Lemon Yogurt Muffins

I tried these muffins this weekend and they were really good! They're even better after you let them cool and let the sugar on top crystalize a bit.

Lemon Yogurt Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup lemon or plain yogurt
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
TOPPING:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, yogurt, butter and lemon juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes; leave muffins in pan. Using a toothpick, poke 6-8 holes in each muffin. In a saucepan, combine the topping ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Spoon over warm muffins.

Honey Baked Pork Chops

Perhaps the easiest freezer meal recipe yet. It's also very simple to cook on the day you serve it but you do have to plan enough time as it bakes for one hour. J approved it so it's a keeper. :)

Honey Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients for Cooking Day:

6 boneless pork chops

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 t. ground ginger

1 clove minced garlic

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions for Cooking Day: Place honey, vinegar, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in blender and mix well. (I actually just mixed it in a bowl with my tiny Pampered Chef whisk and that worked just great.) Place uncooked pork chops and honey mixture in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.

Directions for Serving Day: Thaw completely. Place pork chops and honey mixture in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until pork chops are cooked. Turn pork chops occasionally while baking.

Irish Soda Farls

I'm about a week late - I wanted to try this Irish recipe for St. Patty's day but I didn't get to it until today... It was very easy to make and it tastes kind of like a thick English muffin. Make sure you cook them over medium-low heat or they'll burn. "Farl" apparently means four - this bread is shaped into a disc then cut into four pieces and cooked.

Irish Soda Farls

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 C buttermilk

Preheat a heavy skillet or flat griddle on medium heat.

Combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Work quickly to mix the milk into the flour mixture then turn out onto a well floured cutting board or counter. Very lightly knead the dough and form a circle. Flatten the circle, about 1/2-inch thick, and cut into quarters with a floured knife.

Sprinkle the base of the skillet with a little flour and turn the heat down to medium-low. Place the farls in the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Split and serve with butter and jam.

Originally found on allrecipes.com.

Sesame-Crusted Salmon

We had this for dinner tonight and it was delish. I did screw up the sauce a bit though....I didn't read through the recipe (surprise, surprise) and I skimmed through the first step, so I added all of the cornstarch to the water. Instead of just making a new cornstarch/water mixture after I realized my mistake, I just added the mixture to the sauce and it made it REALLY thick. Like thicker than pudding thick. Heh heh...oops. But it tasted good anyway. And the salmon was excellent.

Sesame-Crusted Salmon

1/4 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
1 egg white
2 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 C. sesame seeds
1/4 C. cooking oil

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, broth, sugar, ginger and garlic. In another small bowl, stir together the 2 teaspoons cornstarch and the water.

Whisk together the egg white and the 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Brush the skinless side of the salmon with the egg-white mixture then dip it into the sesame seeds to coat.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Put the salmon in the pan, sesame-seed side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 3 minutes longer for a 1-inch thick fillet. Remove salmon to a plate or dish and cover lightly with foil to keep warm.

Discard any oil from the pan. Add the soy sauce mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Whisk in the cornstarch-and-water mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute longer. Serve the salmon with the sauce poured around it. (Do not pour sauce over the salmon or you'll lose the crunch.)
Serves 4

Recipe from Cooking.com

Saucy Oven Pork Chops

Saucy Oven Pork Chops

6 pork chops

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

1/8 tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dry mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

½ C water

2 T brown sugar

1/3 C diced celery, optional

Coat a broiler rack or shallow pan with oil and preheat the broiler. Broil the chops on the top rack until well browned. Turn them and brown the other side. Cool completely.

When cooled, mix all remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Place cooled pork chops in a one-gallon freezer bag or rigid container. Pour sauce over the cops and remove excess air. Seal, label, and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Pour chops and sauce in a shallow covered baking dish. Bake at 350˚ for 30-45 minutes or until tender.

Serve w/rice and a green salad.

Ice Cream Shop Pie

This is a fun treat to have in the freezer!

Ice Cream Shop Pie

1 ½ C cold milk

1 small box instant pudding

1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Graham cracker crust

Beat milk and pudding mix with wire whisk until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Fold whipped topping and Ice Cream Shop ingredients. Spoon mixture into the crust. Cover and freeze until firm, about 6 hours, or overnight.

Serving: Remove from freezer; let stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Store any left over pie in the freezer.

Ice Cream Shop Toppings:

Heath Bar Pie: Use French vanilla pudding. Spread 1/3 cup butterscotch ice cream topping on the bottom of the graham crust before filling. Fold 1 cup chopped Heath Bar (or other chocolate English-toffee candy bar pieces) into the pudding mixture. Garnish with additional chopped toffee bars, if desired.

Rocky Road Pie: Use chocolate pudding and a either a regular or chocolate graham crust. Fold ½ C mini chocolate chips, ½ C mini marshmallows, and ½ C chopped nuts into pudding mix. Serve drizzled with chocolate sauce, if desired.

Cookies ‘n Cream Pie: Use French vanilla or vanilla pudding. Fold 1 C chopped chocolate sandwich cookies into pudding mix.

Or any other fun combinations you can think of!

French Stew

I just divide this up into 2 bags when I freeze it since it serves 8 - two meals for the price of one!

French Stew

3 pounds round steak, cubed

1 can beef broth

3 large peeled and sliced carrots

1 (16oz) can whole green beans, drained

1 (16oz) package frozen peas

8 ounces frozen pearl onions

1 (16oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 C water

1/3 C red wine vinegar

¼ C minute tapioca

1 Tbsp brown sugar

½ C fine, dry bread crumbs

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Allow to cool, and put in freezer container.

To Serve: Thaw and heat until bubbly in a large pot.

Serves 8

Serve with crusty French bread

Chili Verde

Chili Verde

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

1 tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp dried oregano leaves

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 (15oz) can pinto beans, drained

3 C chicken broth

1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)

1 tsp salt

2/3 C finely chopped onion (or heaping ½ tsp onion powder)

1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 (11 ½ oz) jar salsa

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes; cook until no longer pink in small amount of water. Combine chicken with chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, and cayenne pepper; refrigerate until needed.

Combine pinto beans, chicken broth, garlic, salt, and onion in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add chicken mixture to the bean mixture; simmer 10 minutes. Cool and freeze in gallon bag or rigid container. Put grated cheese in a quart size freezer bag and attach to the chili container.

To Serve: Thaw chili and cheese. Simmer chili 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top chili with salsa and shredded cheese and serve with warm tortillas.

Serves 5

Pizza Roll-Ups

These are simple because you use frozen bread dough but I'm sure you could make your own dough to use if you prefer. I don't have a picture so I'll try to remember next time I make them.

I usually make different kinds for different preferences and then just freeze them in different bags.

Pizza Roll-Ups

1 loaf frozen bread

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Toppings of your choice (i.e. pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, green pepper, etc.)

Thaw dough; spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick spray. Roll the dough out on the pan (not too thin). Spread pizza sauce down the middle, top with cheese and toppings. Roll dough lengthwise like a jelly roll, and cut into 24 1-inch slices. Spread out slices on the pan. Allow rolls to rest for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 400˚. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool roll-ups, place in a gallon freezer bag according to family size. Pour remaining pizza sauce into a quart size freezer bag and place in the gallon bag. Freeze.

To Serve: Thaw roll-ups and sauce and warm them in a 350˚ oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Or put them frozen in the microwave; heat on high about 2 minutes (for 6 rolls). Serve rolls with warmed sauce.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Yuu-uum! I made this last night to have for breakfast today and it's delish. Becky and I did try a piece last night after it had cooled a little and I think it's best that first day when it's fresh and warm but it's still fabulous today.

You don't have to warm the jam but it spreads so much easier if you do. If you don't, you tend to get big blobs in some places and no jam in other spots.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C sugar

3/4 C butter or margarine

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C sour cream

1 tsp almond extract

1 egg

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 C sugar

1 egg

1/2 C raspberry jam, warmed

1/2 C sliced (or slivered) almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. In large bowl, mix flour and 3/4 cup sugar. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.

To remaining crumb mixture, stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, almond extract and 1 egg until blended. Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides (about 1/4-inch thick) of pan.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg until blended. Pour into batter-lined pan. Carefully spoon warmed jam evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle some of the reserved crumbs over the jam, sprinkle on the almonds, then the rest of the crumb mixture.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes; remove sides of pan. Serve warm or cool.

Store in refrigerator.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

I made this for our FHE dessert last night. I love all things vanilla so I had to try this. Yum!! It's easy but a bit time consuming. Since I don't have a torch, I thought I'd try the broiler to caramelize the sugar. It worked fine although it doesn't melt the sugar as evenly as a torch would. I tried it with one custard first, to make sure it would work and when I took it out of the oven, I was putting it on the counter and I dropped it on the floor. Blast! So Puppers got some creme brulee, too. And I was a bit annoyed because all of the little tiny vanilla seeds all settled at the bottom of each cup. Joshie the impossible wouldn't even try it, and Tiernan very timidly tried it and he didn't like it either (perhaps because of Joshie?) but Jeff and Amelia and I loved it.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

3 C. (24 oz) heavy whipping cream

1/2 C. plus 5 Tbsp sugar, divided

1 vanilla bean

9 large egg yolks

Place the cream and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium sauce pan. Use the tip of a paring knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Turn the knife over and use the dull side to scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the pod to the saucepan. Whisk well to break up the clumps of vanilla seeds. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring several times to dissolve the sugar, just until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and position an oven rack in the center.

Reheat the mixture over medium heat, uncovered, until it begins to simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Twist a damp kitchen towel into a rope and wrap it around the bottom of the bowl to secure it while you temper the eggs. (Or use a bowl w/ a non-slip surface.) Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Once blended, whisk in another 1/2 cup. Then slowly pour the rest of the mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.

Pour the mixture through a strainer into a pitcher or large measuring cup with a spout. Reserve the vanilla pod. Cut a piece of foil large enough to fit just inside the edges of a large roasting pan. Place the custard cups in the roasting pan, making sure they don't touch, and divide the warm custard among them. Pull out the oven rack and place the pan on the rack. Remove one of the cups, pour enough hot tap water (not boiling) into that area to come halfway up the sides of the cups, and replace the cup. Lay the foil across the top of the cups, making sure it doesn't touch the custard. Gently push the rack back into the oven, and bake the custards for 35 to 50 minutes, until the edges of the custards are almost set - there should still be a small liquid area in the very center of the custard, about the size of a dime (test by gently tapping the side of the pan). (I baked mine for 45 minutes, and there was no liquid in the center and they were still delish.)

Remove the foil and then the pan from the oven being careful not to tilt the pan and splash water on top of the custards. Use tongs (or your had protected by a kitchen towel) to immediately remove the cups from the water bath and place them on a rack to cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle the surface of each cold custard with 2 teaspoons of the remaining sugar. Shake the cup gently to distribute the sugar evenly. - make sure it covers the custard all the way to the edge. Set the sugared custards on a metal baking sheet. Caramelize one custard at a time: Light the torch and, with the tip of the flame just touching he surface, move the flame over the sugar in a gentle circular motion until most of the sugar is melted and looks like tiny water droplets. Continue to heat, using the same circular motion, until the sugar turns a deep golden brown. The molten caramel will bubble and smoke - this is normal. repeat until all the custards are caramelized. The molten caramel will solidify into a crisp surface as it cools. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving. (You can just put the tray of custard cups under the broiler to caramelize. Just watch closely because once the sugar starts to melt it goes quickly.)

Serve and enjoy!!

This made 7 custards of various sizes. : )

I made one in a glass Pyrex cup and since you can't broil glass dishes, I poured the sugar off of that custard and caramelized it in a pan and then poured it on top, but then I couldn't spread it

around because there was still some sugar on top of the custard, preventing it from sticking, so it turned out like this. ha ha!

Oh, you can use rinse the vanilla bean and let it dry and then use it to make vanilla sugar, which is what I did today. But I haven't tasted it yet.

Baked Chicken Breasts Supreme

Another winner on "New Recipe Sunday" and "someone" mentioned that I didn't even use the crock pot this week! Well! I pointed out that since we are on the early schedule this year I/we actually have time to fix a nice dinner. Without the crock pot.
This recipe came from a 1983 Pillsbury "check out" cookbook - the kind you find at the check out registers in the grocery stores. This was another of my old cookbooks I found in the used book sale at the library.
Plan ahead - you need to start this the night before.



6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 oz. carton (2 cups) sour cream
3 Tbs. lemon juice
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced (or from a jar)
1 3/4 cups dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup melted butter

In large bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, paprika, slat, pepper and garlic; mix well. Add chicken to sour cream marinade covering each piece well. Cover bowl; refrigerate overnight.
Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from sour cream marinade; roll chicken in bread crumbs. Arrange in single layer in prepared pan. Discard marinade. Melt butter and spoon 1/3 cup evenly over chicken. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Spoon remaining butter over chicken. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until chicken is tender and golden brown.
(We decided this makes a very moist chicken but the coating wasn't very crispy, but very tasty)

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie

Another success on "New Recipe Sunday"! This creamy chocolate pie uses Nutella - hence the Hazelnut in the title. I adapted the recipe I found in a Family Circle magazine.

It's always good to have taste testers checking on the quality of your whipped cream!

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup Nutella spread

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped (optional - I couldn't find hazelnuts so left them out)

1 prepared chocolate cookie pie crust (such as Oreo)

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, Nutella and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until well blended. Add egg and 1/4 cup hazelnuts (if using), beat until well blended. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until center is just set. Remove pie from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once pie has cooled, beat heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla on high speed until medium peaks form. Spread over pie and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup hazelnuts (if using). Store any left over pie in refrigerator.

Yam-Yam Honey Buns

I decided we should have "New Recipe Sunday's" since we're on the early schedule and have more time to cook. This is another recipe from the 1955 Pillsbury bake off. I left half the pan without the pecans since we have some "nut haters" in the family and I wanted everyone to try these. We also didn't mention that they have sweet potatoes in them ;-) And if you know they have sweet potatoes you can kind of taste them but not really noticeable at all! I think since they're so full of that great vegetable and vitamin 'A' they might qualify as a health food.

2 Tbs. yeast
1/2 cup very warm sweet potato liquid (drained from a can of sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes or yams (canned or cooked)
3 Tbs. melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

Filling:
2 Tbs. melted butter
3/4 - 1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Honey Nut Topping:
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt

To make the dough:
Stir the yeast into the very warm sweet potato liquid and let stand 5 minutes. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, 3 tbs. melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and yeast mixture in large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add flour until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Cover with waxed paper or towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Set a cooling rack over a very large bowl of very hot (I used boiling) water then set the covered bowl with the dough on top.
While the dough rises make the Honey Nut Topping:
Combine the 1/3 cup honey, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 tsp. salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes or until 234 degrees on candy thermometer. Pour into greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans, chopped or whole.
Punch down dough and place on well floured board or counter top turning to coat dough with flour. Roll out to a 24 x 8 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 Tbs. melted butter. Sprinkle with 3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Roll as for jelly roll, starting with 24 inch side. Cut or "tie off" with dental floss (they had to use strong thread in 1955 - no dental floss invented then!) into twelve 2-inch slices. (To tie off slices, place floss under roll and pull ends around, crossing as if to tie in knot.) Place cut-side down over topping. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees 20-25 minutes. Cool 1 minute, then invert of serving plate or cookie sheet. Let stand 30 seconds before removing pan. Use spatula to scrape extra topping back onto rolls.

Moo Tod Gratiem

Yesterday I made this for Jeremy's birthday dinner. Unfortunately, as soon as we scooped it all onto our plates, we opened the cupboard above the table and a zillion bottles of spices came crashing down and broke the water glass right over our dinner. So, we dumped everything in the trash and went to Subway!:) BUT, we did try one bite of it before the glass fiasco and it was tastey. Not very authentic, but still yummy... and the fried egg on top is a must!

Moo Tod Gratiem

1 lb lean pork meat, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
1 teaspoon corriander powder
1 head of garlic chopped
1 teaspoon Thai pepper powder
2 teaspoons corn starch
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Pound your pork slices with a meat mallet to soften it, then transfer to a mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix corriander powder, Thai pepper powder, and garlic. Add corn starch, fish sauce, thin soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Mix well and pour on top of pork. Let this marinade in the fridge for 1/2 hour or longer.

Heat wok, and add just enough oil to fry your pork. Over medium heat (not too high), cook your pork in the oil. Fry both sides until golden brown. Remove from wok.

Remove any bits of blackened garlic from the oil. Next, use leftover oil to fry on egg for each serving. Over-easy eggs work best in this dish.

Serve pork and fried egg over rice.


This can be a bit dry, so you can add hot sauce or soy sauce or anything like it to the rice if you want... or you can just make a really runny egg;)