Jumbo Large Muffins--Blueberry/Chocolate Chip

Food.Com Recipe

Ingredients:
Serves: 6

Large bowl
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (tad overflowing from cup)
1 cup milk (tad overflowing from cup)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (do not add for blueberry muffins)
Medium bowl
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or a small bag of frozen blueberries)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Mix eggs, oil, milk, sugar and extract (remember no extract if you are making blueberry muffins. It will be too moist) together on medium speed with a mixer. I add a little extra of the oil and milk so the muffin isn't too dry. Just a little overflowing from the cups. (again, not needed if you are making blueberry muffins.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in other bowl.
Combine and mix with mixer.
Once all mixed together add Chocolate Chips and mix with spoon. The 1 1/4 cup may sound like a lot but it really isn't. Add nuts if you wish. Make sure its mixed well. (here is where you add blueberries if you wish to make blueberry muffins. Don't add too many ore they'll be kinda gross).
Fill each cup ALL the way to the top for a bigger topped muffin.
Bake at 400 degrees for 29 minutes.
AllRecipe Topping Recipe
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking

Fleischmann's Pretzel Bread Recipe

Fleischmann’s Pretzel Bread Recipe
Makes: 2 (7-inch) loaves or 8 rolls
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Proof Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: per loaf, 2 minutes
Bake Time: 25 to 27 minutes

Pretzel bread can be shaped as rolls to make the tasty muffuletta sandwich pictured above. Recipe follows below.

Dough:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 envelope Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Boiling Solution:
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda (add baking soda "before" water is boiling)

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

Directions
Heat milk and butter until warm (100° to 110°F); the butter will not completely melt. Combine with undissolved yeast and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl. Stir in salt and 2 cups flour; beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine boiling solution and bring to a boil. Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal pieces. Form each piece into a tight, smooth ball. Boil each loaf in the solution for 2 minutes, turning after 1 minute. Remove loaves from pot using a slotted spoon and place on a greased baking sheet.

Brush with egg wash and cut a cross in the top. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes until the loaves are evenly browned. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Variations:
Rolls: Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. Use same procedure as listed above. Boil, egg wash, score top and bake for the same amount of time.

Chocolate Rolls: Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk, place ½-ounce of chocolate in the center of the disk then fold up the edges to seal the chocolate in the roll. Continue with same process for rolls.

Hoisin Glazed Salmon

What a great simply recipe.  Husband thought it might be a little sweet for his tastes.  Served with fresh kale/balsamic vinegar and oven fried sweet potatoes.

Simply Recipes

Quick and easy broiled salmon fillets with a hoisin sauce glaze.

Skin-on salmon is fine to use in this recipe. Just marinate it skin-side up, and cook it skin-side down.

Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice (can sub rice vinegar)
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 large garlic clove, smashed and minced
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
Vegetable oil, for greasing the broiler pan

METHOD
1 Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic together in a bowl. Taste and adjust to your taste (more lime juice if too sweet, more sugar if too acidic). Coat the salmon pieces in the marinade and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2 Set the rack in your broiler to about 6 inches underneath the heating element. Turn on the broiler. Lightly grease a foil-lined broiling pan with vegetable oil. Arrange the salmon pieces skin side down (if your fillets still have skin on one side) on the pan and paint with a little more of the marinade. Broil until done, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon fillets and the heat of your broiler.

Serve with steamed rice. Asparagus or Asian Coleslaw would work well as side dishes for this salmon.

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com 

Mostaccioli

8 oz. Mostaciolli Pasta (1/2 box)  cooked per box instructions al dente

1 lb. Ground Hamburger

2/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup diced green/red/yellow peppers

1 tablespoon diced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup roughly chopped button mushrooms

1 heaping tablespoon chili power

1 can tomato soup

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)

2/3 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

1 heaping cup of Ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan/Romano Cheese

 Brown hamburger add celery and peppers

 Add garlic and chopped mushrooms, stir in chili powder until meat mixture is coated.

 Stir in tomato soup and diced tomatoes bring to boil, add cheese

 Simmer for about 5 minutes.

 Add the al dente pasta, stir until pasta is completely coated.  Pour into a shallow baking dish.

Top with Mozzarella Cheese.

Ready for a 350 degree oven, bake until Mostaccioli bubbles.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Recipe

Husband, bought this 7+ pound roasting chicken, after it was roasted a meal or two eaten, what to do with the rest??  Found this recipe on the Taste of Home site. 

Taste of Home Recipe Link

Of course, since we live 20 miles from anywhere and I didn't have the exact ingredients on hand I made a couple "adjustments".

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 20 min.
MAKES: 6 servings

Recipe by:  Nikki Barton, Providence, Utah
Ingredients
 3 cups uncooked penne pasta

Not exactly Penne Pasta..

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened and cubed
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups sliced cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
3/4 cup cubed fully cooked ham
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

I'm not seeing a pile of ham here....I did have some sliced deli ham that I chopped up... just not as much as the recipe called for.  You also don't see the seasonings here, but you get the idea.

I also added a few diced green onions.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat cream and cream cheese over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 cup cheese, onion powder, garlic salt and pepper until blended.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, bacon, ham and pasta. Add sauce; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; top with bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, 18-22 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.
Originally published as Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta in Taste of Home September/October 2013, pjls

After a nice hot comfort meal, the fire was like a warm desert.

And look what I found in a drawer I was cleaning out..ahh for the "good old days".

Pork Roast and Hash

I have to apologize for this post as it's not really a recipe as much as what goes on here some days.

This roast was fixed in my crock pot, seasoned with the usual salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and a dash of ground mustard.

I added a can of beef consume and half way threw the process, I added about a half a can of Coke Cola  After resting it was sliced. 

Instead of the mashed potatoes and gravy I did roasted veggies tossed in Olive Oil and seasonings.  These are sweet potatoes, carrots and something crazy --parsnips.

Another meal was made with mashed potatoes and gravy...  And for the last meal, my husbands favorite meal... Hash..

It all starts out with more potatoes... fried with onions and carrots until lightly browned and about halfway done.

Then you add the last of the roast pork, cut up.  

Finally add the left over gravy and a little water.  This is also when I add either frozen peas, lima beans or corn... or all of the listed.

Simmer uncovered until you have a nice thick rich sauce.  

(Looks a lot like a dry stew)

Enjoy...Great for a Cold, Windy January Day.

Salmon and Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Now that I am retired, I am learning how to take more time in planning and preparing our meals.  Trying to eat "healthy". 

Last nights meal.

Sweet Potato Fries.

Coat with Olive Oil and seasoned with Garlic Salt and Pepper.  Oven baked.

Brussel Sprouts...sorry they are the frozen kind with Ricotta Cheese instead of butter. 

Salmon-Coated with Olive Oil seasoned to taste.  Ours had hickory smoke salt and pepper.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Fries were placed on a foil lined baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Serve Salmon with your favorite fish sauce.