Mini Pecan Pie Muffins

I would normally not blog about a blog that blogged about a blog. Get that? But this just has to happen.

I was visiting one of my favorite sites TasteSpotting and saw a recipe for Mini Pecan Pie Muffins. I have been visiting this site for a long time and never once did I immediately go and make a recipe that I saw there, until tonight. My husband loves pecan pie and this recipe on Bake at 350 that she got from Make Ahead Meals promised that it tasted just like the gooey goodness I only make at Thanksgiving.

It was super easy. 5 ingredients, one bowl, and a few mini muffin pans. The most effort I had to put forth was chopping the pecans. Which I did with a newly acquired Christmas present from Aunt Lori, so even that was quick and painless. In around twenty minutes I was biting into a warm, moist, caramelized muffin. Truly delicious. So much so that Kaitlyn has been trying to grab one off the counter even though I cut her off an hour ago. I gave Hubby one as he was passing the kitchen. I asked him what he thought and his reply was “I think I need about six more with a glass of milk.” That about sums it up. I did cook them a tad too long so watch the clock but these will be a sure hit.

Here is the recipe. Flat out copied from on Bake at 350. The last line about freezing, will not be needed.

Mini Pecan Pie Muffins
(recipe courtesy of Jane Doiron, Make Ahead Meals )

1 c light brown sugar
1 c pecans, chopped
1/2 c flour
2/3 c butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten

Spray 20 mini muffin cups with nonstick spray (I used butter); set aside. Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups evenly.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. The edges will be crispy. Do not overbake. Remove the muffins and cool on a wire rack.

~Freeze~

When the muffins are completely cool, place them in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months.

These are my pics. You can tell I need a lesson in theatrical. If you are interested in this recipe and many more Bridget at Bake at 350 is hosting a giveaway for Jane Dorion’s new cookbook called Make Ahead Meals. After making this shear piece of ingenuity I bookmarked both sites. I suggest you do the same.

Sandwich Stromboli

Sandwiches are a staple. Whether it’s a grilled cheese or plain bologna I’m all about a quick sandwich to get through the day. The “bears” are not big sandwich fans. They like everything that goes into one but once you slap it all together it just doesn’t work for them. Teagan will pull everything apart and eat the insides and not the bread. Kaitlyn will tear it all apart and eat just the meat. Normally Kaitlyn will eat nothing but toast in the morning but slap a piece of cheese and ham in-between them and she won’t touch them.

I’ve had this sandwich recipe for years and have wanted to make it on several occasions. For one reason or the other I never got around to it. The recipe week finally let me make my sandwich. Husband was a bit miffed when he saw what I was making since he was heading to the gym and would have to eat it cold. I think his exact words were “you are finally make something I want to eat when I can’t eat it.” Turkey. He ended up eating it warm and going to the gym later.

How was it you ask? On a scale from one to ten with five being average I would give it a nine. Hubby would give it “a least an eight” and the “bears” would give it a seven. They still tore it apart to eat it but ate most of it including the bread. If I had left out the onions I think they would have ate all of it. But once again they get that one bite of a flavor they don’t like and they will pick and judge every piece before they eat it. I would have given this a ten if it had a spicy condiment on it. Horseradish mayonnaise comes to mind.

I used salami instead of ham. I’m sure it made it greasier but it was a good greasy. Everyone agreed that the salami was the way to go. Okay so the “bears” didn’t necessarily agree but they both ate all the salami first. I did not find shredded swiss so I diced my own. Why do I mention this? Because I had added difficulty and thought I should whine a little. By the way it did not reheat well.

Ham and Swiss Stromboli
Source: Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking, July/August 2001
Servings: 6-8

1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated French bread
6 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
6 green onions, sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

Unroll dough on a greased baking sheet. Place ham over dough to within 1/2 inches of edges; sprinkle evenly with onions, bacon and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on baking sheet.

With a sharp knife, cut several 1/4 inch deep slits on top of loaf. Bake at 350° for 26-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm.

Cheater, Cheater, Burrito Eater

Tonight was suppose to be a pork chop recipe. However Mommy is so very tired. Mentally. Physically. Just this side of exhausted. Instead of trying desperately to make a good meal we took the family to dinner.

This is what the girls ate.

This is what Mommy ate.

And this is what Mommy drank. Yummy!

I owe you two more recipes and I will post them next week.

Sustenance at it's Finest

When I was first learning how to cook in my twenties I cooked several meals that were deemed sustenance. Yes that’s right I taught myself how to cook in my twenties. Up to this point I had a loving, doting Mother and the few years in between I had friends and fast food. One day there was no one there to cook and I wanted a “real” meal. I found my niche is baking. I can cook any meal and it will be good and sometimes fantastic (things with sauce normally fall in that category) but sweet dessert was my strong hold. This has never been helpful to my figure. Taking this into account I should be posting dessert recipes rather than this dinner stuff.

Tonight was Tater Tot Casserole. That just has redneck momma written all over it. I have eaten a version of this from a friend who freely called herself White Trash but got offended by Trailer Trash. Really? Location of the trash was more insulting? Good news is the “bears” ate it. ~ Do a little dance.~ But tonight’s meal should be judged as sustenance. I could have made mac and cheese thrown in some ground beef and it would have been just as well received.

How was it you ask? On a scale from one to ten with five being average I would give it a five. Hubby would give it a four and the “bears” would give it an eight as they ate at least 75% of their plates. I gave it a five because it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t fantastic. It was middle of the road okay. Hubby giving it a four is a little disingenuous. HE GOT SECONDS! How can you give something a below average score and get seconds? Teagan ate all of her green beans first. That kid will eat green beans virtually at every meal if I would serve them. Kaitlyn is not a green bean fan but even she ate hers. Mind you they were last and everything was second to the tater tots. This is only the second time she has had tater tots and she thinks they are crunchy potato goodness.

Hubby has been so good through this entire process. He has been extra kind to let me know I cooked the meals well but they are just not excellent recipes. He thinks I’m beating myself up over this. And I am. I wanted to find new recipes that would give dinner time new life. So here is a call for help. Do you have a recipe that is in your normal rotation you would like to share. I will take anything. I don’t know if I’ll blog about it but I will darn sure try it. Thanks in advance.

Tater Tot Casserole
Source: Various with my spin
Servings: 8

1 pound of ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can (4.5 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (11 ounces) green beans, drained
1 can (11 ounces) condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 package (32 ounces) frozen tater tots

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Mix water and taco seasoning; stir in to meat. Simmer uncovered, for five minutes. Add corn, green beans, and soup; mix well.

Spoon into a greased 13x9x2 in. baking dish. Arrange tater tots in single layer over the top. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are crispy and golden brown.
I am not anal!!

Starving the Kids Week

This week should be called “Starving the Kids Week.” Tonight was Cube Steak Dijon. I have a soft spot for cube steak. There is just something comforting about it. My Mom use to cook cube steak as Chicken Fried Steak once a month and it was great. With gravy and a crunchy crust. Comfort food at its finest. I have tried to cook it this way and it did not turn out right with the crust falling off and it being tough as all get out.

Cube steak is going to be chewy even in the best meal but every time I have made it in the past the texture was more like silicon than meat. Therefore this was a new recipe for me but also a challenge as I have never cooked a really good cube steak. I debated to cook this in cast iron or not, as cast iron lends a hand in chicken fried steak but since this was a simmering recipe I thought that non-stick would be better.

How was it you ask? On a scale from one to ten with five being average I would give it a six. Hubby would give it a three and the “bears” would give it a zero as they wouldn’t eat any of it and actually spit out the pieces they put into their mouths. Sad, sad, sad. The flavor of the sauce was savory and tangy and it was less chewy than I have previously cooked. I think substituting chicken for the cube steak would make it jump to 9 maybe ten in the rating.

Apparently Hubby demoted the recipe rating simply since it was cube steak. In his mind even the most astoundingly extraordinary cube steak meal would only be graded as a five “because it’s cube steak.” Just for the curious ones this was the meal I had planned on making and no, Hubby didn’t piss me off. I was just too tired to get the required ingredients from the store for the other meal.

Cube Steak Dijon
Source: Taste of Home April/May 2003 with my spin
Servings: 4

4 beef cube steaks
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white grape juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons corn starch

Salt and pepper cube steaks. In a large skillet, sauté steaks in butter for two minutes on each side. Combine the grape juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Turn down and simmer for ten minutes. Remove two tablespoons of liquid; mix with the two tablespoons of corn starch; pour back in. Cook one minute more or until sauce thickens. Serve sauce over the cube steaks.

No picture tonight. I’m a little bit distracted with a burden I’m dealing with. I’m hoping this distraction will go away tomorrow (actually since this post will be on Wednesday, today is more accurate) to either launch me in a wonderful direction or wrap things up for our family to quite literally move on. If you get a chance, say a little prayer for the path to happiness to open, no matter which one it is, I am grateful.

Recipe Experiment Night Two

The recipe experiment continues. Tonight was chicken enchiladas. Now Hubby makes a phenomenal chicken enchilada with fresh lime and cilantro but it takes an overnight marinating and more preparation than most of us can muster on a Monday night.

This recipe was quick and had all the ingredients to make a good meal. Minus the cilantro. Which my kids don’t like any way.

I had no helpers tonight, they were helping daddy study, and it was a good thing as I am sure the scooping of the mix into the tortillas would have been a blast for them and a debacle for me.

How was it you ask? On a scale from one to ten with five being average I would give it a four. Hubby would give it a four and the “bears” would give maybe a two since all they ate was the black beans. Teagan ate a tad more but it wasn’t substantial enough to raise the score. The tortillas mushed up with the sauce and stuck to the bottom of the pan. Husband said that it would go up a point if I doubled the cheese. He felt that the burrito supreme at Taco Bell tasted better than these. I have to agree.

I would spray the bottom of the pan with Pam and ixnay the sauce, double the cheese inside and out, and only pour 4 ounces of enchilada sauce on top. Maybe that would add up to more of a wet burrito.

When I cook something better than Hubby does (biscuits, oatmeal cookies) he jokes that he is fired from cooking it and will never do so again. Well his job is secure with the chicken enchiladas!

So far this experiment has been a bust. Hubby is really dreading tomorrow night so I might change it up to have a pleasant dining experience. Unless he pisses me off and then he can just deal. Just kidding he’s really a big sweetheart and I love him for tolerating the glory of Me.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Source: Taste of Home, Cooking School/Fall 2001
Servings: 8

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 envelop taco seasoning
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8-3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups (8 ounces) Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 can (15 ounces) mild enchilada sauce
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)
2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Prepare chicken with taco seasoning as directed on package of taco seasoning mix; cool 10 minutes. Stir in salsa, beans, corn and 1 cup cheese. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 13x9x2 baking dish. Place 2/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place in dish, seam side down, on top of sauce. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the sliced ripe olives. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot.

Leaving the Dinner Norm

The dinner rut has gotten to be too much. We have the same meals over and over again. It’s not bad enough that if you come over on Tuesday you know we will be eating tacos but it’s not far from it. So this week we I have decided to cook five different meal s and if we get a chance one lunch. Normally lunch is leftovers. If I don’t enforce this rule leftovers hit the trash and I hate throwing away food more than words can express.

In preparation for this week I pulled out stacks of cooking magazines and went through looking for things that the family would eat. I have a husband who hates mushrooms and is not fond of squashes. And of course the “bears” who would rather eat chicken and French fries over and over. It is very important to push the envelope while having a good feeling that everyone will eat it.

Tonight is meat loaf. Most of you probably have a meat loaf in your normal rotation. We do not. Mainly because I have yet to find the meat loaf. Not that I haven’t looked. I’ve baked individual loafs, ones wrapped in bacon, a mix with pork and beef or cheese. Nothing stands out as the best. The concept is great; meat mixed with bread and spice topped with a ketchup derivative.

Teagan is very interested in what cooking is all about. With her being almost three I allow her on occasion to put in an ingredient here and there but over all just to be in the kitchen and standing on a step stool and watching. Kaitlyn has been extra grumpy lately and really just wanted to be a part of the fun so I had both girls standing on the stool trying to “help.” They actually did very well and did not touch too much. I would love for them to grow up wanting to cook and learning how to cook. Not just how to follow a recipe but to know which things would work together and experiment to find their own cooking niche.

Therefore both “bears” are in the kitchen with me. On most occasions Daddy would have walked past the kitchen and not bothered to really soak in the situation. With all three of us though I think he looked more closely than normal as he passed to go into the other room. Two minutes later he came out and said “You just put carrots in that! This is going to so suck!” Sounded just like a disgruntled five year old. Ah, the aspect of surprise was ruined. He wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t seen it. After that he grabbed the recipe and perused it to see what else he was going to hate. I am very thankful that he had no more “ah, gee” remarks.

How was it you ask? Okay. On a scale from one to ten with five being average I would give it a six. Hubby would give it a four and I suppose the “bears” would give it less since they didn’t eat all of their portions. The sauce was way too sweet. I would double the tomato sauce to even that out. The meat loaf was moist and no you didn’t taste carrot. Just above average isn’t going to make it into the rotation. Alas my search continues. I’m going to post the recipe because that’s the point of this week but please feel free to modify to your taste.

Best-Ever Meat Loaf (their name not mine)
Source: Taste of Home, February/March 2002
Servings: 6

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 slices of bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

Topping:
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk. Add bread; let stand as you mix the rest. Mix onion, carrot, cheese, parsley, salt, basil and pepper in another bowl. Add soaked bread and meat. In a baking pan shape beef mixture into a 7x3x2 loaf. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Combine the topping ingredients; spoon some over meat loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink, occasionally spooning some of the remaining topping over loaf. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cake in a Cup

Saturday night with no real chocolate in the house I decided to try the infamous chocolate cake in a cup recipe that was an internet sensation eons ago. Now I received this recipe over two years ago and had not made it until recently. I made it a month ago with the bears and it was okay at best. They loved it and bounded around the house all giddy as they ate a forkful at a time. Back to the time at hand. It’s late, I’m in my pj’s and I am in need of a chocolate fix.

With my first attempt with the girls did fail to completely satisfy so here is the recipe with my modifications.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons cake flour (I used bread flour)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 large microwaveable mug

Instructions
1. Mix flour, sugar and cocoa powder.
2. Add 1 egg.
3. Pour in milk, oil, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt)
5. Wait 1 minute to cool and settle.
6. Drop out cake onto a saucer or eat from the mug.

Betty Crocker has no worries but it was better than last time. Last time I used regular flour and it was a little rubbery. I think this time it was the bread flour and extra vanilla that made it muffin-like. I normally have cake flour in the house so next time it might be even tastier. Oh yes there will be a next time. Why if it was only sub par? Because chocolate goes fast in this house and I am sure that I will again have an insatiable craving and not a thing to quench it but Cake in a Cup.

Porcupine Meatballs

Ah the improvised dinner. Lately when I go grocery shopping it is hard for me to focus on what I want to cook or eat for the week. Mind you this is a huge jump from three years ago were I would, no lie, stop by the grocery every day after work to pick out dinner. I’m proud of at least trying to think seven days in advance. Plus with two toddlers I’d go nuts going to the store every day.

So here I am with a pound of ground beef left from the weekly shopping trip and nothing else. No noodles. No bread. No freaking idea what I’m going to do with a pound of meat.

I look at some recipes but nothing really sticks. I thought about meatballs but who wants meatballs without noodles. What could replace noodles? Rice. I look around for a recipe with rice and meat. I find one called Porcupine Meatballs. With a couple of tweaks I came up with this. For a pinch it was rather tasty and the big plus, as always, is the girly-girls ate them. Even the probably-will-be-a-vegetarian-and-I-promise-I-won’t-disown-her-for-it-Teagan ate them.

Porcupine Meatballs
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used white, next time I’ll use red)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
15 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl combine the rice, water, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and beef. Mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. In a large skillet add oil. Brown meatballs on medium high, rolling around to get even color. Drain oil. Combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, and Worcestershire in bowl and mix well. Pour over meatballs. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 hour.

I made extra rice to place the meatballs and sauce on. It reduced a lot so not much sauce was left. The picture does not do it justice.

Deluxe Grilled Cheese Hamburger

I haven’t posted a recipe recently therefore here is one my husband made the other night.

While watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives he saw a restaurant eater indulging in a meal that Hubby had to recreate. I laughed never thinking he would actually do it. I was wrong. So here is the recipe and a nod in your direction if you make this too.

Preheat grilling skillet over medium heat. Start with a pound of lean ground beef. We want a little bit of juice to pour out but would rather it doesn’t run down our arms into our laps. Split the meat into three mounds. Per mound, season with ground sea salt and ground black pepper and knead together while shaping into a patty. Make the middle of the patty a little thinner than the edges so that it will lay flat once cooked on the bread. Cook the burgers, turning occasionally, to desired temperature, 10 to 15 minutes for medium well. Now two of these burgers will be normal everyday burgers. For the hubby burger continue reading.

Take half of a medium Vidalia onion. Slice. Sauté in a tablespoon and a half of butter and teaspoon of Worcestershire. Cook onions for 15 minutes, or until onion is soft and caramel colored.

Rip the romaine lettuce to hamburger size. Thick slice a tomato. Slice in rounds the other half of the Vidalia onion. Set out ketchup and mayonnaise (we used mayonnaise with horseradish).

Now for the bread.

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Thinly slice four pieces of French bread. Generously butter both sides of the slices of bread. Place two pieces of bread down onto skillet and add a slice of cheese to each. Top both with another slice of buttered bread. Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted.

Wait a minute. I just told you how to make two grilled cheese sandwiches. That’s right. This is what my husband used for buns to hold this burger and fixings together.

Assembling the “burger.” Take one of the grilled cheese sandwiches and put on plate. Squeeze on some ketchup and mayonnaise. Top with burger. Add more ketchup. Cover with sautéed onions. Next raw onions. Topped with two slices of tomato. Then the two leafs of the romaine lettuce. Finish with the other grilled cheese sandwich.

You now have a Deluxe Grilled Cheese Hamburger. I must admit it was fantastic looking. Husband was happy. He hunched over his plate, opened his mouth as wide as he could and dug in. Surprisingly the two grilled cheese sandwiches helped to hold everything together nicely. The patty was not big enough so the last few bites were just grilled cheese sandwiches with the fixings. No complaints. Hubby says that next time he will add sautéed pickled hot peppers. Substitute cocktail sauce for the mayonnaise and ketchup. Make the patty slightly bigger and add a slice of cheese to it as well. That’s right he is already considering the next time.

To the Alumni of Michigan. I hope he made you proud!

Mason Jar Iced Coffee

For me coffee, hot or cold, has to be the second best drink I consume. Sangria is the first if you were wondering. In fact I had some marvelous Sangria at Olive Garden yesterday. I don't think it had any alcohol in it but it was delicious. Kind of tasted like flat Italian fruit punch soda. But this post is not about Sangria. Back to the coffee.

One of my favorite treats while shopping at a bulls-eye of a store is sipping a Carmel Latte from their inner Mermaid dealer. The problem is I cannot afford to indulge as often as my craving arises. What to do, what to do?

Luckily for me the Southern author at http://oneparticularkitchen.com/ had the same issue. She lovely provided her readers with a fantastic recipe for Iced Coffee that I now am going to post here.

In a one quart Mason jar, pour in 2/3 cup of finely ground coffee

Fill jar with cold water

Let sit for 12 hours at room temperature

After 12 hours, strain the coffee. I strained mine through a piece of cheesecloth over a wire strainer into another jar. Now you have coffee concentrate.

Take your concentrate and make a half concentrate, half milk mixture and pour over ice. You can do what you want from there. Add sugar, caramel, sweet cream, or any other flavor you can wrap your head around. It was also recommended to shake up the concoction to make a little froth at the top. I'll try that tomorrow as today I was too excited and just used a good swizzle stick.

Keep your concentrate in the jar or container in the fridge. The Southern author says hers has lasted up to three weeks still tasting great. I drank half of mine on the first day so I doubt it will make it to the end of the week!

Thank you http://oneparticularkitchen.com/ for the recipe and thank you Aunt Lori for the mason jars. The green beans were great but the coffee is even better.

Cincinnati Chili - Bear Style

I am going to post recipes here and there so I thought I would start with my Cincinnati Chili. I love this meal and so does every member of my family. If I’d make it, Hubby would eat it once a week. And the girls love it too. They normally eat the beans, then the meat and lastly the noodles. Very methodical. I hope you like it and please let me know.

Cincinnati Chili – Bear Style

2lbs ground beef

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced

15 oz of tomato sauce
3 cups of water

2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tablespoons vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup chili powder

1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon

5 bay leaves
35 whole allspice

32oz can kidney beans
spaghetti noodles

cheddar cheese
Hot sauce

chopped onions

• Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in large pot. Drain grease.
• Put bay leaves and allspice in a muslin bag or my trick a tea strainer.
• To meat mixture add tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper, cinnamon and throw in spice bag.
• Bring to a boil. Drain beans and add to chili, reduce to a simmer for three hours.
• Boil noodles to be ready for chili.
• Layering: place a good heap of noodles in a bowl, ladle on chili, top with cheddar cheese, dashes of hot sauce and onions. Now the hot sauce and onions are optional but don’t forget the cheese.