Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

Another recipe from my childhood Christmases, Poppy Seed Bread.  My mother was raised in a neighborhood inhabited with many different ethic groups. She learned from her Polish neighbors to make Eastern European style pastries which she incorporated into her holiday baking. Making her old holiday pastries transports me again to a time when I learned the magic of Christmas which still lives with me to this day!    Poppy Seed Bread 2 cups whole milk 2 packages yeast 2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1/2 cup shortening (Crisco) 7 to 7 1/2 cups sifted all purposed flour 4 tablespoon butter 2 cans Poppy seed pastry filling(Solo) 1 cup chopped pecansa 1 cup golden raisins Preheat oven to 375F. Heat milk until tiring bubbles form, 2-3 minutes. Put 1/4 cup of hot milk in small bowl, let cool to lukewarm. Add yeast, let dissolve for 5 minutes. In a large bowl add remaining milk and cool. Stir in salt, sugar,...

Loaf breads or Tea bread whatever you call these delectable sweet breads are simply delicious and easy to make. Prefect for a beginning baker or to make when you are short of time. You can also make and freeze to eat later. Smaller loafs are perfect little treats to give as gift during the holidays wrapped up in cellophane tied with a festive ribbon. I love pumpkin bread anytime of the year but especially around Thanksgiving. For me baking isn't only about the taste but about the heavenly cooking aromas filling my home with sweet scents. Ingredients     3 cups all-purpose flour     1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice     2 teaspoons baking soda     1 1/2 teaspoons salt     3 cups granulated sugar     1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin     4 large eggs     1 cup vegetable oil     1/2 cup orange juice   ...

When it's cold outside and the weather is tiring I always turn to chocolate. What could be better than baking these fudging cookies to enjoy warm right out of the oven, just melting in your mouth. Easy and delicious I loved to make these cookies with my children on snowy days so they could have a warm cookie after playing and sledding in the snow! Ingredients   1 / 4 cup all purpose flour 1 / 4 teaspoon baking powder 1 / 4 teaspoon salt 1 1 / 2 cups Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips, for melting into the cookie dough 2 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 eggs 1 / 2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 / 3 cup Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips for mixing into the prepared cookie dough Directions In a heatproof bowl over a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Turn off the stove and let chocolate sit over warm water. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. In another bowl, mix together sugar and egg...

Happy President's Day! I'm celebrating with a  good old fashioned American Apple Pie. I've added a little extra to this recipe, dried cranberries soaked over night in cognac. Pastry : 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water Measure flour and salt into a bowl. Cut into butter thoroughly with a pastry blender.  Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until flour is moistened and dough almost cleans the side of the bow l . Gather the dough into a ball, then shape, divide the dough in half and shape into 2 flattened rounds.) Chill dough for at least one hour. On a lightly floured board r oll each dough rounds 2 inches larger all around than the inverted pie pan. Place past ry on parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet, and chill. 9 medium size firm tart apples, thinly sliced. (I used Granny Smith) 1/2 cup dried cranberries, soaked ove...

In our family nothing says Christmas like Gingerbread Cake. Just the smell of baking Gingerbread cake invokes memories of Christmas past. Since our children were little Gingerbread cake is a family tradition that I've continued all these years. This year I decided to add a twist to my classic Gingerbread using a Chai blend of spices to enhance the flavor which turned out to be everyone's new Christmas favorite! Chai Gingerbread Cake Chai Spices: 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 2 teaspoons whole cloves 1 tablespoon cardamon seeds 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger Using a spice grinder or food processor, grind together fennel seeds, cloves, cardamon seeds, cinnamon and ginger. Reserve 2 teaspoons and store the rest in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to one year. Gingerbread Cake: 1 cup boiling water 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur's) 2 teaspoon baking powder 8 tablespoons (1 stick...