Blueberry Muffins and Minestrone Soup

Blueberry Muffins
via: Allrecipes.com

Muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking
powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

For the muffins - Combineflour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a measuring cup; add the egg and enou milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping - Mix together sugar, flour, cup butter, and teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done

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Olive Garden Copycat Minestrone Soup {Slow Cooker}(modified)
via: Cooking Classy

4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups water
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
1 cup diced carrots (2 carrots)
1 cup diced yellow onion (1 small) (I use a small red onion)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/3 cups diced zucchini (1 small)
1 1/3 cups shell pasta*
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can white navy beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian green beans, drained
2 cups slightly packed chopped fresh spinach (kale works well, too)
(1 small box Grape Tomatoes)
Finely shredded Romano cheese, for serving (Parmesan works too)

Add vegetable stock, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar to a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6 - 8 hours or high 3 - 4 hours.
Add in zucchini, pasta*, garlic, kidney beans and white beans and cook on high heat and additional 30 - 40 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach, grape tomatoes and Italian green beans and cook several minutes until heated through.

Serve warm topped with Romano cheese.

Notes:
* If I know that this will be saved, or froze, and eaten later, I will omit the pasta and add it in as it is reheating. You can also trade out the pasta for tortellini.
** Sometimes I use a bag of frozen stew veggies instead of fresh one, especially if I need to save time.)
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Italian Wedding Soup + Pete's Amazing Italian Meatballs

Italian Wedding Soup

1 batch Pete's Amazing Meatballs (see below)
4 cups Chicken broth
2 stalks celery, minced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 teas red pepper flakes
2 teas Montreal Steak seasoning
1 teas paprika
Salt & Pepper (to taste - I actually leave this out)
1 bunch (or bag) spinach
1/2 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1/2 cup White Wine

Make small versions of Pete's Amazing Meatballs. (Mine are about 1 teaspoon each meatball.)
In a large stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, carrot, zucchini and celery. Bring to a boil. Add seasonings and rice and boil for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add white wine, spinach and meatballs to the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve. Add shaved Parmesan cheese on top, if you wish.

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Pete's Amazing Meatball Recipe

Our friend, Pete M. makes amazing meatballs. As a boy he had them for breakfast every Sunday. I have fun picturing that in my head when I make a batch of these. They are fun to make and freeze well. They are good enough alone that you don't need any sauce.

Pete's Amazing Meatballs

3-4 TBL Parsley, fresh & chopped
3-4 TBL Basil, fresh and chopped
3-4 Garlic SHoots or 1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1# Hamburger (80%)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (plain or seasoned)
3 Eggs
Salt & Pepper, if desired

Mix the herbs, garlic and hamburger in the food processor or by hand. Add in the grated cheese and process again. Add in the bread crumb with the eggs. Form into Meatballs.

Bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven. You can also fry them in a skillet.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
via: Sally's Baking Addition: A Sprinkle of Fun and Adventure

Ingredients:

CUPCAKES
1 and 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/4 cup (60g) yogurt*
3/4 cup (180ml) milk*
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
CINNAMON-SWIRL FROSTING
1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) salted or unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3-4 cups (360-480g) confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
salt, to taste
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
12 snickerdoodle cookies, mini size (read above for how to make them mini-sized)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in 1 cup of sugar - mixture will be gritty. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together. Set aside. Spoon 2 scant Tablespoons of cupcake batter into each cupcake liner. Top with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with 1 heaping Tablespoon of cupcake batter, until the cupcake tins are about 3/4 full. Some of the cinnamon-sugar filling from the center layer may peek through the top layer of batter. See photo above for a visual. Top each cupcake with 1 teaspoon more of the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake the cupcakes for 19-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes (the longer you beat, the creamier the frosting). Add more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if the frosting is too thick. Taste the frosting and add salt if frosting is too sweet (1/4 teaspoon). Remove half of the frosting from the mixing bowl and transfer to a smaller mixing bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

To swirl the frosting, spoon half cinnamon frosting into the piping bag and half vanilla frosting into the piping bag. See above for a visual. Pipe onto cupcakes as desired. I used a Wilton 1M swirl tip. If you do not have a piping bag and tip, simply frost the cupcakes with both the vanilla and cinnamon frostings. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.

Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 5.

*For the yogurt in the cupcakes, you may use plain or vanilla; regular or greek yogurt; any fat content; or even sour cream.

*For the milk in the cupcakes, you may use cow's milk; or soy milk; or almond milk. Vanilla or plain. I prefer using milk with some fat (like 1% or 2%), it makes the cupcakes moister.

Pancakes + Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Chili Glaze, Almonds and Dates Recipes

I've been searching for a good pancake recipe for a while. A long time ago Larr gave me a small book of pancake recipes. Many of them are good, but I can't seem to find the tiny book - bummer. We had this one this morning and really enjoyed them.
Pancakes
via:modified from a recipe found at Allrecipes

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Butter for the pan (or cooking spray)


Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
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We are also eating a lot of brussel sprouts these days. I wanted to jazz things up a bit so I took what looked like a good recipe and added to it. My husband and I thought they were great. Too bad that the kids were not here to have any of them.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Maple Chili Glaze, Almonds and Dates

1 lb. Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1/4 cup Butter, melted
2 TBL. Maple Syrup
1/4 tea. Brown Sugar
1/4 tea. Chipotle or Ancho Chili powder or flakes
1/8-1/4 tea. Northwoods Fire Spice* or Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup Almonds (sliced or slivers)
1/4-1/2 cup Dates, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil or parchment
Toss the brussel sprouts with just enough olive oil to coat them.
Spread them out on the baking pan. Lightly salt, if desired.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender.

While the brussel sprouts are roasting, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, chili powder and Northwoods Fire or liquid smoke. Stir to mix. Turn off the heat.

Once the brussel sprouts are tender, place them in a serving bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the brussel sprouts and stir to coat. Add in the almonds and dates. Stir once again to distribute the almonds and dates.

This is nice served warm or cold.

Grandma Gay's Mac and Cheese

Grandma Gay's Mac and Cheese

2 cups Macaroni, cooked al dente
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup of Butter, chopped into pieces or melted (1 stick)
2+ cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Add the pasta to boiling water to cook it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the pasta cooks, stir 2 eggs into a cup of milk.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and put it in an 8" x 8" casserole dish. Quickly add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Next, quickly add in the cheese and stir it so that the heat from the pasta melts it. You can add more cheese to the mix if you want it to be more cheesey.

Next, pour in the egg and milk, stirring to mix. Halfway through the baking you can add more cheese to the top, if you like.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

(I tried precooking the pasta, adding in the butter and the cheese so that I could take this to a friend's house where I finished it. The mac and cheese was good, but not great. The texture was not as nice as this was. My kids tell me that it reheats well.)

Clementine Cake

Clementine Cake
via: Country Girl's Daybook
and Cathy Merenda Blog
Cake:
7 small clementines
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 cups ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze:
2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup clementine juice (I used orange juice concentrate)


CANDIED CLEMENTINES
3 clementines
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter and line an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with parchment.
Poke each clementine 3 or 4 times with a knife. Put the clementines in a bowl with a microwave safe cover or plastic wrap. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes. Cool slightly then dump the clementines (whole) in a food processor and process until smooth.

In large bowl beat eggs and sugar until light colored and doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Add in chopped clementines and mix well. Then add ground almonds and baking power and mix until combined.

Pour mixture into pan and bake for about 45 minutes (when a skewer will come out clean).

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by mixing everything in a bowl adjusting clementine juice and sugar to make a loose but thick glaze.

You can also make candied clementines for decoration. Slice clementines very thinly.Put sugar and water in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add clementine slices and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes. Pull clementines from sugar mixture and place on parchment or silpat until cool.

Cool in the pan on a rack. Once cake is cold, remove from pan and pull off any parchment.

Glaze and add candied clementines to decorate.

Getting Ready for 4th of July Festivities - Jello Parfaits, Licorice Bundles, Hot Cheese Sticks & Crack-tastic Crackers

I am spending time this morning getting ready for the various 4th of July parties that we will attend. I decided to bring the same thing to both dinner parties so that I could focus on fewer tasks.

The Jello parfaits were quick, easy and fun. I would totally suggest you try them out, if you like this kind of thing. I have the recipe and hints I learned below. The star shaped Rice Krispy treats are fun, but boy were they a lot of work. This may be the only time I add them. They took me about 2 hours to get how I wanted them to be.

I was thrilled when I found that Twizzlers put out special red, white and blue pull n' peels for the holiday. You know I had to make something with those.

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Jello Parfaits

2 small boxes (3 oz size) or 1 large Strawberry or Cherry JELL-O
2 small boxes (3 oz size) or 1 large Berry Blue JELL-O
4 cups boiling water, divided
2 tubs (8 oz) COOL WHIP whipped topping, thawed
4th of July Sprinkles, optional
2 8x8 pans
10 small jars or disposable glasses, clear
Resealable bag or Decorator Bag

1. Pour the strawberry or cherry jello powder into an 8 x 8 pan. Add 2 cup boiling hot water and stir until the jello is fully dissolved. Next, add in 1 cup of cold water. Repeat the same process in the other pan using the Berry blue jello powder. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will take the jello about 4-5 hours to fully set up.
In a medium bowl, combine 3 boxes of Cherry JELL-O and 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin

2. After JELL-O is set, cut into small squares. Score the jello with a butter knife. Add a few pieces of blue JELL-O to the bottom of each jar.

3. Place the Cool Whip in the bottom of a gallon size baggie with a small hole cut out of the corner or decorator bag. Pipe into jar on top of Jello. Top with a few pieces of cherry Jello. Add more COOL WHIP whipped topping and sprinkles, if desired.

I made these in small canning jars because I had them and thought they would be cute. You could also make these in clear disposable cups.

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Star Shaped Rice Crispy Treats
via: Rice Krispie Website

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
- OR -
6 cups Kellogg's® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
Assorted sprinkles
12 wooden ice cream sticks
Why use Kellogg's® Rice Krispies®?

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. While warm decorate with alternating rows of red, white and blue sprinkles. Cool slightly. (Using cookie cutters coated with cooking spray cut into star shapes. Insert wooden stick into each, if desired. This method did not work well for me. I found that it was best to butter the inside of the cookie cutter and press the mix into it, then push it out.) Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note:
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

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Mozzarella Egg Roll Cheese Sticks

String Cheese
Egg Roll Wrappers

Mozzarella sticks- use egg roll wrappers and string cheese. Lightly wet the edges of the wrappers to make them stick in place. Bake at 350 for 15-20min. Yum!

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Crack-tastic Crackers
via: Sweet Teeth Blog

1 – 1 1/4 cup canola oil (you decide how much you want to use)

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

2-3 Tbs. red pepper flakes (I used close to 3…a little warm)

4 sleeves of Saltine crackers (give or take…however many you can fit in your mixing bowl)

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl for a good long while (5-10 minutes), to really get the crackers coated. Eat a few if you want.

2) Lay them out on a cookie sheet and drizzle the yummy, ranchy, peppery oil that’s in the bottom of the bowl, over the top of the crackers. Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring them around about halfway through.

3) Let them cool and store in a big ol’ baggie. Or a few little baggies. My husband has his bag ready to take to work.

That’s it! So very easy and a great snack for a game or party. Or a Tuesday.