Cantaloupe Quick Bread

Cantaloupe Bread

I use a stand mixer, but a sturdy electric hand mixer will do nicely.

Clean, slice and place very ripe cantaloupe in a blender and puree

Pureed cantaloupe

Sift and combine dry ingredients in a large bowl

Combine wet ingredients with mixer

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients by hand

prepare loaf pans

baked bread, cooling on wire racks

Loaves removed from pan and glazed while still very warm

Our garden had OVER-PRODUCED cantaloupe this past year and they just kept on coming!  The fruit was little, but oh-so-sweet... but we couldn't eat them fast enough! Rather than letting them spoil, I found and made MAJOR modifications to a pumpkin bread recipe which now works beautifully with ripe to very ripe cantaloupe. We loved this bread! The bread did NOT taste like cantaloupe, it tasted like a sweet, moist lightly-spiced quick-bread. Very delicate flavor. It's easy to make and worth the effort. I think you'll be really surprised!

Cantaloupe Quick Bread

3 eggs
1 cup coconut or canola oil
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups gently pureed cantaloupe (I used my blender; pulsing the puree button. Do not liquefy)
3 cups all-purpose flour (NOT self-rising flour and measure first, then sift)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Glaze
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon extract
Enough milk to make a thick glaze (you won’t need much and use a metal whisk; it’s thick!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and cantaloupe puree. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger. STIR (not mix)  flour mixture into cantaloupe mixture; stir to combine. Do not overwork the batter; stir just until no traces of flour remain. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean. 

(While the bread is baking, make the glaze. Add the lemon to the powdered sugar. Stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick glaze is reached. When you lift the whisk, it should fall in an even stream and form a ribbon before disappearing.)

When loaves are finished baking, set pans on cooling rack, cool 8 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and set directly on cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Spoon glaze onto loaves right away until glaze covers the top of the loaf and drizzles down the side. Leave on racks until cool. Wrap loosely when completely cool.

Bon Appetite!!

Priscilla Farmer
Lake Fort Phantom Hill
Jones County Texas

Potato Soup, comfort food!

Creamy Potato Soup

12 oz. Hickory smoked bacon

8 stalks celery, chopped and 1 large yellow onion, diced

Skillet cook celery and onions in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat, until soft

Make a roux using 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup flour. 
Stir continuously until smooth. Don't let it brown.

Pour 1 gallon whole milk into roux, add celery, onion, potatoes and spices. 
Stir continuously until near boiling.

 8 to 10 YELLOW or GOLD (not Russet!!) potatoes into 1/2" chunks

Cook soup on very low for 1 to 2 hours or until potatoes are done, stirring OFTEN. 

Prep time: 30 to 45 minutes, cooking  time 1 1/2 to 2 hours.       

This easy, delicious potato soup is my daughter's favorite soup. When she doesn't feel good or just needs a "Mom" fix, she asks for this soup.  Honestly, it couldn't be easier!  Ready?  Okay..here we go!

PREPARATION:

Brown 12 ounces of hickory smoked bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Coarse chop the bacon, set it aside.

Chop 8 celery stalks and 1 large yellow onion (I don't chop all of the celery because my daughter doesn't like to eat celery. I only chop a little bit into the soup, the rest I leave in whole stalks and cook in the soup for flavor. I take them out and throw them away when the soup is done.)  Add the celery and onions to the bacon fat and cook on low (don't brown them) until cook just tender.

Peel 8 to 10 yellow or gold potatoes and chop into 1/2" chunks. Set aside. DO NOT USE RUSSETS, they are horrible in this soup and don't cook well.

                       

In your soup pot, melt 1 stick of butter (not margarine) and add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Stir continuously to make a roux, but don't brown the roux. Cook only until smooth.

Add one gallon of whole milk to the soup pot. Stir in the celery, onions, potatoes and coarse chopped bacon.

To the pot; add 1/2 cup of Knorr Brand chicken bouillon granules (from a jar, not cubes) add 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes. 

COOK:

Stirring continuously, cook soup over medium/low heat until near boiling (this will take about a half and hour) then turn down heat to lowest setting on your stove and simmer covered. Stir VERY often because this milk based soup will stick, will boil over and will burn or scorch if you aren't careful. 

After about a half an hour, put 1 cup of cold water in a jar with a screw on lid; add 1/2 cup of flour, screw lid down and shake until smooth. Stir the smooth flour mixture into the soup pot and stir. Continue to cook until soup is completely thickened and potatoes are tender. 

Adjust the spices to suit your taste..I like a lot of pepper, you may not.  There is salt in the bouillon so go easy with the salt until you taste it.

Serve with French bread or saltine crackers.

Bon Appetit from Deep in the Heart of Texas! ♥
Priscilla Farmer, Lake Fort Phantom Hill, Jones County, Texas