it comforabley and it's not so hot that it might cook the egg, add it to your bowl now and mix in. If it's still too hot, wait until it's cooler and then mix it in. 9 ** Add half of the cream and mix it in. Add half of the flour and mix it in. Now add the rest of the cream, mix. And then add the rest of the cream, and mix. 10 Pour the batter into a loaf pan you've prepared and smooth the top with a spatula 11 bake the cake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 12 Let the loaf pan sit on a wire rack or a cold burner for 15 minutes. Then loosen the cake from the short sides of the pan (the non=papered sides) with a metal spatula or a knife. 13 tip the cake out on a pretty platter and remove the parchment paper. Let it cool and then dust the top with powdered sugar if you wish. Cooking Tips **HANNAH's 2ND NOTE: In the following steps you're going to add half the cream, and then half the flour. You don't have to be precise and measure exactly half. Just dump in what you think is approximately half and it's be just fine. HANNAH's 3RD NOTE: Mother's friends Joyce & Nancy have special half-round loaf pans especially for baking Scandinavian Almond Cake. Joyce's cake bakes for the same length of time as mine does. Nancy's pan has dark nonstick surface. It's heavier than Joyce's pan and the dark surface makes it bake faster. Nancy bakes her cake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.