Empire State Muffins

For this week's ROTW(recipe of the week) on our facebook page, I picked a recipe from Taste of Home. It was for Empire State Muffins. They sounded like the perfect breakfast muffin. They are loaded with things that are good for you. Recipes like this are pretty much the only way I can get  my son to eat a vegetable(frustrating). They turned out great! I only made a couple little changes.

  If you ever want to try our ROTWs you can get to it by clicking on the link on the right side of the blog. We  love hearing feedback and seeing photos of your finished product!Kimberly and I take turns picking a new recipe every Friday(untried by either of us). We try it and give you our review also.The ones we really like make it over here to the blog. They can't all be winners, right...? 

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded tart apples
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries(I used craisins)
  
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour(I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1&1/2 cups white)
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil(If you want to lighten up the recipe use 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce)
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine apples and sugar. Gently fold in cranberries, carrots and nuts. Combine dry ingredients; add to bowl. Mix well to moisten dry ingredients. Combine eggs and oil; stir into apple mixture.
• Fill 18 greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from tins. Yield: 18 muffins.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home Pin It

Marinated Pork Chops w/ Pineapple Salsa or ROTW

I am not sure if meat photographs all that well but I thought I would give it a-go. Each week our group posts a "Recipe of the Week" or ROTW (you can click on the link at right) in the hopes of getting people to experiment with something they may not have ever tried before. Sometimes the recipe is a winner (see Pecan Tart) and other times we realize that we cannot burn the recipe fast enough. This week was pork and I chose it because I hear it is the other white meat ie. low in calories and fat (if you choose the right cut) and I rarely eat pork in any of its forms so that means experimentation for me. The marinade end result was good, not great, but good enough that my husband asked me to keep the recipe (I think that orange zest and a little of the juice would compliment the pork better than the lime alone). The meat had a nice flavor, was juicy and cooked quickly which is great for a mom of three hungry children. With that said, I really just want to talk about the salsa. It was so good that I ate it for dinner as a side dish. It was tart, sweet, salty, creamy (added avocado) crispy, slightly spicy and simply delicious.

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French Toast Casserole

Well last Friday was my turn to pick the  ROTW. Seeing that the upcoming Saturday, the 28th, was going to be National French Toast Day, I decided to pick a baked french toast casserole by Paula Deen. My original plan was to make this and post this on Saturday, but I forgot that both of my kids would be at Grandmas's that day. There was really no reason to make this just for myself(husband doesn't eat this kind of stuff) so, I decided to wait until today. My first impression of the casserole was that it was very good. The top was especially delicious, crisp and sweet. My second impression was.... I remembered that I'm not a huge fan of the moist bread in french toast casseroles. It tastes good, I just don't really care for the texture that much. I also am not a big fan of bread puddings for that reason. That being said...if you like french toast casseroles, this recipe would make a really good and easy addition to Christmas morning.

Ingredients

* 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
* 8 large eggs
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 1 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Dash salt
* Praline Topping, recipe follows
* Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.
Praline Topping:

* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter(I used salted,softened)
* 1 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup chopped pecans(I left these out per my daughters request)
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

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ROTW- Carmel Pecan Tart

This might be my favorite thing to do all week. It is exciting to know there is a new recipe that I just have to try and when the recipe changes on Friday morning it is like opening a present. This weeks ROTW (Recipe of the Week) was so great, it took one of my favorite pies and made it even better. It is like a yummy warm piece of pecan pie without that super sweet gooey part and it was so easy to make. The only changes I would make are to cut the amount of pecans by 1 cup and make the crust thinner. The thicker crust takes away from the pecans and the sauce and those two elements (pecans and sauce) should not have to compete for your love. This recipe has found a permanent place in the dessert section of my family recipe book.

Side note: I decided to have a piece cold, straight from the fridge and I have to say it is even better cold. It would be perfect to make the day before, refrigerate and then cut up for a tea party, birthday party or shower of any kind. You will get rave reviews with this recipe.

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Amber's ROTW/Chili and Cornbread Review

What could be better on a cool Halloween night than chili and cornbread? Too me it's the perfect choice. Both the chili recipe and the cornbread recipe were so delicious!

First let's talk about the chili. Be prepared, this recipe makes A LOT of chili. Perfect choice when company's coming for dinner. I only made 2 changes to the recipe. I added 2 packets of chili mix instead of 1. I also omitted the peppers and celery, since my family is not a fan of either. I thought the addition of sausage in chili was a great idea. I have never tried that before. Everyone loved this chili which always makes me happy!

Now on to the cornbread. Since I've been married I have been making Jiffy cornbread. It tastes good and for less than 50 cents a box, you can't beat it. I just always assumed however that all corn bread will leave your plate with a huge pile of crumbs. Not to mention the huge mess of crumbs that make it too the floor. This was such a delicious cornbread recipe. It was sweet and had a wonderful texture. The best part, virtually no crumbs!

I will absolutely be making both of these recipes again. I hope everyone enjoyed these as much as I did. Pin It

Amber's Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies Review

From Let's Eat!

So today I was able to make this week's ROTW, Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies. I have never combined peanut butter and bananas before in any recipe, so this was a first. I thought they turned out really good. My kids loved them! I have to admit I made quite a few adjustments to the original recipe. Here is the original ingredient list with my changes in parentheses.

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (3 cups quick oats)
1 cup all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 t baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup butter)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (1 cup brown sugar)
1 large egg white (2 large eggs)
1 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 1 & 1/2 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter chips (I went ahead and tossed in the whole bag, why not?)

After mixing the ingredients I thought the dough needed a little more flour. I probably ended up adding 1/3 to 1/2 cup of flour. After baking the cookies I realized that that amount was probably a little more than I needed. I suggest maybe baking a few cookies first, and if they come out to flat, add a little flour. The texture of your dough will also depend on the size of your bananas.

Original Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Pin It

PB Banana Oatmeal Cookies or ROTW

As a novice baker I know the rules of baking- read the directions through before starting, make sure you have everything on hand, measure, and follow the rules as they are written (is it 1 cup of chopped nuts or 1 cup of nuts, chopped). Making these cookies I broke every rule. So when I got through adding the ingredients from the recipe to my mixing bowl I realized that there was no peanut butter in my Peanut Butter Banana cookies. Hmmmm how did I miss such an important ingredient? I now was looking at Oatmeal cookies with no Peanut butter and then I realized, hidden on page two of the ingredients list was 3/4 cups of peanut butter chips... darn, I don't have those on hand. Well I did what any self-respecting cook would do, I improvised with what I did have on hand- natural, sugar free, peanut butter (you know the kind that has oil on top that you have to mix in before you can make your child's sandwich). I proceeded to add 2 TBL of PB to the mixture, after the flour, after the oats, after, well everything. It actually tasted alright, RAW. But it was horrible cooked. It was gummy, chalky and somehow tasted like I imagine the inside of shoe soles to taste. So I was off to the store for the actual ingredients to this recipe. I made it perfect, there were no mistakes, I read and reread those instructions and yet it still seems like it is missing something. It tastes like dense banana bread, not a bad taste but not what I am used to in an oatmeal cookie. As usual, it is sweet and tastes like bananas, so the kids loved them. Rachel, my 1 year old, ate two in one day and because the recipe is full of good for you ingredients including vitamins and oats I think I might just keep this recipe to make again. Next time I might try making it with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter cooking sticks and Splenda, I mean if it tastes a little like good for you food I may as well make it even better for my family. Pin It

My Review For This Week's ROTW

I baked and tried this week's recipe of the week, Cinnamon Apple Crumble Pie. I looooved it! I'd have to say that is the best apple pie I have ever tried.  The topping was delicious! Kim had said that her apples turned out to soft. To avoid this I changed the bake time and oven temp. I baked the pie for a total of 50-60 minutes at 375. The apples were the perfect texture.

Cinnamon Apple Crumble Pie Recipe

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Apple Crumble Recipe of the Week

This weeks challenge was an Apple Crumble Pie. I am not sure what happened to my pie but it looks a little like someone stepped on half of it (see picture). I was excited about this recipe because I had gone to Costco and overzealously picked up 2! package of apples (24 huge apples) hoping to make enough pies for the whole family. I found the recipe easy to make and quite simple. I used a pre-made pie crust to make life easier and added the necessary ingredients. The crumble topping is buttery and delicious with just the right touch of cinnamon and sugary sweetness. I was less than thrilled with the pre-made pie crust as I thought it was not sweet enough (shame on me for not making the one that was recommended with the pie) and the cook time seemed long for the apples. The apples seemed almost perfect at the end of the first baking before I was asked to lower the temp and cook for 40 minutes longer. Overall, the pie's flavors were wonderful but the texture was slightly off for this cook. I think I will attempt this pie again with a lower cooking temp or a lesser cooking time.
Recipe for Cinnamon Apple Crumble Pie Pin It

Pot roast recipe of the week try out

I was able to make the recipe of the week on Sunday. I thought about the posts from others stating that it might be too expensive and I was a little bummed because I know how hard times are right now (and I picked the recipe this week). So I thought I would make it with things I had around the house and try to keep costs down.

My son and I got everything ready cutting up the meat, onions, apples, and 2 lbs of sweet potatoes (because I always have those in the house and I am not fond of butternut squash). I know the recipe called out for 3 lbs of sweet potatoes but I couldnt fit them all in the crockpot and have room for the apples. I think the recipe called out for 3 cinnamon sticks so I used 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon because I already had that in the house. I left out the rosemary, for me it is a pungent flavor best suited for chicken.

The prep time was about 15 minutes, my son piled it into the crock pot and then we left for breakfast. When we came back the kitchen smelled like a warm mix of fall spices. It look wonderful, we added the sweet potatoes and cooked a little longer, then the apples and cooked 30 more minutes.

My son and husband loved it. I thought I would have enough for two dinners and a lunch. But my husband loved it so much he ate two huge plates (that is always a good sign and his way of saying good job Kim). This left me with enough for lunch. I did not serve it with any starch (ie couscous) because I didn't think it needed it with the addition of sweet potatoes. Plus, as a dieter I try not to add to many carbs to anything.

So this was a winner in our family. When it was all done it would serve a family of 4 at least twice and I made the whole thing for about 12$ (9.24$ meat at Costco but you may be able to find it on special somewhere, 1.00$ for two granny smiths, 1.98$ for sweet potatoes on sale, onion 0$, cinnamon 0$, allspice 0$ and beef broth 0$ all on hand) so that would be about 5$ per meal for the family.

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