Chocolate Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Nana has suffered with psoriasis since she was a little girl.  She has learned to deal with it over the years, but recently it has become more troublesome.  I told her about our friend Amanda and how she has suffered with it and linked it to a gluten allergy.  So Nana went gluten free for 3 days and then tried to eat a bagel and almost scratched her head off.  So she is now eating a diet free of gluten.  Oatmeal doesn't seem to bother her, so I made these muffins for her.  They were super yummy!

Chocolate Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
3 cups oat flour (I just use quick cooking oatmeal and give it a whirl in my magic bullet)
2-1/2 cups cornstarch (or if you have gluten free all purpose baking mix, you can use that too)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk (or soured milk - 2-1/2 cup milk with 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar)
1 cup honey
1-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 eggs
*optional, 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

Sift together oat flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.  Add buttermilk, honey, applesauce and eggs.  Stir until combined.  Add chocolate chips to batter and stir.  They do not sink while baking.  I'm guessing it's the thickness of the oat flour.

Divide among muffin pan and bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes.  Baking times vary due to ovens, so just keep an eye on them.  Use a toothpick to see if they are done.

This is a huge batch and it made 43 muffins.  I freeze some and give some to Nana.  It's a great treat and delicious breakfast muffin.  I smear a bit of peanut butter on top, but Nutella or almond butter would be delicious too!

Banana Oat Muffins

We normally eat this muffin with our breakfast or for an evening snack.  I hope you enjoy it!  I really love to spread a little peanut butter on it...it's just so good.  A match made in heaven...peanut butter and bananas!  

Next time I'm going to try making this with dark chocolate to see how the calories work out, if it's good, I'll share it too.

Banana Oat Muffins

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup oat flour (grind your own oatmeal)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed bananas (overripe, about 3)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In large bowl whisk flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In separate bowl, mix bananas, sugar, yogurt, egg and vanilla extract together.  Pour into the dry ingredients and add cinnamon.  Scoop into a muffin tin sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes or until toothpick tests done.

Makes 12 muffins.

YUM!

each muffin = 84 calories, 0.7 grams fat, 17.5 grams carbs, 2.3 gram protein

Dill Pickles

We love Mt. Olive Kosher dill pickles.  In fact, when they go on sale at the store, I usually stock up at least 4 jars each time.  You and Hunter can go through some pickles!  We went over to Cousin Brenda's house and we finagled with the recipe until it resembled the original.  They are so good!!!  Technically these are refrigerator pickles.  Meaning they are not processed in a boiling water bath, but kept in the fridge. We save the pickle jars and spaghetti jars so we can put the pickled cucumbers in them. 

Dill Pickles
5-1/2 cups water
3 cups white distilled vinegar
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
5 Tbsp pickling salt (or non-iodized salt)
black peppercorn
mustard seeds
red pepper flakes
fresh dill heads
whole garlic cloves
cucumbers, sliced, speared, whole (make sure to remove the blossom end of the cucumbers)

Clean and dry your jars and lids.  Set aside.

In stainless steel pot, bring water, vinegar, salt and turmeric to a boil.  Then cool slightly. 

Clean and prepare the cucumbers.  Slicing them into chips, cutting them into spears or keeping them whole.  Remember to cut off the blossom end of the cucumbers.

Apparently there is a wicked little enzyme that will make your pickles mushy.  And we don't want mushy pickles!

Place one garlic clove, 2 peppercorns, a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 dill head into the bottom of each jar.

Fit cucumbers into the jars.

We put spears in the bottom and topped with chips.  Add another dill head to the top.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers allowing 1/2" headspace. 

Allow to come to room temperature and put straight into the fridge.  Allow to pickle for at least 4 weeks and then enjoy to your heart's content.

We didn't wait 4 weeks.  We didn't even wait 3 weeks.  We waited 4 days.  I know!  But we were way too curious to see how they tasted.  They are amazing!!!  The vinegar solution hadn't permeated the entire cucumber, but it still tasted pretty amazing!

Now you can make them yourself.  Plant yourself a little cucumber patch and you'll have cucumbers for the year.

YUM!

Thin Crust Pizza

We love Friday Night Pizza Nights.  We were making our own pizza dough for nearly a year.  It is delicious, but not very figure friendly.  I found an easy way to make a thin crust pizza using flour tortillas.  And you love to help!  This coral dress is your absolute favorite dress.  You'd wear it everyday given the chance. 


Thin Crust Pizza
flour tortillas
pasta sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
toppings
Italian seasoning

Lightly toast the flour tortillas in 425 degree oven for a minute or two on the oven racks.

Place them on baking sheets and spread some pasta sauce over them.

Add some veggies (we used peppers).

Sprinkle some cheese.

Top with pepperoni.

Bake in oven at 425 for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Finish it with a sprinkling of Italian seasoning and enjoy.


YUM!

Pulp Muffins

What is a "pulp muffin"?  You can use the leftover pulp from juicing vegetables and fruits to make muffins or quick breads.  Granny has a juicer and after she juices, pineapples, apples, bananas, carrots and just about anything else, there is leftover pulp in the machine.  She found some creative recipes on cooks.com and thought I might try the pulp in one of the recipes.  She froze about 4-6 cups of pulp in freezer baggies and saved it for me.  When we visited, she gave them to me.  Here's what I came up with:

Pulp Muffins (adapted from cooks.com), makes 24 large muffins
2-3 cups leftover pulp (it doesn't matter what, but Granny said she used bananas, apples and pineapples in this mix)
1 cup shredded coconut
4 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup honey
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix pulp, coconut, eggs, applesauce, oil, vanilla and honey until well combined.  Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix with the wet ingredients.

Scoop into 24 lined muffin cups.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

These were pretty good.  It might help to cut the apples away from the core to avoid the seeds and fibrous center.  We all loved them.

YUM!

Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks

When I'm planning our OAMC (once-a-month-cooking), I always try to think of easy breakfast ideas for you and Hunter.  I always have frozen bananas on hand and like to find new ways to use them.  Last year I came upon a great recipe for make-ahead french toast sticks.  They are so good and y'all love them!  I made them initally with the pumpkin but y'all love the banana better.  Here's how I make them:

Cinnamon Banana French Toast Sticks (adapted from OAMM)
15 slices whole wheat bread, cut in half (about a whole loaf)
1/4 cup melted butter
8 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 banana)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk butter, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and mashed banana until well combined.  Hand-dip the bread into the batter and coat well.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and flip to bake other side. (I find they stick a little, but it's worth it.)  Bake other side for 10 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack.  Cool completely before freezing.  Flash-freeze on cookie sheet until frozen about 1 hour.  Once frozen, remove from cookie sheet to freezer storage bag. 

To serve, microwave for 30-45 seconds.  Y'all eat these straight up without any syrup or powdered sugar.  But I'm sure that will change one day!

YUM!

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemon poppyseed muffins are so yummy!  Sometimes I can pick up a box from the grocery store for pennies, but when they don't have them on sale and we're craving them, this is the recipe I use.



Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest from one lemon
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1-1/4 cup buttermilk (or make your own)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons melted butter

In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest and poppyseeds.

Mix together.

In another bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and melted butter.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and mix well.

Scoop into muffin liners and

bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

In the meantime, make the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon corn syrup

Mix everything together in a small bowl until smooth.

Dip the tops of the muffins into the glaze and set aside until they are cool.

YUM!

Chow-Chow

This was my first attempt at Chow-Chow.  These turned out really nice with a crunchy texture and slightly sweet and spicy aftertaste.  I decided to make this using up some end of the season green tomatoes and jalapeno peppers and a bargain cabbage at the grocery store.  Granny has a recipe from her Grandmother and I'd love to get it and share it with you.  Maybe next summer when we have more green tomatoes...

Chow-Chow
4 cups green tomatoes, finely diced
3 cups cabbage, finely diced
1 red jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 green jalapeno pepper, finely diced
salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 cup sugar

Place tomatoes, cabbage and peppers into a large glass bowl.  Generously sprinkle with salt (probably about 2-3 Tablespoons), stir and cover and let sit overnight on the counter.  The next day, drain off all the water accumulated in the bottom of the bowl and rinse the vegetables in a colander to remove most of the salt.

In a large pot, heat  vinegar, water, mustard seeds, tumeric and sugar over medium heat, add rinsed and drained vegetables.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars and keep in the fridge.  Serve with Soup Beans and Cornbread.

YUM!

Poppy's Fried Apples

My Poppy was a great breakfast cook.  He'd make fried meats, fried taters and fried apples.  This is a very traditional Appalachian side dish.  You might think it's a chunky applesauce, but one bite and you'll know it's not applesauce.  Most of the time Poppy would make this for breakfast to eat alongside Granny's biscuits.  Sometimes we'd have leftovers, but that was rare.  The buttery goodness with these apples is addictive, you could eat them straight off a spoon!

Poppy's Fried Apples
5-6 apples, cored and chopped (leave skins on, that's how Poppy did it)
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar

Add apples, butter and sugar to a pot with a lid. 

Stir to coat everything.  Cover pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Remove lid and mash apples with back of a spoon.  Continue to simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes to reduce some of the liquid in the pot.

Then it's ready to eat.  Yummy goodness!

Yum!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

Most of the meals I prepare for you are from scratch.  Occasionally, the grocery stores will run sales and combined with a coupon, we get free or cheap packaged products.  Even though some of these are free or cheap, I'm still selective with what we get to avoid junk.  I was able to get two boxes of Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix for $.14 each after coupons during a sale.  To make them even better, I vamped up the mix and came up with this recipe.  This is a bulk recipe to make during once-a-month-cooking or freezer-cooking. 

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
1 box of pancake mix (or 6 cups)
3 cups quick oats
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar (or honey)
4-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
3 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix pancake mix, quick cooking oats and cinnamon together.  Add sugar (or honey), milk, water, eggs and vegetable oil.  Mix well.  Using a 1/3 cup measuring scoop to pour up equal sized pancakes.  This made 24 pancakes.

Yum!

Easy Peach Butter

Cousin Brenda said Peach Butter is really easy to make and since I had a few peaches from last week's $.58/lb sale at Food Depot, I decided to try my hand at it today.  Brenda said she adds cinnamon and so that's what I did.  I also added a small dash of nutmeg, just because...The original recipe calls for 4 to 4-1/2 pounds of peaches.  I only had one pound of peaches, approximately 6 peaches.  I blanched them in boiling water and then dunked them into an ice bath to remove the skins.  Then cut them into quarters to remove the pit and popped them into the pan.  This small amount made two half pint jars.  I didn't put these into a water bath since it was just this small amount.  I placed them into the fridge.  We already finished off one of the jars and it's only been one day!  It's pretty tasty!

Peach Butter (adapted from Ball Blue Book)

1 pound peaches, peeled, pitted, fibrous centers removed and sliced

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

Place the peaches into a pot with 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil and then lower to simmer until the peaches are very soft.  Place them into the food processor and puree.  

Place the puree back into the pot and add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.  Cook mixture until thick enough to round up on a spoon.  Ladle into clean jars, top with lids and rings and store in the fridge.  

If you are preparing more peaches and want to preserve them for shelf stability.  Make sure you have sterilized, hot jars to ladle the peach butter into.  Leave 1/4" head space.  Remove the air bubbles.  Add the lids and rings.  Then you're ready to process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. 

That's it!  Super easy and Brenda was totally right!  It is so GOOD!

Yum!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

When zucchini is in abundance, grate it up and store it in the freezer.  Then when you want to make these muffins, thaw it, squeeze out the excess liquid and use it in this recipe.  In order for you and Hunter to eat zucchini muffins, I had to add a little bit of chocolate to the mix.  I also topped them with a few chocolate chips.  At least you were eating some healthy vegetables among the chocolate!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded zucchini
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used mini in this picture), divided,

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine eggs, sugar, applesauce, butter, vanilla and zucchini in large bowl, mix well.  Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, powder and salt in separate bowl.  Sprinkle a little flour over 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.  Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Fold in the flour coated chocolate chips.  Scoop evenly into paper lined muffin tin.  (I got 15 muffins.)  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the top of the muffins.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, check doneness with toothpick. 

Yum!!!

Currant Scones

Nana shared her "secret" cream scone recipe with me, but I can never seem to get it right.  Here's my version:

Currant Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

5 Tablespoon cold butter, cubed

1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup dried currants

In food processor, blend flour, sugar, powder, salt and cinnamon (if using).  Pulse in the cold butter until it resembles small peas.  Pour into a large mixing bowl and add the whipping cream to the center and carefully stir.  Pour out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times.  Fold in the currants and knead 2 or 3 more times, until they are well dispersed throughout the dough.  Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten with your hands at the same time, shaping into a large circle.  You are looking for a thickness of about 1 to 1-1/4".  Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces, like a pie.  Brush the top with egg white wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 23-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool.  Drizzle the tops with glaze (powder sugar mixed with milk).  

Yum!

Garlic Breadsticks

This is actually something I came up with after Daddy suggested it.  When we have our Friday Night Pizza Night, I brush the crust with garlic butter.  Daddy said to make him a whole pizza with the garlic butter brushed all over it.  We have a pizza dough leftover since the pizza recipe we use makes two rounds.  So it's pretty easy.

Oil a baking sheet with vegetable oil.

If the pizza dough has been in the fridge, place it on the oiled sheet, cover with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature.

Press the dough out with your hands to form a rectangle or round depending on your pan.  I use the plastic wrap to help press it out.  Leave the plastic wrap in place for 10 minutes so the dough relaxes into the new shape.  Use a pizza cutter and cut strips for bread sticks.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter and add garlic salt.

 Brush the crust with the mixture immediately when removed from oven.

SO good!!!

YUM!

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

This is a great bar for breakfast or snack for the kids.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars
2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cup butter melted
1-1/2 cups preserves

In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Pour melted butter over and mix really well.  It will clump up.  Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Spread the preserves over the crust.  Using the remaining oatmeal mixture, crumble over the preserves.  Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown.   When it's cool, cut into bars and serve.  Freeze leftovers.

I've made this with strawberry preserves, peach jam, strawberry fig preserves with fresh blueberries.  Possibilities are endless!  Get creative!

Yum!

Gravy & Biscuits

When I was a little girl, we would visit my Granny in Virginia.  Every morning she'd have "gravies and biscuits" for us.  She made them fresh every day.  My Granny always added a "meat" to the gravy.  She even made Bologna Gravy.  She'd cut slices of bologna in half and fry them in a skillet.  Here's the recipe for the gravy:

Gravy
3 Tablespoon oil, bacon grease, butter
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
12 oz can evaporated milk
4-6 oz water (I just fill up the can about half way with water)

Heat skillet over medium heat and add oil.  Add flour and whisk until smooth, cook for about 1-2 minutes.  While whisking, pour in evaporated milk.  Whisk until smooth.  Add water to thin it out for your desired consistency.  Enjoy over biscuits! I also love to eat this with fresh homegrown sliced tomatoes.  SO GOOD!

Variations:  You can add crumbled cooked sausage, bacon, chip beef or even fried slices of bologna.

Biscuits
4 cups all purpose flour
4 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) cold, cut into cubes
2 to 2-1/2 cups buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Use a fork and mash cubed butter into the flour until it's been incorporated throughout the flour mixture.  Make a well and pour in the buttermilk.  Using the fork, mix together lightly.  Do not overwork the dough, you'll get hard biscuits.  The dough needs to be really sticky.  Think about canned biscuits, they are wet and sticky out of a can, so that's what you want with homemade biscuits.  Lightly flour a surface and carefully fold the dough over itself, pat into a circle and punch out biscuits.  Reroll dough and punch more biscuits until it's been used up.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.  If you want the tops to brown, broil them for a minute. 

Yum!