All-Bran Muffins

I would like to thank God's Pantry for supplying Bethel Camp with an over abundance of All-Bran cereal. I thank my sister-in-law for sending me home with several boxes & for providing me with this recipe, as I had no desire to eat dried up cereal balls for breakfast. And I especially thank my youth pastor's wife for letting me borrow her pans - without them I would not have attempted to bake these without some heavy-duty non-stick spray!!

2 c. All-Bran cereal
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk **
3/4 c. raisins, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour boiling water over cereal & let stand for 15 min. In a mixer, cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs, beating until fluffy. Add bran mixture. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Fold in raisins. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes in metal muffin tins or 13-15 minutes in silicone muffin tins. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen muffins.

** If you don't have buttermilk on hand, just pour 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a 2 c. container & fill the rest of the way with milk. We prefer these without raisins. Also, you can store this in the refrigerator for several weeks in a tupperware container, or bake immediately & store baked muffins in the freezer. Pop them in the microwave or toaster in the morning & you've got an easy breakfast "to go".

Hot Cocoa

I have memories of my Mom relying on her "Jungle Camp Cookbook" from Wycliffe the many years we spent in Brazil. It came in handy & was used for everything from substitutes to conversions, to simple recipes containing basic ingredients. Eleven years ago, my Daddy gave me this cookbook. It's the updated version of the one my Mom used. Mine has been well loved, as evidenced by the missing cover & food splatter on various pages. It's one I'll want to pass on to my daughters someday.

Abbie made this hot cocoa recipe for our sledders this morning.

4 c. water
2 Tbsp. cocoa
3-4 Tbsp. sugar
1 c. powdered milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Stir consistenly while heating on med-high heat. Cocoa will float on top & will take a while to mix in. Heat until warmed through, but not to boiling. Makes 4 cups.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's not Fall anymore, but these muffins are easy to make & meant to be enjoyed all year long!

I went searching for a recipe one afternoon, with the intent of using up one lonely can of pumpkin I've had sitting in the pantry since Thanksgiving. I found this recipe in an old church cookbook. They didn't last long around our house & I've decided that canned pumpking will make it to the list of "necessary staples" I want to keep on-hand. ;)



4 eggs
2 c. sugar
15 oz. canned pumpkin
1 1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. flour
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs. Add sugar, pumpkin & oil; mix well. Add dry ingredients & stir. Add chocolate chips & stir until well mixed. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 15-18 min. until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen muffins.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I love Fall. It's my favorite season of the year - the rainy days, the cooler temps, the changing colors, snuggling by the fire, scarves, hot chocolate, and an excuse to roll up my sleeves and get gooey! We didn't pick up quite as many pumpkins as a few years ago, but we were given several & I had fun roasting pumpkins seeds again this year. My recipe is basic & easy. I have a friend that made Ranch, BBQ, and Teriaki flavored seeds - so I'm thinking of giving that a try next year.

First remove the seeds from the pumpkins. (You get about 2 c. of seeds per pumpkin.) Rinse them off & remove as much of the pulp as possible. Boil seeds for 5-10 min. Drain.

Measure & spread on a baking sheet. For every 1 c. of seeds, mix 1 Tbsp. of melted butter & 1 tsp. of Worchestershire sauce. Drizzle over seeds & sprinkle generously with seasoning salt. (I like to use Lawry's.) Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until they are nice & crispy.

Allow seeds to cool on baking sheet before storing them in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag. I've also stored seeds in the freezer for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner

After being married for 13 years, I'm beginning to take on my husband's practical mindset. :) Okay. Not all the time, but I have my moments. And today was one of them.

I decided that instead of spending the money on a babysitter & dinner out - it would be more practical & cost-effective to enjoy dinner in, especially on a school night. So I splurged some on the ingredients & tried out two new recipes. They both turned out delicious.



The first one I found in Taste of Home, and altered it just a bit. It made lots - enough for leftovers or lunches later on this week, which means another meal I won't have to make! ;) We lit candles, added a salad & sparkling cider to make our anniversary meal complete.

Greek Chicken Pasta

4 c. uncooked penne pasta (approx. 1 box)
1/4 c. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. rotisserie chicken, cubed (I just used leftover grilled chicken)
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 c. sliced pitted Greek olives (or can use black olives instead)
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Chop chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, & olives. Drain pasta & set aside. In the pot used for cooking pasta, melt butter. Take off heat & stir flour until blended. Add the chicken broth & return to heat. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 min. until thickened. Stir in pasta, chicken, artichoke, tomatoes, olives, cheese, & parsley. Serve warm.

I also made this Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Cake for dessert. One word: Yum.

(I think I ate too much.)

Sinfully delicious

With this being Sunday & all, I decided I shouldn't have to go to too much work for something yummy to eat. I found this recipe in a Kraft foods magazine & wanted to try it out. Bad idea. They are way too easy to make & sinfully delicious. And now that I have stumbled, I'm leading you down the wayward path of sugar & calories right along with me!

Crunch Bars

35 Saltine crackers (1 plastic pkg. - 1/4 box)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped OR 1 1/2 c. semi-sweet choc. chips
1 c. chopped Walnuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place crackers in a single layer in a foil-lined 15x10" pan. Cook butter & sugar on medium-high heat until butter is melted & mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil; cook 3 min. without stirring. Spread onto crackers. Bake 5-7 min. until topping is golden brown. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand 5 min. or until chocolate is softened; spread over crackers. (OR I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave & spread them right away.) Sprinkle with nuts. Cool. Break into pieces. OR - Be impatient & just pick up a hot piece, burn your tongue, but decide it was totally worth the pain to taste the goodness!

Lemon Crumb Cake

2 c. buttermilk **

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 (15 3/4 oz.) can lemon pie filling

TOPPING:

1 c. flour

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. cold butter

1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, beat buttermilk, sugar, eggs, butter & vanilla until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda; slowly beat in until blended. Pour into greased 9x13" pan. Drop pie filling by teaspoonfuls over batter. In a small bowl, combine flour & sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min. Cool for 10 min. on wire rack. Serve warm.

** If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own. Pour 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a 1 c. measuring cup & fill the rest of the way with milk. Let it set for a minute, then add to the recipe. **

I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. Though I'm not sure that it technically qualifies under the "healthy" category. But it sure was yummy! I am & will always be addicted to chocolate, but I am gradually falling more in love with other flavors.