Cranberry Pecan Muffins!

Warning: Muffins in these pictures are more delicious than they appear!

I got this recipe from a "cookbook for two" and doubled it because there's no way I could ever make muffins for just one meal! Extra muffins are always welcome in my home!!!

This recipe calls for a food processor, and pre-toasting some pecans--which means that it's a little bit of extra dish-washing and prep--but it's well worth it! 

They smell heavenly, are absolutely scrumptious, and have the best texture I've ever encountered in a muffin!!!

Click here for the recipe

The batter actually contains ground pecans! Need I say more???

The pecans in the topping toast during the baking process, adding to the delicious flavor of these muffins, as well as a bit of crunch!

They're even better on the inside!

Banana Bread!

I got this recipe from a friend, and have loved it so much that I keep a copy of it on my refrigerator! It tastes great, requires nothing more than basic ingredients, and can be whipped up in a jiffy! My husband has caught on that if 2-3 bananas turn brown I'll make bread with them, so he "accidentally" forgets to put them in his lunch whenever he wants me to make this recipe! Needless to say, with us both loving this recipe so much, we eat banana bread a lot!

Click here for recipe

TIP: Bake mini loaves. Keep one for yourself and give the other(s) away to friends, neighbors, or coworkers. 

Mash the bananas. TIP: For a stronger banana flavor, use three bananas.

After all the ingredients have been mixed together, stir in whatever mix-ins you prefer (walnuts, etc.)

TIP: Make mini-loaves when experimenting with different mix-ins.
(L-R: Chia seeds, Poppy seeds, Granola)

Finished loaves!

- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote! 

Croissant Sausages!

The quick prep and versatility of croissant sausages makes them the perfect snack or appetizer! They can even be made into a meal when combined with a side! Kids and adults love them! They're the perfect quick fix when you're hungry for warm food, but don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. We've made them plain with a side of BBQ sauce, or with honey and pecans as a fancy appetizer! There is no limit to how these can be served! Yum!!! 

Below are two quick and easy recipes for these delicious little rolls!

I. This recipe for sweet sausage rolls is the ideal combo for anyone who likes sweet and salty. The texture is also awesome because it combines the bread of the croissant, the juiciness of the sausage links, and the crunchiness of the pecans. Click here for the recipe

II. Try this recipe for a more basic, yet still versatile version. These can be served simply with a side of sauce, or mac and cheese, and will bring just as many smiles to the table!

Ingredients:

- Package of mini smoked sausage links

- Package of refrigerated croissant dough

Instructions:

1. Roll out the dough on a cutting board. 

2. Cut the triangles in half, length-wise.

3. Roll the dough around the links, starting at the tip of the triangle.

It should look something like this.

4. Place rolled sausages on a greased baking sheet.

5. Bake according to croissant dough instructions (8-15 minutes). You might put them in for a little bit less time that the package calls for and then add time in increments of 1-2 minutes. The reason for this is that you can always add more time, but once they're over-cooked you can't uncook them.

6. Serve with BBQ sauce, or any other sauce of your choice.




- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote! 

Chicken and Dumplings! (Or Veggies and Dumplings!)

This is my favorite Chicken and Dumplings recipe! It's a little more work than the Chicken Pot Pie recipe I previously posted, but it's worth the extra prep because it's delicious! It also makes great "Veggies and Dumplings" for those who don't eat meat (or for those who are in a hurry and don't have time to pre-cook chicken). My brother is a vegetarian and this is one of his favorite meals when he visits! It's also a favorite among my husband and friends--with or without the chicken!

Click here for the recipe

After adding the veggies and/or chicken

After adding the sour cream

After adding the dumplings **I have also made it where I sliced them in half the other way. Both ways work. It's all a matter of preference.

Finished product! Yum!

Serve with Tapatío for some spice!

Up and Coming:

- Favorite afternoon snacks!

- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote! 

Meatloaf!

What food says "Americana" more than meatloaf? OK maybe hamburgers and hot dogs do. But meatloaf should be somewhere towards the top of that list! Everyone has their own way of preparing meatloaf. I got my recipe from a coworker years back, who had gotten it from her mom. Then I altered it according to my own preferences. That's what's amazing about meatloaf: You can add a variety of items to it and it'll always* taste fabulous!

Enough jibber-jabber. Click here for my recipe. It's simple, it's delicious, it's filling, and it makes great leftovers! (If you're thinking, "Ewe, leftovers!" try making a "meatloaf and mashed potato sandwich" on fresh bread with your leftovers. You might just change your mind!)

Ground Turkey Meat (You can use ground beef if you prefer)

Mix in the egg. The egg is what helps hold it together. This is why most casseroles call for egg.

Cook a box of Spanish Rice as directed on the box.

When the rice has cooled, mix it in with the meat/egg.

It should look something like this.

Put it in a well-greased loaf pan.

Cover generously with ketchup (this is the best part)

I made some mini-meatloaves this time too!

Finished product!

I also made some quick potatoes in the microwave to go with it. These are easy to make: 1. Rinse them 2. Poke holes in them 3. Cover in plastic wrap 4. Cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes 

6. Cut up or mash, and add butter or any other toppings of your preference

*Well, almost always. I'm sure there's a limit to what should be added to meatloaf, but I have yet to find mine.

Up and Coming:

- Favorite afternoon snacks!

- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote! 

Quick Bread and Mexitalian Meatball Stew!

Happy Sunday!!!




I'm a big supporter of local bookstores, so yesterday I went to our local shop with my friend! Among the pile of great books that I purchased was a new cookbook! It's 470 pages of soups, chilies, dumplings, and stews! Each is easy and practical. I looked at another soup cookbook that had a bunch of random recipes that I knew I'd never try. I wanted "every-day" type recipes with plenty of pictures... I'm super excited that I found exactly what I was looking for! The cold weather is hitting harder and is here to stay for a few more months. I can't wait to eat this new variety of hot comfort foods! ...And we're finally almost finished with my last batch of soups, so the freezer is ready to be filled with a new batch of meals!

Today is a football playoff game, and it's COLD outside, so my husband and I are having some guests over--the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe! I decided on a meatball stew and some bread. I woke up late and didn't have enough time to set up the bread maker before leaving for church, but my bread maker is awesome, so I set it to "express bake" when I got home. The express bake setting bakes the bread in less than an hour! Have I mentioned that my bread maker is awesome??? After church we bought our ingredients, headed home, and a few moments later everything was in the pot waiting to boil!

While the ingredients warmed to a boil, I heated some oil in a separate pan to brown the meatballs and give them a little crunch. After adding the meatballs to the stew, I spent a couple of minutes prepping the bread maker. Total prep time (soup and bread combined) was about 15 minutes. Total cook time was about an hour. I made sure to check on the stew and stir it every so often.

Steamy, hot stew!

The soup came out flavorful and filling! The bread was extremely fluffy! This was the perfect meal for watching the playoffs on a cold Sunday afternoon!

View Recipe

 

BREAD RECIPE:
For the bread I used my bread maker's "express bake" setting, which prepares the bread in 58 minutes! I used an "express bake" recipe for white bread that I found in the recipe book that came with the maker. I love making homemade bread because not only is it delicious, and not only does it make my house smell delightful, but I also like knowing exactly what's going into my bread. This recipe included six simple ingredients: hot water, olive oil, sugar (3 Tablespoons for a 2LB loaf), salt, bread flour, and fast-rising yeast. No additives or preservatives.
The bread was fluffy, warm, and tasted delicious with butter*! 

 

*I use the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spread.

Up and Coming:

- Favorite afternoon snacks!

- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote! 

Homemade Granola Bars!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I'm a big fan of clipping recipes off the back of packages. The way I see it is that they're going to put their best recipes on the box/bag so that when you use their product you'll be wowed and will want to keep buying it.

That being said, I recently got an amazing recipe for homemade granola bars from the King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour bag! I eat granola bars in my lunch on a regular basis, and am a believer in homemade being a better option than store-bought, so I thought I'd attempt to make my own. After making them, I don't quite know if these are "healthier" than store bought granola bars. They contain a generous amount of butter and sugar. But I can confirm that they're delicious! I'll continue my search for a healthier option, but in the meanwhile, I'm definitely going to add this recipe to my binder!

The finished product: Was not the traditional granola bar texture (chewy or crunchy), however, they were magnificent! They were both fluffy and crunchy at the same time, and the flavor was cinnamon and spice with a hint of walnut! They'd make the perfect breakfast or snack paired with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!

VIEW MY VERSION OF THE RECIPE

Here's what I did to make them my own:

- The recipe calls for 1.5 to 2 cups brown sugar. I added the lesser amount to give them a subtle sweetness, which was perfect!

- I had my sous chef (aka my hubby) helping me with mixing and adding ingredients as we went, but when making them on my own I'll pre-mix the groups of ingredients into their own bowls so that I can combine them with ease (I've adjusted the instructions accordingly).

- I added cinnamon to the flour mixture and chia seeds to the granola mixture.

- I used 1/2 cup walnuts and 2 & 1/2 cups of granola (Cinnamon flavored granola containing dried cranberries, cinnamon, and granola), but I'm up for changing it according to what I feel like adding (and what I have available in the pantry).

My mix-ins: Walnuts, Chia, and Cinnamon flavored granola (containing dried cranberries, cinnamon, and granola). Yum!

Up and coming:
- Favorite afternoon snacks!
- Requests??? On the left side of my site you'll see a survey where you can vote for the types of recipes you'd like to see more of! I want to post what you want to read, so please take a moment to vote!