~Orange Muffins~

Can you stand another food post? I suppose after months of not being able to even think about food, I am eager to share the few recipes that I'm actually enjoying now. Oranges were on sale, so we had quite a few, and I searched for a recipe that would help me use some up.

Fresh Orange Muffins
Ingredients
1 orange, quartered and seeds removed (with peel)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F; spray a muffin tin (12) with non-stick cooking spray like Pam and set aside.
2. Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
3. Add egg and butter to food processor and combine; pour into large bowl.
4. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for five minutes before removing muffins.

Recipe and picture from Recipezaar.com.

I have made these twice now. They are very good! It took 2 oranges for the 1/2 cup of orange juice, though if you have orange juice on hand, it would certainly be easier. The last batch I made with 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. Very yummy!

~Christmas Candy~

One of the things I've enjoyed doing in the past is making Christmas candy for gifts. It is fun to give a plate of goodies to neighbors and friends. I haven't done it the past two years, but this year I decided to make my treats again.

Peanut Butter Balls
1 lb. butter or margarine
2 lb. peanut butter (smooth)
3 lb. powdered sugar

Mix butter and peanut butter together. Add powdered sugar. If need be, use spoon when it gets thick. If using real butter, use all powdered sugar. If using margarine you probably won't use all powdered sugar. Make into 1" balls. Dip in almond bark or coating chocolate (2 - 1 1/2 lb. packages). Makes 200. If you cut down the recipe, cut it down by weight, not measurement.

--from a friend

This year, I cut the recipe in half. I didn't want to stand and roll peanut butter balls forever. :-)

Pretzel Sticks
I bought pretzel rods, dipped them in white almond bark and rolled them in crushed candy canes. I did let them harden too long, so I ended up having to recoat them with more almond bark before the candy canes would stick.

Easy Toffee Candy
1 1/4 cups butter, divided
35-40 saltine-style crackers
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cups finely chopped walnuts

1. Melt 1/4 cup butter; pour into foil-lined jelly roll pan.
2. Arrange crackers over butter, evenly spaced.
3. Melt remaining butter; add sugar and boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and add condensed mil. Spread over crackers.
5. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until bubbly and slightly darkened.
6. Remove from oven, cool 1 minute and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is soft and melty, and spread chocolate out.
Sprinkle with nuts; press lightly into chocolate.
7. Cool; refrigerate until chocolate is set.
8. Remove foil and cut candy.

This tastes a lot like Almond Roca. Makes 50 pieces.

This recipe is from a blog I used to read, and I'm drawing a blank as to what the name of the blog is. I just have it printed out, with no source listed.

Edited to add: recipe can be found here, at Life in a Shoe.

I also made some orange fudge. It turned out ok...I had a terrible time cutting it, and I'm not very impressed with it. I won't be making it again, so I didn't want to post the recipe. :-)

~A Bowlful of Memories~

At a recent doctor visit, I learned that my iron is a little low, and the nurse gave me a sheet that lists iron amounts of various foods. The food on this list that is highest in iron is Cream of Wheat. So, I switched from my morning bowl of oatmeal to Cream of Wheat.

It brought back a flood of memories! The summer I was between 1st and 2nd grade, my family had an extended visit in California, where we stayed with my great-grandparents. When my great-grandma would make Cream of Wheat for breakfast, my great-grandpa would pour his orange juice over the cereal.

I remember begging to be allowed to do the same. My mom eventually let me do it, warning me that once I did it I still had to eat it. =P Well, I loved it, and continued to copy my great-grandpa each morning we had Cream of Wheat.

I haven't been pouring orange juice over my cereal, just remembering that it was done. And I don't make the cereal lumpy (it is, after all, called Cream of Wheat for a reason), even though as a child I thought the lumps were great. LOL

It is amazing how a simple bowl of cereal can bring back so many memories!

~Cinnamon Rolls~

I think a new tradition for our family is cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning. It makes a quick, yummy breakfast if you make them the night before. And we've done it two years in a row now so it is a tradition, right? :-)

This year my sister helped me make them. They were devoured too fast to get a picture. Trust me, they're delicious! They take a lot of work and lot of butter! So obviously these are a treat!

Cinnamon Rolls

These taste like the famous cinnamon rolls sold in malls. [I would assume the author meant Cinnabon, and having had Cinnabons, they do come close!]

Dough
1 T. dry yeast
1 C. warm milk
1/3 C. white sugar
1/2 C. soft butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Knead into a ball or put in a bread machine on the dough setting. Let rise until double in size. When ready, roll out to about 1/4-inch thick. Spread with filling.

Filling
1/4 C. soft butter
1 C. brown sugar
3 T. cinnamon

Spread butter evenly on dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon evenly over buttered dough. Roll up dough. Slice roll into 1-inch slices. Place on a greased pan. Let rise until double in size. Bake 10 minutes at 400*. [Our rolls needed longer than 10 minutes.]

Icing
1/2 C. soft butter
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 oz. cream cheese
2 T. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy. When rolls are hot, spread lots of icing on them.

--Recipe from Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy

These were equally good hot or cold. We just stuck them one at a time in the microwave for 20 seconds. Or ate them cold. However we felt like!

~Turkey Poem~

How not to roast a turkey...

The Turkey Shot out of the Oven

Jack Prelutsky

The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there'd never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,
it smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn't a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I'd never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn't been popped.

~Gingerbread~

Recipe found on this recipe cheater sheet. I baked it in two round cake pans, and plan on freezing one for later. This gingerbread is so yummy! It isn't very sweet, just the right amount of sweetness, I think! I didn't have a cup of molasses, so I added 1/2 cup honey to the molasses I did have.

~Quick and Easy Italian Veggie Beef Soup~

Tonight I made dinner (which may seem ordinary to you, but it certainly isn't to me! This is only the second time I have made dinner in the last 9 weeks or so!)

So what did I make for this momentous occasion? One of my favorite soups!

I got this recipe from my Fix it and Forget it cookbook, but I think I've only made it in the crock pot once or twice. The rest of the time I make it on the stove top.

1 lb. ground beef, or turkey, browned and drained
3 carrots, sliced
4 pototoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
15-oz. can diced tomatoes, or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
6-oz. can Italian-flavored tomato paste
4 1/2 cups water
1 quart beef broth

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 6-8 hours, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

This makes a lot - delicious for leftovers! I add a can of green beans.

The weather today was perfect for soup! Cool and rainy!

~Strawberry Jam~

I always forget that mid to late-June is strawberry season here in Michigan. Thankfully I usually remember in the nick of time! Last Saturday I got a flat of strawberries. I made three batches of jam and a strawberry pie.

I wanted to share about the jam, because I made the first two batches sugar-free. Sure Jell makes a "no sugar or low sugar" pectin. The first batch I used Stevia to sweeten it. I was nervous about putting too much in because I didn't want it to end up bitter. It tastes good - but the next batch was better! Instead of the added one cup water, I added one cup of white grape juice concentrate. YUM!

Now, if you're going to make jam sugar free, you have to keep in mind that it is more of a fruit spread than "jam". The consistency is different, as well as the flavor - even the color is different. Instead of sugar with fruit, the fruit is the dominant flavor! I did make one batch of regular jam so I can have it on hand for gifts and company.

I plan on making several more batches of sugar-free jam (I'm thinking cherry, peaches, maybe another berry! mmmmm).

~Fresh Strawberry Pie~

I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook, but made a few changes. Enjoy!
:-)

I made this for a dessert fellowship our church had last Sunday evening. It was SO GOOD. Yummy. I would have liked a whole pie to myself! As it is, I only got a sliver!

Baked Pie Crust
1 1/2 quarts strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar

1. Prepare baked pie crust. (Use your favorite pie crust recipe.)

2. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water and mashed strawberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool.

3. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Spread in pie shell. (Note: I added 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup sugar to the cream cheese, and beat until smooth. It was divine! If you beat in the sour cream and sugar, you'll have a little too much filling.) Fill shell with remaining strawberries (the recipe doesn't say to slice them, but I sliced mine and sprinkled a little sugar over them). Pour cooked strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until set. Refrigerate any remaining pie.

Substitutions: Use 5 cups peaches; or use 6 cups raspberries.

~Fabulous Cake~

One of the things on my 101 List is to make three "fabulous" desserts. Now, fabulous can indicate many different things regarding desserts, but since my dessert expertise lies in chocolate chip cookies, I think anything I try out of the ordinary will probably be fabulous in my book!

As soon as I saw Michelle's Pecan-Cream Sponge Cake recipe, I knew it was one I wanted to try! And try it, I did:



And if I do say so myself, it turned out fabulous! In order to make this cake, I had to purchase three cake pans, which added significantly to the cost. The recipe calls for coconut extract and butter extract, which of course were not in my pantry. But it was worth it! This cake is scrumptious! I will be making this cake again!

~Cinnamon Rolls~

When I saw the link for “Land of Nod Cinnamon Rolls” on Mrs. U’s blog, I knew that I wanted to make these! They sounded so easy, and so good!

Here’s the recipe I followed. Mrs. U made her own dough, but I opted for the frozen dinner rolls.

This recipe is incredibly easy, and if you host a breakfast/brunch, or you need something for your husband or you to take in to work, this is the perfect item. These are so, so good!

They really aren’t that expensive either. I bought the Meijer brand dinner rolls for $1.49, used half a package of vanilla pudding mix ($.50), and one quarter pound of butter ($.71). Since I already had the brown sugar and the cinnamon, I spent a grand total of $2.70.

I will be making these again! Next time, I might consider cutting the brown sugar down to ¾ cup instead of 1 cup. My only modification to the recipe this time was that I mixed all the ingredients together before I sprinkled it over the top of the rolls in the pan.

Mmmm, mmmm good!

~Bagels~

I'm sure I won't have bakeries knocking my door down, but I am so pleased with the results of my bagel-making venture!

I didn't take pictures along the way, because sweet Julieann did a great job with that! Click here to see her step-by-step pictures she took from making bagels, along with the recipe.

I was so happy with the results! Bagels are expensive at the store, and the ingredients for them are so inexpensive! I will definitely make them again! Next time I want to try to mix in different ingredients into the dough before I shape them, and maybe add some whole wheat flour.

~Cookies~

Both my recipes turned out great!
Brown Sugar Shortbread Puffs on the left, Cherry Poppy Seed Twinks on the right.