Pumpernickel Bread

If you prefer a lighter pumpernickel, just replace the cocoa with an additional 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and use a light instead of a dark molasses.

3 packages active dry yeast
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup dark molasses
3 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons caraway seed (optional)
2 and 3/4 cups rye flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 and 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
Cornmeal

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water; stir in the molasses, salt, caraway, rye flour and cocoa, and beat until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make the dough easy to handle.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl, and turn greased side up (so all the exterior surface gets greased). Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Punch down dough, round up and return to bowl. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes.

Lightly sprinkle cornmeal on a greased baking sheet (no greasing needed if it's a non-stick sheet, but still sprinkle it with the cornmeal). Punch down the dough, and divide it in half. Shape each half into a round, slightly flat loaf, and put these on the baking sheed. Let rise one hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes; loaves are ready if they sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

French Bread

Just for informations' sake: I really don't recommend ever using self-rising flour, for any bread recipe. And flour amounts will vary, depending on your location's humidity, temperature and even altitude. For most breads --- and particularly for ones like this French bread, where you really want a crunchy crust! --- you should remove the loaves from the pans or baking sheets right away, and cool them on wire racks: letting bread cool in the pan usually results in a loaf sweating, making a much softer, if not downright soggy, crust.

If you'd like to, you can divide this into four submarine loaves, instead of a single loaf of french bread.

1 package active dry yeast
1 and 1/4 cups 105-115 degree warm water
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
3 and 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
Cold water
1 egg white

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in salt, butter and 1 and 1/2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough additional flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up so all sides are greased. Cover and let rise until double, 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours; dought is ready when and indentation remains when touched.
Punch down dough; round up and let rise one hour. Punch down again, cover and let rest 15 minutes.
Sprinkle cornmeal onto a lightly-greased baking sheet. (If you're using a non-stick sheet you can omit the greasing.) Roll the dough out into a 15x10 inch rectangle, then roll it up tightly beginning at one of the long sides. Pinch edges to seal, and place the loaf on the baking sheet sealed-edge down.
Make 1/4 inch slashes diagonally every two inches across the loaf, or one lenghtwise slash. Brush the top with cold water and let rise uncovered 1 and 1/2 hours. Brush the top again with cold water.
Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Beat the egg white with two tablespoons cold water, and brush this over the loaf. Bake an additional 25 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Quick Dinner Rolls

This is a batter recipe: no need for kneading or shaping, and they only take about an hour and a half from start to finish.

I package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
2 and 1/4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water; add sugar, salt, butter and 1 cup of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour, beat until smooth.
Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
Stir down batter, then spoon it into 12 greased muffin cups. Let rise until batter reaches the top of the cups, about 20-30 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Brownies

Like cornbread, there's no need to bother with any pre-packaged brownie mixes: it's cheaper, better-tasting and just as easy to make your own from scratch. Also, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of powdered cocoa plus 1 tablespoon of butter for each square of the unsweetened baking chocolate.

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 chopped nuts (optional)

Melt chocolate and butter. Mix flour with baking powder and salt.
Beat eggs well, and gradually beat in sugar; blend in chocolate and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, add nuts.
Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Cool, cut into approximately 20 brownies.

Fettucine Alfredo

My father was an enthusiastic amateur cook; he worked in a bakery for several years as a teenager, and originally even intended to be a cook or baker when he joined the Navy. He'd do a recipe over and over until he'd gotten it right, even though by the time he got ones like this fettucine Alfredo recipe perfected, he was often facing a family mutiny from eating the same thing night after night.....

Make sure you make this in a warm casserole or chafing dish to keep the cheese from clumping up, and continue to keep warm while serving. Toss thoroughly after each addition in order to incorporate as much air as possible, but also do it as quickly as possible.

2 tablespoons salt
4 quarts boiling water
1 pound fettucine egg noodles, 1/4 inch wide
4 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup slightly-warmed heavy cream

Cook noodles in boiling salted water 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain in colander.
Pour hot noodles into a hot 2 quart casserole or a hot chafing dish over a warmer.
Add butter one tablespoon at a time, tossing each time until the noodles are well-coated.
Add cheese 1/2 cup at a time, tossing until well-coated after each addition. Add cream and toss.
Finish with several twists of freshly-ground black pepper.

Corn Bread

There's absolutely no reason to get the pre-packaged corn bread mixes, when doing it from scratch is just as easy and tastes MUCH better! If you'd rather have muffins, fill 12 greased muffin cups 2/3 full, and bake for 20 minutes.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Mix egg and milk together; add to the dry ingredients. Stir until its just mixed. Pour into a greased 9x9 inch pan.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Mushrooms Florentine

I really ought to be ashamed to admit it, but I found this recipe in a cheesy romance novel. I don't remember much about the book, but I do like these mushrooms!

24-30 large mushrooms
10 ounces frozen spinach
2 cloves finely-minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Italian gread crumbs
6 ounces softened cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 and 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Clean mushrooms and set on paper towels to dry. Remove stems, chop, and set aside to use later.
Cook spinach without salt and drain thoroughly; mix the spinach in a food processor or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Saute garlic in butter about one minute. Remove from heat. Dip mushroom caps in the butter/garlic mixture, coating well, and place in a 9x13 baking dish.
Stir the chopped mushroom stems and onion into the remaining butter/garlic mixture and saute until tender.
Combine spinach, cream cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl; add sauted mushroom mixture and mix well. Spoon into the mushroom caps and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.