Cinnamon Friendship Bread

Do NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing. Do NOT refrigerate. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment. Burp Ziploc bag as needed.

Day 1: Do nothing.
Day 2: Mush the bag.
Day 3: Mush the bag.
Day 4: Mush the bag.
Day 5: Mush the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7: Mush the bag.
Day 8: Mush the bag.
Day 9: Mush the bag.
Day 10: Follow the instructions below:

1. Pour entire content of the bag into a NON-METAL bowl.
2. Add 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups milk. Mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Measure 1 cup batter into each of four 1 -gallon Ziploc bags labeled with the date. Keep a started for yourself and give the other three bags to friends, along with a copy of the recipe.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. To the remaining batter add the following:
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 tsp salt
6. Grease two large loaf pans or place cups in muffin tins. Muffins bake in 30 minutes.
7. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans the mixture. Use remaining mixture to top batter once in pans.
8. Pour batter evenly into the two pans and top with remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture.
9. Bake for 1 hour. Cool the bread until it loosens evenly from the pans (about 10 minutes).
10. Serve warm or cold.

If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days.

Marty's Famous Bread Dunk

Ingredients:
4 Bars of Cream Cheese
1 5oz. jar of sliced, dried beef (cut into 3/4" square chunks)
4 green onions (chopped - use all but the end of the white tip)
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
14 dashes of garlic salt
14 dashes of ground black pepper
2 8" to 10" round loaves of bread

Directions:
With a mixer or in a food processor, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Add the spices. Add the beef and onions. Hollow out one loaf of bread and fill with the mixture. Wrap the loaf tightly in foil. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Cut the removed bread and a whole 2 second loaf into 1 1/2" cubes for dipping. Serve warm.

Options: For those who don't eat beef, try Bacos as a substitute.

Banana Bread

Got some old, browning bananas on the counter? Here's a quick, simple Banana Bread recipe that Naomi got from her mom.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening or butter, or butter flavored shortening... whichever you prefer
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed bananas
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add bananas. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to banana mixture. Pour into greased 9x9x2 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Our Personal touches:
We always use butter instead of shortening. Sometimes we add a handful of crushed chocolate chips or some walnuts. We don't recommend baking in a real loaf pan. The mixture is to deep and the center comes out doughy. We found that it bakes better in a bunt pan (and has a nice presentation as well). When baking in a bunt pan, bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.