MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

These muffins are a hit! I have no idea why they're called "morning glory muffins" except that they would be a great breakfast treat. I made them this afternoon and there may not be any left by breakfast! The ingredients remind me of a cross between a hummingbird cake and a carrot cake in muffin form. 
The original recipe is from Ina Garten/Food Network, I altered it to make part of the flour whole wheat and used craisins instead of raisins. 
The batter is colorful and yummy looking even before baking - see the photos at the end of the post. 
It goes together easily and quickly. The grating of carrots and apple is the most time consuming. I took advantage of the food processor instead of a box grater and grated them the night before when I was also grating carrots for another recipe. 

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS                            

Ingredients: 

1 cup vegetable oil, plus extra for the pan

3 extra-large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrots

1 Granny Smith apple, grated

1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

½ cup pecans, roughly chopped

½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

½ cup craisins or raisins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven. Line two muffin pans with paper muffin cups. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the carrots, apple, pineapple, pecans, coconut, and raisins and stir together.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Scoop the batter with a standard (2 ¼ -inch) ice cream scoop into the prepared muffin cups. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Place the pans on a baking rack to cool and serve the muffins warm or at room temperature. 

 

The batter before the dry ingredients - it is
very colorful! 

Gently mix the dry ingredients in just enough to
completely moisten and mix all the ingredients. 

Top Secret Chocolate Cake

The rainbow sprinkles add a festive touch.
Favorite part for the grand girls! 

More comfort food time. During this Stay-At-Home season there is lots of time for cooking and baking - and eating. With the warmer weather we should be able to be outside taking walks to balance the extra calories. So here is an easy and pretty cake to celebrate your family. 

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman, one of my favorite sources. Her version adds a simple chocolate ganache topping made with ½ cup heavy cream and ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips. (heat cream until just bubbling.  Add chocolate ships to a small bowl and pour the hot cream over the top. Let sit for 1 minute, then mix until smooth.) This did not work for me, a sad waste of cream and chocolate chips! So I found an even easier way - ready-made frosting, that is included in this recipe. 

TOP SECRET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:

One 15.2 oz box dark chocolate cake mix

1 cup whole milk

½ cup (1 stick) melted salted butter

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Ready-made chocolate frosting

Directions: 

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray. 

2.    Mix together cake mix, milk, butter, eggs, chocolate chips and vanilla in a large bowl until completely combined. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. 

3.    Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely an additional 20-25 minutes. 

4.    Topping: soften ready-made chocolate frosting in the microwave until  pourable but thick. 

5.    Transfer the cake to a cake stand or serving platter and pour the frosting over the top, allowing it to drip down the ridges. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles and serve. 

We have farm fresh eggs from Daughter & S-I-L. This
is 3 large eggs! It was a rich cake. 

Potato Soup for the Luck of the Irish

I don't know if the Irish are lucky or not. Right now it doesn't seem like luck plays a part in our everyday lives as the weather bounces from a 75 degrees sunny day to 24 degrees predicted for tomorrow night and we are staying home with the threats of coronavirus around us. It is certainly a time for comfort, and comfort food. With family birthdays in March we often think of St. Patricks Day themes and to me potatoes come in that theme.
This Loaded Crockpot Soup was a hit at a birthday supper last night and will make warm leftover meals tomorrow. It is easy to put together with hash brown potatoes and loaded like a baked potato with cheddar cheese and bacon.  I served it with the Cheese Wheel we usually enjoy at Christmas time. I added 1 cup of chopped ham to the cheese mixture in the cheese wheel for a hardy side for the soup.

LOADED CROCKPOT HASH BROWN POTATO SOUP              

 from Family Fresh Meals.com

      

Ingredients: 

1 – 20 oz bag of shredded hash brown potatoes

32 oz chicken broth

½ cup shredded carrots

7 slices of bacon, cooked and diced (reserve 2 slices for toppings)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper1/4 cup onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

·     Int a 4-5 qt. slow cooker, add potatoes, carrots, bacon, broth, water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. 

·     Cook in High 3 hours, or low 6 hours. 

·     Once cooking time is done, whisk flour and cream together until smooth. Add to slow cooker. (I tempered the cream mixture by mixing a small amount of potato/broth mixture with the cream mixture before adding it to the slow cooker.)

·     Cover and cook for on low for 30 minutes. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. 

·     Serve hot with optional toppings of shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, sour cream. 

Pie/PI Day - My Favorite - Coconut Cream Pie

I'm not afraid of Coconut Cream Pie anymore! Although it is our family's favorite and a common birthday treat, it usually came from the local bakery to our house. And for church dinners I always hoped my fellow UMW members would make the coconut cream pie and I could pick my seat  at that pacesetting. 
My experiences with making coconut cream pie involved lots of stirring, time at the stove, and not-so-great results. This recipe from Chef Alli is a game changer! It is cooked in the microwave, much easier and quicker. Also the toasted coconut adds a richer flavor. The meringue recipe she shares is also different. It includes water! And it works beautifully. The meringued pie is also baked at a lower temperature for a longer time to cook and brown the meringue. This helps the meringue cook completely and keeps it from shrinking back from the edges or weeping as it cools. 
Wow! I may even volunteer to take a Coconut Cream Pie to the next church dinner. My son-in-law enjoyed this month's version of his pie-of-the-month Christmas gift. 

COCONUT CREAM PIE

                              

1 – 9” pie crust, baked and cooled

1 recipe meringue

6 Tbs. cornstarch

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

3 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten
3 Tbs. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. coconut extract

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (plus extra for garnish)

To toast the coconut: spread out over a large baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, tossing often. 

In a large bowl, combine corn starch, sugar, and salt; whisk in milk. Cook on high power in microwave in 2-minute intervals, stirring between each, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken a bit. Stir a bit of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, then whisk the egg/milk minute back into the hot milk. Continue to cook on full power in microwave in 2-minute intervals for an additional 8-10 minutes or until mixture has formed a nicely thickened pudding/pie filling. 

Remove from microwave and whisk in butter, vanilla, and coconut extract; fold in coconut, then pour into a cooled pie shell. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of pie filling; let pie cool. After pie has cooled, cover with meringue. Bake in preheated 325-350 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. 

MILE-HIGH MERINGUE

5 egg whites

5 Tbs. ice water

¼ cup granulated sugar

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites, water, and sugar for 3-5 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Spread meringue over cooled pie filling, making sure meringue is spread over the edges of the pie crust all the way around (to keep the meringue from shrinking back when baked).

Use a small spoon or spatula to make decorative peaks and swirls on the top of the meringue if desired. 

Bake pie, uncovered, in preheated 325-350 degree oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Let pie cool before slicing. 

A new Breakfast Offering

At our monthly United Methodist Women's meeting and brunch it seemed we had been served every version of breakfast casserole with eggs, hash browns, sausage, etc. there could be. So when I saw this served at a Christmas quilting group, I knew it was one to try. This month it was my turn to be hostess for UMW, and I made this new recipe of Breakfast Strudel. It uses puff pastry so it is much easier than it looks! The flaky, buttery crust reminds me of the Kansas Maid butter braids that are so popular in our part of Kansas. 

The next best thing of this recipe is that it could be assembled the night or day before. For morning meetings this is a great time saver. Although this is an easy recipe, it does have several things to chop and measure. A couple of surprise ingredients had good purposes - the orange juice adds Vitamin C to help preserve the color and the sour cream gives a soft silky texture. Be sure to scramble the eggs just until set, a bit soft, so they don't get rubbery. 

The original recipe from bluemountpingraphics.com said this was 8 servings. It does make 2 strudels. We had 8 women at the meeting and this, along with blueberry muffins and mixed berries was an ample amount. I even had some to bring home. 

BREAKFAST STRUDEL

Ingredients: 

1 box (1.1 lb) puff pastry dough

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 cup frozen cubed hash brown potatoes

1 cup red or green bell peppers, seeded and diced

½ cup onion, diced

1 cup diced smoked ham

11 eggs

2 Tbs. minced fresh chives

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbs. orange juice

1 egg

1 Tbs. water

2 Tbs. parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2.    Thaw pastry according to package directions, about 30 minutes. 

3.    Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and onion, sauté 3 minutes, then add ham. 

4.    Whisk eggs and chives together. Add them to the pan and scramble until just set. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Removed from heat, stir in cream cheese and juice until blended. Refrigerate eggs while working with the pastry. 

5.    Unfold a pastry sheet on a work surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry lengthwise to 12 x 10”, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper cut to fit a baking sheet. 

6.    Cut off two corners and notch the sides to create flaps. Fill with half the egg mixture and braid, starting with the notched end. Repeat with remaining pastry and egg filling. 

7.    Lift parchment and strudels onto baking sheet. Combine the remaining egg and water; brush over top of strudels. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing. 

Hamburger Stroganoff - comfort for a cold day

Temperatures dropping and a 90% chance of snow coming our way. Time for another comfort food recipe. This one is from my well-worn copy of the Greenwood County Cattlewomen's cookbook. These recipes are tested and true and are all about BEEF! And this week has been declared Eat Meat Week, so a perfect time to make this warming and tasty dish. The original recipe, from Anna Curry, who was our Extension Ag agent at the time, lists 1 pound of ground beef. I usually increase the amount of beef in a recipe. Our ground beef comes in 2 pounds packages, and often I use the whole package, or that minus a couple of patties for later. 

HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

1 ½ pound ground beef

1 (8-oz) can sliced mushrooms

¼ cup chopped onion (or 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion)

¼ clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons chili sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-oz) carton sour cream

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in flour and chili sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and heat well. Just before serving add sour cream. Serve hot over cooked pasta or rice. 

Comfort Food

These cold winter days call for warm and comforting food. A few weeks ago it was not only cold, but I was recovering from a bout of flu and broccolis and really wanted some comfort food. As I looked through files of ideas I found a recipe for Cottage Pie and it sounded like just what I needed. This recipe uses ground beef, 'shepherds pie' is the traditional recipe made with lamb. I made a few changes to add more vegetables and reduce other ingredients to make a smaller amount. It still made a large enough dish for a couple of meals for us. 

COTTAGE PIE

Ingredients: 

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ cups beef stock/broth

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup corn (I used frozen)

½ cup peas (also frozen)

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Topping:

1 ¼ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

Olive oil or melted butter

Shredded cheese 

Directions:

1.    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minutes. Then add carrots and celery. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened and sweet. 

2.    Turn heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. 

3.    Add flour and mix in. Add tomato paste, broth, corn, peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme. 

4.    Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly. It should reduce down to a gravy consistency. This will be the thickness once its baked. 

5.    Transfer to a large casserole dish or pie dish. Cover, then refrigerate to cool for 1-2 hours or overnight. This ensures that the potato topping doesn’t sink into the filling and makes it much easier to spread. You could also put it in the freezer to cool while you make the potato topping. 

Assemble:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.    Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return the pan to the burner which has been turned off. Shake briefly and allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so. This allows the potatoes to reduce their liquid so the excess won’t drip into the filling and make the sauce watery. 

3.    Add butter and mash until melted. Then add milk and salt. Mash until smooth. You may add shredded cheese if you like. 

4.    Spread the hot potatoes onto the beef-vegetable mixture. Hot potatoes will be easier to spread than cooler ones. Top with shredded cheese. 

5.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Test with a food thermometer to be sure the temperature is at least 160 degrees. 

6.    Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.