muffins

Rhubarb Muffins

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It took me years to be able to eat breakfast in the morning. In junior high and high school I lived off of slimfasts for breakfast because I just couldn’t bring myself to eat food. I didn’t have an appetite until I had been up for a few hours. Slowly over the years I have trained myself to eat actual food. Not a lot, but enough to get me going and last until lunch. My guy however, is still unable to eat in the morning. He likes to wait. The only problem with this is that he waits and then has no food to eat because he is at work. Consequently he ends up waiting until lunch. This is simply unacceptable in my opinion.  When he told me he wasn’t eating I decided to make muffins. They are perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast. And what a great way to use up more of my rhubarb.

Rhubarb Muffins (makes 12)

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups sugar (I did half granulated sugar & half brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, mixing only until moist. Fold in rhubarb and walnuts. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

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Bread Pudding

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Since moving to Almost Canada I haven’t gone down to the cities for Christmas. I moved up north during one of the coldest winters in a very long time. My guy and I made numerous trips back and forth throughout that terrible winter and have since refused to do winter driving. I’ve offered to host Christmas but no one has taken me up on it yet. Go figure. It has actually been nice. My guy and I have our own little Christmas. Christmas morning I made coffee cake muffins for brunch. They are delicious fresh out of the oven with a gooey layer of cinnamon goodness inside and a cinnamon crumble on top. They dry out quickly unfortunately. I only made a half dozen but was still left with two muffins that were going to be inedible by the next day. I also had neglected to make a dessert for our Christmas dinner. As my guy had gotten me a set of ramekins for one of my gifts I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to make individual bread puddings. It turned out to be one of the best bread puddings I have ever made and might be my new go-to recipe for bread pudding.

Bread Pudding (serves 2)

  • 2 leftover muffins, mine were coffee cake muffins
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • couple dashes cinnamon
  • bourbon sauce:
    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1 tbsp water
    • 1 tbsp bourbon

Take the leftover muffins and crumble them into their own ramekin dish. Combine the buttermilk, egg, sugar, vanilla, & cinnamon. Pour into the ramekin dishes and press the muffins down into the liquid.

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Bake for 25 minutes in a 350F oven or until set.

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Meanwhile prepare bourbon sauce by meting butter in a small sauce pan. Add sugar & water and cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in bourbon. Cook for 2 minutes more. Remove bread puddings from ramekins and place into two serving bowls. Drizzle with bourbon sauce and enjoy.

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Multiple Meals: Ground Beef & Pork

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I was hoping to make one more giant grocery shop before the snow hit in Northern Minnesota (aka Almost Canada) but it seems I was too late. The snow & cold weather has infringed upon my ability to go get groceries this last weekend. Yes I can get food in town but it is drastically overpriced. I usually make a giant trip every 1-2 months and stock up on pantry items & frozen goods. I also buy meat in bulk and then portion it into 2-4 servings (enough for me & my fishing guide for dinner with leftovers if desired) and freeze it. Since I was not going shopping for a week or two I decided to work with what I had on hand. I made 4 meals using the same meat source. Meatloaf and casseroles are big in this state/climate so I included those in my food prep. Nothing fancy but all meals are different (an important concept in many households as people get sick of the same foods being served over & over). Most importantly, you can do all the prep in one day.

Before any of the meals can be made you must combine 1 lb of ground beef with 1 lb of ground pork. Divide the meat into two 1 lb portions. Take one portion and split in half again. Set both of these 1/2 lb portions aside (one will be for meatloaf and one will be for noodle casserole). Take the other 1 lb portion & add to a skillet and brown. Add taco seasoning to your liking with a small amount of water. Let cook off for a few minutes. Take this mixture and split into two portions. Use one immediately for tacos. Set one aside for stuffed poblanos.

Tacos (serves 2)

I will not put any information here for taco prep cause everyone knows what to do. Use your favorite fixings and sides of your preference. I made a spicy pepper creamed corn but refried beans or mexican rice are great as well.

Stuffed Chile Poblanos (serves 2)

  • half of the taco seasoned meat previously prepared
  • 2 poblano chiles
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup white rice
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • taco seasoning
  • salsa
  • sour cream
  1. Place poblano peppers on a cooking sheet & place under broiler. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side until skins are blistered. Place peppers into a bowl & cover with pastic wrap or place in a gallon sized plastic bag. Let sit for 10 minutes & remove skins. Slice open on one side & remove seeds.  Place ground meat and 1/4 cup cheese in each pepper. Close peppers.
  2. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Stir in diced tomatoes and 1-2 tsp taco seasoning & salsa to your liking (I only use a few tsp of very hot salsa at this stage).
  3. Pour rice into a 8×8 casserole dish. Top with peppers. Cover with foil & bake within 1 day. Bake covered in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve with additional salsa & sour cream if desired.

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Muffin Tin Meatloaf (serves 2 with 3 muffins each)

  • 1/2 lb portion ground meat
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp chopped onion
  • 2 slices bread, torn into pieces
  • pinch each oregano, basil, sage
  • sprinkle salt & pepper
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp worcestshire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  1.  Take a 1/2 lb portion meat & add to a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredredients through the salt & pepper. Stir to combine.
  2. Stir together the ketchup, sugar, worcestshiire sauce, and ground mustard. Set aside.
  3. Lightly grease half of a muffin tin (this makes 6 meatloaf muffins). Add the meat to the tin with a scoop or spoon. Cover with foil. Place in the fridge or freezer.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes if refrigerated. If frozen, take out the night before you want to bake it and place it in the fridge to thaw. Bake as previously mentioned.
  5. Once cooked, top with the sauce mixture. Bake for 5-10 moire minutes. Serve with sides of your choice. I served baked potatoes and salad.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I forgot.

Beef & Pork Noodle Casserole

  • 1/2 lb portion ground meat
  • 1 small red & yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
  • 4 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups pasta

Brown meat with peppers and tomatoes. Do not drain. Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook & stir over medium-low to medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Add the pasta to the beef mixture and stir in parmesan cheese. Place in an appropriate sized container (I used a loaf pan). Cover with foil & place in the fridge or freezer.

If refrigerated, bake within 1 day. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, stir, and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Top with more cheese if desired. If frozen, bake for 50-60 minutes covered. Remove foil, stir, & bake for 15-20 more minutes.

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Cold Weather, Tropical Muffins

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Winter is finally here in Northern Minnesota which I like to refer to as Almost Canada. It has been mild compared to last year when I moved up north. Last year was one of the coldest winters in awhile. This year it has been rather nice in terms of snow and freezing temperatures. But now winter is upon us.

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It snowed 8in the other day and today (Sunday) it is -15 to -30F for actual temperatures but it felt as cold as -50F. Burr. I am not complaining. If anyone should be complaining it is my fishing guide who became an actual fishing guide this year as he needed a job.

He gets up at 4:30 in the morning and many days he actually gets breakfast at work but it isn’t until 7:30 or 8 that he gets to eat. He has certain tasks he has to take care of first, so he needs a little bit of something to get him through the first few hours. That being said, he is not a big eater right away in the morning so he is not getting up to cook himself breakfast. He needs something that he can grab quickly.

I decided to make muffins. These are individually portioned so he can grab one or two and eat them as needed. The weather outside is terribly cold but these muffins remind you of warmer climates or warmer seasons to come.

 

Pineapple Muffins (makes 18 muffins or 1 loaf*) adapted from my Peach Bread recipe

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup sliced almonds

 

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Preheat oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin or line with muffin cups. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the oil, eggs, juice, & milk in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the pineapple and almonds. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick near the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 minutes in tin. Remove muffins and cool completely on a wire rack.

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*This recipe can also be used as a quick bread. Just pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60minutes or until a toothpick near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

 

Sunny Summer Strawberry-Cream Cheese Muffins

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I have joked with people before about having reverse SADS. I know I don’t really have this but sometimes I feel like I do. I love the winter. I love being active in the winter & doing “wintery” things. Once spring rolls around, I feel let down. Maybe it’s due to the fact that spring in Minnesota is basically non-existent. A muddy, wet, cool climate that prohibits me from ice fishing as well as doing other outdoor activities. Or maybe it’s from the fact that I have always thought of fall as the beginning of the year due to being in school from ages 3-23. Fall, for me, has always felt like a time to start fresh.

With that being said, the reverse SADS only lasts a small amount of time & I always laugh at myself when I feel this quasi-sadness, but it does happen every spring. This year in Almost Canada, the spring sadness came in a bit later due to the season arriving late, but rolled away with what I assume to be summer. Sunny days. Warmish weather. Yard games & shooting my bow in the backyard. It also came with strawberries.

Berries are one of the great advantages of summer. Fresh & seasonally delicious. These muffins will make your days seem bright & sunny or just add to the bright & sunny goodness you are already experiencing. These muffins are cake-like & spongey. Enjoy for breakfast, as a tea-time snack, or heated up with ice-cream for dessert.

Sorry for the lack of photos but they all got eaten & given away before any could be taken.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins (adapted from Raspberry-Cream Cheese Muffins)

  • 2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk with 1/2tsp lemon juice
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced & diced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in strawberries and walnuts.
  4. Place 20 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans & cool on a wire rack.

 

Peach Muffins & Peach Bread

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It has been a long time since I have been able to bake. I moved up north and had temporary living arrangements where I did not have my kitchen or pantry items available to me for 2 months. I finally closed on my new home and have started the slow process of unpacking. The kitchen, however, was put together almost immediately.

My new kitchen has a wall oven. I have always wanted a wall oven. It’s so easy to put things in and take them out without ever having to bend over. I finally got to put it to good use these past few days. Baking Sunday occurred for the first time in a long time. For those of you who don’t know “Baking Sunday” is where I bake & do other things I enjoy while my other half watches football – a sport which I completely detest.

As I was looking through my cookbooks trying to figure out what to make, my sweetie saw a photo of fudgie brownies and said that it looked yummy. So I decided to make them. They turned out very dense and fudge-like as the name implied. I decided that the next day I would make muffins as I saw a recipe for “Muffin Monday” that looked yummy which called for canned apricots.

Seeing as how I have no can opener (it’s a long story) I needed something that had a tab on the lid or those fruit in syrup packs. I ended up buying peaches in syrup.

Peach Muffins adapted from Apricot Muffins

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 /2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 (4) pack of diced peaches in syrup (4-4oz containers)
  • 1/4 cup syrup from the drained dice peaches
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350F & line a muffin pan with liners. Drain the peaches but retain the syrup. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl and mix the rest of the ingredients (except the diced peaches) in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the diced peaches leaving 1/2 to 2/3 cup to use in another recipe. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove muffins from pan and cool completely.

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As I had leftover peaches and syrup I decided to make a quick bread to use them up.

Peach Bread

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup fruit syrup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup diced peaches
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan with butter. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the oil, eggs, syrup, & milk in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the peaches and walnuts and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60minutes or until a toothpick near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in a wire rack and remove from pan to cool completely before slicing.

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Both were delicious. The muffins had a light peach flavor throughout with bits of diced peaches, but they were a little dense and not as moist as they could have been. The bread also had peach flavor throughout and bits of diced peaches but was very moist. It had a great texture with the walnuts as well. Thus, the bread wins this battle.

Football Sunday or rather Baking Sunday

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If you know me at all than you know I am not fond of sports. I find them boring. I do like hockey, but not for such a long season. I only like it in small quantities. I also like going to baseball games but that really only consists of one game a year. The game I cannot stand though, which America loves, is football. This game drives me crazy. It is so dreadfully boring that I want to tear my hair out. I have never liked it as a child and nothing has changed as I got older. Most people like this game and that includes my other half.

He likes Football Sunday. I tried to watch a game once but ended up being super annoying by talking throughout it and complaining the whole time. It was at this point that I decided that I would use Football Sunday to make food or bake or whatever I felt like doing project wise. It is a win-win situation now for the both of us.

Last Sunday was the first time that I got a chance to get my bake on. I was in the kitchen for about 5 hours. It was amazing. I made two different kinds of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (which I just previously posted in my Battles of Baked Goods). I also made Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and some cute halloween treats.

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So even though I cannot stand football, it does give me some time to spend in the kitchen doing the things that I love. Baking. Relaxing. Thinking. Being in the kitchen for me is sometimes like going to a Zen place. I cannot quite explain it.