Nothing like a warm muffin on a cold winter day

Today I had occasion to make muffins for a friend, so I thought I would post my muffin recipes. I think peach muffins in the summer are the best, but you can make them with canned peaches if you must. We freeze blueberries just so we can have blueberry muffins in the winter.

Muffins make a gret breakfast on a frosty morning or a nice addition to a simple meal. Whenever they are served, muffins are best served warm. To make it easy to prepare breakfast muffins I often mix the dry ingredients the night before and put the liquid ingredients in a jar in the fridge. In the morning I preheat the oven, mix the wet and dry ingredients and pop them in the oven. I can usually be done in the shower by the time the muffins are ready. This helped greatly when i had to have breakfast ready for the triplets by tbe time they arrived in the morning.


Sweet Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979 (out of print)
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups flour
  
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup finely chopped apples + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter), spray with cooking spray or use foil or silicone muffin cups. Fruit muffins stick to paper muffin cups.

.Beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in optional ingredients. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. I use the largets cookie scoop for evenly sized muffins. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.


Oatmeal Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar or 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 cup quick oats or 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon b aking soda

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Beat egg well. Stir in soured milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Make this recipe into a quick mix by measuring dry ingredients for several recipes into ziplock bags. List additional needed ingredients on the bag with a permanent marker.



French Breakfast Puffs
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 350 °

• 1/3 cup shortening
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 °. Grease bottoms of 15 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Stir in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl. Dip baked muffins in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Peach Muffins
Original recipe by Anne Marie Huste
Adaptations- Laurie Rambo
Makes 12-15 muffins
Oven Temp: 400°

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 c. milk
• ¼ c. melted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 c. sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup peeled and diced peaches.

Blend all liquid ingredients together. Add dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently fold in peaches. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Don't overfill! Bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 15 average sized muffins.

Chicken Salad

I am often asked for my chicken salad recipe. All the credit goes to the Joy of Cooking cookbook, circa 1979 which offers these guidelines that I have adapted into a recipe of my own.

The basic guideline is to use twice as much chicken in your salad as all other ingredients combined. I often make this for a crowd, so here is how I do it.

Simmer boneless chicken breasts (3-4 lbs) in enough water to cover the chicken completely. I season this chicken well by adding

• 2-3 carrots
• a large coarsely chopped onion,
• 2 stalks of celery
• a few cloves of garlic or a spoonful on prepared minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• about 1 tsp. salt,
• about 1 tsp thyme
• about 1/2 tsp oregano
• 3-4 peppercorns,

sometimes I add some rosemary or dill, depending on the mood and most of the ingredients can have more or less depending on your taste, or what is on hand.

Simmer the chicken until it is tender.

When the chicken is done, strain the broth and save for another use. Cool chicken.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the chicken. I usually chop about half in the food processor into small bits and chop the other half by hand to have larger bites in the salad. Make sure the bits of chicken are small enough to stay on a sandwich.

To make the salad:

• 8 cups chopped chicken
• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• about 1 cup grated carrot
• about 1 cup chopped celery
• about 2 cups red grapes, quartered.

You can add any combination of ingredients, so it equals 4 cups altogether.

to the salad add

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste.

Blend into chicken mixture and refrigerate a couple of hours before serving to blend flavors.

Chicken salad is delicious served on home made wheat bread.

12/21/2012 update:  Recently I was out of sour cream, so I used a bit of buttermilk to thin the mayonnaise.  It was a great improvisation!  I might make it like that next time- on purpose!

Chewy Coconut Cookies

These cookies are very nice too. We have found that even people who don't like coconut like these cookies. Elisa, after eating one fresh from the oven one day said "These are like a soft, warm cloud of coconutty goodness melting in your mouth." From my dear one who doesn't really care for cookies anymore, that was the ultimate compliment.

The recipe is from the Land o' Lakes butter site.

CHEWY COCONUT COOKIES

Loaded with coconut and butter, these chewy cookies are bound to become family favorites.

Preparation time: 30 min Baking time: 9 min
Yield: 5 dozen cookies


1 c. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
30 red or green candied cherries, halved


Heat oven to 350°F. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Stir in coconut by hand.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press 1 cherry half onto center of each cookie. Bake for 9 to 13 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from cookie sheets.

Recipe Tip
Proper storing keeps cookies at their best. If you will not be eating your cookies within three days, freeze them. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before placing them in storage containers. Otherwise, they’re likely to stick together. Keep soft or chewy cookies separate from crisp ones.

Gingersnaps

These are my all-time favorite, Caleb's too! Gingersnaps From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook Oven Temp: 375° When measuring spices for this recipe I use generous measurements for a spicier cookie. ¾ cup butter 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 egg ¼ cup molasses 2 ¼ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon cloves ¼ teaspoon salt granulated sugar Cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Blend in spices, salt and baking soda. Add flour. Chill dough one hour. Roll teaspoon sized balls of dough in granulated sugar or gourmet sugar. If making cofffee shop style cookies, flatten the cookies to about 1/2 inch. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, for teaspoon sized cookies. Our family likes them softer, so I generally use the shorter baking time.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes if making large coffee shop type cookies

Herb Bread

Herb Bread
Makes 4 one pound loaves
Oven TempL 350°

1 c. warm milk or water
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ 1 teaspoon dried dill
¼ teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 – ½ cup freshly chopped onion
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 tablespoon yeast ( a package is not a tablespoon.)

Mix all ingredients, knead till dough is elastic and smooth. Rise till doubled. Punch down and shape into small loaves. Rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

I never make this the same wy twice, so don’t be afraid of messing up the herbs. It always tastes good no matter what I seem to put in. Measurements for herbs can be adjusted to personal taste. ½ c. Pamesan cheese is also a nice addition.

A New Grandbaby

As I've made meals this fall I have tucked containers of this and that into the freezer for Scott and Meg. I think Elisa could check a cooler of food as luggage when she flies to Mississippi in December so they could have easy meals. If they were here I would take them dinner as often as possible. Things like Potluck Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie or a nice roast beef dinner with twice baked potatoes. I'd add some wheat rolls or herb bread to go along with the meal.

Here is my basic recipe for wheat bread, or as Elisa call's it "Mom Bread."

(basic dough for loaves or rolls)
Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”
Makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls.
Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water
1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 ½ teaspoon salt
up to 4 eggs
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup wheat germ
6-7 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Shape into 4 one pound loaves loaves (small foil pans) or two larger loaves (regular sized bread pans) or 48 rolls. Let rise about 1 hour ( a little less for rolls. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes for bread; 30 minutes for rolls.

This freezes nicely, so I often make a big batch and package the rolls in dinner sized portions.

Online price book tool

This online price book can be really helpful when you are trying to figure out the best places to shop.  It helps you know if you really are saving money at Sam's or doing better by shopping local sales or stores like Save-a-Lot and Aldi's.  I hope you find it useful.

Online pricebook

http://www.uncommonwaytowealth.com/excel-finance-spreadsheet s/grocery-savings-spreadsheet-price-book/

Meal Planning Ideas

Menu Planning

A Facebook note inspired me to post some ideas on menu planning.  It really helps to save money, time and effort!  Since I have been cooking dinner for almost 29 years now I have learned a little about fighting the eternal 4 o'clock question, "what's for dinner???"

Different Ideas for Menu Planning

1.  Rotation

When I babysat triplets and had to have a cooked breakfast ready at 8:30 every morning we followed a regular plan.  We had muffins on Monday, Toast with peanut butter on Tueday, Waffles on Wednesday, Thursday we had scrambled eggs and French toast was served on Fridays.  Pancakes were made now and again when we got tired of the routine.  Mornings were so much easier when I knew what was coming up and I could do some prep work the night before, like mixing all the dry ingredients for pancakes or muffins, and storing them in a ziplock.  Wet ingredients were measured and stored in the fridge in a maons jar for easy mixing he next day.  

The same idea can be applied to dinner by designating one night chicken night, another night beef, vegetarian, pork, casserole or whatever.  When chicken night comees around you only have to consider what chicken dish you want to make, not ponder the whole spectrum of what could be for dinner.  

Other families I know have an Italian night, Chinese night, Mexican night, Pasta night, Soup night etc.  Depending on how your family likes to eat this can be useful and gives variety.

2. Master Lists

Once upon a time I had a list of all the recipes we liked to eat sorted by main ingredient.  I would go through the sale flyers and then choose recipes from the list for the week.  

3.  Long Range planning

I cook and shop most effectively when I plan for a month at a time.  This way when something is on sale and I know it is coming up in the menu I can purchase what I will need for the weeks to come.  It also helps me reduce the number of shopping trips I make because I can buy some things in bulk.  

I use an excel spreadsheet for my 30 day menus.  Some things I have learned about long range planning:

Don't plan big meals every single night.  Put in those easy favorites your family loves now and then.

Don't try new recipes too many nights in a row.  

Cook once and eat twice ideas are easy to plan with long range planning.  For instance if you cook a roasting chicken, put the rest of the cooked chicken in the freezer for a stir-fry meal or for quesadillas.  I am thinking the whole cook once eat twice idea should be another post one day.

Remember to plan days for leftovers or eating out when you know life will be hectic.

Do your long range planning (even your weekly planning) with a calendar in hand so you are not planning an elaborate meal on a day you have a really busy afternoon of errands or meetings. 

Although it does take time, menu planning ultimately saves you time and stress.  Remember that your plan is just that, a plan, and very often plans change.  It is a tool to serve you, not to enslave you.  

Sweet Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °


½ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup finely chopped apples + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in optional ingredients. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.


Each summer I freeze blueberries just so I can make blueberry muffins all winter. I generally freeze 24 pints at least. If I do more I can occasionally make blueberry buckle. a great streusel topped coffee cake.

Creamy Bacon Cheddar Hash Browns

Creamy Bacon Cheddar Hashbrowns

2 lbs shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken (or something) soup
8 ounces sour cream
3/4 cup bacon bits
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
3 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, bacon bits and ranch dressing mix. Add cheddar cheese, onions and hashbrowns.
• Place in greased 9x13 pan.
• Bake 35 minutes or until bubbly.


While not something that can be eaten often, this is a great side dish for a crowd!

Carrot-Broccoli Soup

2 tablespoons finely minced onion
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
4 cups canned chicken broth (broth made with bullion cubes makesittoo salty)
10 oz package chopped broccoli (or 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli)
2 cups grated carrots

Cook broccoli and carrots in chicken broth until just tender. Set aside. Saute onion in butter. Add flour and salt. Mix to smooth paste. Gradually add milk and just bring to a boil to thicken. When ready to serve blend broth mixture with milk micture and reheat if needed. Be careful not to boil as soup will separate and not look as attractive. It will still taste good though.

I remember making this for a dinner party in honor of Kelly's 21st birthday. Now she is asking for the recipe to prepare it for her son Seth's baptism. It is a family favorite that works well for so many occasions. I especially like it as a light dinner with toasted cheese bread.

Elsie's Lasagna

My mother-in-law is an amazing woman.  This is her recipe for lasagna that I have adjusted to suit our family's tastes.   

Life always takes some adjusting as we've always known, but now, as we enjoy grandchildren and deal with the realities of aging parents it seems like ever bigger adjustments are needed.  

How truly wonderful it is to be able to rely on God's all-sufficiency when things that need adjusting seem just too big.  He is so faithful to give all that is needed in every situation, no matter if it is motivation to wash the dishes or wisdom to make decisions for parents who no longer seem able to make decisions.  

Here's the recipe.   Soon I will post the fabulous bread that goes so very well with this!

Elsie’s Lasagna
Makes two pans of lasagna . (I use foil casserole pans that are about 13x9, but deeper than a cake pan.

1-3 lbs ground beef (I use one)
1c. chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 32 oz. can tomato puree
1 quart water
3 tablspoons parsley
(3 tablespoons sugar)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano

Brown ground beef. Saute onions and garlic until tender. Add other sauce ingredients and simmer uncovered for one hour.

2 lbs. Cottage cheese (Ricotta will work)
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ pounds grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
(2 teaspoons salt)
2 teaspoons oregano

Mix filling ingredients well.

Bring a large pot of water and about a tablespoon of oil to a boil. Boil lasagna noodles and then chill with cold water. Leave the in water so they do not stick together. Usualy I don’t add oil to water for pasta, but this is one time it is needed.

Put some sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Layer noodles, cheese and more sauce in three or four layers. End with noodles, top with a little more sauce and additional Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45- 60 minutes.

This dish freezes well and it is just as much trouble to make 4 pans of lasagna as it is to make two

Shaker Bars

I've been asked for this recipe and others a time or two, so I thought I would create a blog that focuses on recipes well-loved by family and friends.Today's updates include an adjustment for a slightly thicker cake.

This recipe for Shaker bars comes from my grandmother who never really baked them herself, but had her housekeeper do it for her.  My mom used this recipe when  teens were running rampant through her house and now I use it to feed hungry teens here. 

Shaker Bars

1 2/3 cups sugar

5 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 2/3 cups self rising flour

1 cup chocolate chips (or more if you like!)

Mix eggs and sugar till light yellow.  Blend in oil and vanilla.  Blend in flour till just moistened.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with choclate chips.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until lightly browned.