I hope you will enjoy these recipes as much as I do. I like to make
breads, but I'm a "cookie monster" too and could bake cookies all day
long. I think I missed my true calling in life and should have opened a
cookie shop about 30 years ago! )

Date Nut Orange Bread

1 orange
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Squeeze orange into a cup and fill with boiling water to make 1 cup
liquid. Put dates in bowl, add baking soda and cover with liquid. Let
stand about 20 minutes. Add sugar, butter, vanilla and egg and mix well.
Add flour, salt and baking powder and beat well. Stir in nuts. Pour into
well greased and floured 9 x 5" loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 50
minutes, or till tests done. Remove from pan immediately and cool
completely before wrapping up.
NOTE: I used the whole pitted dates and cut them up myself, as are much
softer than the already commercially chopped ones. Also next time I will
add some of the grated rind from the orange to give it more of a orange
flavor.

Strawberry Jam Bread

1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt (I cut in half)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 tsp. red food color

Cream together the butter, sugar and flavoring. Add eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each. Combine and add dry ingredients alternately
with jam and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Stir in food
coloring. Bake in two well greased and floured 9 x 5" loaf pans. Bake at
350 for about 55 minutes, or until done. Cool 15 minutes and remove from
pans.
NOTE: If I'm going to be giving them away at Christmas time, I bake them
in the smaller foil pans, rather than the bigger bread pans.

Pistachio Sour Cream Bread

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Butter Recipe cake mix
1 small pkg. pistachio instant pudding
1 cup dairy sour cream
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, combine cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, eggs, oil
and water. Beat well until smooth. In a bowl, toss together brown sugar,
cinnamon and nuts. Divide batter between two well greased/floured 9 x 5"
loaf pans, alternating layers of batter and sugar-cinnamon mixture,
ending with sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until it
tests done.

I also have a good recipe for Yogurt Bread, which I use raspberry
flavored yogurt in, and also a very good Apricot Bread, using dried
apricots cut up.

Judy