Creating memorable and healthy dining experiences.
Corn Dog Muffins – johanna
February 17th, 2010 | Filed under: RECIPES - Sides, RECIPES - Snacks
My first job after graduating high school was working in the Sears shoe department at the mall. It was not the most glamorous of professions, standing around for 9 hours but it paid. Occasionally for breakfast I would stop by Cinnabon for a mini roll and wash it down with a pint of milk. Sometimes for lunch the owner of the Chinese Wok would cook up a special plate of spicy Tai food for me. But my favorite lunch was at the corn dog place. I loved the cheese sticks. A stick of cheese dipped in corn bread and then deep fried to perfection. As a teenager there was no such thing as eating healthy. I have not had a corn dog in an extremely long time. When I bit into a corn dog muffin I was sent back in time to the little table in the Sears break room where I sat and ate my cheese stick.
These little guys are really great for an after school snack. I used one (16 ounce) package of Marie Calendar’s corn bread mix. It is a little sweeter than the Jiffy mix so I swapped out the sugar for maple syrup. I am thinking I might play around with adding some vegetables, carrots, peas or corn.
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com
2 (8.5 ounce) packages cornbread mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
9 hot dogs, cut in half lengthwise then chopped into half moons or diced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins.
Stir together the cornbread mix and the brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Fold the milk mixture, cheese and hot dogs into the dry ingredients until moistened. Spoon mixture into muffin tins until 2/3 full.
Bake in a preheated oven 14 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Savory Orange Honey Butter – johanna
December 21st, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Breakfast, RECIPES - Snacks, RECIPES - Treats
Honey butter is very easy to make and tastes wonderful on everything from corn bread, muffins, french toast and rolls. I thought I would make up a batch for a special holiday breakfast treat. The orange zest is a nice compliment to the salty butter and naturally sweet honey. Slather some on a biscuit for a satisfying dessert.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 honey
1 tsp grated orange zest
Whip the butter, honey an zest together until well combined.
Variations:
- To make a glaze use melted butter in the place of softened butter. Whip in the honey and zest. Allow to cool in the refrigerator overnight.
Fall Harvest Cornucopia Munch – johanna
November 25th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Snacks
These harvest cornucopias are so much fun to make and eat. The kids will love them. They also might ask you for ice cream later to go with the ice cream cone…
In a bowl mix in your favorite snack foods from the list below:
Dried fruit: cranberries, Raisins, blueberries, fruit snacks
Sweets: yogurt covered raisins, M&M’s,
Nuts: almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans,
Snacks: fish, pretzels, cheerios, granola
**These suggestions are not limited. Just remember the sugar cones are not very wide.
Oatmeal Apple Scones – johanna
October 30th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Breads, RECIPES - Breakfast, RECIPES - Snacks, RECIPES - Treats
I cannot resist the crunch of a ripe hard juicy apple, it is so satisfying. Apples pair well with just about anything, my favorite a cube of cheddar cheese, mmm tasty.
Oatmeal Apple Scones and Chicken Apple Chili are among my favorite uses for apples. The scones, unlike cake or muffins, are not to sweet and make a wonderful companion with a mug of hot apple cider.
Source: Rachael Ray
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon half-and-half
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 apple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Stir 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon into the batter.
Preheat the oven to 450°. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup half-and-half and the egg.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the oats and apple and toss. Stir in the liquid mixture until the dough just forms a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Pat into a 7-inch round; cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon half-and-half. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Sliced Apple Sandwiches – johanna
September 21st, 2009 | Filed under: BUDGET MEALS, RECIPES - Snacks
This week we celebrate Johnny Appleseed. Hard to imagine I can still remember the song from grade school. I loved Johnny Appleseed. I enjoyed the story about planting seeds that will one day grow to be apple trees. When I saw this recipe for Sliced Apple Sandwiches in the September issue of Parents I knew this was the perfect snack to start out the week with.
Red Apples
Raspberry jam
Smooth peanut butter, optional
Cut off the top of a red apple and slice into eight slivers, revealing the geometric core in the middle. Spritz the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning, then spread 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter and a teaspoon of strawberry jam between the slices.
Beef and Gravy Quesadilla – johanna
September 11th, 2009 | Filed under: BUDGET MEALS, RECIPES - Main Dish, RECIPES - Snacks
I made beef and gravy quesadillas with the left over roast and gravy. It is sort of a ritual we have to use leftover meat in a taco or quesadilla. They are cheap and a great disguise for those who are picky about leftovers
tortillas, two per person
Roast, cooked and shredded or chopped
Beef gravy
Mixed cheddar and Monterey jack cheese blend, shredded
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lay a tortilla in the pan. Add beef, cheese and a drizzle of gravy and top with another tortilla. Grill until the bottom has browned then flip. When down remove and slice into quarters.
Caramel Corn – johanna
August 15th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Snacks, RECIPES - Treats
For family night my brother’s daughter Breigh asked if they could make caramel corn. This their family’s story.
“We did not have vanilla, but our corn syrup had vanilla in it. The original recipe called for a cup of popcorn and oil. Instead I used two normal sized bags of buttered Microwave popcorn. It was so much easier and faster.
I took two 13×9 glass baking pans and emptied the first bag into one. I sprinkled some almonds into the popcorn, then poured half the caramel over the popcorn and nuts then stirred it together. By then the second bag was finished. I repeated the steps into the second glass pan. It almost seemed like there was too much popcorn as I mixed, but the end result turned out great. You could use 1.5 bags of popcorn for a thicker caramel coating, but I thought what we did was perfect. Everyone else loved it too
We baked the corn for 15 minutes. The recipe says you need to stir every 5 minutes, I didn’t do that. Once the 15 minutes were over, we took the pans out of the oven to let things cool. After a few minutes you can break away the top layer and place it into a large bowl. The bottom layer will still be really hot. I did this to speed up the cooling process, It only took a few more minutes to cool off the bottom layer. Be careful, hot caramel on your skin really hurts. You want the corn going into the bowl completely cool or else everything will stick together again.
We only had a spoon, sauce pan and the two glass baking pans to clean up, which was easy with some warm water.
I may try this again tomorrow.”
Source: Allrecipes
2 bags buttered microwave popcorn
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup into a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture starts to boil. Continue cooking for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.
Meanwhile, start popping the popcorn during the last 5 minutes. Keep warm until ready to use.
Empty the popcorn into two 13X9 inch baking pans. Pour caramel over the popped popcorn and stir. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from pan and put into a large bowl to cool.
Pineapple Orange Muffins – johanna
August 7th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Breads, RECIPES - Snacks, RECIPES - Treats
I am sorry I love butter. Yep, there it is. I cook with oil and I prefer to bake with butter. I really did start out looking for a healthy version of pineapple orange muffins. A whole wheat version that replaced the fat with applesauce and was not completely made of sugar. It was hard enough trying to find a recipe for pineapple orange muffins. I did try a simple recipe that was a complete failure. Mason took one bite, scrunched up his nose and ran to the garbage can.
I even contemplated coming up with my own. As I sat with my Baker’s Illustrated book in my lap and searched the web for the basics of muffins I came to the conclusion I wanted these muffins to be out of this world tender, moist and most of all packed with flavor. That meant I needed butter and according to Baker’s Illustrated no less than 1 cup sugar and 2 cups flour. I really did try. This recipe for pineapple orange muffins was a hit with the kids.
Source: Joy of Baking
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp pure orange extract (optional)
1 tbsp orange zest (1-2 oranges)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
Orange Glaze:
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh orange juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
Toast the pecans for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then chop into small pieces.
Grease, or spray with a nonstick spray, 36 miniature muffin tins. Set aside while you make the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk to combine, the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the sour cream, orange extract (if using), and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Fold in the toasted pecans and drained pineapple.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
While the muffins are baking combine the glaze ingredients (sugar and orange juice) in a small cup.
Remove the muffins from the oven and place on a wire rack. While the muffins are still very warm, brush them with the orange glaze.
Makes about 3 dozen miniature muffins
Note: Orange zest is the orange outer rind of the orange that contains the fruit’s flavor and perfume.
Mini Pigs in a Blanket – johanna
July 24th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Appetizer, RECIPES - Main Dish, RECIPES - Snacks
Talk about blast from the past. I have not eaten a “pig in the blanket” since I was a little girl. The kids were a little skeptical at first, you know the whole something new hurdle. My sister-n-law Roxanne showed us how to make these mini pigs in a blanket.
1 package refrigerated biscuits
1-2 packages hot dogs
Preheat oven to 400. Cut each biscuit and hot dog in half. Wrap the biscuits around each hot dog. Seal the seam and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Or until golden brown.
Variations:
Use croissants or bread dough in the place of biscuit dough. We used the temperature and time as indicated on the package.
Zucchini Bread – johanna
July 8th, 2009 | Filed under: RECIPES - Breads, RECIPES - Breakfast, RECIPES - Snacks
There are so many recipes for banana bread and zucchini bread it is enough to make the head spin trying to decided which one is going to turn out right. So I have a couple of recipes for you to try. One is a traditional zucchini bread with a hint of cinnamon. The other combines sweet potatoes with an assortment of spices.
Zucchini Sweet Potato Bread
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, November 1992
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 1/2 cup peeled and grated sweet potato
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 9×5x3-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Sift the first 7 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. In a separate, large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in the zucchini and sweet potato. Add the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Fold in the nuts and cranberries and stir well.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool bread in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges of the bread with a butter knife and turn out on a rack to cool completely. Can be prepared 1 day in advance. Wrap in foil and keep at room temperature.
Variations: By Joy the Baker
-The nutmeg and the cloves are optional.
-For less fat use 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup apple sauce in place of the 3/4 cup oil.
-Use 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.
-Replace the 2 cups flour with 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour.
This is a nice version of zucchini bread with less sugar and half the oil.
Classic Zucchini Bread
Source: Coconut Lime
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 and 1/2 medium sized)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Beat eggs separately and add sugar until fluffy. Fold egg mixture into dry ingredients. Add oil, shredded zucchini and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Divide batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack, then remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.
For muffins, bake for about 15-20 minutes.
Variations:
-Add 4 tsp cinnamon for a spicier flavor.
-Add 1 cup chopped walnuts for crunch.
-Half the oil and replace the 1/4 cup with applesauce.
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