Apple Fritter Muffins

photo from chasingsomebluesky.blogspot.com

These were really, really good!  I thought the process was a bit lengthy, but I guess that's what it takes! 

Apple Fritter Muffins  

From chasingsomebluesky.blogspot.com

For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup flour

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze: 
2 tbsp butter melted 
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tbsp hot water 

Directions: 

1.            Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2.            Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners 

3.            In a skillet add add apple ingredients except flour and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of muffins)

4.            In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

5.            In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thouroughly  

6.            Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. 

7.            Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.

8.            Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing. 

9.            To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. 

10.          When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving.

pork chops sing along

this was a low maintenance easy ingredients recipe which is not the norm for Ms Pioneer woman. but it was still just as good. we were given an iron skillet for our wedding which i returned not thinking it was not worth having another pan. i have regretted it every day since. i finally bought one to make this recipe and it was amazing. other then the rice cooker it's the only pot/pan you use. also i didn't worry about grilling the pineapple before hand and it tasted just as good just give it enough time in the pan to heat up.

Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice

Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 30 Minutes

Servings 6

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• ½ whole Pineapple, Cut Into Spears And Skewered
• 2 cups White Or Brown Rice, Cooked
• 6 whole Pork Chops
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil Or Canola Oil
• 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced
• 6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (more To Taste, Or If More Liquid Is Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha, Or Other Hot Sauce
• Salt To Taste
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 jar (small) Drained Pimentos
• 1-½ cup Frozen Peas
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (additional)

Preparation Instructions

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Grill or saute pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.

(Note: soak wooden skewers in water for a few hours first.)

Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color.

Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.

When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.

Divine!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Pic courtesy How Sweet It Is

I saw these a few weeks ago and instantly knew I had to make them. A way to feel good about eating chocolate chip cookies? I'm sold. And, they were every bit as good as they sound. They almost tasted healthy. Christian went nuts over them.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

from How Sweet It Is

makes 12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose) (I used all-purpose)

1 cup rolled oats (I used quick oats)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk (any kind will do)

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Add oats to a bowl and add 1/2 cup of milk. Let soak for 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the first few steps of the muffins.

In a large bowl, combine egg and brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel in color. Add in vanilla and butter, whisking well. Try to smooth the batter as much as possible – there still may be some small butter chunks. Add flour, oat mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix. Add remaining milk and combine until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Line a muffin tin with lines and pour about 1/4 cup batter into each line. Optional: Sprinkle the tops with raw turbinado sugar. (I didn't do this and I loved them plain.) Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with butter!

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole

I am a sucker for broccoli but Jake hates it.  Occasionally I force it down his throat.  He actually liked this recipe--more than most.  I thought it was delicious!  

CREAMY CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

From chefintraining blog 

4-5 chicken breasts (or if your like me in a hurry, rotisserie chicken works great!)

1 bags frozen broccoli

2 8 oz. boxes of cream cheese

2 cups milk

2 tsp garlic salt

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Ritz cracker crumbs for topping

Cook the chicken, then slice or break it into bite size pieces.  

Cook broccoli in salted water.  

Place the broccoli in a 9x13 greased (or spray with Pam) casserole dish.  

Heat the milk, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese over low heat, stirring till the mixture is smooth.  

Pour 1 cup of sauce over the broccoli.  

Now add the chicken into the pan and pour rest of sauce over it.  

Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and Ritz cracker crumbs.

Bake at 350' for 25 to 30 minutes.  (Note watch the sauce while baking, it can get too hot and burn on top!) 

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

picture courtesy of realsimple.com

This is one of the easiest recipes I have made in a while. Twenty minutes. For real. Awesomeness. Lincoln had seconds and my picky picky two-year old had thirds. Enough said. And Orecchiette pasta is possibly the cutest pasta I have ever used. My kids said they looked like little hats. And THAT right there made it even more fun to eat!

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Ingredients


12 ounces orecchiette (the only brand I could find was De Cecco)

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used frozen)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced (I used Jennie-O turkey sausage b/c I couldn't find chicken sausage- it was really good!)
1/3 cup pesto

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
 
Put oil in pan and slice sausage into pan. Fry. Next time I will just spray the pan...who needs olive oil like that? Boil pasta according to directions on box. In the last three minutes of the boiling, add the veggies. Reserve 1 cup of water from the pasta. Drain the rest. Add the remaining ingredients and 1 cup of reserved water and mix with drained pasta and veggies. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parmesan.

Katie's Secret Ingredient Smoothie

My cousin Katie (I know, I know...we hear about her alot) intro'd me to this smoothie and it has recently become a serious staple for three reasons 1) my kids love love love it 2) its easy and uses ingredients that do not go bad 3) its extremely low cal but extremely tasty. So....when I diet from the hours of 7 am to 3pm (everyday I fail epically around 3 or 4) I love this little treat. And its filling too!

Katie's Secret Ingredient Smoothie
 This is not an exact science here so I don't have measurements. Having said that, I usually use the following quantities. It makes a blender full.

-3 c. Sprite zero or Diet Twist up (whatever brand of dient lemon-lime soda) <<---psssttt, this is the secret ingredient
-4 scoops Fat Free Rainbow Sherbet (I have only found Wal-Mart brand and its great!)
-2 cups Wal-mart brand's "mixed fruit" frozen fruit (it has mangoes, pineapple, strawberries and peaches in it)

Cadbury Egg Cookies

I've made these cookies 2 years in a row now and they are divine. i only use 1/4 cup of crisco and 3/4 cup butter just to make myself feel a bit better. go try these now.

Cadbury Egg Cookies
Recipe By OurBestBites.com

1/2 C Crisco (I use butter flavored)
1/2 C Butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 C flour
6T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 10 oz bag Cadbury Mini-Eggs*

*If it's not Easter, or you (gasp!) don't like Cadbury Eggs, try these cookies with white chocolate or PB chips- they're fantastic!

Preheat oven to 350. You'll need to chop up those Cadbury Eggs. I just put them in a ziplock bag and bang on them with a marble rolling pin until they're sufficiently crumbled.

Cream together the butter, crisco, brown sugar and white sugar. Add in eggs one at at a time and the vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture to combine and then mix in the candies.

Drop onto a cookie sheet and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and try not to stuff them in your face to quickly.