Chai & Pistachio Muffins

I just got this recipe out of the latest issue of Cookie Light magazine. I adapted it slightly (you know how I love using whole wheat pastry flour!). The original recipe calls for two Chai tea bags. I did not have tea bags, but, I did have Chai Latte K-Cups! I think they make the muffins taste great! Give these muffins a try - my kids LOVED them for breakfast!

1 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (you can use all-purpose if you'd rather)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 chai latte K-Cups (or two chai blend tea bags)
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 large egg
1/3 c. shelled dry-roasted pistachios, lightly crushed
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbl water

Preheat oven to 375F

Combine flour, brown sugar, powder, soda, salt & contents of Chai Latte K-Cup. Mix well. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla and egg. Whisk to combine. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring till just combined.

Spray a 12 muffin-cup pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle pistachios evenly over batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer muffins to a plate.

Combine 1/2 tsp vanilla, powdered sugar & 1 Tbl water; stir until smooth. Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over cooled muffins.

Pierogi & Tomato Bake

This dish tastes great and is so simple to make! I have made this on quite a few occasions when I have limited time to get dinner on the table. I serve it with a simple salad.

1 16oz package frozen potato & onion pierogis
4 slices of bacon
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c. cream cheese
3/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. shredded cheddar
3 medium sized tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F

Spray an 11 X 7” glass dish with cooking spray. Arrange frozen pierogis evenly in the dish.

Cook bacon in a medium sized frying pan until crisp; remove from pan. Chop the bacon and then set it aside.

Drain some of the bacon grease out of the pan- leave about 1 Tbl. Add the minced garlic to the bacon grease and cook for about 1 minute. Add all the cream cheese and cook until it is melted. Slowly add the broth, whisking until mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pierogies. Top evenly with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Remove the dish and add the chopped tomatoes & chopped bacon. Return dish to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes.

Season with pepper. Serve immediately! Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Another great soup recipe! This is probably in my husband’s Top 10 things I make (he likes to had habenero powder to his own bowl to spice it up a bit!). The tortilla chips thicken the soup when it's blended and the fresh avocado add a delicious, creamy texture to each bite!

2 Tbl olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1 c. onion, chopped
1 Tbl paprika
1 Tbl cumin
1 tsp coriander
6 c. chicken broth
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
3-4 large handfuls of tortilla chips
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
1 ripe avocado, skinned and cut into bite sized cubes
cheddar cheese, shredded
crushed tortilla chips
cilantro, chopped

Cook onion, garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander in 2 Tbl olive oil in a large soup pan for five minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, tortilla chips, bay leaves, salt, 1/4 c. cilantro. Bring soup to a simmer.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every once in awhile. Throw the two bay leaves away. Place half of the soup mixture in a blender (it is better to wait until it has cooled...or if you can’t wait and it's hot, make sure you take the center piece off the blender lid to let the heat escape- put a towel over this) and blend completely. Repeat with remaining soup. Return all the blended soup to the pan. Stir in the bite sized, cooked chicken pieces. Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer until the soup and chicken is hot.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Add avocado, shredded cheddar & crushed tortilla chips to each bowl. If you like you can garnish with a little sprig of cilantro. I serve this soup with a simple salad. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

We love salads in my house! This one is substantial enough to serve as a main course. The dry Ramen noodles crumbled on top is my favorite part!

Sesame Dressing:
1/4 c. canola oil
2 Tbl soy sauce
2 Tbl dark sesame oil
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbl red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
Ramen Noodles pkg of seasoning (optional)

Salad:
1 large head of red leaf lettuce, trimmed & torn
1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 carrot, shredded
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1 package dry Ramen noodles, crushed into small, edible pieces

Put all ingredients for the dressing in Tupperware container with a tight fitting lid. Shake, shake, shake it until the dressing is well mixed. You will NOT, I repeat, NOT use all of this dressing on the salad. Use what you need and then save the rest (it's pretty yummy on noodles!).

Add the lettuce, green onions, chopped chicken, toasted sesame seeds & almonds to a large salad bowl. Toss with dressing. Plate the salad. Sprinkle each salad with dry Ramen noodles. Enjoy!

Honey Love Granola

Lately I have been on a big granola kick (love to eat it for breakfast or lunch sprinkled on Greek yogurt with fruit!)...so, instead of buying another box this week, I decided to make it myself! I like this recipe because you can tailor it to your family’s likes. Not big walnut fans? Sub in pecans! Don’t like coconut? Omit it! It’s that simple and it's that good!
This recipe makes a large amount and stays good for a week in a sealed container (however, if your house is anything like mine, I doubt it’ll last that long!)...

1 stick butter
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbl orange zest (approx the zest of one medium orange)
1 lb old fashioned rolled oats (do NOT use quick oats!)
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup coconut
1 cup dried fruit (I used 1/2 c dried blueberries & 1/2 c dried cranberries- you can use whatever you like- apricots, dates, cherries, raisins...just enough to equal one cup)
4 oz high end dark chocolate, chopped (totally optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. Spray two baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. In a small saucepan melt butter with honey & orange zest over low heat.

While the butter is melting, combine oats, almonds, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, coconut, and dried fruit(s) in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the butter/honey mixture to the oats mixture and mix until moistened. Spread the oat mixture evenly between the two pans.

Bake for a total of 30-40 minutes, removing the pans from the oven every 10 minutes or so to stir the granola. This prevents over-browning and helps the granola cook evenly.

Remove the granola from the oven when it is a nice golden brown. Cool completely. If using, add the chopped dark chocolate to the granola and mix in. Store in a Tupperware container for up to one week.

Laurie's Pork Chops & Gravy

I’m really not a big pork chop fan. Generally, I think they are tough and bland. But, these pork chops (my mother’s recipe) are tender and full of flavor! They cook for so long, they literally fall apart when taken out of the oven- no knife required! The “gravy” is really just a can of cream of mushroom soup (please use regular ol' Campbell’s condensed!) & water that thickens as it cooks for hours in the oven. I have tweaked this recipe ever so slightly by adding butter, garlic and carrots; I'm confident my mother would approve!

Mom made these a lot for us growing up. If you ask my brothers and me, we would all say this is definitely one of our favorite meals Mom makes!

4 pork chops
flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbl butter
2 tsp. dried thyme (divided)
1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 c. onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 c. carrots, cut into rounds
1 c. CAMPBELL’S cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 to 1 can of water

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Put butter & oil in a large frying pan over medium heat (make sure the frying pan you use is oven-safe)
3. Place two heaping tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish. Add salt, pepper and 1 tsp dried thyme to the flour and mix with a fork. Place the pork chops in flour mixture making sure all of the chop is covered in a thin layer.

4. Put the pork chops in the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, till nice and browned, and then flip chops to the other side. After the flip, scatter the onions, garlic, carrots and remaining 1 tsp of thyme in the pan around the chops. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring the onions, garlic & carrots occasionally.

5. Add the whole can of mushroom soup to the chops. Fill the soup can half way with water and add to pan. Stir. Put a lid on the pan and put it straight into the oven.

6.Cook on 350F for one hour, then check the chops. If you feel the gravy is too thick, add another 1/2 can of water. Lower the over temperature to 300F and cook for another three to four hours, until fork tender.

I serve these pork chops with *mashed potatoes & roasted green beans with almonds. I ladle the gravy all over the chops and potatoes. Good ol' comfort food! Yum!

*I have found that Alexia makes the most incredible frozen mashed potatoes that you cook in the bag in the microwave! I mean, how easy is that!? I promise you they are delicious! Give them a try and give yourself a break from boiling water!

Mini Pancake Muffins

These muffins are light and airy and taste just like a pancake! I love the flavor the cinnamon adds! Serve them at breakfast, instead of a stack of silver dollar pancakes! My boys ate 6 a piece the other day for breakfast! They were shouting, “More!”, but, I had to save a few for the others in the family (including myself!)...

1 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon OR 1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbl melted butter
2 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 c. + 1 Tbl plain yogurt OR sour cream
2 Tbl milk
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 24 mini-muffin pan with cooking spray (you will only get 20 muffins, though).
In a large mixing bowl mix together the melted butter, sugar and maple syrup. Add egg and mix. Add the yogurt (or sour cream) & milk and mix.
In another large mixing bowl add flour, powder, soda, salt & cinnamon (or vanilla), whisk with a fork to combine all dry ingredients.
Add half of the dry mixture with the wet. Stir. Add the rest and mix until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Put approx. 1 Tbl of batter into each mini muffin cup (I use a little melon baller scooper). Bake for 9-11 minutes (until the muffins spring back when you touch them).