Carrot Muffins

In the Nisly cookbook, Aunt Becky has a recipe for Carrot Bread. I changed it up a bit to make muffins and am very, very happy with the result. I really love the texture, and I think it comes from the idea of finely shredding the carrots. (Like, "Kraft finally shredded cheese....Kraft finely shredded cheese." Anyone else remember that commercial?)

Beat together:

¾ cup oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

Mix together in another bowl:

1 cup white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp soda

½ tsp salt

Add to egg mixture, but do not stir.

Add the following and mix just until everything is combined:

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup finely shredded carrots (I believe this is the key to the texture of the muffins!)

1/3 – ½ cup finely chopped pineapple and the juice that is on the cutting board after you’re done chopping (I’d guess you could use canned pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple, if you don’t have fresh)

1/3 cup (or more!) chopped walnuts

Bake in greased muffin pan at 350*F for 12-18 minutes. Do not overbake!! Makes 12 muffins.

Oat and Flax Bread

Robyn asked if I found a different kind of flour for baking bread. No, but I found a recipe that seems to work well with this flour. I added the oatmeal and flax seed because I only have white flour right now and wanted to add some fibre.

Mix together:

2 ½ cups flour (I use white, cause that’s what I have...I’m sure whole wheat would work, too)

1 tbsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

1 heaping cup oatmeal

3 tbsp flax seed (the kind that is “pre-chewed”...ha ha. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it says it doesn’t need to be ground.)

2 tbsp margarine or Crisco

2 tbsp instant or regular yeast

Add:
2 1/3 cups very warm water

Mix together for at least one minute.

Add flour, one cup at a time, kneading well between each cup. When the dough is like bread dough should be, knead it well for 5-10 minutes. (Yes, I do this all by hand, and find it therapeutic. If you have a fancy machine, I have no idea how long to knead it.)

Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Form into two loaves and let rise again for 25-40 minutes, until almost doubled. Bake at 350 for 30ish minutes.

Sticky Buns

1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1/2 C butter
1 C pecans
Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add pecans and pour into 9"x13" pan. Place cinnamon buns on top. Bake at 350F until golden on top. Invert onto serving tray. Don't share too many. :-)

Italian Peasant Soup

*the credit for this goes, I believe, to Sabrina's mother-in-law. She made it at their wedding rehearsal and I asked for the recipe.
*another thing - I don't usually use chicken and sausage, since that seems a bit excessive. If you're going to leave one out, I'd leave out the chicken. But for something heartier, it is really good with both!

1 lb. hot Italian sausage, cut into 1" slices (or just scramble fry it)
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic - uh huh, you heard me, baby
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2 cans navy beans, or whatever white beans you want to use
2 cans -28 oz total - chicken stock
2 cans - 28 oz total - diced tomatoes, don't drain them!
1 tsp (or more) dried basil
1 tsp (or more) dried oregano
6 C fresh spinach leaves, chopped (I use one pack of chopped frozen spinach, thawed)
parmesan cheese for garnish
*Optional: I added small shell pasta, cooked separately last time and we really liked it like that. Just makes it a little more filling.

Cook sausage and chicken until no longer pink. Drain and add onions and garlic; saute until onions are tender. Add beans, chicken stock, tomatoes and spices. When simmering, add spinach and cook just until wilted.
Serve with parmesan cheese and garlic bread!

Italian Vegetable Soup

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2-3 small potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 ounce) can green beans (I used frozen corn and green beans)

Stir together onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon. Season with parsley, oregano and basil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cabbage, corn, and green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender (or til your husband comes home). I also add some cayenne pepper and lots of salt and black pepper. Also, this originally called for a pound of browned ground beef but it's very hearty without the meat and I don't think you'll ever miss it.

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade overtop. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

My notes: I used 2, 1 lb. pork loins, and I think this may have kept them juicier than using one bigger one. Also, I had only baked it for about 25-30 minutes by the time they reached 145 degrees internally. This is super easy and oh-so-delectable. :)

Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Combine:
1 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
pinch of sugar

Add:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as necessary. Cover and let rest 20-30 minutes. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas. May pre-bake crusts at 425 F for 10 minutes.

Mini Tiramisu Eclairs

1/3 c. hot water
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 (3 oz.) packages ladyfingers, split
1 (8 oz.) package mascarpone cheese*
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. whipping cream

Stir together first 3 ingredients until sugar is dissolved; set aside 2 Tbsp. mixture. Brush cut sides of ladyfingers evenly with remaining coffee mixture. Stir together mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate syrup until blended. Spoon or pipe (I would pipe) mascarpone cheese mixture evenly onto 24 cut sides of ladyfinger halves; top with remaining ladyfinger halves, cut sides down. Microwave chocolate morsels, butter, and cream at high for 30 seconds or until melted, stirring twice. Place chocolate mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle over eclairs. Let stand until firm. Stir together reserved coffee mixture and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, stirring until blended. Place coffee-powdered sugar mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Drizzle eclairs evenly with coffee-powdered sugar mixture. Keep refrigerated until serving.
*1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened, may be substituted.

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside. Separate each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each rectangle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
I gave up on the crescent shape and just made rectangle-ish ones. Just as good.

Mini Cheesecakes

1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners. Crush the vanilla wafers, mix with melted butter, and place 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) of the mixture into each paper cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

Some changes: Next time I'll leave out or cut down on the vanilla extract. It was good, but too much of it. I also used fresh strawberries and shaved some chocolate on top instead of the cherry pie filling (as you can obviously see from the picture).