Muffins

This is one of the first recipes that I posted and I still make them several times a month. This recipe has several variations and I make them all - plain, banana, pumpkin, blueberry, and apple. Today for the first day of school we had pumpkin muffins, perfect for the very fall-like morning that we had today.

the last pumpkin muffin

Muffins
makes 10-12

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 beaten egg
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Make a well in the center.  combine egg, milk, and oil; add all at once to the flour mixture.  Stir just till moistened.  Lightly grease muffin cups or line with paper cups; fill 2/3 full.  Bake in a 400* oven about 20 minutes or till golden.

I have a large enough liquid measuring cup that I can mix the milk, oil, and egg in and not dirty another bowl.  You can also make these in a mini-muffin pan, great when you have toddlers or little kids since they make a great snack and are easily portable.

Variations:

Blueberry - add 3/4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries and 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel (optional) to batter.
Banana - reduce milk to 1/2 c. Add 3/4 c. mashed banana (I use 2 bananas) and 1/2 c. chopped nuts to flour mixture with egg mixture.  Do not use paper cups.
Pumpkin - add 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves to flour mixture. Add 1/2 c. canned pumpkin to egg mixture.  stir 1/2 c. chopped nuts into batter.  Do not use paper bake cups.
Oatmeal - reduce flour to 1 1/3 c. and add 3/4 c. rolled oats to flour mixture.  Rolled oats seem to "melt" more into the muffins.  I usually used Old Fashioned Oats since it's what I have and the oats keep a crunchier texture, which I like. 
Apple - add 1 tsp. cinnamon to the flour mixture. Add one apple, cored, sliced, and diced with the wet ingredients.

Spicy Thai Noodles

I was scrolling through pinterest one day and came across this. I knew Bob wouldn't like it but I do have some that eat spicy food here, including me, so I thought I'd give it a try one night when he wasn't home. Those that ate it really enjoyed it. Best thing? It's a one pot dish. It's also vegetarian but is easy enough to add either shrimp or chicken to it. I think it'll show up on the lunch menu occasionally this fall.

Spicy Thai Noodles
serves 6

1 lb linguine
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 zucchini, cut in half vertically, then into half circles
8 oz mushrooms, chopped or sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (use less if you don't want it super spicy)
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

In a large stockpot, cook the linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, Sriracha, and ginger; whisk well to combine and set aside.

Return the stockpot to the stove, heat over medium heat and all 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add beaten eggs and red pepper flakes, stir to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, set aside with the noodles.

Return the stockpot to the stove and heat remaining tablespoon of oil on medium high heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic; saute 5-6 minutes until veggies are cooked through.* Turn the heat down to low, add the noodles and eggs back to the pot, stir the sauce mixture then add that on top. Stir well to coat the pasta and veggies with the sauce. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro, green onions and peanuts. Stir to combine.

Serve immediately. This is also good the next day served cold.

*If you want to add shrimp, add it with the veggies when there's 2-3 minutes left.

recipe from the Domestic Superhero

Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon

This was a super easy dish to make. I got a few ideas from some recipes on pinterest and pulled this together one night when I was lacking inspiration. This isn't really a recipe per say but a list of ingredients that you proportion to how many you need to feed.

Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon
to feed approximately four

pasta of choice, about half a 16oz. box
most/all of a bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-2" slices

four slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Caesar dressing

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. When there's about five minutes left, add the asparagus. Drain. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and asparagus with the bacon. Add a couple of good squirts of the dressing and stir. Add more dressing if needed.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Oh, my, goodness! Where has this deliciousness been all my life?? I'm sure there's some of you that grew up eating this occasionally or had it somewhere else, but I'd never had it until a few months ago. Yum! Chocolate chip cookies in pie form. This is super easy as well as being delicious. Enjoy!!

One tip - make sure the butter is soft. I was reading through the comments on the Nestle website and someone commented that it was too much butter, that her pie was oily. The butter needs to be very soft to fully incorporate into the filling; if it's not you'll end up with small, visible pieces of butter and these will make a "pool" of melted butter instead of being fully part of the filling.

Chocolate Chip Pie

1 unbaked deep dish pie crust
2 eggs
1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325*. Beat eggs in a mixer until foamy. Beat in flour and sugars then beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts then pour into pie crust. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a knife inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe from Nestle.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

I've been making these just about bi-weekly all summer. My older daughter is working at a summer camp and isn't always fond of eating breakfast (no knock on them, she's just generally not a breakfast person). Working at camp, she really needs to eat something to keep her energy up for the morning. She does like scones and I came across this one that she loves. I usually make them on the weekends and she takes what she needs for the week when she heads back to camp. Just pulled another batch out of the oven; they do freeze well, she'll take about half with her and I'll freeze the rest for the next week.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
makes 12

3/4 c cold buttermilk
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 c flour
1 c (white) whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. Combine first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stir well with a whisk. Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Fold in the chocolate chips, then add the milk mixture stirring just until moist. The dough will be very sticky! Turn out onto a floured surface and knead four or five times. Form dough into a 9" circle on a greased baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 wedges. Bake until golden, 18-20 minutes.

slightly modified from skinnytaste.com

Asparagus, Egg, and Bacon Salad

I'll start by saying that I totally forgot to take a picture of this before it was gone. It was *that* good! This is a super easy, quick salad. The original recipe calls for flash cooking the asparagus and makes a salad for one. I made it for the four of us and roasted the asparagus instead. For those of you who are mathematically challenged, I'll put the single servings for the dressing at the bottom.

Asparagus, Egg, and Bacon Salad
serves 4

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into half or sliced
1lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tsp olive oil
4 tsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Roast the asparagus about 10 minutes until tender but firm and a bit charred. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Arrange the asparagus on plates, top with bacon and egg and drizzle with the dressing.

For a single serving, use 1 2/3 c asparagus, 1 egg, and 2 slices of bacon. For the dressing, 1/2 tsp mustard and 1 tsp oil and vinegar. This would make a great lunch salad with a small roll on the side.

From SkinnyTaste

Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad

In my efforts to work through the many recipes that I have on pinterest I'm trying to make at least one a week to find out if they're keepers or just taking up space over there. This one is a keeper for me, but got mixed reviews from the rest of the family. I'd guess it's the dressing they didn't like much.

Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad
serves 6

Dressing:
1/2 c apple cider or red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp honey
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Salad:
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken (1 2-lb. rotisserie chicken worked or any other cooked/grilled chicken)
1 1/2 c fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 c chopped cherry or roma tomatoes
15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 small romaine hearts, chopped or about 6-8 cups chopped romaine
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 avocados, diced
1 c cubed sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (or a combination)
sour cream, corn tortilla chips or tortilla strips, and salsa for serving

Whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, corn, tomatoes, beans, green onions, and red pepper with about 1/2 to 2/3 of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 8 hours. When ready to serve, toss the chicken mixture with the lettuce, cilantro, avocados, and cheese. Taste, add more dressing if needed. Serve immediately with sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and salsa.

Slightly modified from Mel's Kitchen Cafe