First up will be an old, simple recipe. I never heard of it until I became aquainted with my husband’s family. Now It’s my family’s favorite breakfast! I make it nearly every Sunday morning. But it can certainly be served for supper too. I fall back on this when it’s one of those disorganized days when supper ideas elude me. It takes basic ingredients and little skill.

Dutch Babies

Turn oven to 410*. Put 1/4 C. butter in a 9 x 13 pan and set in oven to melt.

In a bowl whisk together 1 1/2 C. flour and 1 1/2 C. milk. Whisk briskly, then let set a minute or two. Lastly whisk in 5-7 eggs. Pour into pan with butter and bake for 20-25 minutes. It will rise up looking proud and mountainous, but it’s only humble fare. Serve immediately with maple syrup. It deflates quickly once its out of its hot environment so be prepared to dig in promptly!

This original recipe is found in The Farmhouse Cookbook but I don’t follow it 100%. For one, this recipe is not as touchy as it sounds like in the book. I have it written in my version and taped inside my cabinet door. I don’t use as much butter as it calls for. If I have plenty eggs on hand I’ll throw in extra. If not, 4-5 eggs is fine. The reason to let the milk and flour sit a bit is to help dissolve the flour completely. It works best to add the eggs after those two ingredients are well combined. And I most certainly do not use the blender as it says to. That would be entirely too raucous for early mornings! Besides, who enjoys washing a blender? Not I!

These cranberry muffins are simple to make and look so festive! I like that it’s a yummy holiday treat off the beaten path of the ordinary peanut butter/chocolate/peppermint recipes floating around this time of year. I whipped up a batch today to have on hand for my weekend company.

Cranberry Muffins

3 c. sugar

3/4 c. vegetable or coconut oil (melted)

3 eggs

2 1/4 c. orange juice

6 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 T. salt

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 12oz. bag fresh cranberries, chopped

Beat together sugar, oil and eggs. Add orange juice alternately with dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries. Fill muffins about 3/4 full and bake at 350* for about 18 minutes. Used with permission from Stutzman’s Culinary Secrets.

This is supposed to be made into 3 loaves but I like the muffins for cuteness and serving ease. I used melted coconut oil rather than vegetable oil. As I typed the recipe I noticed the baking powder and realized I never added it today! So now you know that they bake just fine with only the baking soda! 😅 I also poured in the juice then immediately recognized I hadn’t heeded directions about alternately. I proceeded to dump in the dry ingredients and it was all good! You’ll need to tell me the rules you break when you try them.

If your in the mood for more cranberry/ holiday fare, check out these recipes. Or this caramel popcorn.