Mennonite Girls Can Cook (7 page)

...............................................Yields 12 muffins

• 1 cup / 250 ml flour
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml whole wheat flour
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml butter
  
• 2 medium apples, chopped, skin on
  
• 2 cups / 500 ml raisin bran cereal
  
• 3 teaspoons / 15 ml cinnamon, divided
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 cup / 250 ml milk
  
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml sugar
  

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
   
2. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside ¼ cup / 60 ml.
   
3. Add chopped apple, cereal, and cinnamon. Mix well.
   
4. Combine eggs and milk and add to apple mixture, stirring lightly, just until moist. Batter will be lumpy.
   
5. Fill 12 greased muffin cups and top with the crumbs set aside earlier. Sprinkle with sugar.
   
6. Bake at 400° F / 205° C for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
   

—Charlotte

Charlotte says

............................................... Yields 12 muffins

• ½ cup / 125 ml margarine, room temperature
  
• 1 cup / 250 ml white sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml vanilla
  
• 2 cups / 500 ml flour
  
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon / 2 ml salt
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml buttermilk
  
• 2 cups / 500 ml blueberries, fresh or frozen
  

1. Beat margarine until fluffy. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla, beating after each addition until creamy.
   
2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
   
3. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk; stirring until well mixed.
   
4. Fold in blueberries.
   
5. Fill well-greased muffin tins almost to the top. Sprinkle crumb topping (recipe follows) on top of the batter.
   
6. Bake in 375° F / 190° C oven for 20-25 minutes.
   
7. Cool before removing from tins.
   

• ½ cup / 125 ml flour
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml sugar
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml margarine
  

1. Stir together flour and sugar; cut in margarine to make fine crumbs.
   

—Kathy

Kathy says

...............................................Yields 16 medium-sized muffins

• 1 cup / 250 ml brown sugar
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml butter or margarine, melted
  
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml whipping cream
  
• 45-60 pecan halves
  

1. Grease muffin tins.
   
2. Mix sugar, butter, and cream together. Using a teaspoon, distribute the topping evenly over the bottom of 16 muffin cups. Add 3 or 4 pecan halves to each cup.
   
3. Prepare muffin batter.
   

• 2 cups / 500 ml flour
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml sugar
  
• 1½ teaspoon / 7 ml baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon / 2 ml baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
  
• 1 large egg
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml vegetable oil
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml orange juice
  
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml orange zest
  
• 1¼ cup / 310 ml fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
  

1. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
   
2. In medium bowl, beat egg. Add oil, orange juice, and zest.
   
3. Add liquid mixture to dry mixture all at once, stirring until moistened; fold in the rhubarb.
   
4. Spoon batter over brown sugar/pecan mixture in muffin pans.
   
5. Bake at 350° F / 175° C for 25-30 minutes.
   
6. Remove from oven, loosen sides of muffins and turn upside down on a rack.
   

Tip:
These muffins are best served the same day. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. They will still be good the next day, but will be softer in texture. To make the muffins without the brown sugar/pecan topping, add ¾ cup / 175 ml chopped pecans to the muffin batter.

—Bev

Bev says

...............................................Yields approximately 30 rolls

• 2 cups / 500 ml flour
  
• 4 teaspoons / 20 ml baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
  
• ¾ cup / 175 ml shortening
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml sour cream
  
• ½ cup / 125 ml buttermilk
  
• 3-4 apples
  

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl; cut in shortening until size of peas.
   
2. Add sour cream and buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough forms into a ball and can be handled easily.
   
3. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
   
4. Roll out dough to the same thickness as a pie and cut into squares.
   
5. Peel and core the apples and cut into eighths.
   
6. Place a slice of apple diagonally in the center of each square piece of dough.
   
7. Bring up 2 corners of the dough and pinch together on top.
   
8. Bake at 400° F / 205° C for 16 minutes or until golden in color.
   

• 1 cup / 250 ml icing sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon / 2 ml vanilla
  
• 4 teaspoons / 20 ml warm water
  

1. Mix and brush on the apple rolls while still warm.
   

—Betty

Betty says

...............................................Yields 12 scones

• 2 cups / 500 ml flour
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml baking
  powder
  
• ½ teaspoon / 2 ml baking soda
  
• ¼ teaspoon / 1 ml salt
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml vanilla
  
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml orange or lemon zest
  
• ¼ cup / 60 ml butter
  
• 1 cup / 250 ml buttermilk
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1-2 cups / 250-500 ml blueberries
  

1. Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl.
   
2. With pastry blender, cut butter into dry ingredients until fine.
   
3. Mix liquid ingredients in a small bowl; add to dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries.
   
4. Drop by large tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking pans.
   
5. Bake at 400° F / 205° C for 20-22 minutes, depending on size.
   
6. Drizzle with glaze while still warm.
   

• ¾ cup / 175 ml icing sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml orange juice
  
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml lemon or orange zest
  

1. Mix to spreading consistency.
   

Tip:
To freeze blueberries: rinse to remove debris, spread out on paper towel-lined cookie sheets to dry and then fill large plastic containers and place in freezer.

—Anneliese

Anneliese says

A
lthough these are God’s words to the people of Israel, I can’t help but think how they apply to me. After losing her husband and two children in Russia, my grandmother fled to Germany with one young son, my father. He told us how he had to look for food in trash cans. It’s no wonder he would never allow us to complain at the table. If we fussed or found fault with the meal, it was just cause to send us away from the table. He knew both the pain of hunger and the blessing of having a table before him filled with food.

Today, we live in a land of plenty, boasting flowing wheat fields, wineries, orchards, dairy, and poultry farms. The city where I live happens to be one of the berry capitals of the world. No matter the season, we can find almost any ingredient to make delicious meals, snacks, and desserts. Yes, we have much more than we need.

I want to remember to give thanks, giving heed, lest I forget that it is the Lord God who gives.

—Anneliese