Amish Pancakes

I have a love affair with Amish cooking but being down South here, I'm sorely deprived of anything Amish.  When I lived in Ohio there was an *amazing* Amish restaurant that served the best chicken and noodles I have ever, ever had.  Oh, how I  miss a nice hot bowl of noodles over mashed potatoes.  (insert sad face here)  I decided I'd buy some Amish cookbooks and maybe I could find something similar to my beloved noodles and in the process found this fabulous pancake recipe that has since replaced all my others, hands down.  My 15 year old proclaimed these "the best pancakes he's ever eaten".


The book I found this in is called "The Amish Cook at Home" and goes not by recipe sections like veggies and meats, etc. but rather by seasons and shares with you what life is like in those Amish communities.  It really is a great book; I can hardly say I've read a cookbook cover to cover but this is that rare case where I did.  They really are a fascinating people and I love their simplicity in everything from cooking, to sewing to gardening.  That's what the recipe is...basic, simple and delicious.  I hope you'll agree.


These pancakes fluff up wonderfully, are thick and hearty and have this wonderful cakey flavor.  They are so good I ate one without butter or syrup and it was delicious.  The batter itself is VERY thick so you might need to thin it down with some additional milk as I did.  Using a 1/3 cup, this recipe yielded 9 medium sized pancakes.  Using a 1/4 cup, you should get 12 smaller ones.


Amish Pancakes
adapted from The Amish Cook at Home


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten


Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk to combine.  In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just till combined.  Don't overmix.


Add to your griddle and cook for 3 minutes approximately per side until golden brown and bubbles form along the dry edge.  Flip and cook on other side for another 3 minutes.

* Picture courtesy of StockXchang as we ate ours too quick to take a picture!

Chocolate Chip Cinna-Minis

I had such an intense craving this morning for Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Chunk Cinnamon Rolls...it was flat out awful how badly I craved those.  I adore her version but I find it long and tedious to make them so I only do it for special occasions and holiday brunches.  Today though, my cravings would not be sufficed by a bowl of Special K.  I had to have chocolate. 

Inspired by my insatiable lust for chocolate and mixed with the ease of TheCountryCook's shortcut apple danishes, I came up with my own version of chocolate chip cinna-mini's complete with icing for dunking.  My 15 year old proclaimed them "winner, winner"...and I whole-heartedly agree!  Give them a whirl, won't you?

These use those fabulous new Pillsbury crescent roll sheets in the tube.  So easy to do!

Chocolate Chip Cinna-Mini's

1 tube of crescent roll sheets

cinnamon, for sprinkling

brown sugar, for sprinkling

mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

2 tbsp melted butter

glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll your crescent roll sheet and re-shape into a rectangle, if needed.  Just pull it into shape; it won't mind at all. 

With a pastry brush, brush on the melted butter, coating VERY well.  Sprinkle a good healthy amount of cinnamon over the butter.  Now sprinkle about a cup of brown sugar over top of the cinnamon and butter.  Using your fingers, schmear it all together, coating the dough sheet well.  Now sprinkle on about a half cup of mini-chocolate chips (or less/more if you like). 

With the long edge facing you, roll up tightly.  Pinch the seam to the dough to seal.  Now using a very sharp serrated knife (I used my bread knife), cut dough into 1 inch slices.   (I think I ended up with 10 slices)  Place about an inch apart on your cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving and dipping into the dipping glaze.

Dipping Glaze

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla (I used vanilla paste so you can see the vanilla bean specks in my picture)

4-5 teaspoons milk

Mix all together.  If too thick, add a splash more of milk to desired consistency. 

Tuscan Lemon Muffins ~ Light & Airy

Keeping in line with our new lighter and "better for us" menu, I subscribed to Cooking Light and was so pleased to find this recipe in their latest edition.  Muffins are super great for us with hubby being up and at 'em so early in the A.M. for the Army.  He can grab one, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit and he's ready to go.  So when I found a lemon muffin that was moist, tender and in the end good for you, I had to make them.  It was a no-brainer.

These muffins roll in at only 186 calories with 6.2 grams of fat.  Not bad!  And it uses part skim ricotta and heart healthy olive oil.  It is has a wonderful, light taste thanks to its lemon rind and fresh squeezed juice.  Crispy on top, tender in the middle - it became the perfect breakfast muffin in our house. Best part is, your family will never be able to tell these are "healthy" or "light".  They are seriously THAT delicious.   Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  Here's to keeping it light and healthy!  *cheers*

Luxurious Brunch Quiche

Yesterday was a very lazy day for me.  I've nearly recovered from my flu/infection bout and I almost have my full appetite back so I was really craving something filling but comforting, yet still easy on my sensitive belly.  I stood there in front of my fridge just staring, wondering what I could make.  I had eggs, cream and a stump of Gruyere leftover.  QUICHE!  Oh yeah...I could deal with some creamy, fluffy cheesed up eggs.   

Oatmeal Choco-Toffee Muffins & the Georgia Snowstorm

Let me start by saying, I am from the North.  I was born and grew up in Ohio which gets a good amount of snow and ice thanks to the Great Lakes.  I also spent last winter in West Point Military Academy in the Hudson Valley area of New York which gets MOUNTAINS of snow.  We are currently at Ft. Benning, Georgia and last night they called for a snow storm which prompted all kinds of shut downs from schools, offices, and onwards.  You'd think it was a state wide emergency here in our area.  Everyone on the base yesterday was shopping and stocking up.  Every aisle was bare boned from frozen pizzas to ramen noodles, there was nary a box or bag in sight.  We just laughed because if it even RAINS too hard down here, people wig out, can't drive and stay home like shut ins during a hurricane.  But this...lol...was our "BIG" Georgia snowstorm.

Baked Brunch Omelet ala Ina

On past Christmases, I would invite my dad/step-mom over and my hubby's parents/grandparents over for a nice brunch.  This year is the first year we're away from Ohio because of the Army and our families are already lamenting no brunch from me this year.  I'll admit, I'm a bit saddened this tradition won't happen this year.  I got used to hearing my dad ooh and ahh over things he'd never had before and watching my father in law gorging himself to near balloon proportions on home cooked food since my mom in law can't boil water, let alone cook a meal.  I always enjoyed sitting around the table, after all the presents were opened and torn up bits of paper/bows were disposed of, and we would all laugh, talk and enjoy a lazy early afternoon with a great meal together.  It just seems wrong this year somehow that it won't happen.  

One year, I made Ina Garden's baked omelet for them and the crowd went wild.  I should have made 10 of them because people went back for seconds, then thirds till we were completely out of omelet slices.  Yes, slices.  You pull the omelet out of its pan and cut it like a pizza in slices.  I put mine on the cutting board and used a silver pie server and it worked amazing for buffet style serving while looking really rustic and pretty.  Best of all, since it was baked, I wasn't standing over my stove making everyone individual omelets and taking away from my party time with everyone.  I made it last, right before everyone came and kept it in the oven on warm until it was time to serve.  With its crispy edges, soft veggies and the light fluffy eggs, it was just the perfect brunch dish.

I kept it very simple flavor wise - potato, bacon (ham works fine too), parsley and cheese.  You can, of course, swap veggies in and out.  Finely diced broccoli and/or mushrooms would be really good in here as well.  I have also served this with a dollop of sour cream with ranch flavoring and it was a great complimentary flavor.  Breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - this is some really good eats!

Baked Brunch Omelet

adapted from Ina Garten

¼ pound thick cut bacon (or ham chunks)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 c medium diced potato (Yukon or Red is best, don't use Russet - too watery)
½ c finely chopped onion
5 extra-large eggs
2 tbsp milk or cream
1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp black pepper
1 c shredded sharp cheddar, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces. Cook in an oven safe saute pan or skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. (I use an oven safe non-stick skillet.)  Drain the bacon on a paper towel and discard the bacon drippings from the pan. Add the butter to the same pan and then add the potato and onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm. 

In a medium bowl. beat the eggs, milk, parsley, salt and pepper together with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon back into the pan and then pour in the egg mixture on top. Place the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the omelet puffs a bit, the edges are browned slightly and the eggs are cooked in the center. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar on top and bake for another minute. 

Can be served hot directly from the pan in wedge shapes. (I like to pull mine out of the pan onto parchment paper on my cutting board and use my pizza wheel to cut it into wedges)  

Red Wine Cranberry Spread with Rosemary Crackers

In retrospect, I wish I had piped the cream cheese on the crackers and then lightly drizzled the red wine cranberry spread on top BUT...

1) I couldn't find my pretty pastry tips earlier in the week when I looked and I wasn't fighting the crazy shoppers just for pastry tips when I know I have some that are hiding somewhere in my kitchen.

2) Looks aside, these were frikkin' delicious and didn't last more than 10 seconds on the plate when I served them.  Nobody would have noticed if they were piped on pretty or not.   Eaten whole!

I would *love* to say I developed this recipe because of the sheer brilliance of it but alas, it is from Beau over at Something Edible.com who had posted it over at Tasty Kitchen where it caught my eye.  I am not one to put cranberry sauce on my turkey but I knew I wanted to do something with cranberry for the holiday.  We are BIG time cranberry fans at our house so when I saw this, the idea just popped into my head that it would be great on cheese and from there it just spiraled into cheese and crackers and finally, into rosemary crackers with cream cheese then this lovely sauce on top.  Man, an easier and tastier appetizer has nary been in my house before.  

I had planned to make my own rosemary crackers from almond flour but my order didn't arrive in time from KAF to make them.  I used store bought and they were a great match to the rich, wine laden cranberry spread.  The rosemary tied into my turkey flavoring too!  (bonus!)  The cream cheese just added a nice texture and tang to meld it all together.  You got crispy crunch, creamy tang and a deep, rich fruity burst in every bite.  Oh, it was delightful!!  I will be making these at Christmas as well to match the mulled wine.  Thought I would share as we all are starting to think about THAT holiday menu now, as well as New Year's parties that are right around the corner too.   :)

And PLEASE visit Beau at SomethingEdible.com to see his gorgeous site and his rather humorous posts.  I am especially fond of the mountain oyster post.  *gross*  And make this spread...Beau assured me it will last about two weeks in the fridge covered IF it lasts that long.  Mine lasted two hours once I broke it out.  Good luck keeping it longer than that.

Beau's beautiful up close picture.

Spreadable Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

from Beau @ SomethingEdible

  

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup red wine (I like Shiraz here)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp crystallized ginger minced
1 lemon juice and zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean Pulp required, pod optional.
12 oz cranberries That's one bag; fresh or frozen.

Combine sugar, wine, water, ginger, lemon juice, zest, salt and vanilla (pod & pulp) in a medium saucepan. Stir occasionally on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and bring to a simmer (still on medium). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the vanilla pod and buzz with a stick blender (or whatever blender you got) just enough to pop all the berries. Put the vanilla pod back in the jar (if you like), lid and and cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

Nana's Mandarin Chicken Salad - Day #4 Thanksgiving Spectacular

Today is Day #4 of our Thanksgiving Spectacular!  Every day is just amping my excitement for the big Turkey Day!  I've seen so many delicious dishes this week on the web - its just mind blowing!  I keep wanting to change my own menu!  Hard to not deviate but alas, I've already shopped!  Good thing or else I'd end up making 40 dishes for just a few of us.  Anyways, please enjoy today's recipe.... see you tomorrow for a guest post from Siggy Spice and don't miss our Sinful Saturday with the easiest caramel sauce that is to *die* for.  Oh and forgive the less than lovely picture...couldn't find my good camera that day.  :(

This recipe comes from my mom.  I'm not entirely sure where she got it...but all I know this makes its appearance at her holiday table every year along with birthday dinners, bridal showers, etc.  Its everywhere she goes because its so dang delicious.  This is surely one of her 'signature' dishes because she's been asked how its made a billion times now.  You just can't mess this up since its practically foolproof.  Its offbeat and its certainly not traditional but it brings a nice change as a first or second course.  The colors just pop and make an elegant presentation on any buffet or holiday table.  Its great because you mix it just hours, or even the night beforehand, and you're done practically as it sits and 'marinates'.  Fast and easy on holidays is always a plus in my book!

I was never a poppyseed lovin' kind of girl but man, this salad converted me on the spot.  Its a lovely sweet and sour tangy flavor that matches well with every part of this dish.  You will NOT be disappointed.  Its just refreshing, crisp, tangy and everything that a salad should be.  And the best thing - kids LOVE the mandarins.  This is a wonderful way tasty way to entice them into eating more greens!

Yummy bite sized pieces of goodness!

Mandarin Chicken Salad


2 bags of ready made salad mix (preferrably Mediterranean or European versions)
2 package of Louis Rich chicken chunks. (oven roasted or Italian)
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained well and reserved
Croutons, well seasoned variety
Seedless green grapes, halved
2 cups cheddar cheese
Jar of Marzetti’s Poppyseed dressing
Nuts, optional



About one or two hours before you’re ready to serve this, toss everything together including the dressing in a large bowl EXCEPT the oranges and croutons.  Stir to coat everything evenly. Place in your serving container and cover and chill till ready to serve.

Gently add oranges before serving.  Serve with croutons and nuts, if using.  (just put them in their own dishes to allow people to add on their own)


PS:  I've also served this with those crispy chow mein noodles for topping instead of croutons.  Hubby loved that.  And I've also stirred in some pomegranate flavored Craisins to bump up the fruity flavor.  That is my favorite variation!

Coming tomorrow - Siggy Spice's twist on cranberry sauce!  

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Bread

I am not the best baker in the world.  I much prefer to dice, chop, saute and cook things.  Baking requires such precise measurements and I am just not that girl.  I can do it and if often turns out wonderful results but I much prefer the fast and furious nature of cooking versus baking.  I love the sound of my knife chopping stuff.  I'm weird I know, but I like the instantaneous results of cooking too.  Baking takes hours sometimes and in my corner of the world, I just don't have time to bake alot.  Occasionally though there comes a recipe that stops me dead in my dicing/chopping tracks and makes me want to bake.  This was one of them.  :)

This was called "Crantastic Cranberry Bread" but when I clicked the link, it went to another site, who got it off another place, who got it out of a magazine, book or something I hadn't heard of.  And each one had changed it in itty bitty ways (as I did myself) so I'm dubbing it Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Bread because that's what's in it and that's what I changed, dang it.  Its just easier that way!

As is my habit on Sundays, I make muffins, pastry or something for hubs to eat during the week for work.  I felt I had muffin'd him out so when I saw this cranberry bread, I thought it would be a lovely change for him.  Let me tell you, this bread IS fabulous with a capital F.  Cranberries are tart by nature but in this recipe, they're surprisingly not so tart and evened out nicely with a sweet overtone.  Slather on some yummy Irish butter and have a mug of tea...YUM!  Its a beautiful loaf of bread and I *think* this might be making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table this year.  I hope you give it a whirl.

You see all those pockets of cranny goodness?

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Bread

2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 large orange
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1/8 cup raw sugar (or the packets work fine too)


Start by picking through your cranberries and removing any stems or tossing out any bad ones.  Rinse VERY well, drain and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  In a large bowl (or your mixer stand bowl), mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg, cooled melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Fold in the cranberries and pour into the loaf pan.  Sprinkle raw sugar over top of the batter.

Bake until golden brown on top and toothpick/cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.  (check at 1 hour and go from there)  Cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Lazy Day Macaroni Salad & Mega Big Announcement!

I had a perfectly lazy weekend, did you?  Hubby and I stayed up till 4 am Friday night watching TV and slept in till noon on Saturday.  Then we skipped lunch and went to a special holiday tasting sampler at The Fresh Market here in Columbus followed by Christmas shopping.  Sunday was just as kicked back and relaxed, including our menu for the day.  To keep in line with the easy peasy weekend I was having, lunch today was a totally different take on macaroni salad than I've ever had before.

This recipe from Amynb on Tasty Kitchen has been in my 'favorites' for awhile but I'd never ventured to make it.  I'm always leery to make a recipe with no photos since I generally like to gauge my end result to theirs.  Boy, was I glad to take a gamble on this one.  Its coleslaw flavoring meets macaroni salad.  It was fresh, new and utterly fabulous.  This dish came together in a snap and used just a handful of ingredients.  Better still, it was just as delicious warm as it is cold.  (hey, I had to taste test!)  I only tweaked it a bit, adjusting to our palates but feel free to check out the original up there by clicking on Amy's name.  It was really massively yummy.  And as a bonus, once warmer weather rolls around, this will be perfect for picnics since there isn't any mayonnaise to go bad on you!  I LOVE THAT!

Click to enlarge.

Macaroni Salad
 from Amynb @ Tasty Kitchen, tweaked by me

• 1 pound box Elbow Mac (or your choice of macaroni shape - I used cavatappi)
• 1 whole Small Onion Chopped
• 2 stalks Of Celery, Chopped
• 4 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
• Paprika, Salt  & Pepper to taste
• Approx. 1/8 cup sugar  (again, to taste)
• 1 cup Marzetti's Original Cole Slaw Dressing (or more to taste)
• 4 whole Hard-boiled Eggs, Sliced (as edible decoration on top, optional) 

Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the box.

While it cooks, chop your onions, celery, and eggs.

When pasta is cooked, drain. While it is still warm add the cole slaw dressing, onions, celery, chopped eggs, and add sugar, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well, adding more dressing if you desire
.
Place salad in your serving bowl. Smooth out the top and place the sliced eggs on top. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

* Oh, wait!  Yeah, my MEGA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!  If you didn't catch it on Facebook, keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming Thanksgiving Spectacular with a triple feature from Siggy Spice, Thecountrycook and me! You won't want to miss this!  *

Pumpkin Muffins (for MSTK ) & Pumpkin Pop Tarts

Alas, my Photoshop is not working since I tried to install Pioneer Woman's Action packs and I can't find my disk to re-install at the moment so you're getting a raw, untouched look at my goodies today.  /boo

Today is a bonus day!  Not only do you get to see my results for the Military Spouse Test Kitchen group on Facebook but also get to see the Pumpkin PopTarts/hand pies I made with some leftover pumpkin I had in the fridge.  (my hubby went nuts for both!)  Each is super easy to do and crazy flavorful.  I actually found the pumpkin muffins incredibly spicy but still good once you got past the "heat" from all the spices.  I recommended in my results that you add a cream cheese frosting or something to tame it some..and low and behold, the founder of MSTK did just that!  Great minds think alike!  lol  They were really moist, chewy, flavorful and had a wonderful texture.  The fact they went together so easily didn't hurt either!  Its a keeper!  Both muffins and the organic pumpkin hand pies/pop tart knock offs that got gobbled up in 2 days flat.  Military boys...can't keep 'em fed fast enough, I swear.  Dang their metabolism!

I hope you make these!  Just so tasty and perfect flavors for fall!

I added some coarse sugar to the top before baking.

Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe from Army wife Megan C. via MSTK

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. allspice
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla then add in eggs. Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture until just moistened. Stir in pumpkin. (Note: hand mix dry ingredients and mixture of dry/wet ingredients. I once used a mixer to do it all, and they turned out so fluffy that when baked, they kind of puffed out of the muffin tins, lol.) Put cupcake liners in 24 muffin tins; spoon mixture by tbsp. into liners. Bake ~20-25 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean.

To make these even more over the top, sometimes I make a crumbled butter/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and put it on the top.

-------------------------  NEXT UP --------------------------

I saw on Joy the Baker's site that she made Pumpkin Pie pop tarts with a maple glaze and I drooled.  However, I was not up to making my own dough on that day and opted for Pillsbury pie crust instead.  She did her own filling too, but I had a bit of organic pumpkin pie MIX already in the fridge and since it was pre-spiced, I just rolled with what I had.  Hers also had a maple glaze but when I asked hubby if he wanted that, he said 'no', not to bother.  So instead, I egg washed them and sprinkled some coarse sugar on top and they turned out pretty darn tasty.  So please, if you're feeling uber inspired to make your own dough and have a more authentic product, check out Joy the Baker's post here.  (love her!)

Pumpkin Pie Hand Pies/Pop Tarts
inspired by Joy the Baker, but uber simplified by me

Package of Pillsbury Pie Crusts (2 per pack)
1 cup approx. of pumpkin pie MIX (the pre-spiced stuff)
1 egg white
coarse sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Roll out a pie crust till very thin on a lightly floured surface.  Cut your dough into whatever shapes you want.  (I used my square fluted biscuit cutters but you can use a knife and cut rectangles to be like actual Pop Tarts if you want.  Just make sure they're the same size.)  Repeat with the other pie crust. 

Place a tablespoon of pumpkin pie mix in the center of a pie crust cut out.  Using a pastry brush, brush some egg wash around the edges.  Take another crust cut out and lightly stretch it till its just a tad bit bigger than the bottom crust with the pumpkin on it.  Lightly placed it on top and align it to the bottom crust, gently pressing in place on the egg washed bottom to make a seal.  Take a fork and press along the edges to seal. 

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough and pumpkin mix.  Egg wash the tops of your hand pies and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden brown on top. 

'HOOAH' Yoga Muffins

My hubby is a soldier here at Fort Benning, GA.  (in case I haven't talked about it enough already for you to know)  Today is his bi-yearly physical test that all soldiers have to take to make sure they're all within limits and standards for the military.  In preparation for his test, he's been going carb crazy all week long.  It just makes me cringe all those carbs so in order to give him some balance, I made these muffins all week long for him to grab at and go at 5 am when he's out the door and on the way to morning exercises with his unit.

I chose these muffins from Tasty Kitchen and they're made by a lovely CarolAllison.  She calls them Yoga Muffins...the Army boys however, call them Hooah Muffins.  If you don't have a solider in your life, let me introduce you to 'hooah'.  Wiki has a nice description of it but in short, hooah is a word that means yes, sure, all right, woot, roger that, copy, yup and everything else you could possibly say to convey excitement and the like.  If you're an Army wife...this is what you hear.  "Honey, can you take out the trash?"....HOOAH!  (as in, sure!) or "We're going to Florida for a weekend getaway."...HOOAH!!!!  (as in, woot!) or he'll say something like "Yeah, that dude is all hooah about regulations and traditions."  (meaning he's all by the book and Army gung ho) You hear it ALL the time.  I have forbidden it in my presence as it drives me bonkers but he still lets it slip quite frequently.

So what's 'hooah' about these muffins?  They are jam packed with yummy healthy stuff to give you lots of energy and keep you going even under rigorous Army PT.  (group exercises)  These fill you up without weighing you down and give you all the *cough* HOOAH *cough* you need to keep yourself going all morning long.  Carbs, fruit and protein all wrapped in a muffin.  And forget all the goodness, they are seriously delicious noms.  Tender, slightly sweet, spicy - Jon describes them as spicy pumpkin bread with bites of yummy, soft baked fruit.  And the house smells positively amazing while baking!  They get you up and keep you going and that's why hubs and the Army boys dubbed them Hooah Muffins.  Carol got a right giggle after I shared that story with her!  She made these for her hubs as well to give him a nutritious breakfast on the go.  :)

Seriously people, make some.  And that's an order!  HOOAH!

'HOOAH' Yoga Muffins

Recipe & Picture (right) From CarolAllison

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ cups Rolled Oats, Slightly Ground (I Give Them A Quick Spin In The Coffee Grinder)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 heaping teaspoon Cinnamon
¾ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Allspice
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
¾ cups Applesauce
½ cups Brown Sugar (light Or Dark)
1 whole Egg
½ cups Chopped Apples
½ cups Chopped Walnuts (I used crystallized ginger chips since Jon hates nuts)
½ cups Blueberries, Fresh Or Frozen

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan (these also work in a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan.) 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and all spice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, applesauce, brown sugar and egg. Add flour mixture to the creamed mix and stir to combine. Stirring lightly almost folding, add chopped apples, blueberries and walnuts. (I used frozen blueberries and the batter does turn a purpley shade...its ok! Over-stirring will break open blueberries and color your batter so go lightly!)

Fill each muffin cup completely with big spoonfuls of batter. They might even be heaping with batter.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 350.

Carol's Other Suggestions

-Other kinds of flours, or a blend of flours works. I have used all-purpose and spelt as well as whole wheat.
-1 cup mashed ripe bananas instead of pumpkin
-3/4 cup mashed bananas instead of applesauce (if you use both of these substitutions at the same time, you will definitely have a more banana-y muffin!)
-Applesauce can be either jarred or cook up your own apples and mash ‘em (that’s what I usually do)
-You can vary the amounts of chopped apples, blueberries and walnuts to your own taste, and also leave out or substitute other fruits or nuts as you please. Just go with the flow!

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Crunch Coffee Cake

Holy smokin' ovens that title is a mouthful to say, isn't it?  Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Crunch Coffee Cake.  As promised in my When Coffee Cakes Go Bad, Vol 1 post the other day, THIS is the correct, yummy version of that black brick of doom I baked the other day at 100 degrees over the recipe's guidelines.  I am very pleased with this recipe now I can actually EAT it instead of using it for a doorstop.

My daughter, step mom and I have an unnatural weakness for Rocher candies with the hazelnuts inside.  There is just something about that creamy Nutella and the crispy shell but my favorite part is the lovely hazelnut on the inside that crunches when you get to the middle.  I can never pass them up and she always finds them in her stocking at every Christmas.  Now she's at college I send her Nutella with Teddy Grahams for snacking in her care packages.  Hazelnut & chocolate were just meant to go together.

I find too, now that its fall, people are reverting to pecan pies and pumpkin everything.  I'm allergic to pecans and I grew up near the Circleville Pumpkin Show.  I've eaten as much pumpkin as I care to eat...ever.  So I give you this coffee cake, a different approach for the fall days ahead.  Its nutty, sweet, crunchy topping is a perfect match to the vanilla heavy crumb cakey bottom.  Not overly sweet either which is great for me as lots of morning pastries tend to be heavy on either icings, fillings or glazes.  Makes a wonderful breakfast with a hot cup of Irish Breakfast tea....

Click to enlarge.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Crunch Coffee Cake

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cold butter, in pats
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

Cake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (double check you didn't set it to 450 like me!  LOL)  Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease/flour pan.  Set aside.

For the topping, in a medium bowl, stir the sugar and flour together.  Use a pastry cutter and cut in the butter pats until they resemble fine crumbs.  Stir in the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts.  Set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.  In your stand mixer (or big bowl), cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before adding next egg.  Turn mixer to low and gradually beat in the dry ingredient, alternating with the milk.  Mix well until smooth and creamy.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth.  Sprinkle with the topping evenly and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan before serving.

Tip:  I made a small drizzle glaze of milk and powdered sugar for this batch but its not necessary.  Good without!  :)

'Nana Muffins

My hubby is bonafide bananas about bananas. Every single time we walk into the store, we're greeted by a bright, shiny produce section and he without a doubt will say dreamily "I should buy some more bananas. I like bananas." After 8 years, I know this already and I roll my eyes as he stands there for 20 minutes picking out the perfect bunch. (in the meantime I have hit the deli, the fish counter and am halfway through the canned aisle when he catches up finally)

Being a late night gamer girl AND an Army wife don't necessarily make me the best homemaker at 5 am when his alarm goes off and he's getting ready for morning formation. I would love to get up to make him a stack of pancakes and bacon and send my soldier off with a full belly. But...playing World of Warcraft till 2 am kinda puts a damper onto the whole thing. So I decided to be pro-active and find some kind of happy middle where my conscious felt better.

I made muffins. Banana muffins to be exact for him to eat ALL week long. And can I tell you, the man was thrilled. You'd thought he'd won the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. "For meeee?! Really?! Wooooooow!" He's easily excitable, what can I say?

The muffins I made are an adaptation from the Farmhouse Banana Muffins posted by Emily on Tasty Kitchen. You can see that recipe by clicking here if you'd like.  When I saw the simplicity of her recipe, I was happy but I knew immediately that it needed some help for our palates.  There was no spice.  Sure, banana flavor is great but can also be kinda bland.  So I added vanilla, a healthy dose of cinnamon and some nutmeg.  I also used butter flavored Crisco to add another flavor to the mix.  I think it was a great choice. I'm sure you could add in a few nuts if you wanted to for die hard banana bread fans but these certainly do not need it.  They smelled so delicious baking and I'm not a banana bread fan in the least but I was totally wanting to try one!  These are small, moist, springy little pops of buttery, banana joy.  The problem is stopping at just a few.  LOL

My hubby...all I can say is, if he has some past day 2, I'll be shocked.  He's gobbling them like the Cookie Monster.  Thanks Emily and I hope you all enjoy the additions I made.

Click to enlarge.

Farmhouse Banana Muffins

• ½ cups milk
• 3 Tablespoons vinegar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup Sugar
• ½ cups Butter Flavored Crisco (or shortening)
• 2  large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Ripe bananas, mashed (I actually left mine in chunks for more bite)

Note: For the serving size, this recipe makes 5 dozen mini muffins or 2 loaves of banana bread.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by measuring out the milk and adding the vinegar to it so it sours; set aside.


In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using your mixer, combine the sugar and shortening. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.  Add vanilla.  Mix in the soured milk and gradually add the floured mixture.  Stir in the bananas by hand.  (small chunks, diced, sliced, mashed...however you want it your muffin texture)


For mini muffins: Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray and fill each mold nearly to the top. Bake 12-14 minutes.  For loaves: Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Divide the batter evenly into each pan. Bake 45 minutes to an hour.  Transfer muffins or loaves to cooling racks and cool completely. Store covered.

Coming soon:  old fashioned creamed chicken recipe, my take on a Murphy burger/Horseshoe hamburger stack and a Tasty Kitchen bowtie skillet lasagna recipe review.

Chocolate Cakey Waffles ~

"You want regular or chocolate waffles?"  Jon's eyes gleamed with glee and he stared at me blankly, as if staring right through me, thinking dreamily about a mini-stack of chocolate cake waffles on his plate drenched in sweet butter and maple syrup.  His lip quivered a bit as the word "chocolate!" came out.  I shouldn't have even given him a choice because like a woman cracked out on a PMS binge, he will choose chocolate undoubtedly every single time. So we set about this morning making chocolate waffles and thought I'd share.

I would love to claim fame to these and say I came up with this culinary choco-treat but alas, I believe it's Alton Brown's.  I've had it so long and tweaked and played with it so many times, I can't really remember it's origins.  It started out as a Christmas brunch dessert item one year, served with vanilla ice cream and a fruit compote topping but its really just as great slathered with peanut butter and jam for breakfast.  Butter and syrup work too!

Chocolate chips, butter and syrup!  Hello!

These waffles have never been "super crispy" but are rather more cake consistency on the inside as you can see if you blow up the picture.  The edges do crisp up nice though and are a great contrast to the cakey interior.  The chocolate chips in the batter just give you a nice melty pop of gooey factor too.  They are a real treat on a lazy weekend.  I certainly can't imagine giving my kids this on a regular basis or they'd be bouncing off the walls!  But on occasion, this is a nice change up from the norm. 

Dress them up for dessert or just plain old butter and syrup - either way, they are out of this world good.

Chocolate Cake Waffles

1½ c all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
½ c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional, but delicious)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 whole eggs, beaten
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
¾ c chocolate chips (mini's are best but I used regular in the picture)
vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Preheat waffle iron.  (I do mine on max setting, if yours is adjustable like mine.)

In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon (if using), salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, melted butter and vanilla then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Stir in chocolate chips until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle a heaping 1/3 cup of  the batter into the center of the iron and cook till crispy on both sides. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Makes around 8-10 waffles depending on your iron size.

Note - if halving this recipe, use 1 whole egg and the whites only of another.



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Big, Bad and Cheesy

Note to My Readers:  This is my last post until the 31st of August.  I will be away as we're hitting the road on our way to our new house at Fort Benning, Georgia from New York.  Wish us well!  And talk to you ya'll soon!  Much love! - Jill

I am thoroughly convinced everyone on the planet has a version of these cheesy hashbrown potatoes.  They have popped up at every family gathering, bridal shower, back yard BBQ or holiday event I've ever been to.  For years I was convinced my Aunt Lori's was the only version on Earth that was worth eating.  Hers was a true work out though and required you to dice pounds of potatoes and hand shred mounds of cheddar.  It also used Cream of Mushroom soup, of which, I think is pure evil with its bits of rubbery mushrooms hidden in a slimey mush pile of gelified ingredients.  (such an image, I know)  Every serving I would pick those icky bits out and it took forever.  With Labor Day creeping around the corner, I thought I'd share my favorite potluck dish with ya'll. 

Over the years I have morphed her recipe multiple times into something more time manageable and from what everyone tells me, more delicious than any other potato casserole they've ever had.  Our one friend couldn't even describe them...he just stood there and made sounds while waving his hands.  LOL  They really are crazy delicious and super creamy.  I love you can make them ahead of time and free yourself to make/do other things.  I love these with ham strirred in for a quick bunch and served with a salad.  I love them as a side dish at big holiday dinners.  I love the leftovers with scrambled eggs for breakfast.  They are just *perfect* at every meal.  And they reheat so well - I actually think they improve overnight!  They really are big, bad and cheesy!  Hope you try them yourself!

You really can use your favorite cut of potoatoes - the diced or the shredded.  I've done them both.  I've even had the sliced version and it was like au gratins.  Its really all about your preference.  I got super lucky here on base and our commisary had these frozen bags of super small shreds and they're my favorite b/c the potatoes kinda break down and just adds to the creamy texture.  You could most certainly go the route of my aunt Lori and shred fresh yourself if you have time but I like frozen.  And for a nice change up, since there is cheddar cheese soup in the recipe, I like using a cheese blend.  Cheddar and Monterey Jack is my current favorite.  Just gives it a different background flavor.  Like I said, its really adapatable to your preferences.

Big Bad & Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole


1 bag of frozen hashbrown (i love smallest diced ones I can find)
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cup of cheddar cheese (or blend, your choice), divided
salt/pepper to taste
6 pats of butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the soups, the sour cream, onion, 1 cup of the cheese and salt/pepper to taste.  Add the frozen potatoes and mix thoroughly to coat all.  It will be very thick.  Plop into your prepared pan and smooth, pressing down evenly.  Cover with foil and cook for 40 minutes till bubbly. 

Remove foil and top with remaining cheese and place 6 pats of butter spaced out across the top.  Bake another 20 minutes or so until top is bubbly and brown and cheese is completely melted.  Allow to cool several minutes before serving.

Island Chicken Salad

It is *so* hot here in New York and I know its mega hot in the South, where my friend Siggy is "like a slug" in her house with the blinds shut to keep out the heat.  Bearing in mind that I'll be in the South myself here in under 3 weeks, I pulled out one of my daughter's favorite recipes to share.  Whenever we take it anywhere, its gone as soon as you set it down.  People always remember this because its so different that other chicken salads and always request it at family events.  Its cool and creamy with a sweet, crunchy bite to it.  And better still, no cooking!  (unless you WANTED to turn on your stove and cook your own chicken, but that defeats the no cooking thing!)  Simply chill.  It's perfect for light lunches, its good on crackers or toasted bagel halves.  Pair it with some fruit and cheese and its the greatest little snack!  I loved mine on these little mini, super soft Kaiser buns.

click to enlarge

Island Chicken Salad

10 ounces pre-cooked chicken chunks
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp mayonnaise


Mix all ingredients together until well blended and chill for at least an hour.  Spread on your choice of breads.


Tip: If you don’t enjoy the tangy-ness (is that a word?) of cream cheese, decrease the cream cheese to 6 ounces and increase the mayonnaise to taste.  Its just as good!

Ham & Cheese All Grow'd Up

This is so easy I really shouldn't even post it but the ooh's and the ahh's I got today at lunch urged me otherwise! The other day at Adams Fairacre Farmer's Market I had bought some rosemary ham, which was super flavorful and moist but yet had this crunchy crispy edge with rosemary on it.  It was *divine* to say the least.  I have made several sammies with it but still had some bits left over and didn't want to waste any of it so I came up with this on the fly. 

This is my version of ham and cheese all grown up.  The sauce is the kicker here!  A light, creamy cheese sauce was spread on first, then the ham and finally a thin layer of mozzerella and provolone.  The two cheese flavors really complimented the ham and made for a great light lunch.  A small salad or fruit on the side would be perfect to make this into a full meal. 

And really, if you added some scrambled eggs before braiding, it would be a great brunch item.  You don't even have to braid it fancy like I did...you could flip it into a calzone shape or roll it up and slice it even.  Any way you do it, ham and cheese is winner winner!

Ham & Cheese Braid

1 package of Pillsbury's pizza dough, thick version
1/4 pound of rosemary ham (or your favorite)
2 tbsp butter
1/8 cup heavy cream or milk
1 tsp country dijon mustard, optional
1/4 bar of Velveeta, chunked up for easier melting
Shredded Mozzerella/Provolone, for sprinkling
1 beaten egg

Preheat your oven to 425. 

Roll out your pizza dough onto parchment paper set on the counter.  It will be all jumbled and wrinkley, thats fine.  Roll it out or pat it out with your hands very thinly into a big square.  (I trim mine off into a square with my pizza cutter b/c I have cooking OCD, I swear but you don't have to be so precise.)  Leaving a big two - three inch strip in the middle for the goodies to go, slice into the edges of the dough on each side, every 1/2 inch or so so you make flaps to fold over and braid with.  Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt your butter over medium low heat. Add the cream and chunked up Velveeta, whisking till combined and smooth.  Use a spoon, test to see if it coats the back of the spoon and stays there.  That's what you want...thick and creamy.  If its too thin, whisk in some more Velveeta.  Stir in the mustard if using.  Remove from heat and let cool a minute or two.

Spread on the cheese sauce in the middle of your dough in a thick layer right down the strip.  Add your ham on top of the cheese sauce, as much or as little as you want.  Top with a sprinkling of the mozzerella/provolone cheese.  Now the fun part!  Braid the dough over top of the ham and cheeses, pulling the dough across and stretching if you have to.  It's ok...its really forgiving to work with! When you get to the end, if you have dough left over, just trim it or tuck under the braid.   

Move the parchment paper to a low edge cookie sheet and brush the top of the braid with the beaten egg.  Salt and pepper to taste and pop it in the oven for about 15-18 minutes.  Let it cool for about 3 minutes before slicing or the cheese sauce will ooze out EVERYWHERE and you don't want that. 

Makes 4 individual size servings.  (or two if you're uber hungry!)