Everyone knows that tea is delicious with breakfast, especially on cold, rainy mornings when water streams down the window panes and cars make splashing sounds as they drive by.

Although not all of my favorite fall recipes are just for breakfast, they do go perfectly with a black or Earl Grey tea.

Pumpkin Bread

2 slightly beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Optional: 1 cup chopped cranberries.  I never add them, because I don’t care for “squishy things” in my bread.  But I digress.  Here’s how to make it:

Combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin; mix well.  Combine the flour, pie spice, soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Pour the pumpkin mixture into the well; stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in cranberries (if wanted).  Spoon the batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 3 ¾ x 2 ½-inch aluminum loaf pans.  Bake in a moderate oven (350° F) for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Makes two loaves.

This is probably (okay, definitely) my favorite fall recipe.  But I have a couple of others.  Although I haven’t yet tried the next one with tea, it is bound to be delicious with it.

Shortbread

2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter

First, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Put a sifter in a mixing bowl.  Measure the flour and salt into the sifter and sift together into the bowl.  Be sure the brown sugar is firmly packed into the measuring cup.  Then add it into the bowl and mix well.  Add butter to the mixing bowl.  Mix it together until you have pea-sized lumps.  Then use your fingertips to work the batter until it is smooth (make sure your hands are clean!).  Put the mixture into an 8 x 8-inch glass pan and prick it everywhere with a fork.  Cook for 20 minutes.  It will turn light brown and pull away from the sides of the pan.

One of the other good things about shortbread is that it is good all year round.  My final recipe is good with almost any type of tea that isn’t too citrus-y.

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 ½ cups mushed ripe banana (3 or 4 medium sized)
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease the bottom only of a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.  Mix the sugar and butter in a 2 ½-quart bowl.  Stir in the eggs until blended; add bananas and water; beat 30 seconds.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until moistened.  Pour into the pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes; cool 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan to cool completely.

Hopefully, these three recipes will prove as delicious to everyone else as they are to me.  Enjoy!

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