Throwback Thursday: Joy like licking the beaters!

If baking is any labor at all, it's a labor of love. A love that gets passed down from generation to generation. 

-Regina Brett 

Baking with my mother was always a highlight of my young life, especially when she let me lick the beaters!

Orange Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

There are a plethora of cookbooks on the market today. Everything from cakepops to gluten-free recipes. These cookbooks are as much of a display of fine photography as they are cooking directions. On my shelf I have more than my fair share of cookbooks. Looking through my mother's cookbooks was a hobby of mine as a child. All that practice planning pretend menus served me well years later while studying hospitality in college. 

While enjoying sophisticated and complicated dishes is wonderful, there is something to be said about simple and traditional recipes from friends, family and neighbors. Those tried and true recipes shared through family and the community.

I collect community, church, and family cookbooks. Most of my collection is centered around areas where we have personal connections.  We have books from Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky. 

While visiting with my mother-in-law over Christmas, she gave me a few cookbooks to add to my collection. One of books came from her side of the family. Included in the back was a family list of names, dates of birth, marriage, and death. Family history is something that I am slowly becoming more and interested in. Michael has become the family historian over the past couple of years. 

Per (Isakson) Isaacson was born 9-23-1860 in Alanas Jamtland, Sweden. Elisabet Ulrika Lofren was born 11-26-1864 in Torsjo, Angermanland, Sweden. Per and Elisabet were married 12-26-1882. They had thirteen children. Per passed away 2-14-41, he was 81 years old. Elisabet passed away 4-23-1933, she was 69 years old. They are both buried in Betheseda Cemetery at Strandquist, MN. 

This book has many recipes that I am looking forward to trying. It will be fun to have a connection to my husband's relatives.  I am hoping to share favorite recipes from my collection of community, church, and family cookbooks. First on the list is Orange Banana Poppy Seed Muffins.

Peel and slice two ripe bananas. 

Mash bananas using a potato masher. 

Add 1 egg, 3/4 cup sugar, vegetable oil, and grated orange peel. 

Stir until combined. 

In a separate bowl combine flour, seeds, baking powder and salt. 

Combine flour and banana mixtures. 

Line pan with paper liners. Spoon mixture into liners until each cup is 3/4 full. 

Bake at 375 degrees from 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Mine took about 18 minutes. 

Combine 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tsp. orange peel and 1 tsp. vanilla to create a glaze. 

When the muffins are barley warm, drizzle with orange glaze.

These muffins are sweet and would make a delicious breakfast or dessert. 

Orange Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

Jan Isaacson, Philex Isaacson’s Daughter-in-law

Printable Version 

Muffins

2 ripe bananas, peeled

1 egg

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. orange peel

2 cups flour

1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Orange Glaze

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup orange juice

1 tsp. orange peel

1 tsp. vanilla

Mash bananas well. In a medium bowl, mix bananas, eggs, sugar, oil and peel. In large bowl, combine flour, seeds, baking powdered and salt; stir in banana mixture until well blended. Spoon batter into sprayed muffins tins (12) or into muffin tin with paper liners. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Set aside to cool. While barely warm, drizzle with orange glaze.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these delicious muffin, I would love to see them. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Happy Baking!!!

Family Recipe Revealed: Apple Pie Bars

My Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-law are quite possibly the best cooks that I have ever met. My sister-in-law makes the world's best apple pie. The crust is flaky and the apples are sweet. I have no idea how she does it. She has the magic touch. 

When my husband and I got married, I had quite the learning curve in terms of cooking. The bar was set very high.  Pasta dishes were about the only thing I could make, well and chocolate chip cookies. My husband grew up in Wisconsin, with a large extended family of cooks. Cooking was a competition. At family reunions everyone would bring their best food. There wouldn't be just one or two salads to choose from, there would be fifteen. Twenty different kinds of bar cookies. Giant vats of cheesy potato casserole and pulled pork. Food was how they showed love.

One of my husband's favorite desserts made by his mother was Apple Bars. Basically, apple pie cooked on a cookie sheet. These bars are perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or milk. They are wonderful as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Most heavenly right out of the oven. They never last long in our house.

Here is how you make them!

         Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

     Measure flour, shortening, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Combine ingredients using a pastry blender.

   

Separate yokes from egg whites. Add just the yokes to the combined crust mixture. 

Add milk and stir until dough forms a ball and flour is entirely incorporated.

 Grease a 9 x 13 cookie sheet 

Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the side. Set aside the remaining dough.

Peel, core, and chop 7 ½ cups of apples (about 7 medium apples) and place into a medium size bowl.

Cut butter until small cubes. Add small butter cubes to the apples and stir.

 Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to the apples and stir.

Pour apple mixture on top of the dough. Spread the apples out evenly.

  Roll out the remaining dough to create a top crust. To make the rolled dough easier to maneuver, I rolled ½ the remaining dough out and then placed it over the apples. Then I rolled the other ½ of the dough and then placed it over the uncovered apples. 

1   Place the bars in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

While the bars are baking, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to create a thin glaze. You want the consistency to be very thin.

1 When the bars are finished, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. 

Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Allow to cool for 5 minutes longer.  Bars are served best warm

Printable Recipe

Apple Pie Bars

Yields 1 pan of bars

Crust:

4 ½ Cups Flour

1 ½ cups vegetable shortening

2 ¼ tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 small egg yokes

1 cup + 2 tablespoons of milk

Filling:

7 ½ cups apples

¼ cup flour

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 Tbsp. butter (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

Splash of Milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.        Measure flour, shortening, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Combine ingredients using a pastry blender.

3.       Separate yokes from egg whites. Add just the yokes to the combined crust mixture. Add milk and stir until dough forms a ball and flour is entirely incorporated.

4.       Grease a 9 x 13 cookie sheet and press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the side. Set aside the remaining dough.

5.       Peel, core, and chop 7 ½ cups of apples (about 7 medium apples) and place into a medium size bowl.

6.       Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to the apples and stir.

7.       Cut butter until small cubes. Add small butter cubes to the apple mixture and stir.

8.       Pour apple mixture on top of the dough. Spread the apples out evenly.

9.       Roll out the remaining dough to create a top crust. To make the rolled dough easier to maneuver, I rolled ½ the remaining dough out and then placed it over the apples. Then I rolled the other ½ of the dough and then placed it over the uncovered apples.

10.   Place the bars in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

11.   While the bars are baking combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to create a thin glaze. You want the consistency to be very thin.

12.   When the bars are finished, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes.

13.   Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Allow to cool for 5 minutes longer.  Bars are served best warm.