I love the site foodgawker.com. Today I browsed the pictures and came across a recipe for Apple Muffins. I happen to have granny smith apples that were begging to be used before they shriveled up into something like a shrunken head in a museum display.. Okay, they were not that bad!! I made them and they were fantastic! I also think they would make great cookies! Just remember to reduce the cooking time. My brown sugar was looking more solid than usable today, and I used sugar in the raw to sprinkle the tops with. Turned out great! The cooking time in my oven was more toward the 25 minute mark. I will use the sugar in the raw every time I make these. A BIG Thank you to the site that posted them:
Sift: ( She didn’t sift and either did I and they turned out great )
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups peeled, cored, diced apples (around 3 apples)
Brown sugar for topping (around 1/2 cup)
Directions:
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. The batter will be very thick. Add the diced apples.
Butter & flour muffin tins or use paper liners. Fill muffin tins to the top. Sprinkle with brown sugar (or Sugar in the Raw).
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 18-24 muffins.
For my daughter’s birthday I made pancakes for breakfast.
When I made the pancakes, I realized I didn’t have any milk. I’d say that is a pretty vital ingredient! Well, necessity is the mother of invention- I did have half and half and I used that instead… well they were very light and puffy. Try it sometime…
Here is what I do:
It pretty much follows the recipe on the box of Betty Crocker Bisquick Mix:
Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
1 cup Milk (or in a pinch half and half)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (my addition)
1 large can blueberries (my addition)
Combine the above ingredients. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat add a pat of butter and pour approximately 1/4 cup size batter in the prepared skillet. Add blueberries. I use canned blueberries — the brand I really like is: Oregon Fruit Products. The berries are huge – almost dime size! Allow to brown. Turn over with a spatula. Brown other side. Keep in a serving dish in the oven at 250 to keep warm until you have baked all of them. Serve with blueberry syrup, maple syrup and whipped cream — it was a birthday celebration after all! Enjoy!
Nothing screams comfort food to me more than lasagna. Something about it — I think it’s the carbs – call out my name and say “Eat ME!” My oldest daughter turns 13 this week and this was her requested Birthday meal – well, we started off with her favorite breakfast: blueberry pancakes, then had subway for lunch and lasagna for dinner. This is about the lasagna!
One of my friends gave me the recipe for Spinach Lasagna. It has been a recipe in our family for about 15 years now. I like having meat in my lasagna, so now I make the same recipe but add a package of cooked mild Italian sausage to the mix. I use the Barilla brand noodles because they are flat, but you could use any pasta you want. The best part of this is: you DON’T have to COOK the pasta ahead. Just lay them down in the lasagna dry! Terrific and easy to make! Even easier to eat. It is a great way to sneak in those vegetables that the kids won’t go near, but when mixed with cheese and pasta they don’t seem to notice.
Nan’s Spinach Lasagna – Nan P.
Ingredients
15 ounces Cheese, Ricotta
2 cups Cheese, Mozzarella — shredded
1 large Egg
10 ounces Spinach, Frozen, chopped — thawed and drained
1 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Oregano
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 clove Garlic — minced
2 cans Sauce, Spaghetti — 28 ounce each
8 ounces Lasagna noodles — uncooked
8 ounces Sausage, Italian, Sweet — optional
Instructions
Mix 1 cup Mozzarella, ricotta, egg, spinach, garlic, spices together. In a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, layer 1/2 cup sauce, 1/3 of noodles, cheese (optional cooked sausage), Repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, sauce. Top off with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes before serving.
I don’t know about you, but I love the meatloaf at Boston Market! I think the name of the chain used to be Boston Chicken, but they changed the name in the 90’s. I always wanted to be able to make it at home. I don’t think it is spot on but it does come close! — I’ve had issues with the meatloaf falling apart on me in the past, though that has been less of a problem when I added an egg to the mixture for binding. Our family has nicknamed it “lumpy meatloaf” for the very reason that it does not keep its shape very well. But that is forgiven, because it does have a really good flavor!
The recipe originates in one of the books by Todd Wilbur (Even More Top Secret Recipes: More Amazing Kitchen Clones of America’s Favorite Brand-name Foods). If you do not have the series of books, I think they are worth picking up. He has copycat recipes by common and popular food chains.
Instructions
For Sauce: Combine Tomato sauce, Barbecue sauce and sugar. in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until it begins to bubble, stirring often, then remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 400F
In a large bowl, add 1 cup of Tomato sauce to the meat. Use a large wooden spoon or your hands to work the sauce into the meat until it is well combined.
Combine the remaining ingredients with the ground sirloin – flour, salt onion powder, ground pepper, and garlic powder. Use the wooden spoon or your hands to work the spices and flour into the meat.
Load the meat into a loaf pan (preferably a meatloaf pan with the 2 sections that allows the fat to drain. but if you don’t have one of those a regular pan will work. Wrap foil over
the pan and place into the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the meatloaf from the oven, remove the foil and if you aren’t using a meatloaf pan, drain the fat.
Using a knife, slice the meatloaf all the way through into 8 slices while it is still in the pan. This will help to cook the center of the meatloaf. Pour about 2 Tbsp of reserved tomato sauce over the meatloaf and let it stream down the center. (do not spread the sauce)
Place the meatloaf back into the oven, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until it is done. Remove and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with remaining sauce.
Changes I have made: add an egg. I doubled the sauce because I like to have extra on the side. You can vary the flavor by using various BBQ-sauces.
My Aunt Helen is a wonderful cook. I had the honor of living with her and my Uncle briefly when I was in College and she would make these wonderful Strawberry Crepes for dessert. This was the summer that I met my husband. I still like to make these from time to time and now my children enjoy them too! Today I made them for breakfast.
Strawberry Crepes
Makes 12 crepes-Serves 4 (3 Crepes per serving)
For the CREPES:
1 cup bisquick mix
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
For the SOUR CREAM SAUCE:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 pints sliced fresh Strawberries
Grease a 6-7 inch non stick skillet lightly; heat until hot. Beat baking mix, milk and eggs with a hand beater or whip until smooth. For each crepe pour 2-3 Tablespoons batter into the skillet and rotate until the batter covers the bottom. Cook until golden brown. Gently loosen edge with spatula, turn and cook other side until golden brown. Stack placing waxed paper between each; keep covered to prevent them from drying out. Mix 1 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Hull and slice 1-2 pints fresh strawberries. Place 1 Tablespoon sour cream mixture across center of each crepe. Sprinkle with sliced berries. Roll and place on plate or serving platter. Repeat; Top with additional sour cream and berries. Enjoy!
For the crepes, I combined 1 cup Bisquick mix with 3/4 cups of milk and 2 eggs.
I use my favorite non stick pan. As I pour in the batter I rotate the pan so it is as thin as possible. I did add about 2 Tbps of milk in addition to the milk to make the batter a little thinner.
This helps the crepes to be very thin.
I have the sour cream and brown sugar mixture close at hand to fill the crepes.
And the strawberries as well
As I finish cooking the crepes I put them directly on the plates for serving, I find this slightly easier to assemble and then later I do not need to transfer them from a platter. While the next crepe is cooking I assemble the crepe and roll it and keep an eye on the crepe that is cooking so it does not overcook.
I put about 1 Tablespoon of the sour cream and sugar mixture down the middle of the crepe.
Next I put a few spoon fulls of sliced strawberries on the sour cream sauce
I roll up the crepe and place it to the side of the plate so I make room for the other 2 crepes.
After the crepes are finished I drizzle more sour cream sauce over the top of the crepes and add some more strawberries.
Set the plate aside while you finish the other three servings and present your loved ones with a treat that will keep their bellies smiling for a few hours.
This makes a great dessert for special guests, or a great brunch treat.
I did once make these for a gathering of 20 people, but my back actually started hurting from making the crepes. I would double this recipe, but making crepes one at a time for a larger group is not something I will do again.
I made these Calzones and the Italian-Style Pasta Salad for my
Pepperoni Calzones
husband’s birthday dinner.
You can easily add your own choice of filling. For my husband and myself we add artichoke hearts and mushrooms… play away to your heart’s desire.
The dough recipe was from a Betty Crocker Cookbook and I have made it so often now that it is fully memorized. Yes, it is good and don’t be intimidated by making your own dough, it is easy to do and if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer with a dough hook, just put it all in there and knead it. Easy easy easy!
Pepperoni Calzones – Betty Crocker
Dough Ingredients:
1 package Yeast, Active Dry
1 cup Water — warm
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
3 cups Flour
Filling:
8 ounces Tomato Sauce
4 ounces Mushrooms, Canned — stems and pieces
1 tsp Basil, Dried
1 tsp Oregano
1 clove Garlic — crushed
4 ounces Olives, Ripe — sliced
8 ounces Pepperoni — hormel mild
1 small Green Bell Pepper — chopped
1 cup Cheese, Mozzarella — shredded
1 largeEgg — beaten – to brush tops of dough before baking
Instructions
Dough preparation: Disolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour. Mix together well. Add flour ½ cup at a time to make a nice dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl and cover; allow to rise about 20 minutes. Divide into six equal portions and roll out into 7 inch circle on a lightly floured board..
Mix tomato sauce, mushrooms, basil, oregano, garlic, and olives together and spread over half of each circle within one inch of the edge. Top with pepperoni, green peppers and cheese. Carefully fold dough over filling and pinch edges to seal securely. Place on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rest about 15 minutes.Brush with beaten egg to give dough a nice sheen. Bake in 375° F oven for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
I originally found a recipe in “Taste of Home” Magazine that was an Italian Pasta, but I accidentally heated it up the first time I made and we discovered we loved it that way. Plus it had grated carrots in the original and we didn’t like it.. so a few changes later it is mine!
Italian Style Pasta Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
14 1/2 ounces Tomatoes, with garlic and onion — canned
16 ounces Caesar Dressing — Marie’s is good
2 Onions, Green — thinly sliced
15 ounces Artichokes, Canned — hearts, cut up
20 ounces Tortellini pasta, Cheese — refrigerated
1 medium Green Pepper — chopped
6 ounces Olives, Ripe — drained, pitted
3 ounces Pepperoni — sliced, mild
1/2 cup Cheese, Parmesan — shredded
Instructions
In a 13x9x2 inch baking dish combine first 7 ingredients. Add cooked tortellini pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and heat at 325° F for 30 minutes.
I love these wonderful egg rolls. I don’t remember what website I first found it or I would give them credit. I have made a few changes to the recipe. I substituted roasted peppers from the jar for regular red peppers and increased the cheese from 8 oz. This would be great at a party for a snack or to munch on while watching a game. (I was born without the “sports gene” so I do not grasp that activity! But I love food so don’t hate me!)
Southwest Egg Rolls
Serves 6-8
For the Egg Rolls:
2 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1 Tbsp.vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped roasted red bell peppers (jar)
1/2 tsp. fresh garlic, chopped fine
2 green onions, minced
12 oz. can cooked kernel corn, drained
12 oz. can cooked black beans, drained
10 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. jalapeño peppers, drained, chopped fine
1 taco seasoning envelope
12 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10-16 7”- flour tortillas
For the Sauce
1 each ripe avocado, mashed
1 each 8 oz. ranch dressing
For the Egg Rolls :
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the red pepper, onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add the cooked chicken, corn, black beans, spinach, Jalapeños and taco seasoning to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring so that the spinach becomes mixed evenly into the rest of the ingredients. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cheese until it is melted.
Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave them on high for 1 minute or until they become hot and soft. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into the center of the tortilla. Dampen the edges of the tortilla slightly so that it will seal well, then fold in the ends and roll the tortilla up tightly. Secure the ends with a toothpick. Repeat the procedure with the remaining ingredients.
Heat 6 cups of vegetable oil in a deep soup pot to 375. This takes about 5 minutes over high heat if you do not have a thermometer. Lower the egg rolls a few at a time and deep-fry them until they are golden brown on the outside. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.
To serve, slice each egg roll diagonally in half and serve on a plate around a pool of the avocado sauce.
For the Sauce:
Prepare the avocado ranch sauce by mixing the two ingredients together in a small bowl or with an immersion blender.
My husband had his birthday last week. Today it is Birthday Observed.
It started with my egg skillet breakfast that was inspired by another picture on foodgawker. I made my own changes.
Egg Skillet Breakfast
Serves 5
4 cups Hash brown potatoes, browned in oil (about 10 minutes)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 package bacon cut into strips
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 Haas Avocado, diced
1/2 cup Colby/Jack cheese, shredded
1-2 eggs per serving
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
I prepared the hash brown potatoes in a non stick skillet over high, turning occasionally. This process took about 10 minutes. Depending on your taste it may take longer or shorter. Season them with salt and pepper. When they are golden brown scoop them into a bowl and set aside. Use the same skillet to cook up the Onion and bacon pieces over medium heat until they are crisp. Remove the bacon and onion with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a few paper towels. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and put the chopped tomatoes in to just cook a minute or two.
Spray a ramekin or cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Layer the bottom with some hash browns. Just enough to cover the bottom. Top with bacon and onion, tomatoes, diced avocado, sprinkle with Colby Jack Cheese. Crack and egg and put on top (you might want to make a little well so the egg does not decide to go to the side).
Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and put in preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes to desired doneness. The egg white should be cooked but the yolk still a little runny. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Warn the little ones that the dish is hot.
My husband said it was worthy of a Birthday Breakfast. That is all I needed to know!
I made sliders yesterday evening. I had tried a recipe that an Aunt had given me, but to be honest the burgers were pretty salty, but in case you are interested the ingredients are:
Castle Burgers
2 3/4 lbs ground beef
2 envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 tsp peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
Combine all ingredients. Shape into small patties. Bake in a 350 degree F. preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Top with cheese and serve on mini burgers. Sara Lee makes nice mini burgers. They come in packages of 12 which is perfect for this recipe. You will have some mini burgers left, but double stack them if you dare!
granny smith apples that were begging to be used before they shriveled up into something like a shrunken head in a museum display.. Okay, they were not that bad!! I made them and they were fantastic! I also think they would make great cookies! Just remember to reduce the cooking time. My brown sugar was looking more solid than usable today, and I used sugar in the raw to sprinkle the tops with. Turned out great! The cooking time in my oven was more toward the 25 minute mark. I will use the sugar in the raw every time I make these. A BIG Thank you to the site that posted them:
Goodcookbecky's Blog 