Mythic Scribes "Cook Book" Thread!

But if I pass out the secret family recipes, everyone will know how to make it and it will no longer be special!

But more seriously I can give tips on how to make the perfect pumpkin bread (and share one good, non-secret recipe for it). All tips are dependent upon current dissatisfaction with your recipe.

If you're doing any sweet bread, put the oven at a lower temperature (like 25-50 degrees Fahrenheit lower) and cook for a bit longer. (Depending on what your recipe states. If it's like most breads, at 375, most ovens turn bread into solid rock) 20-30 minutes longer for your average loaf--average loaf being what you can fit in a tin-foil loaf pan. Not all ovens are alike, though, so if you have a super fancy one and it keeps your breads moist and soft don't mess with the temperature. If you are fussing with temperature, keep your eye on it checking every 3 minutes or so once the bread starts to crack at the top. You want your trusty toothpick of testing (+3) to come out clean and without a struggle, but not slide right in and out.

Also, to make your pumpkin bread extra flavorful, if your recipe calls for nutmeg and/or cinnamon, add an extra 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon above what the recipe calls for. I'd go 1/8 extra for nutmeg (it can come on pretty strong) and extra 1/4 for cinnamon. If your pumpkin bread recipe doesn't call for ground cloves, add 'em. It is so worth it. I'd say max 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp, depending on how savory you want it.

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread (this is more savory than sweet, and makes a great breakfast as it's super-filling):

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15oz.) can pumpkin
2/3 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Beat first 14 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in pecans. Spoon evenly into 2 greased and floured 9 x 5 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Yield: 2 loaves

Y'all are on your own for tips on how to make the awesomest apple pie in existence. Or cookies. Those are top secret classified recipes.

 

I posted a while back:
Dragon bread (Beer bread made easy)
3 cups self rising flour
2 cups sugar
1 beer(12oz) (preferably dark lager.)

place in cold oven bake at 350f 75minutes or until done. Crust will be crisp.

Disclaimer: must be 21 to buy Beer in the USA.

 

I should say:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then bake.

 

King Ranch Chicken Soup

This is a 'Who Dun It' soup that's based on the King Ranch Chicken Casserole recipe. If you don't know what a 'Who Dun It' is, well, if it's good, you did it. If it's terrible, you don't know who done it.

This is essentially a flexible dump soup.

1 crock pot
2 cans of corn (don't use creamed)
1 large or 2 small cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel Tomatoes and Chilis (there are store brands that are the same thing)
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts diced
salt and pepper to taste

Cook on high at least until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. I tend to make it an all day thing to let the flavors cook in.

Add a package of shredded cheese when you consider it done. (I prefer sharp. The size of package depends on how large of a batch you've made and your personal tastes. I usually use a 3 cup package)

Serve with tortilla chips.

 

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

1 (3 pound) chicken, boiled and deboned
1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (( I don't like cream of mushroom soup, I usually use 2 cans of the creamed chicken soup))
1 onion, chopped
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C.)

Layer the chips in a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Combine the tomatoes, chicken soup, mushroom soup and onion. Pour half of mixture over chips. Layer the chicken pieces, half of the cheese and the remaining soup mixture. (( You can save half the chips to layer on top before baking))

Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

 

Hemingway's favourite burger recipe
BBC News - Hemingway's favourite burger recipe

Ernest Hemingway

 

Peanut patties are like peanut brittle's Southern cousin. This recipe is from one of our favorite cookbooks, "Texas Home Cooking", by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.

3 cups sugar
3 cups raw peanuts
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few drops of red food coloring
Lay a large piece of waxed paper on a dishtowel on a counter.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, peanuts, corn syrup and water. Stirring constantly over medium heat, cook the mixture to the high end of the soft ball stage, 234°F.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients, adding enough food coloring to get a vibrant red shade. Stir the mixture frequently for approximately 20 minutes, or until it cools to about 125°F. The mixture will become very thick and creamy opaque, and the peanuts will be suspended.

Immediately spoon out the mixture in patties, the larger the better. Let the patties sit for at least 1 hour before eating them. Their texture should be chewy like nougat rather than creamy like praline. Wrap them individually for storage. They'll keep a week.

 

This must be what my grandmother used to make all the time (one of the two deserts she could actually do). I've never known what they're called, and we always called it "brittle". I was a bit surprised when I bought peanut brittle for the first time and discovered that what we made and ate was not brittle. To find out that it's a Southern thing, that really shouldn't surprise me at all...and it would explain the confusion when I've tried to explain to candy shops what I wanted.

Thank you for sharing the recipe since my grandmother never wrote anything down.

 

An added tip: I don't use parchment paper, I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and rub butter over it. It helps keep it from sticking and that little extra touch of butter adds to the taste.

It's not just a southern thing, I think it's more of a Texas thing, in that I live in Virginia and people around here have no clue what peanut patties are. They're a comfort food for me and every couple of months I'll make a big batch of them.