This recipe is for when you want cake from a box only make it taste really good! I spent about a week exploring cake mix variations I could make, and this one is quite good.
Pumkin Cake
Preheat oven to 350′
Mix together:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can pumkin
2 tsp pumkin spice
or
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 tsp ground clove & 1/4 ground ginger
pour in greased 9×13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes
Wonderful cooled and frosted with a cream cheese frosting.

Lemon Drop Cookies
These were a hit. Usually lemon cookies are mild-these are not. They pack a delicious and wonderful lemony punch that makes you want more.
Preheat oven to 350′
Mix together:
1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
mix ingredients. form dough into small balls and roll in confectioners sugar.
Bake for 6-9 minutes. They should be gooey on the inside when fresh out of the oven, and make a delicous chewy cookie when cooled.
If you have any left by then, that is….

I love bread. Yeah, I know, I love food. But nothing beats the smell of freshly baked homemade bread. I don’t make bread in the summer because of the heat, but come fall and winter, I love to start up my baking again. This recipe is very simple. I don’t do anything fancy, just mix, rise and bake.Yes it takes some time to rise, but the prep and baking time is short. So while it’s rising, take the time to do some cleaning, play with your kids, or pay some bills. I made 24 of these, and they lasted 2 days for a family of 4. They are wonderful fresh, hot with butter, maybe  jam, or just cold. It’s practically dessert on it’s own. You can also reheat leftovers. Just wrap in tinfoil and place in preheated oven (350′) for 10-15 minutes.

Oh yeah! Don’t want the rolls? This is some of the other things you can shape with this exact same recipe!

Ok. The old way was hard, these days the Kitchen-Aid Mixer is the ultimate in kitchen devices.(http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/index.asp)

In mixer bowl mix:   ( with beater attachment on about 3)

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 pkg yeast, or 2 1/2 tsp= 1 pkg

2/3 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 sugar or honey

1 3/4 cup warm-hot water from your tap. ideally about 100′-120′

Beat smooth. Put dough hook on mixer.  Add 3-3 1/2 cups flour. I use the ‘2′ setting on mine, and mix then knead for around 2-3 minutes. It’s a fairly sticky dough, so I often dip my fingers in flour to help keep it from sticking on me too badly.

grease a nice big mixing bowl, turn out dough into it. Cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in bulk. One trick is I put it in a cool oven and place a bowl of boiling hot water on the rack below.

Grease 9×13 glass pan, preheat oven to 375′.

Punch down the dough, then start forming the rolls. I usually start by separating into four pieces, then make the rolls, etc. until there are 24 even size balls. As I form each ball, I place it in the greased pan, they should just fit. After the pan is ready, set it in a semi-warm place (on top of the stove can be good as long as it doesn’t actually get hot) and let rise again, until up to the top of the pan. Then brush with egg wash (1 beaten egg with a little water added) gently, and pop in the oven for about 30 minutes. The rolls should sound kind of hollow when tapped, and beautifully browned on top. Loosen sides and invert to take out of pan. I like to serve in a basket it two large pieces, and let everyone pull off their roll.

This will impress your family or guests. No preservatives, you can do honey so no sugar, and they taste like heaven. The smell of freshly baked bread can make anyone ready to eat!

I highly recommend this when you make something simple like a crockpot soup. That way you don’t have too much else work to do. Great for a Saturday or Sunday early supper.

Sweet Bread Version::::::::

Make dough as directed but add 1 tsp orange extract.

after first rising, knead in 1 1/2 minced dried fruit (if too dried out to mince, soak in OJ then drain before using)

knead and braid.  After you braid and let it rise again, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with minced, sliced almonds.

Bake for about 30 inutes at 375′

braided on flat cookie sheet or braided and baked in loaf pan