Apr27

Banana Muffins

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I decided to make these because Austin loves bananas and he has recently tried and liked muffins.  So, banana muffins have been on my to do list for a couple of weeks now.  I have been patiently waiting for the last bananas we bought to get ripe enough so that they would be soft and sweet for muffins. These were fun and easy to make. The next time I make them, I will add cinnamon.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1  3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ounces (65 grams) white chocolate, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 very ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:

1 large banana, sliced (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Butter or spray a 12 – 1/2 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white chocolate. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery muffins.) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and place a slice of banana on top of each muffin for garnish.

Bake about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

From: www.joyofbaking.com

Apr26

Fall Off The Bone Short Ribs

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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. beef short ribs
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup beef broth 
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

Brown short ribs on all sides in hot oil in a skillet. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, beef broth and onion. Simmer on low for about 4 hours or until tender. Combine flour and water and stir mixture into broth around the ribs. Boil for a couple of minutes and you have a gravy to serve with the short ribs.

Apr26

Baked Tortilla Chips and Chili’s Salsa

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Baked Tortilla Chips

I love it when I find a healthier way to make foods that I love. One day, I bought some flour tortillas on a whim thinking that I would try to bake some chips. I admit that it took a few attempts. I couldn’t decide what temperature to cook them on. It seemed like a higher temperature would make them crispier but it also browns them too fast- so I burnt the first batch. In the end, I cooked them at 350 degrees after cutting them, spraying them with Pam and sprinkling them with sea salt. I had to watch them really carefully but about 4 minutes on each side works out. If I were making them for someone else, I would probably use canola or vegetable oil but I was trying to keep them as low fat as possible. Eating these did not make me feel nearly as guilty I do when I eat an entire basket of fried chips at a restaurant. And they were a fast and simple snack to make.

Chili’s Salsa

Normally, I prefer a chunky fresh salsa but I always loved Chili’s salsa so I had to try this copycat recipe. It’s amazing!

Ingredients

  • 1 Can Tomatoes and Green Chills (14.5 oz can)
    1 Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes (14.5 oz can, plus the juice)
    1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled)
    1/4 C. Yellow Onion (diced)
    1/2 – 3/4 tsp. Garlic Salt
    1/2 tsp. Cumin
    1/4 tsp. Sugar

Directions

In food processor place jalapenos and onions. Process for just a few seconds. Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, and cumin. Process all ingredients until well blended but do not puree. Place in covered container and chill. A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.

Serve with your favorite thin corn tortilla chips.

From: www.copykat.com

 

Apr26

Grilled Barbeque Salmon

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One of the best things about warm weather is grilled food! For this salmon, I just mixed some barbeque sauce, olive oil and minced garlic and marinated the fish before grilling. It cooks in about ten minutes. Healthy food becomes a lot more fun when you put it on the grill. 🙂

Apr26

Bruschetta Pasta

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This is a very informal recipe because I don’t really measure anything.

Ingredients

  • can of petite diced tomatoes, drained 
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • basil, to taste 
  • oregano, to taste
  • half of a diced onion
  • tablespoon of olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • whole wheat angel hair pasta

Directions

Mix all of ingredients together and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta.

Apr26

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

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This is one of my favorite crockpot meals. This chicken practically shreds itself and is great with rice or in tacos. There are various recipes for it and this is how I make it.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 large chicken breasts
  • one can fiesta corn
  • one packet low sodium taco seasoning
  • one jar salsa
  • two tablespoons fresh cilantro

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except for the cilantro, in crockpot and mix well.  Cook on low for about 8 hours or until tender. Sprinkle cilantro over chicken.

Apr20

Cinnamon Roll Cake

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I wanted to make cinnamon rolls but didn’t have the ingredients to make them.  I did have a box of cake mix in the pantry, so I made this instead. I love making a great dessert that starts with a cake mix.  It doesn’t get much easier.  This cake has become one of my favorite cakes to make- and eat!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Ingredients

  • yellow or white cake mix, prepared according to box directions
  • 1 tablespoon meringue powder
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • few tablespoons warm water (I did not use an exact measurement)

Directions

Prepare cake mix according to box directions and add meringue powder. Pour half of the batter into a cake pan of your choice.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half of the mixture over cake batter.  Add remaining batter and cover with remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. To make the frosting, slowly add warm water to confectioner’s sugar until you get a smooth, thick glaze.  Spread over warm cake.

Apr11

Margarita Cupcakes

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Last year, I made pink lemonade cupcakes. While they were good, I found them to be way too tart for my taste. So, with that in mind, I made these margarita cupcakes with less margarita mix than the recipe called for. Instead of the entire can, I used a little more than half of it and diluted it with water (filling the can so that I still had the same amount of liquid).  I topped them with buttercream frosting. I loved them!

Ingredients

  • 1 package (18.25 oz. white cake mix (no pudding in the mix)
  • 1 can (10 oz.) frozen Margarita mix, thawed
  • 3 egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups.
  2. In large bowl, combine cake mix, Margarita mix, egg whites and vegetable oil using electric mixer.
  3. Stir in lime zest; mix completely.
  4. Fill prepared pans 2/3 full.
  5. Bake 22-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean.
  6. Cool in pan on cooling rack 5-8 minutes.
  7. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely.
  8. Frost cooled cupcakes with icing and garnish, if desired, with a strawberry and/or lime twist.

From: www.cupcakefun.com

Apr9

Fried Fish and Onion Rings

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This was my first time frying fish or making onion rings so I took the easy way out and bought pre-maid mixes to fry them in.  So, I don’t have a recipe to share. I just followed the directions on the box.  All I added to the fish fry mix was a teaspoon of Old Bay Garlic and Herb seasoning.  For the onion rings, all you do is peel and slice them and coat them in batter mixed with water (or beer or milk).  I wanted to add cajun seasoning to them but my mom is visiting and does not like spicy food. Now that I have the frying part down, I may venture out and make my own batter next time.  This was pretty good though.  And easy!  

Apr9

Smothered Pork Chops

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This is a Tyler Florence recipe that is always well received!

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

 Directions

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

From: Food Network