Berry Smash Muffins

These are just to die for.  Pretty quick to make.  You're crazy if you don't try these muffins.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup strawberries (fresh)

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup AP flour (I always sift 3 times... or you can be lazy and not)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I sift my dry ingredients with my flour)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line or grease muffin pan for 12 muffins

Slightly smash strawberries in a large bowl using a fork (or be lazy like me, throw them in the KitchenAid and use the whisk attachment)

Stir in sugar, oil,  and eggs.  

Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened.

Spoon batter in to muffin tin.   Top with streusel or cinnamon sugar mix if desired.

Bake 15-18 minutes

Cool 5 minutes.  

Makes 12. 

Crock Pot Peach Cobbler

When the Mr. and I first started dating he told me he loved cobbler.  I ended up finding this recipe after my first attempt to make him one (for his birthday).  And then lost it promptly.  I found it today looking for something completely unrelated.  I am excited to give it a try and will post any tweaks to the recipe.  

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh or canned peaches

2/3 cup oats (Does not specify, I am going to assume not instant)

2/3 cup AP flour

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup softened unsalted butter

Directions

Place the peaches in the stoneware.  Combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and pour over peaches.  Add the butter and stir until crumbly.  Cook on low for 3 hours.  

And of course, serve with vanilla ice cream!!  :)

Delicious Sides

I can frequently come up with what to make for dinner.  Sides, however, are somewhat elusive to me.  Here are a couple that are well worth making!  Including my in-laws cheese pudding recipe, it is perfect for the holidays, and I now think that a Thanksgiving meal without it is just wrong.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Serves 4-6

My oven is a bit wonky, so this didn't turn out as well as hopped, but oooh sooo tasty.

I think rosemary would be fabulous in this as well.  Give it a try next time you have steaks.  

This recipe works with potatoes 1 1/2"- 2" in diameter.  Anything bigger just will not work.  Make sure the potatoes are cooked thoroughly, so they smash easily.  Remove from baking sheet as soon as they are done browning, will toughen if they are left too long.  You can also use a potato masher. 

2 pound small Red Bliss potatoes (roughly 18), scrubbed

6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped finely

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions 

Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees.  Arrange potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, pour 3/4 cups water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with foil.  Cook on bottom rack until paring knife slips in and out easily, 25-30 minutes.  Remove foil and cool for 10 minutes.  Blot any remaining water if left.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat.  Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place a second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until 1/3"
to 1/2" thick.  Sprinkle with thyme leaves, and season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Roast on top rack for 15 minutes.  Transfer to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned.  About 20-30 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Carrots

Serves 4-6

1 1/2 pound carrots, peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise if necessary to create even pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Table salt and ground black pepper (try other seasonings as well, rosemary,  shallots, etc)

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl combine carrots with butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat.  Transfer carrots to foil or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly in a single layer.

Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to cook, stirring twice, until carrots are well browned and tender 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to serving platter season withsalt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Cheese Pudding 

serves 4-6

NOTE:  Prepare a day ahead.  Must sit for 12 hrs prior to baking.

Set oven to 375

10 slices bread, crust removed and cubed
1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick butter
3 eggs, separated
2 c. milk
1 T. grated onion
1/2-1 t. cayenne pepper

Directions

Melt butter, toss with bread.
Mix egg yolks, milk, onion & pepper.  Add to bread. Mix well.
Add cheese.  Mix.
Beat egg whites till stiff and gently fold into bread mixture.

Cover and store in refrigerator for 12 hrs or overnight.

Bake in deep bowl for 45 min., uncovered.

Recipe doubles well, if you have a dish large enough to bake it in.

Chicken Fricassee

So I've been bad about updating, and honestly since the wedding not a whole whole lot of cooking.  Been super lazy.  Precooked frozen shit and all.  

So this was pretty easy, and QUITE tasty.  I also did roasted carrots as a side (will add an entry with several sides next).  Great meal.  

Chicken Fricassee

Serves 4-6

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or combination

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, cleaned, chopped fine, about 1 cup

1 medium onion, chopped fine, about 1 cup

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon unbleached AP flour

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup sour cream

1 egg yold

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced fresh taragon or parsley

Directions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels ad season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Heat butter and oil in 12 inch skillet over med high heat.  When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.  Flip chicken, continue to cook another 4 minutes.  Transfer chicken to large plate.

Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8-10 min.  Add flour and garlic, cook stirring constantly for a minute.  Add broth and bring mix to a boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.   Add chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.  Reduce heat to med low, cover, and simmer, about 5-10 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a clean platter and tent loosely with foil.  Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in a med bowl.  Whisking constantly, slowly stir 1/2 cup of sauce from skillet to sour cream mixture.  Stirring constantly slowly pour sour cream mix in to simmering sauce.  Stir in nutmeg lemon juice, and tarragon.  Return to simmer.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve. 

The Best Pumpkin Muffins. Ever.

Even though it isn't any where near close to feeling like fall, or even Indian Summer here in TX, the years I've spent away have started a new internal clock for fall and fall related items, and anything pumpkin.  I love my family pumpkin bread recipe.  I love pumpkin spice lattes.  Pumpkin cheesecake at Olive Garden. So I wanted to make a pumpkin muffin.  And I also wanted to incorporate sugared pecans.  So this is what I came up with - a cream cheese filled pumpkin muffin topped with struesel and sugared pecans.  It is about as close to heaven as you can get (if that you believe in that kinda thing) I think.


For the sugared pecans I made them in advance, cooked the full time, and added in to the top of the muffins about 10 min in to cooking.  I would really recommend cooking the pecans (for this recipe only!) about 10-15 minutes and then adding in with the struesel topping and cooking the full length of muffins.


You will also want to prep your cream cheese filling and throw it in to the freezer in advance... works much better that way.


Sugared Pecans
(this will make a lot of pecans, if you want to keep them around and snack - I recommend chopped for the muffins, halve for snacking.)


Ingredients:
2 cups pecans
1 egg white
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar


Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 
Combine all dry ingredients, mix well set aside. 
Combine all wet ingredients, mix until egg white is slightly foamy.  Add pecans.  Stir to mix well, making sure all pecans are completely coated.  Slowly stir in the dry mixture and coat pecans well.
Place pecans on a greased sheet of aluminum foil.  Cook for 15 minutes, stir.  Cook another 15 min if not adding to muffins.


Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese filling
Make about 24


Cream Cheese filling (make first!!)
Ingredients
8 oz packaged cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar - sifted


Directions
Combine cream cheese in a med-large bowl and blend with an electric mixer until smooth.
Place in foil or plastic wrap and put in freezer for about an hour (or for the time you are prepping the rest of the muffins - it needs to be semi soft)




Struesel Topping 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
4 tbsp butter (cubbed then slightly softened)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon


Directions
Combine all ingredients together and mix with forks until cumbly.


Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat oven to 350


Ingredients
3 cups flour, sifted 3 times
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves 
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
2 cups sugar
1 can pumpkin puree (I use Liby's, 15 oz can)


Directions
Combine the flour (make sure to sift it!), spices, salt, and baking soda and mix with an electric mixer - set aside.
In a new bowl for add sugar and oil.  Mix well on low until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
Add pumpkin and mix well.
Slowly add the dry mixture and mix on med until well blended.


Line the muffin pan.  Remove cream cheese mix from freezer.  Make 24 equal portions of the cream cheese mix.  Fill the cups about half full with the muffin mix, then add the cream cheese and fill the cup with muffin mix on top.  Add the struesel mix and pecans to the top of muffins.  
Bake for 20-25 min.

Muffins with filling in half the cup

Finished muffins

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Honey Frosting

I made these for my awesome friend Lara's birthday, as she LOOOVES Earl Grey tea.  I basically shopped around recipes and voila, custom creation.  Same for the frosting.  With both I will actually be reworking using a chiffon cake recipe (testing it next with a spice chai cupcake!).  The combination was tasty, and everyone liked them, but being me, it wasn't exactly what I was going for, and not as fluffy as I wanted.  So watch for the new version coming soon.   This works as a good test drive also since Mike and I are wanting to do multiple cupcake flavors for the wedding.  Nice way to work it out waaay in advance!


Earl Grey Cupcakes


Makes about 12 regular sized cupcakes


Ingredients 

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, at room temperature

4 Earl Grey teabags* Honestly, I would double this!  

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

2 large eggs, free-range or organic

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the teabags. Cover and leave to infuse for about 30 minutes, then discard the teabags.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add the almond extract, if using, and the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

Sift the two flours together into a separate bowl. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the infused milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added. * Sift 3x!!

Carefully spoon the mixture into the cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a wooden skewer in the center of one of the cupcakes - it should come out clean. 

Remove from the oven and leave the cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you could frost the cupcakes.

Lemon Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons thick honey

1/2 large lemon, juiced

zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the honey. Beat until combined.

Add the juice of lemon and zest.

Add more sugar and honey until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

Note: The honey I used was very thick, meaning it was not pourable unless I warmed it in a water bath first. This works great for the frosting as it keeps it thick. Note that if you use pourable honey the texture of both recipes may change slightly!

Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat

I looooove the Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I don't like the price for the itty bitty cup - or having to get it within a certain time (seriously been there right as they were throwing it out...no soup for me).  So I made it a mission to find a copycat.  I did, but I had to tweak it a bit.  I read the actual ingredients on the Panera site - which were not included.  Of course I had to add them. I also tweaked the ingredient prep.  It called for julienned carrots, I shredded them just on a large cheese grater.  Pulsed in my food processor.  For the broccoli, just chop finely.  I didn't remove and blend in a blender (which I need).  You could use an immersion blender easily, if you have one.  If your ingredients are chopped finely enough, you can get away with skipping that part.
 It turned out great and Mike loved it.


Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat
Serves 4 | Difficulty 3 | 60 min total time (prep - finished)


Ingrediets
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded (then pulsed with food processor)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz (or more if desired) sharp cheddar, grated
Dash of hot sauce (Tabasco or Lousiana) to taste
Dijon mustard to taste




Directions
Suate onion in 1 tbsp melted butter.  Set aside.  Cook 1/4 c melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Stir constantly and slowly add the half and half (this is called making a roux).  Add the chicken stock, whisking all the time.  Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions.  Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  The soup should be thickened by now.  *Pour in to blender in batches and puree.  Return to pot over low heat.  Add the grated cheese, Dijon mustard,  hot sauce, nutmeg and paprika.  Stir until well blended.  Serve.