Muffin Monday - Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Have you ever had the kind of morning where there is just no time for breakfast at all?  Yeah, me too.  One of my new goals is to make a batch of muffins once a week to have on hand for the times where we need to eat breakfast or snacks on the run.  First up is a seasonal recipe that indulges my deep love for pumpkin!

Ingredients
1 1/3 c flour

2/3 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice
3 T applesauce
1/4 c honey
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 medium Apple, peeled and grated

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix wet ingredients together.  Then mix the dry ingredients with the wet and pour into greased muffin tins.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes if making mini muffins and 18-20 minutes for full size muffins.

Source
Weelicious

Notes
*This is not a super sweet recipe.  Again, I wanted to be able to use it as a relatively healthy breakfast or snack.  If you want to sweeten it up a little bit, I would reccomend adding another 1/4c of sugar or some chocolate chips (like I did for the one above!).


*Edited 10/21 to add: I've linked this up to Family Food Fridays at Get Healthy Cheap.  Check it out to see more healthy family recipes!

Real World Wednesday - Frito Pie

I know what you're thinking, but this isn't your idea of frito pie. New Mexican frito pie uses real red chile, not Texas chili. This is so delicious, in my family it is a staple party food. It goes a long way and is a definite crowd pleaser, so give it a try! Halve or quarter the recipe if you are making this for a small family. There are variations at the bottom of the recipe that make the recipe a bit easier.

Ingredients

1 lb beans, prepared according to package directions

12 dried red chile pods, rinsed & stems and seeds removed

36 oz water

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oregano

2 T flour

1 lb ground beef

1 clove garlic

1/4 c onion, chopped

vegetable oil

1-2 bags frito chips

16 oz cheese, shredded (cheddar, mexican blend, etc)

1 head lettuce, shredded

1-2 tomatoes, diced

Directions

1. Soak chile pods in warm water until soft (~3 minutes). Rinse of remaining seeds, remove veins, and bring to boil in a saucepan of water. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place the pods in a blender with half of the cooking liquid. Reserve the rest of the liquid. Add salt, garlic, oregano, and flour. Blend until smooth and set aside.

2. Cook onion and garlic in a skillet with vegetable oil until clear. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly. Drain. Place chile back in saucepan with cooked meat and simmer about 10 minutes or until it becomes a tomato sauce consistency. Add water (or reserved chile liquid if using pods) if needed to reach desired consistency. To assemble frito pies, place chips in a bowl and top with beans, chile, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Easier Variation: Instead of preparing chile as in step one, prepare chile using chile powder according to package instruction.

Easiest Variation: Instead of using chile pods or powder, use frozen prepared red chile sauce. If you are not in an area that sells this, stick to the pods or powder. Whatever you do, DO NOT use enchilada sauce. That is not the same at all!

Fresh Peach Salsa

When I saw that peaches were on sale this week, I knew I had to make this. This is the first time I've made a fruit salsa and I loved it!

Ingredients

4 firm ripe yellow peaches, chopped

2 T green onions

1 jalapeno, minced with ribs, stem and seeds removed

juice from 1 lemon

3 T fresh mint, chopped

1 T ginger, fresh grated

1 T sugar

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches your desired consistency. (7 times was perfect for me).

Source

Adapted from Simply Recipes*

*Their server is temporarily unavailable, I'll update link when it is corrected

Lemon White Chocolate Mousse Berry Parfait

I made this in July for our Independence Day themed cooking club and boy was it delicious! I realize that summer is quickly coming to a close but if you have a little bit of warm weather for a BBQ left in your neck of the woods, this is the perfect light dessert. You are basically layering a lemon mousse and a white chocolate mousse with berries.

Ingredients

5 large egg yolks

1/2 c sugar

juice from 1 lemon

zest from 1 lemon

pinch of salt

1/4 c + 2 2/3 c heavy whipping cream divided

3.5 ounce white chocolate chips, or bars finely chopped

4-5 c assorted berries (I used raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

Directions

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice & zest, and salt constantly in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to thicken. It should read about 170 on an instant read thermometer. Place in a separate bowl to cool to room temperature, covering with plastic wrap that touches the surface so that a skin doesn't form. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate and 1/4 c heavy cream together until incorporated, and remove to a separate bowl to cool to room temperature.

When both mixtures have cooled, whip the remaining whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks and divide between the two bowls. Fold until well incorporated in each. Layer the lemon mousse, berries, and white chocolate mousse in your serving containers and serve immediately, or refrigerated until ready to serve.

Source: Minimally adapted from Annies Eats

Real World Wednesday - Avocado & Cucumber Salad

Remember those Quesaninis I made a while back that were inspired by a friend? Well she struck gold again with this delicious salad she made for dinner on the night of our choir practice. I ended up making a dressing out of pureed avocados, which while quite yummy, didn't quite pair as well with this particular salad as the simple vinaigrette that my friend used. Experiment with a dressing of your choice, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

Avocados, sliced

cucumbers, sliced

dressing of choice

Directions

Toss all ingredients together and serve!

Source

A friend

Real World Wednesday - Bacon & Spinach Beans

This is a delicious side dish that my grandma used to make. I wasn't sure if it would be too spicy for Michaela, but at a friends house earlier that week she had become addicted to salsa so I thought it was worth a try. Apparently she takes after her mama because she loved it!

Ingredients

4 c Pinto Beans, cooked

1/2 c Onions, diced

1/2 package Bacon

2 c Spinach, steamed

1 T Red Chile Powder

Directions

Fry the bacon until crispy, then drain it, crumble it and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Saute the onion in the drippings, then add spinach, chile, and beans, mixing together. Sprinkle the top with bacon and serve.

Source

Family Recipe

Blackberry & Strawberry Cobbler

I had my sister over for dinner last week and had wanted to make an apple pie or cobbler for dessert. I didn't have any apples and didn't have time to go to the store so I used the fruit I already had in my refrigerator. I topped it off with homemade whipped cream, but this would be great with ice cream too. This was super quick to make and so amazingly delicious! I ended up taking the leftovers to my Picnic themed Cooking Club the next day, otherwise I knew I would have finished off the whole thing myself!

Ingredients

1 c flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 c sugar

1 c milk

1 stick butter (1/2 c)

1 c blackberries

1 c strawberries, sliced

Directions

Put the stick of butter in a 8x8 baking dish or a 10 inch pie plate. Put the dish in a 350 degree oven until melted. Meanwhile mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and milk to create a slightly lumpy batter. Pour the batter over the melted butter and top with berries. Return dish to oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top is browned and the edges are started to pull away from the dish.

Source

Adapted from Mommy's Kitchen