Christmas Baking

This recipe is from a website Bekah has listed on her blog.

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com

Pretzel Hugs

bag of mini pretzels

candy cane Hershey kisses

red and green m + m's

preheat oven to 200 degrees

place a layer of pretzels on a wax paper (or parchment paper) covered cookie sheet

top each one with a kiss

bake for about four minutes until the kisses are really soft

immediately place two m + m's on each one

place in freezer to set

I couldn't find the Candy Cane Kisses anywhere! We tried about 5 stores. So I found another candy called Palmer peppermint bells. They were a little tall, so I cut the tops off so they would melt a little better.

Another variation we did was to cut up some Peter's Caramel and put a piece (about 1/8" - 1/4" thick) on each pretzel and melt it for a couple of minutes. Then when that hardened, put a dark chocolate Hershey's kiss on each one and put it back in the oven for the 4 minutes. I think that the regular milk chocolate kisses would be great too. This was a much easier way to get the flavor of those carmel/chocolate dipped pretzel sticks.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA CRANBERRY DREAMS

Megan and Jay brought us a bag of fresh chopped macadamia nuts from Hawaii. So Megan found this recipe to use on baking day. These stay nice and moist. We made the chocolate variation and drizzled white chocolate over the top. Make 36 cookies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup vanilla baking chips
• 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. In a medium bowl set aside flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Cream together white sugar, light brown sugar and butter (do not use shortening). Add slightly beaten eggs and vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture until just mixed. Stir in vanilla chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place on ungreased cookie sheet by small scoop or rounded teaspoon. Bake for 10 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven and let cool. Cookies will sink slightly.
5. Variations: To make chocolate cookies - omit 1/2 cup flour and replace with 1/2 cup cocoa. To make refrigerator cookies - Roll dough into 2 rolls, wrap with plastic wrap and chill or freeze. (If you freeze the dough - thaw for at least 1/2 hr). Slice 1 inch slices - cut into 4 and place on baking sheet point up. For fancier cookies: Drizzle melted white chocolate on chocolate cookies and melted dark chocolate on the white cookie. Enjoy

CANADIAN NANAIMO BARS

This is in a recipe book I have called "101 Gourmet Cookies" by Wendy Paul. Jay was looking through this book and chose this recipe to make for baking day. The hard to find ingredient is Bird's custard powder. I was able to find it at Macey's here in Provo. These are extremely rich, so cut them into small pieces!

Crust:

2 Tbs. cocoa

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

Melt cocoa, butter, and sugar. Whisk in egg. Continue to stir until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds. Pat down evenly in the bottom of a 9X13 greased baking dish. Place in freezer to set and harden while making the middle.

Middle:

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Bird's custard powder

3 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter and heavy cream. Add custard powder and sugar and blend until smooth and creamy. Spread over hardened crust. Return to freezer to set.

Topping:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

4 Tbs. butter

Melt and mix together chocolate and butter. Cool slightly. Pour and spread gently over custard filling. Allow bars to harden completely before cutting.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

I think I've found a new favorite cookie. These are delicious. And impossible to eat just one, despite how rich they are.

Just a few notes:
-I searched everywhere for Candy Cane Kisses but couldn't find them, so I copied my friend Anna and used Andes mints. My, oh my. I can't imagine the candy cane kisses tasting any better.
-the peppermint extract is optional, but I don't think they would be as good without it. I only put in a 1/2 tsp. or so.
-It took me a couple tries to find dark chocolate chips (we have the worst grocery stores out here) but I definitely recommend using them.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Recipe by Our Best Bites (click to see photo)

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. real butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
optional: 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla (and peppermint extract if using). Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

Perfect Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

The name says it all. I have tried numerous recipes for pumpkin chocolate chip bread and this really is the best one I've had.

A couple notes. I replaced half the oil with applesauce and it makes no difference. I've made it into loaves and muffins, just cook the muffins for 15 minutes or so. For some reason this bread tastes ten times better the next day. And if you top it with some cream cheese frosting, you really do have perfection.

Perfect Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
from www.melskitchencafe.com

*Makes 2 (9X5-inch loaves) or 3 (8X4-inch loaves) or a couple pans of muffins

2 ½ cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans or three 8×4-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, oil, eggs and 2/3 cup water until well combined and stir into dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are moistened and no dry streaks remain. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter in prepared pans.

Bake the bread for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife gently around the edge of the bread and turn the bread out, right side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This bread freezes beautifully. After cooling, wrap the bread in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of tin foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Vanilla Quinoa Pudding

I made this last night while Joy and Martha Erickson were here. We all liked it, but I think I would rather have it for breakfast than as a dessert. And it would make a really healthy breakfast! Quinoa is such a nutritionally complete grain - it even has lots of protein.

Vanilla Quinoa Pudding

3 cups whole milk (I used almond milk and it added a great taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract (recipe calls for 1 vanilla bean split. None in my pantry!)

1/4 cup maple syrup

pinch of salt

1 cup quinoa

any add-ins you want like cinnamon, nutmeg, craisins, nuts, brown sugar, berries, dried fruit

Rinse the quinoa. Mix milk, vanilla, maple syrup and salt in a saucepan and set on simmer. Add quinoa and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve warm or cold. I added craisins while the quinoa was cooking and a little cinnamon.

Dill Carrot Pasta

I invented this one night when about the only fresh vegetables I had on hand were carrots and onions. It was so good I've made it a few times since then, so I decided to write it up so I can remember it.

Dill Carrot Pasta
2T butter
4 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
salt
pepper
dill
parsley (or peas, it just needs some green color)
--
plus however much pasta you can make in your 2qt pot.
--
Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in your pan. Add carrots and fry. Meanwhile, chop the onion and add it to the pan, then start cooking the noodles. When the carrots are tender, add salt, pepper, and dill to taste. Add enough parsley to make it look pretty.

To serve, top noodles with carrot mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Winter Squash Tip

I've started microwaving my winter squash for 1 minute before cutting it in half. It's much easier to cut, but not too hot to handle. And so far there have been no squash explosions in the microwave.

Autumn Pear Salad and Homemade Pita Chips

Autumn Pear Salad
dressing:
5T olive oil
2T Balsamic vinegar
1t honey
1t Dijon mustard
2 green onions, chopped
salt
pepper

Shake together in a jar. Keep refrigerated.

salad:
1 head of green or red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
2oz Asiago cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
1/2 C cashews

Toss the greens with the dressing. Arrange everything else on top.


Pita Chips
Cut pita bread into strips or triangles and tear the two sides apart. Arrange the pita bread pieces on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Stir with a spatula to coat the bread with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven at 350F until crispy (about 10 minutes).

I served this with cream of pumpkin soup, but that recipe was only OK, not awesome. But it did go pretty well with the pear salad.

Beef Sirloin Tips w/Smokey Pepper Sauce

I just made this for lunch today and Dad and I both really liked it. It is from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It was a very quick, easy meal to make. Of course, we tweaked it some, so here is the original recipe with my comments at the end.

beef sirloin tips with smokey pepper sauce

Start to Finish: 30 minutes

ingredients

• 1-1/2 lb. beef sirloin tip steak
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika or paprika
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 12- to 16-oz. jar roasted red and/or yellow sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup hickory- or mesquite-flavored barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

directions

1. Trim meat and cut into 1- to 1-1/2-inch chunks; sprinkle with paprika. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meat; brown 5 minutes or to desired doneness. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, drain roasted red peppers, reserving liquid. Cut up roasted peppers. Measure 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid (if needed, add enough water to equal 1/2 cup). Add peppers and the liquid to the skillet. Add barbecue sauce. Cook, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce is slightly thickened. Return meat to skillet; heat through.

3. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

nutrition facts

• Calories367,
• Total Fat (g)18,
• Saturated Fat (g)6,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)9,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2,
• Cholesterol (mg)111,
• Sodium (mg)510,
• Carbohydrate (g)13,
• Total Sugar (g)7,
• Fiber (g)2,
• Protein (g)36,
• Vitamin C (DV%)2.64,
• Calcium (DV%)5,
• Iron (DV%)21,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

The meat would be better sliced thinner than the recipe suggests. Also, I would add mushrooms and onions to the peppers. Be sure to use the smoked paprika - it is my new favorite seasoning. I added some black pepper and some red cooking wine. The sauce is a really good flavor. If you want lots of sauce, just use some more liquid and BBQ sauce. We served it over rice, but the suggestions in the magazine were polenta, couscous or mashed potatoes. Try it, it really is good!

Magic in the Middles

This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website, I love their recipes. It's kind of like a peanut butter cup in cookie form (click here to see a photo). They turned out delicious (and very rich!). They were more work than your average cookie, but I'll definitely make them again. Perfect to add to my cookie plates I'll give the neighbors at Christmas!

Magic in the Middles

Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (can omit if using salted butter)
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners’ sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they’re set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Beef Stew

Shalane asked me for the recipe for my beef stew, and sorry to say it is one of those that I make different each time. But here are the basics. I use the McCormick Beef Stew seasoning mix - hope they still sell that! We have found that about a cup of red wine (not cooking wine - and yes I did brown bag it out of the state liquor store! Ken wouldn't go get it for me) makes a wonderful flavor, especially when cooked a long time in the crock pot.

1 pkg McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix

2 lbs. stew beef (it comes cut into chunks)

oil - about 1 Tbs

flour

potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes (probably 3)

carrots, cut into 1/2" long pieces (probably 2 -3)

any other veggies you want - I have used yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, corn, green beans - you get the idea!

I also like it with barley (though Dad doesn't really care for that)

Coat the beef with flour (enough to cover all the pieces). Heat the oil in a large pot and add the coated beef. Brown on all sides - I like to really sear the meat so it is quite browned. Stir in the seasoning mix and at least 3 cups water. You will probably need more when you add the vegetables. I usually transfer it to a crock pot at this point and add the vegetables and more liquid (either water or beef broth) if needed. Then just let it cook on low all day. If you are wanting to make it quicker, leave the meat in the pot and add the vegetables to that. Let it simmer about 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

A little time consuming, but really good. I made it one day ahead and just warmed it up. I don't like the taste of Tabasco, so used Frank's Red Hot instead. But it wasn't hot enough. Jay added Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (rooster sauce) to his bowl and really liked it - I think I would make it with that sauce. Also, this makes quite a bit. I halved the recipe and it still made a 2 quart saucepan full.

5 bacon slices, chopped

2 Tbs. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1/2" pieces

(I actually used some rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge)

1 cup chopped red or orange bell peppers (about 1 large)

3-4 Tbs. flour

6 cups chicken broth

3 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" cubes (I didn't bother to peel them)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn kernels

2 cups half and half or cream

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (of course I used pepper jack!)

1-2 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

1/2 cup green onions

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool; reserve for garnish. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from pot. Add butter to pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, chicken breasts, and bell peppers; saute until onions are soft and chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add flour; stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in broth, then add potatoes, cumin, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered until potatoes are somewhat tender, about 8 minutes.

Add corn, half and half, cheese, green chilies, and Tabasco; simmer until corn is tender, about 8 more minutes. Add green onions and chopped cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with bacon, additional shredded cheese, green onions, and cilantro.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

It has gotten pretty chilly here and that makes me want to get out my crock pot. But I somehow only have 3 or 4 good slow cooker recipes. I tried this one last week and Dan and I both loved it. It will definitely be added to the rotation! The meat is incredibly tender and is perfect on a hoagie roll with some provolone cheese.

If anyone has good crock pot recipes, please post them!!!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef
from www.mykitchencafe.com

1 1/2 cups beef broth (can use all water if you don't have any on hand)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (5 pound) chuck roast (my roast was only 2.5 lbs)

Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.

Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork. You can do this step 30 or so minutes before serving and let the meat absorb more of the juices. Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.

Toasted Almond Macaroon Bars

I am ashamed. I ate way to many of these. I won't even hint at how much. They are delicious. Wyatt ate almost as much as I. We had to resort to throwing the remaining out because my self-control was gone.

CRUST

1 1/4 C flour
1/2 C butter
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar

FILLING

3 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/4 C butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
2 C sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 C almonds, chopped, toasted

GLAZE

1/3 C chocolate chips
2 t. shortening

*Heat oven to 350. Combine all crust ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of ungreased baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.

*Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients except coconut and almonds in large bowl; mix well. Stir in coconut and almonds. Spread evenly over hot, partially baked crust. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely.

*Place chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute;stir. Continue microwaving 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Drizzle over bars. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Again, I halved the recipe. So I used a 9 by 9 baking pan. These are pretty rich. but if you love coconut like I do...
I didn't get a picture, I didn't even think about it once those suckers were out of the oven.

Banana Cream Sandwich Cookies

I know that this may sound strange to you...but they are actually pretty good. I always half recipes since there are only 4 of us and I don't want to end up eating a dozen cookies by my self.

COOKIE

1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 medium ripe banana
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 C chopped pecans

FILLING

3 C powdered sugar
1/4 C butter
1 t. vanilla
2-3 T. milk

*Heat oven to 350. Combine butter, sugar and banana in large bowl. Beat at low speed until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and salt, continue beating until well mixed. Stir in pecans.

*Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Flatten balls to 1/4 inch thickness with buttered bottom of glass dipped in flour.

*Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets immediately; cool completely.

*Combine all filling ingredients except milk in small bowl. Beat a t medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread 2 teaspoons filling on bottoms of half of cooled cookies. Top with remaining cookies, bottom-side against filling.




Sawyer and I have started a new tradition. Every other friday during Wyatt's nap we make cookies. Always something different. So I'm sure this is just one of many odd cookie recipes that will end up here. I just happen to have a couple overly ripe bananas that needed to be used.

Amish Fluff

OK, so I remember Grandma mixing more or less equal parts of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff to spread on sandwiches (which is very delicious, especially if you add bananas.) Now, the PB + fluff mixture is surprisingly NOT sticky. At a church activity, somebody brought something that tasted very similar to the PB + fluff mixture, but it was sticky and absolutely delicious as an apple dip. They called it 'Amish Fluff' but didn't know the recipe cuz their neighbors (who happen to be Amish) made it. Google told me the secret ingredient was syrup of some sort.

Amish Fluff
2 parts peanut butter (chunky works better for a dip)
2 parts marshmallow fluff
1 part corn syrup/maple syrup/light molasses (I never saw a recipe with honey, but I bet that would work too...)

I made the molasses version, but I only had blackstrap molasses, so I used 1/2 part blackstrap and 1/2 part corn syrup. It's super yummy, but I think next time I would do 1/4 part blackstrap so that there's a stronger peanut taste.

Lemon Zest Sugar Cookies

Well. I can't remember which of the crafty blogs I follow that I got this recipe off of...but they are super yummy! And easy!

YOU WILL NEED:

One box of white cake mix
2/3 C. butter softened
1 Egg
1/2 t. vanilla
3 limes (small)
1/4 C. sugar

Step 1: Add cake mix, egg, butter and vanilla to med. mixing bowl. Next grate in the green from 2 of the limes. Last, squeeze the juice from one of the limes into the bowl and mix everything together!

Step 2: Prepare the sugar. In a small shallow bowl mix together the sugar and lime gratings.

Step 3: Take little chunks of the really sticky dough and roll in the sugar mixture covering well. It's seriously REALLY STICKY DOUGH! Place on greased baking sheet.

Step 4: Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Depends on your oven. Mine were in for almost 20. Just make sure the edges are just turning brown. Remove and let cool on cooling racks.



All I can say is that I'm really looking forward to the cool weather so I can wear warmer (bulkier) clothes that will hide the cookies I just ate...

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I found another banana bread recipe, this one uses whole wheat flour, no butter or oil, and honey instead of sugar. They were pretty darn tasty!

Ok, I'm not going to lie, I replaced the blueberries with chocolate chips...

I think I've said this before, but King Arthur brand flour sells white whole wheat flour and it's fantastic, I use it all the time. I find it at Walmart. Also, the recipe says this makes 12 muffins. It made 12 large muffins and then another 6 regular-sized when I made it.



Blueberry Banana Muffins
from A Hint of Honey

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, whisked
1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

3. In a large bowl, whisk to combine eggs, banana, honey, applesauce, vanilla, and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

4. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups, filling to the tops. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 large muffins.

Sweet Potato Cookies

I changed the recipe a bit because I don't like raises in my cookies...so I substituted chocolate chips, of course. I also added more oats because that's how I like it.

3/4 C. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 C. peeled, cooked, and mashed sweet potato
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
3/4 C. rolled oats
1 C. raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Using a hand-held mixer, mix the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Add the egg and sweet potato and stir well by hand. Add all the other ingredients and stir.

3. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Drop teaspoon-size drops of cookie dough onto the parchment paper.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet.

SO YUMMY!!

Bean and Tomato Salad

I promised JaNette I'd post this recipe when she was here. It tastes best the day you make it.

Bean and Tomato Salad
2 cans (16oz) cannellini or white kidney beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C onion, minced
6 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1 T chopped fresh basil
4-5 tomatoes, chopped (and seeded if you have the time/patience/skillz, otherwise the salad gets soggy at the bottom)
salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse beans in a colander. Leave the beans in the colander to drain while you chop everything else up. Mix everything except the beans together. Then gently stir in the beans so that they don't break apart. Serve at room temperature.

Apple-date sandwiches

This one has been a long time favorite of mine. When I make this for a packed lunch, I pack an unsliced apple on the side and just alternate bites of apple and sandwich. It is also good with extra bread and hummus on the side.

Apple-date sandwiches
1 pita bread or 2 slices of regular bread
cream cheese
dates, halved or I buy the pre-chopped kind
1 small apple or 1/2 of a large apple, chopped or cut into very thin slices
alfalfa sprouts or spinach

Spread cream cheese on both sides of bread. Put as many dates as will fit in a single layer on one slice of bread. Pile the apples on. Add the greens, then stack the other slice of bread on top.

More Ice Cream

Okay, so still on the subject of ice cream - when the family was here we made ice cream from this recipe that came from Grandpa Palmer. Shalane asked that I post it, so here it is. Dad's favorite is the Lemon Ice Cream. This is a nice recipe because you don't have to cook it, but it has the custard consistency. I have used everything from whole milk to skim milk in the recipe.

Lemon Ice Cream (and a variation) makes about 2 quarts

1 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 Tbs. vanilla extract

egg substitute for 2 eggs

1/2 box instant lemon pudding mix (small box)

2 cups milk

Mix sugar and whipping cream in bowl until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Pour into cylinder of an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturers directions.

Variation:

Omit the lemon extract and replace the lemon pudding with vanilla pudding. Add any fruit or nuts about 5 minutes before the ice cream is ready. We made mint chocolate chip with peppermint oil (about 4 drops) and mini chocolate chips. When adding fruit, I put in about 1 cup of chopped or pureed fruit.

Chocolate Ice Cream

I have been experimenting with some ice cream recipes in preparation for our Relief Society Ice Cream Freeze-Off next month. Dad's favorite is the lemon ice cream from his Dad's recipe. I have made strawberry, peach, chocolate chip and now this is what I made tonight. YUMMY!

Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract (I used Kirkland brand from Costco)

Of course, chocolate is not really chocolate unless you add nuts. I added chopped almonds.

Combine cream, milk and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture almost boils and chocolate is melted, about 5-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Meanwhile beat yolk, sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl until light yellow and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add 4 Tbs of warm cream/chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Gradually add egg yolk mixture to warm cream/chocolate mixture, stirring continuously to prevent the eggs from curdling. Cook over low heat until slightly thickened and mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes. Cool completely (either overnight in the fridge, or chill over an ice bath for 30 minutes). Stir gently and pour into the ice cream freezer bowl and follow the instructions for your freezer (I have the Cuisinart that you freeze the mixer bowl before you put the ingredients into it). This makes about 2 quarts.

Next recipe I'm trying is Key Lime Ice Cream. I'll let you know how it turns out.

So I got this recipe from my wonderful mother-in-law, Jane. And SHE got it from HER mother-in-law. I am always skeptical when a veggie is inserted into something sweet, it just doesn't seem right, does it? Well let me tell you...at least in this case...it is oh so right! I may have eaten about half the cake by my self while all my men ate the rest. Yes. Jim absolutely LOVED it and raved at work about it and now they either think he's nuts, or want a piece to try for themselves. It was originally called Zucchini brownies, but it's more cake-like. Anyways, try it. It's YUMMY!! Oh. I used the best chocolate icing recipe in the world...my dads, which is below.

Zucchini Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granualated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 Tablesppons cocoa

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Add the egg, vegetable oil, vanilla, zucchini, and nuts. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

You can frost with frosting that you purchase or the following recipe:

DAD'S ICING

10 T. butter
2 T. light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
4 C. powdered sugar
1 C. hershey's cocoa
1/2 C. milk

In bowl beat butter, syrup, vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk.

Orange Fennel Pasta

Ben loves pasta. I do not love tomato-based pasta sauces. So my tradition on Valentine's Day has been to try out new pasta recipes that do not involve tomatoes. This recipe has subsequently been made over and over again.

ORANGE FENNEL PASTA
one box (~14oz) of pasta, cooked (I usually use penne or bowtie)
2T olive oil
3/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t freshly grated orange peel
1/2 t fennel seeds
2t balsamic vinegar

Heat oil over medium low heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and stir in orange peel, fennel, and vinegar. Mix with the pasta. Serve hot or room temperature, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Garlic Lime Chicken

This comes from my ward cookbook. I think I've made this at least once a month since the first time I made this recipe.

GARLIC LIME CHICKEN
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves added to the hot oil)
1/2 tsp onion powder (don't have any so I've left it out)
1/2 tsp thyme (I'm out, so I've made it with oregano instead and it's still tasty)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 C chicken broth
4T lime juice


Mix the spices together and sprinkle on both sides of the chicken. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes on either side or until chicken is cooked through. Push chicken to the edges of the pan and add broth and lime juice. Increase heat to high until the sauce has reduced a bit. Cover both sides of the chicken with sauce and serve.


I often serve the chicken on leftover brown rice and pour the remaining lime sauce over steamed vegetables.

Blueberry Apple Crisp

Apple crisp usually reminds me of the Fall, but this recipe is perfect for summer when there are plenty of fresh blueberries around. It is so so yummy.

The recipe suggested not using apples that are too tart. I used Fuji apples and they worked well. This recipe is from Baking Bites

Blueberry Apple Crisp

4 medium-large apples
1 cup blueberries
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking (or old-fashioned) oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel apples and remove their cores. Halve the apples, then cut each half into 6-8 thin slices.
Arrange apple slices in an even layer over the bottom of an 8×8-inch square baking dish. Add blueberries on top of the apples.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, egg and melted butter (make sure butter has cooled!) until smooth. Add in flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Using a spoon, drop batter in small clumps over the top of the apple slices. Try to create a roughly even, if rustic, layer. It does not need to be smooth and it is ok if there are gaps.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until apple slices are tender when pierced with a fork, berries are bubbling and topping is golden brown.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Serves 6-8

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

We love pancakes, and these are my absolute favorites. I first saw the recipe in my King Arthur Flour cookbook and tried the mix, and then I saw my friend Danilee had adapted the recipe a bit and liked her version better.

This is a mix (sort of like Bisquick) that you can keep in the fridge or freezer and then whip up a batch any time you feel like it. A few notes:
-When I use whole-wheat flour, I swear by King Arthur white-wheat flour! It has a much lighter taste but the same health benefits. I find it at Walmart.
-the 2 cups ground oats is what it sounds like, not 2 cups of oats, ground. If that makes sense. You can grind them in any blender.
-If you don't have buttermilk on hand when you want to make a batch, you can use buttermilk powder which lasts a long time in the fridge.
-the recipe mentions the mixture will look thin but thicken as it stands. I like my pancakes pretty thick so I usually add extra mix, or just dump some extra oats in the batter.

Enough said. Make these! They are delicious!

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups ground oats
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup canola oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (you probably won't need more oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side.

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.