Bran Muffins

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?

Well... apparently, you do. Except that she's not a man and she certainly doesn't deliver muffins to others because she is too busy eating them herself.

I admit it. I eat a lot of muffins. More, in fact, that I ever realized. Almost a year ago, I was in Tampa for spring break and - since they have a GFS store there and I don't here - I stocked up on muffin papers. I purchased a box of 500 muffin wrappers. They are almost gone. Hmmm... so, let's see. That's over 40 dozen muffins.

So sue me! They're my go-to breakfast. I usually eat two (regular sized muffins) each morning. My favorite muffins are chocolate chip and banana nut, but occasionally I like to branch out and get crazy. I have been searching for a bran muffin recipe that matches the perfect bran muffin taste memory that I have in my brain. I've tried a number of recipes, and finally I have found it!

These are good tasting bran muffins, not to be confused with "health" muffins. These suckers have plenty of fiber in them, but they also have a decent bit of sugar and oil. That's what makes them so tasty! Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, the dates are mandatory... even if you don't like dates (which I don't).

Bran Muffins
Yield: approx. 12 regular sized or 6 large muffins
Adapted from Advanced Bread and Pastry

1/3 cup oil
1 TBS honey
3 TBS molasses (unsulphured)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS flour (preferably bread flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp table salt
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 cup chopped dates (rolled in sugar to prevent sticking if you cut them yourself)

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. Stir the wet ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet along with the chopped dates and stir thoroughly. At this point, the batter will be much thinner than a typical muffin batter. Set the mixture aside to for 20 minutes. This step in important because the bran needs to hydrate a bit before the batter has a decent consistency.

While the batter sits, preheat the oven to 375° F and line your muffin pan with papers. When the 20 minutes are up, fill the muffin cups almost full, maybe four-fifths full. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar and rolled oats, if desired. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until done. Test with a cake tester as the muffins can look done before they are fully baked in the center. Remove from the pans to cool fully on a rack.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

This is a simple recipe and I'm sure you already know about it, but I loved the garlic-to-veggie combination on this one, so I'm putting it up so I can refer to it often. Its really easy, very delicious, and extremely healthy. You can roast whichever veggies you prefer.

image courtesy allrecipes.com

Oven- Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 Tbs. minced garlic

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

Cauliflower, divided into florets

Broccoli, divided into florets

Carrots, diced into 2 inch pieces

Salt, to taste

1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a 9X13 casserole dish. Place garlic and olive oil into a plastic ziploc bag. Toss with chopped vegetables until coated. Pour vegetables into dish and top with salt (and pepper, if desired). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or according to desired tenderness. Toss vegetables halfway through cooking time! Top with parmesan cheese for last 5 minutes of cooking. Adjust cooking time and dish size according to amount of vegetables being used. Enjoy!

Classic Italian Lasagna

Pic courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe

Who's in the mood for some comfort food? Because this lasagna is absolutely AMAZING. I have been making sour cream lasagna for years and really believed that, as far as lasagna goes, it couldn't be beat. Let me tell you, this Classic Italian Lasagna beats it. It is the creamiest, tastiest homemade lasagna you'll ever make. I could literally eat it for dessert. Warning: it's a bit labor-intensive, but worth every dirty pan.

Classic Italian Lasagna

from My Kitchen Cafe

*Makes one 9X13-inch pan of lasagna

Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces mushrooms (I used the canned variety), chopped
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1-2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano and basil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

White Sauce:
3 cups milk (not skim, I used 1%)
5 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

9 lasagna noodles, boiled for half the time on the box (or use 12 of the no-boil noodles, of which I far prefer the Barilla brand)
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or with a napkin dipped lightly in olive oil and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When turkey is cooked through, drain the grease and set aside.

In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When oil/butter is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly. When the garlic is lightly browned, but NOT burned, add the onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and browned and the fluid has mostly cooked out. Remove from heat and either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the vegetables to a blender, blend the vegetables to a paste-like mixture. Return the pot to the heat (pour the pureed vegetables back in, if using a stand-alone blender) and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and let the sauce sauce simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved ground turkey.

While the red sauce simmers, if using lasagna noodles that need to be boiled, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil the noodles for half the time suggested on the box. Once the noodles are cooked, drain, but do not rinse. Add a dab of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. If you are using no-boil noodles, you can skip this step.

Also while the red sauce is cooking, melt the four tablespoons butter and when melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat. Continue slowly stirring or whisking while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes.

To begin layering the lasagna, keep in mind that you’ll have three layers of noodles as well as three layers of the sauces and cheese – so plan on splitting all the sauce and cheese piles into thirds so you don’t run out at the end! On the bottom of your lightly greased baking pan, layer three pre-boiled noodles or four no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping the no-boil noodles. Layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges and top with another layer of noodles. Again, layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and top with the final layer of noodles. Layer the sauces and cheeses again.

Cover the lasagna with a greased layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Bruschetta

This little dish is a favorite of mine. It's also one of those ones where it's different every time I make it. Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer that involves toasted bread and a topping, often of tomatoes and garlic. This iteration was a little more traditional, but I've also made toppings with sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes, which is just jim dandy, too.

This version here was basically a raw salsa of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs. It came about because I started to make guacamole and then realized my avocado had passed its prime. It was a sad day until I realized that I could give that salsa mixture new life.

Cut a baguette on a diagonal so that you have slightly larger slices. In my experience, if your slices are too thin, the stuff just keeps falling off. I cut mine about one centimeter thick. Brush with olive oil and then broil in the oven, flipping halfway through, until both sides are gently golden.

Chop up a few seeded Roma tomatoes, purple onion, and garlic. The ratios are up to you depending on your fondness for each ingredient. Don't forget a little kosher or sea salt to bring out the flavors. A little pepper wouldn't be a mistake either. Throw in some dry or fresh oregano and basil. Stir the mixture and spoon onto the tops of the toasted bread. You can serve them like this, but I like to add a little Parmigiano Reggiano to the top. I then put them under the broiler for just a few moments to melt the cheese. You don't want to broil them too long or your tomatoes will turn mushy and the juices will start oozing all over your nice crisp toast.

Serve at room temperature. They can be served right away or can sit tight for an hour or so, if necessary.

Oh, and in case you've been wondering where I've been... well, perhaps you will forgive me if I've been loath to spend more time in front of my computer lately than is absolutely necessary. It's just been gorgeous here lately. I've got to enjoy it while I can before the gates of hell open up! I hope the weather hasn't been too miserable in your neck of the woods.

Red Velvet Pancakes

I made these pancakes this morning for Valentine's Day. I also whipped up some fresh cream and dyed it pink...festive, festive. Biting into these is seriously like biting into a piece of red velvet cake...and, who doesn't love dessert for breakfast?
Red Velvet Pancakes

Recipe from Whipperberry

1 1/2 cups Buttermilk

4 eggs

4 Tbs. butter, melted

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Tbs. red food coloring (1 oz. red found in spice section of grocery store)
2 cups flour

2 Tbs. cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Mix together dry ingredients; set aside. Melt butter in separate bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and food coloring. Blend well. Pour in dry mixture and beat until smooth. Pour 1/2 cup servings onto hot griddle. Cook until done on both sides and serve warm, with desired toppings....we used a bit of maple syrup and fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!

Cowboy Quesadillas

**Photo from Our Best Bites blog
This is a great last minute dinner idea with ingredients you usually have on hand. 

Cowboy Quesadillas
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 C white rice
1/3 C black beans
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 C fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
2/3 C diced tomato
3 Tbs sliced green onion
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
1/4 C bbq sauce
6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6")

Dipping Sauce
equal parts bbq sauce and ranch dressing (here's our favorite)

Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese.  Add bbq sauce and stir to combine.  Place about 1/3 C of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.

Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove top.  When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, or drizzle with canola or olive oil.  Place quesadillas in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp.  Flip and repeat on opposite side.  Cool for a few minutes and then serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes

Sounds strange, right? If you're trying to cut back on meat, you'll try strange things. This is a wonderful meat-less substitute for good ole' American sloppy joes.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 cup brown lentils

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbs. garlic, minced

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 Tbs. prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Tabasco to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

Sort through lentils, picking out stones or debris. Cover and cook lentils with 4 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tender but not mushy, about 22 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside. Saute onion in a saute pan over medium high heat until soft, 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add ketchup, syrup, mustard, vinegar, Tabasco, and salt & pepper. Simmer until thick and darker in color, 8-10 minutes. Stir in lentils and simmer 2-3 minutes to warm through. Serve sloppy Joes on buns with pickles, lettuce, and onions.