By Sandy Holthaus
I am just going to say it, our house can get cold. I woke up the other day to just 59 degrees. I could not see my breath but it was
definitely a morning to don a pair of slippers to avoid the chilly floors. I turned on the fireplace, poured a cup of coffee and cuddled under a blanket in the living room until it was nice and toasty. That’s the nice thing about a chilly house, it feels so good when it warms up. The downside is all the dishes in the cupboard are cold too and the coffee cools down really, really fast.
It’s not that we are stingy, Mike and I like just to sleep with a little chill in the air. Our house is very well insulated so it heats up during the day and holds the warmth most of the night. I also like piles and piles of blankets on the bed. When we have company, our guests have small space heaters to keep their rooms warmer if they like. My favorite thing is to turn on the oven and throw in some cinnamon bread or muffins to start the day off right. By mid-morning you’d never know there had been a chill in the air. Just stepping outside for a minute or two and the house feels really warm when you come back in, I guess it could be colder.
When I was young, we had a small house that was not that well insulated. You could tell because icicles hung from every side of the house where the hot air escaped. We didn’t have running water either, so of course, there was an outhouse in the back. Now that is a cold seat! There were some mornings we would wake up to see our breath hang in the air. Just sticking out your toes to the frosty air was challenging. My mom would heat up the oven, open the door and we’d wave our clothes in front of the stove before getting dressed. After stoking the wood stove the house would be almost too hot. There really wasn’t a happy medium in that house until we built on and added better insulation. I do remember bringing the pants in off the clothes line that would stand up by themselves. Now that’s “Just Chillin’”.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” ~ Alfred Wainwright
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine flour, one cup sugar, baking soda and salt. Combine buttermilk, egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining sugar.
Grease the bottom only of a 9×5 in. loaf pan. Pour half the batter into pan; sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar. Carefully spread with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Granny’s Apple Cake
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (you can sub 1
cup milk to 1 teaspoon vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups chopped baking apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 325. Mix ingredients in order given (except the last three ingredients).
Pour batter into a 9×13 greased pan. Combine last three ingredients to make a topping and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. Bake for 45 minutes. It’s delicious when served warm.
Cheddar Onion Bread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
cheese
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease one eight inch round or one 8×8 inch square pan.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt, cut in two tablespoons of the butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in half cup of the grated cheese. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Fry the onion in one tablespoon of the butter clear and golden. Set aside.
In a small bowl beat the egg and stir in the milk and the cooked onion. Pour egg mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. You will have a soft dough. Pat dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining half cup grated cheese over top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve hot. Makes about six servings.