Do Try This At Home!

Although I haven't been posting regularly, that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. In fact I have (except for during this past week, when I have been felled by an ankle injury), and some of the things I've cooked in the past month have been pretty darn amazing!

These Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas were more than pretty amazing. They were extremely amazing! When I told Aaron that chicken enchiladas were on the menu, he was picturing enchiladas with some sort of red sauce. He's not one for creamy sauces, so when he saw this green-ish, vaugely creamy-looking (it's better than it sounds, promise!) sauce, he was not thrilled. He took his first bite with trepidation, but then finished the whole enchilada without comment, and then sighed contentedly before digging into a second. These were not small enchiladas, so that was impressive. I toyed with the idea of halving the recipe, but I'm glad I didn't. We froze half and can't wait to eat them sometime soon. I made two small adjustments to the recipe, purely based on what ingredients I had on hand: I only used two avocados, and I substituted a teaspoon of ground coriander because the grocery store was out of cilantro when I went.

For father's day dinner, I kind of went all-out with the man food. We had Glazed Double-Cut Pork Chops (and here, as a brief aside, is the story of confusing the butcher when asking for double cut pork chops: "Butterflied?" he asked, "No, double thick. Two inches thick. Two bones thick," said I. "Hmmm....." he pondered. "See those bone-in pork loin chops right there? I want the equivalent of four of those, but in only two chops." "Are you sure?" "Quite." And then he asked me to share the recipe because he was intrigued), which were FANTASTIC, including the glaze/BBQ sauce which we saved/froze and which Gabbie has been using on her chicken ever since.

We also had "Mom's Famous Southern-Style Baked Beans" which I made pretty much exactly as written, except I made 2/3 of the recipe based on the sizes of cans of beans I could find. These were so good I almost ate them for breakfast the next day, and happily ate them with every meal until they were gone. I'm not huge on leftovers, so the fact that I ate the leftovers of these is pretty much a testament to how incredible the were. I will definitely be making these again.

I also made up some breakfast burritos that I think are pretty much perfect:

Breakfast burritos are one of my very favorite foods, and I'm a more than a little embarrassed to admit that I eat a fast food breakfast burrito or two a couple of times a week. I have been looking for a made-at-home substitute for a while to alleviate the shame, and I think this may be it. The best part? You can assemble them ahead of time (except for the salsa) and they reheat beautifully, so they make a super-fast weekday breakfast. Here's the recipe:

Jessie's Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

1 lb. frozen hash brown potato cubes

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. bulk maple breakfast sausage

1 small onion, diced

1 jalepeno, diced (seeds and ribs removed if you want it less spicy) 

4 eggs, well beaten

6 slices american cheese

6 burrito size flour tortillas

your favorite salsa

To make:

Cook hash browns according to package directions, adding the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper as they cook. Remove from pan and set aside.

Return pan to heat. Crumble sausage and add to pan. About halfway through cooking the sausage, add the onion and jalepeno. When sausage is cooked through, and onion and jalepeno are soft and slightly browned, remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.

Let the pan cool for a couple of minutes, and then add some oil or butter, coat the pan, and add the eggs. Return to heat, slowly stirring the eggs to scramble them. When the eggs almost fully cooked, remove the pan from the heat, add the potatoes and sausage mixture back to the pan, and stir to combine.

If you'd like, you can stop here, sprinkle on some shredded cheddar cheese, and eat as a scramble for breakfast.

To assemble the burritos, place a tortilla on a plate, tear the slice of american cheese in half and place end to end on the tortilla. Top with a generous spoonful of the filling, and roll into a burrito (fold in sides, then roll from side closest to you to close). If you're going to eat them right away, add the salsa before you roll the burrito. Otherwise, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. When you're ready to eat them, remove the burrito from the plastic wrap and microwave for 60-90 seconds, add salsa, and enjoy! (If you froze them, put a burrito in the refrigerator before bed to thaw, then proceed as directed for refrigerated burritos.)

Monday Meal Planning 2.27.12

Well, that was an unexpected absence. Things were CRAZY last week, and meal planning just didn't happen. I don't know why I do that - meal plans tend to make my life easier than flying by the seat of my pants and having to decide on meals last minute.

Well, wait, I do know a little of the reason I didn't do a plan. I have lost my will to cook a little bit. My kids, as adorable as they are, absolutely kill my will to cook by not eating anything. Seriously, anything. Sophie will eat cheese and carbs, and Gabbie will eat fruit and sugar. Not only do these two things not overlap, but they're not exactly what I want them to be eating all the time. I mean, the fruit isn't bad, but some vegetables and meat would be good too.

I'm hoping to win them over tonight with a pot roast. Who doesn't love pot roast? (Don't answer that.) I'm also making room in my freezer this week by making many of our meals out of things I've frozen (meat, pre-formed chicken pillows, bolognese, chicken, pizza dough). I'm hoping that makes this week much easier in terms of the time it takes to make the meals my kids refuse to eat. Ahem.

On to the plan!

Monday: Three packet pot roast, with carrots, potatoes, and celery

Tuesday: Chicken pillows, broccoli, rice pilaf

Wednesday: Cheese ravioli with bolognese, salad, garlic bread

Thursday: Chicken spaghetti, broccoli, fruit

Friday: Homemade pizza (like usual), salad, fruit

Saturday: Tomato, basil, parmesan soup, 7 layer salad

Sunday: (brunch) Most likely quiche of some sort, and fruit salad

Monday Meal Planning 2.13.12

Here we are, at the beginning of another crazy-busy week! This week we have ballet class, Valentine's Day and its related parties, two nights of 10K training for my husband, and I swear that this will be the week that I finally get my butt into the company provided gym that is loaded and which I get to use for free. I really have no excuse not to go!

Anyway, I was thinking this weekend that we have gotten in the rut of eating too much meat again. For a while we were only eating meat once or twice a week and I liked that, but now we're back to having meat almost every night. I'm hoping to work on that starting this week.

On to the meal plan!

Monday: Brisket, 7-layer salad, potato salad, macaroni and cheese (for the kiddos)

We actually had almost this exact same dinner last night, and since I made enough for two families, we're having it again tonight. It doesn't hurt that this is one of our favorite meals. I hadn't planned on cooking a big meal last night, but then we went to the butcher shop on Friday and brisket was on sale, and, well, I love a good brisket. I'll share the recipe for this and the salad tomorrow, probably. (I LOVE 7 LAYER SALAD, and I don't care who knows it.)

Tuesday: Valentine's Day Dinner! Heart-shaped Pasta with Four Cheese Sauce, Salad, Foccacia

On Saturday I hit my limit of togetherness with my toddler, and abruptly decided to leave the house for a little breathing space. With no plan in mind on where to go, I ended up at my favorite Italian grocer/bakery and purchased heart-shaped pasta, some pink pasta sauce, and a beautiful foccacia (not to mention some cannoli and eclairs, but those are long gone). I think pink sauce on heart pasta will be perfect for Valentine's day dinner.

Wednesday: Schweine-Schnitzel, Saurkraut Pierogi, Broccoli

Another of our favorite dinners, and another butcher shop impulse buy. We all love this dinner. Last time I made it I had a visiting toddler in the house and both she and Gabbie asked for seconds, which NEVER, EVER happens. It's that good! I'll have to share this recipe, too.

Thursday: Vegetarian Chili in the slow cooker, Corn Bread

I haven't settled on a chili recipe, yet. The cornbread is my mom's recipe, and is the perfect companion for any kind of chili.

Friday: As usual, Homemade Pizza, Salad

I love traditions, especially this one!

Saturday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

I know I said this would be a meat-lite week, and meatloaf is pretty much the opposite of that, but it's a request from the husband, so I put it on the plan.

Sunday: (Breakfast) Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs and Toast

This is one of Aaron's specialties, and I actually don't know what all he puts in it, because he usually makes as a treat for me and gives me a chance to relax with a cup of coffee while he cooks. He's pretty awesome sometimes.

Monday Meal Planning 1.6.12

I don't know what it is about 2012, but both my husband and I have started out this new year with renewed motivation. However, this has led to schedules that are way more crazy-busy than normal. This is also conference abstract season, which means I'm doing a heck of a lot more writing than normal, and, due to a very sad and unfortunate situation at work I'm possibly taking on a little heavier workload than normal for a couple of months. (Oh, and my favorite member of my team is taking on another, well-deserved role in our program, but that means I have to hire another person, and that takes months too, so even more work.)

So, what this all means is that I am having to find meals to make that are even quicker than usual. There are a couple repeats on this menu from last week, because I made last minute substitutions a couple of times when I wasn't in the mood for what we were planning on eating that night. (We had cheeseburger salad instead of squash, and spaghetti and turkey meatballs instead of tomato soup.)

On to the plan!

Monday: Broccoli Cheese Soup (half recipe), and fruit
Tuesday: Salsa Verde Chicken tacos (using my Foodie Penpals salsa from Elizabeth) and refried beans
Wednesday: Tomato Parmesan Soup, salad, fruit
Thursday: Butternut Squash Coconut Curry, Naan
Friday: Homemade Pizza (I'm thinking of doing something different this time using some fun ingredients from my pantry)
Saturday: Pappardelle Bolognese, Salad, No-Knead Bread
Sunday (brunch): Piggy Pudding (an old favorite that I haven't made in a long while - Aaron will be super excited!), smoothies

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

When I was growing up, whenever it was a special day (like the first day of school, the last day of school, or when I was home from college, etc.) my mom made us cinnamon raisin biscuits for breakfast. To this day, whenever we're all home (a rarity, since one of us lives in Arizona, another in Virginia, and then little old me here in Michigan) one of us will request cinnamon raisin biscuits for breakfast. Usually my mom goes for it, because they're really easy to make, especially if you follow the one rule of biscuits: don't mess with the dough too much or you will end up with hockey pucks.

Go ahead and guess what happened the first time I made these by myself. It won't be too hard to guess, I promise.

These days I do for Gabbie what my mom used to have to do for me: I halve the dough before adding in the raisins, because Lord forbid if a raisin, or any type of fruit really, is in her baked good. She'll eat everything separately, but they MUST NOT BE MIXED FOR GOODNESS SAKE, MOM!

Anyway, make these for a breakfast this weekend, served with a big glass of milk, of course. Also, because these need to be even more decadent, we usually slice them in half, add a pat of butter, and stack them back up so the butter melts and OMG I'm drooling right now.

These biscuits are on my mind because a little person who lives in my house is starting preschool next Tuesday, and I will be starting the tradition in my house as well by serving her these biscuits for breakfast.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Adapted from My Mom (heh) and Fanny Farmer

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. shortening (or butter, which is the route I usually take)
2/3 c. milk
1/4 to 1/3 c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon (use more or less of each to taste)
a handful or two of raisins

Icing:
2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk, plus more to reach desired consistency
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Put your flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (or, alternately, you could do this with a food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and stir with a fork just until the dough forms a ball around the fork. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 7 times. Pat flat, and top with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and raisins. Fold over and knead 7 more times. Pat until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass). Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

While still hot, place the biscuits on your serving dish and drizzle with the icing.

Monday Meal Planning - 3.14.11

I was planning for this, my first week back to work full-time, to be a crazy week, but it's already proving to be more crazy than I had planned. To say this morning was hectic would be a drastic understatement. I was actually relieved to get to work this morning so I could relax, as weird as that sounds.

Our meal plan has already been revised due to the hectic morning (no time to even throw dinner in the slow cooker), but it should still be a delicious week!

Monday: Brinner

We bought farm fresh eggs on Saturday, plus we have some local, thick cut bacon, and fresh homemade sourdough bread (I can't wait to post about my starter). You can't really have a bad meal with those items at your disposal! Add in some hash browns and fruit salad, and I'm already ready for dinnertime.

Tuesday: Pearl Couscous "Risotto" with Butternut Squash, Salad

I bought a really big butternut squash, apparently, because we have enough left over from last week to make another vegetarian dish this week.

Wednesday: Italian Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

I have a pizza dough started, using my starter, and I can't wait to see how this crust turns out! We also usually use this recipe for sauce, and definitely will use it this week. Typing out our meal plan is making me HUNGRY!

Thursday: Corned Beef Brisket with Veggies, Irish Soda Bread

I'm curing my own corned beef (using this recipe from Foodmomiac), but adapting it to cook in the crockpot along with the veggies, and adding in a can of Guinness stout to the cooking liquid. I wanted to make this for St. Patty's Day last year, but for some reason I wasn't feeling up to handling raw meat, and the spices sounded horrible to me. A year, and one 3 month old baby later, I now know why!

Friday: Take Out

We're heading to my parents' house for the weekend (Sophie is being baptised at my parents' church), so we'll probably have pizza or Chinese, as is my parents' Friday night tradition.

Saturday: My Dad is making ribs!

Sunday: Brunch

Our big meal on Sunday will be a post-baptism brunch. I'm thinking some sort of egg casserole , cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad. Possibly also a cake, we'll see. Although I love my recipe for cinnamon rolls, I equally love the Pioneer Woman's recipe, and due to transportation issues with my dough I'll probably make her's instead (half the recipe though; we don't need quite as many as the whole recipe makes).

Toddler Lunch Ideas

We're being more organized when it comes to Gabbie's lunches lately (getting two kids ready and out the door in the morning is quite the undertaking!), so I'll start posting these here again.

Monday: Chips and salsa, cheese cubes, mandarin oranges
Tuesday: Waffle, strawberries, yogurt
Wednesday: Pretzels, sliced ham, sliced cheese, mango
Thursday: Quesadilla, peas, strawberries
Friday: Leftover Corned Beef, carrots, yogurt

Monday Meal Planning 12.6.10

Wow, yeah. So it has been two weeks. I blame pregnancy brain plus a rough week last week. But I'm back, and with a fairly easy meal plan because I'm very nearly 39 weeks pregnant and I don't want to do anything difficult. We also have two nights this week that require quick meals because we have evening activities, and one night that requires some input from all of you - I need an easy and delicious appetizer (or dessert) to take to my company's holiday party.

Here goes:

Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches (w/tomato & avocado for the grownups) and sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Mediterranean Mostaccioli (this one is super easy for me, because it's a dish that Aaron likes to cook. Score!)
Wednesday: Taco Rice (I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was a BIG hit. In the words of Yo Gabba Gabba - Try it! You'll like it!)
Thursday: Hash Brown Casserole (Nothing like a dish where you don't have to chop anything!)
Friday: Here's where I need your help! Company holiday party: it's anticipated that I bring something delicious, while I want to put in a minimum amount of effort. So - easy appetizer ideas? Easy dessert recipes that wow? If all else fails I might make mini chocolate chip cookie pies. Because they're delicious!

I'm not planning for the weekend. Our weekends are my only time to really relax, and since I'll have a newborn soon I kind of want to be taken out to a restaurant while it's still a relatively easy task. Still, we'll probably make some Christmas cookies (cut-outs and corn flake wreaths), and I'll probably bake something for breakfast (we made these on Saturday and they were DELICIOUS!)

Okay, now onto Toddler Lunch Ideas:
Monday: Soy dog, mandarin oranges, yogurt, crackers
Tuesday: Bean and cheese quesadilla, carrot sticks, peaches
Wednesday: Buttered noodles, edamame, yogurt, blueberries
Thursday: Pancakes (probably whole wheat), apple sauce
Friday: Israeli couscous with peas and ham, apple slices

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

My deep love affair with the Artisan Bread in 5 Brioche recipe continues unabated. This stuff is magical! Not only does it make a fine loaf of bread just the way it is (and even better grilled and topped with a delicious egg salad), you can use it to make fantastic cinnamon rolls, hot dog buns, and this heavenly cinnamon swirl bread:

The really best part of all of this is how absolutely easy it is. Really! Even with 60 hour work weeks, trying to enjoy this pregnancy, redecorating our upstairs, and having to take a certain someone to the potty every thirty minutes or so, I can still mix up a batch of this dough and turn it into something spectacular.

Due to above mentioned 60 hour work weeks, I'm going to just link you to the recipe today. I made it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to use it to make french toast as described on the linked page.  My husband is bound to get jealous of how much I love this recipe (or at least gain a pound or five). This weekend I'm thinking I'm going to use it to make some Monkey Bread. Or maybe tomorrow. It just sounds so fantastic!

Seriously the Best Cinnamon Rolls I've Ever Eaten

I will admit to, at times, being prone to hyperbole. This is not one of those times. This morning I made the best cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten in my entire life.

It didn't take much (active) time either, which makes it even more awesome. The only problem were that I wanted more than one, but two was a bit too much. Such a problem to have, right? The fact that the entire family passed out in a sugar coma soon afterwards was also not too big of a problem. There's not much better than a family nap on a Saturday morning.

Finally, one last "problem": I used the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day brioche recipe, which means that if you follow this exactly, you'll have 3/4 of the dough left to use in this or other recipes. But, you can 1/4 the dough recipe if you'd prefer. It's all up to you. It's all so delicious, though, that I would recommend the full recipe. (And it's MUCH easier than the brioche recipe I tried the last time with similarly delicious results.)

Now, without further ado - the recipe!

Mrs. Ca's Fabulous Cinnamon Rolls


1 1/2 pounds ABin5 Brioche Dough
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, but you could go either way)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to about 1/8 inch thick (mine made a rectangle about 10x13 inches). Spread 1/2 of the softened butter over the dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle generously over the dough (you will have extra). Roll up into a log from the long side. If your dough is fairly soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing.

In a cake pan (mine is 9 inches), spread the rest of the softened butter. Sprinkle with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Slice your dough roll into 8 equal pieces, and place cut side up in the pan. (I placed 7 around the sides and one in the middle.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When done rising, bake for 40 minutes.

While rolls are baking, put cream cheese and milk in a small, microwavable bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds to soften the cream cheese. Remove from microwave and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar. Set aside until ready to serve rolls.

Place desired amount of rolls on each plate and top with cream cheese glaze. Eat, then groan in pleasure. (And probably take a family walk instead of a family nap because these are definitely far (FAR) from light in fat and calories.)

Banana Nut Oatmeal

The three people in our household are big, BIG fans of oatmeal for breakfast on a cold winter's morning. We typically stick to our simple favorites, but do like to fancy it up sometimes. Last week I was surfing around Serious Eats (a website that makes me want to head into the kitchen every time I visit) and saw this article that gave a couple of delicious-looking and yet simple oatmeal recipes. I gave the choice of which we would eat the next morning to Aaron, and he chose Banana Nut Oatmeal, and oh, how glad I am that we ate this, because it was an easy, delicious alternative to our normal weekday morning oatmeal.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

source: Serious Eats

I doubled the original recipe and made a couple of other tweaks based on food allergies and preferences. Altered, the recipe made enough for the three of us to have a nice-sized breakfast.

2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1 large, slightly overripe banana
1 c. Quaker old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 c. milk (we used 1%)
2/3 c. water
4 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
A few shakes cinnamon
1 shake nutmeg
A few dashes Kosher salt

Mash the banana with a fork until it forms a wet puree. In a small pot, combine banana puree, oatmeal, milk, water, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (Don't leave out the salt, it really helps enhance the other flavors.) Heat over medium until it reaches your preferred consistency, stirring occasionally. (I brought it to a simmer and cooked for five more minutes, which was perfect for us.) Top with pecans, and enjoy.

Oatmeal Scones

Aaron denies this, but he has had a major scone craving for a while now. We would be looking at a cookbook, and come across a recipe, and his eyes would roll back in his head, and with an acompanying Homer Simson drool, he'd moan, "Mmmm....scones...." The same happened when we saw scones on a cooking show, at the coffee shop, and a mix at the store. Yet he still claims he didn't have a yearning for scones. I made them anyway, and he's mighty glad I did. These oatmeal scones are delectable - great fresh from the oven, still light and fluffy the next day, dense and moist the third day. And that's as far as we got, because we were lucky they lasted that long. I cut them out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, which would make them a great addition to your Valentine's day breakfast (or brunch, which is how we're celebrating). Next time I'm going to freeze half of them after shaping but before baking so that I can pop a couple in the oven on a busy morning and have fresh scones before I head off to a busy day at the office.

Oatmeal Scones

Source: Epicurious

Note: the original recipe claims this makes 30 scones, but I patted them out as written (they were about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) and cut with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, resulting in exactly 12 scones.

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. old-fashioned oats

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. dried currants (I left these out)

1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

Additional sugar (I used turbinado sugar - red decorating sugar would make these extra Valentine-y)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend the first six ingredients in a food processor until the oats are coarsly ground. Add the butter, pulsing to combine until the mixture looks liek a coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl. Add in the beaten whole egg and the buttermilk. Using a fork, stir until just combined (do not overmix). This dough will be quite sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into an 8-inch round. Using a floured 1 3/4 inch cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps, reshape, and cut out more scones. Transfer to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg yolk and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake the scones until golden, about 18 mintues. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pancake Sandwich

I know I'm not the only one, but sometimes I just need a big breakfast for comfort reasons, even if it's not the morning. Enter Brinner, and one of our favorite recipes that we use sparingly because too often would be way too much: The Pancake Sandwich.

Now this sandwich isn't for someone who is watching their calories, that's for sure, but it is delicious and very comforting. This is more of a list than a recipe, but the ingredients are so basic anyone could make this. Really.

Start with a pancake (we usually go with plain, but I can see how blueberry pancakes would add a little something extra). Place it on a plate, and top it with about 1/4 to 1/2 c. scrambled eggs. Top the eggs with a slice of American cheese. Criss cross two strips of bacon (place them on in an X) on top of the cheese, then top all of that with another pancake. Then, if you're really brave, drizzle the whole thing with maple syrup (real syrup, not that fake pancake/maple flavored corn syrup grossness) (just a personal opinion).

There you have it. One delicious, fattening, but really delicious sandwich. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or brinner!

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored goodies. I started the season with a pumpkin muffin at Panera, then got a pumpkin latte or two, and have topped it off with pumpkin creamer for my coffee so I get some every day. But it's time to take it to the next level - pumpkin sweets.

I got this recipe from All & Sundry a couple of years ago, and have made it each fall since. It's easy and delicious, which you know are my two requirements for something I make time and time again. In fact, the first time I made them, we ate them all and then Aaron requested I make another batch immediately. So I did, and we ate all of those too.

(Insanely Good) Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 small can pumpkin (or 1 1/2 c. homemade pumpkin puree)

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. molasses

1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 12 muffin tin (or line with paper liners).

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices together in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips in another bowl. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3rds full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Pancakes

Growing up I was a very, very picky eater. I barely ate anything other than macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs, and bread. I didn't even like pizza! I remained fairly picky until about the time I met Aaron. He made me try things, and I discovered that I actually liked some of them. Then I started cooking, and discovered many of the things I didn't like turned into things I loved when I made them.

One of those things is pancakes. I hated pancakes (and waffles) when I was a kid. I would choke down the obligatory one and then go play, sneaking into the kitchen later to eat some kind of snack (most likely cheetos and coke - it's amazing I survived when I regularly ate like that).

Then one day Aaron wanted pancakes, so I grudgingly got out my cookbook and made them. I got ready to choke down my one pancake, took a bite, and realized something - these things were delicious! I ate more than half the batch (and had a matching stomach ache later, but it was totally worth it), and have been making them regularly ever since. While I have tried others, this recipe is one I stick to most often, jazzing it up with blueberries quite regularly.

We top them with butter and real maple syrup (something Aaron had never had before we were together, and now we only eat the real stuff because it's sooooo good), and usually have bacon on the side. These are so satisfying, and remarkably easy to throw together.

Blueberry Pancakes
Note: Omit the blueberries for plain pancakes, which are very nearly as wonderful as the blueberry version.

2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 to 1 c. milk (depending on how thick you like your batter; I usually use the whole cup)
1 egg
1 c. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen are fine; you can use more or less berries depending on your preferences)

In a large bowl (or a large liquid measuring cup, which is what I use since it makes it easier to pour out the batter at the end), whisk together the butter and milk. Add in the egg and beat well. Add in the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Pour batter into a hot non-stick skillet by the 1/4 cup-ful. Drop a few berries onto the top of each pancake. When the top is covered with bubbles, flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Repeat process until all the batter is used. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Monday Meal Planning - Sort Of (8.3.09)

I’m going to admit to you all that I am behind, and so there isn’t really a Monday Meal Planning post for today. Usually I post the previous week’s plan so that I make sure I’m not passing along any recipe duds, but last week itself was a big fat dud and I’m still getting caught up. So, instead, I thought I’d post five recipes that have been sitting on my to-cook list for a while – recipes that look amazing, but that, for some reason, I have yet to prepare. If you decide to try any of them, please tell me how they turn out! And I’ll try to work these into my meal plans sometime soon so that I can let you all know too.

Without further ado:

1. I’ve been wanting to try Nonni’s Tomato Sauce from Food on the Food for a while now. I love homemade sauce, and this one sounds wonderful.

2. Migas (from Simply Recipes) – Sounds like a perfect brinner (breakfast for dinner) recipe!

3. Pollo Fundido – this is so not on my diet right now, but it sounds DELICIOUS!

4. Crockpot Chicken Makhani – Crockpot? Indian? Butter (it’s Indian Butter Chicken)? Sign me up!

5. Crockpot Hickory Smoked Brisket – This just sounds like a cool thing to try. Plus, I love brisket. Now I just need to work on coming up with a house bbq sauce and we’ll be all set!

I’ll be better next week I promise. And, not only that, my recipes are about to get a heck of a lot healthier, because momma is going on a much-needed diet.

Weekend Special Oatmeal

We really love oatmeal around here, and eat it a couple times a week at least. While good, old-fashioned oats are delicious, on the weekends we've been kicking it up a notch with steel cut oats and make what we call Weekend Special Oatmeal. It's delicious, and really good for you too.

Weekend Special Oatmeal

4 c. water

1 c. steel cut oats

pinch salt

1 tsp. vanilla

4 dried apricots, cut into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 c. dried cranberries

2 T. coconut

1/4 c. pecan halves

brown sugar (optional)

milk or cream (optional)

Bring the water to the boil, and add oats. Stir until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 25 minutes. Add salt, vanilla, apricots, and cranberries and simmer for five more minutes.

While everything is simmering, toast the coconut and pecan halves in the oven (we usually put the broiler on, put these on a cookie sheet, and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the coconut browns around the edges.)

Put desired amount of oatmeal in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 of toasted coconut and pecans. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with milk if using. 

Mrs. Ca's Favorites

I thought I'd start sharing a few of my very favorite things, both food-wise and kitchen gadget-wise. This week is one of my all time favorite things:

PEANUT BUTTER.

I absolutely love peanut butter and I eat it almost every day. There are two things I particularly love with regards to peanut butter. First is Peanut Butter & Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter. (Also - note to Aaron - I want this 6 variety pack for Mother's Day. Thanks.) I especially love it on a whole wheat bagel, or used in oatmeal peanut butter cookies .

Secondly, this is the most common way I eat peanut butter. Some may think it's weird, but I swear it's a delicious way to start the day. I present to you:

Peanut Butter Raisin Oatmeal

(Makes 2 Servings)

3/4 c. old fashioned oats

1 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. raisins

3 T. peanut butter

Bring water to a boil. Add in oats and raisins and boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes. Stir in peanut butter and serve.