Basic Muffins

Basic muffins (Ellie)

3 cups whole wheat flour. If you can buy the wheat whole and grind yourself, even better!

1 cup honey. This is the amount that gave my preferred amount of sweetness. Feel free to experiment will smaller amounts though.

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup applesauce, in place of oil/fat. Keeps the muffins super moist!

1/4 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

- I made some yesterday & got rave reviews from a large group of donut-loving adults haha. I added 1 cup mashed banana,vanilla and walnut to one batch. 2 cups shredded fresh carrots, 1/2 cup raisins, cinnamon, and a pinch of ground ginger to the other batch.

Croutons

When my bread machine bread gets too dry, I cut it in cubes, mix with olive oil, garlic powder and dried herbs. Bake at 250 for 20-30 mins and I have my own croutons for salads or soups.

Foil Packet Fish

Foil Packet Fish
farmin_mama

1 package frozen tilapia filets (5), thawed
5 pats of butter (1 Tbsp)
salt/pepper
5 cloves garlic
dill, dried
1 lemon sliced in half
5 pieces aluminum foil - about 12" wide

Place 1 thawed tilapia filet on a piece of aluminum foil, season w/ salt & pepper. Place 1 pat of butter on top of filet, mince 1 clove of garlic over butter and season w/ dill to taste. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice (about 1 tsp) over filet and fold up packet, seal up ends. Place on cookie sheet, repeat for remaining filets. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Be careful when opening packets as there will be steam coming out.

Butternut Squash Gratin

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRATIN

(tboyd72)

• 3 cups butternut squash, in ¾ inch chunks
• 1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons mayo
• 2/3 cup Parmesan, grated (or strong cheddar)
• 1/3 cup Panko (or breadcrumbs)
• Pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch baking dish, round or square.
2. In a medium pot, cover squash with cold water, place a lid on top and bring to a boil over high heat. When boiling, reduce heat so that the water just simmers and cook squash for about 15 min. or until tender. Rinse under cold water; drain. (Do-Ahead: at this point the squash can be stored for up to two days until you are ready to assemble the gratin.)
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan and add onions. Sauté on medium heat, stirring often, until softened. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a medium bowl, beat egg, salt and mayonnaise together. Add 1/3 cup of Parmesan, panko, sautéed onion and squash and fold together gently to combine. Season with pepper and more salt, if needed.
5. Spoon in to prepared baking dish and top with remaining 1/3 cup of cheese. Bake 1 hour or until heated through and cheese is slightly browned. Serve hot.

6. Recipe serves up to 8 people.

Rosanna's Amish Carrot Layer Cake

Rosanna's Amish Carrot Layer Cake

Christine0120 via Rosanna herself

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 packed cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1LB carrots (about 5 medium) peeled and grated fine

4 cups cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place rack in center of oven. Grease and flour two 9 inch pans and line the bottom with wax paper.

Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until the sugars are mostly dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Slowly whisk in the oil, until thoroughly combined and emulsified. Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Stir in the carrots. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the sides are clean and incorporated into the batter. Give it a final stir with the spatula and scrape into the cake pans. Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the counter to get out any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes outwith just a few crumbs attached.

Let the cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges to loosen the cake, then flip them out onto a wire rack. Peel off the wax paper and flip the cakes right side up and let them completely cool before frosting. (About 2 hours)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Do not use low fat ingredients (results were very runny mess)

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese softened

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks at room temperature

2 tablespoons Sour Cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla and salt on med high for 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low and slowly add confectioners sugar until incorporated. Bring speed back up to medium high and beat 4-6 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Add 1 cup of frosting to one of the cakes, making an even layer. Then add the other layer to top. Frost the cake first with a thin layer of frosting (crumb layer) and refrigerate until layer is slightly firm. Then add the rest of the frosting so you have a nice thick covering with no crumbs.

Press toasted chopped pecans along the outsides, leaving the top with just the cream cheese frosting.

Frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance. Let frosting stand at room temperature until softened, and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes before frosting cake

Crockpot French Dip

Crock Pot French Dip - I also made this recipe yesterday. After reading Cyndy's review, I couldn't wait to get home from work and smell my house, lol! It was seriously yummy!! I'm not a huge French dip fan, but DH LOVES them - orders them all the time when we go out to lunch. He said it was one of the best he's ever had and that he could eat it every day! Even DS liked the meat (which I served him on a little baked potato). Since I was at work, I left it on for 8 1/2 hours and then it stayed on warm for about an hour. When I got home, I shredded the beef with 2 forks and then put it back on low while I got the bread ready and it worked fine. I used fresh mini-hoagie rolls from the bakery. I might be a French dip convert after this, and needless to say, I will be making it again.

Crockpot French Dip
mom2brs

Ingredients (this fed 4 people w/ a little left over)
2.5 - 3 lb chuck roast
Salt & pepper
1 medium yellow onion
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used the low sodium)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp creole mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)
2 cloves of garlic (I used the jarred kind)
Sandwich rolls
Provolone cheese

Directions
Trim visible fat from roast
Salt / pepper each side and sear the roast in a pan on the stove top (1'ish min per side)
Cut onion and place whole rings in bottom of crock pot
Mix broth; soy sauce; water; worcestershire sauce; mustard and garlic in a bowl and pour a little in the bottom of the crock pot
Put roast on top of onions and pour remainder of sauce over roast
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours

My notes - I put the broiler on and toasted the rolls (with a little margarine on them) & melted a slice of provolone cheese. Use 2 forks to shred the roast and put on the rolls.

Low Fat Crockpot Apple Cake

Another Pinterest recipe, but this was delicious. We all loved it. The website lists it as being fat-free, but thanks to the addition of the eggs, it's not actually fat-free. It's still pretty low fat, though. We all loved it. I used all white flour, since I had less whole wheat than I thought, and I think she must have used a smaller crockpot. Mine only took a little over an hour in my big crock, so I think I'm going to double it next time. Besides that, when it tastes that good, it tends not to last very long, lol. I'll definitely be making this one a lot in the future!

LOW FAT CROCKPOT APPLE CAKE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Finding Joy in My Kitchen)

1 C flour (1/2 C wheat, 1/2 C white)
3/4 C brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large apples, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Peel and slice your apples (I diced mine fairly small), and then coat with the flour mixture.
Mix the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.
Pour the egg mixture over the floured apples. Pour/spoon into a greased crockpot (Batter will be thick).
Cover, and cook on high for about 2 hours.
Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Carrot Orzo

Carrot Orzo

sadie_love via Epicurious

• 6 ounces peeled baby carrots (about 1 1/4 cups; from 16-ounce package)
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Place carrots in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop carrots. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo and carrots; sauté until orzo is golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth, and garlic; cook uncovered over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, green onions, and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini (Ness 413)

6 med zucchini (approx 7-8 inches long)

1 brown onion, chopped

2 stalks celerly, chopped

1/2 c walnuts, chopped coarsely

1 14oz can crushed tomatoes, drained

1.5c chopped smoked turkey (lunchmeat is easy, or use other meat sub if vegetarian meal desired)

1 c seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp salt

1/2c mozarella, shredded

1/4c parmesan, shredded

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise so you have 12 "boats." Scrape out the middle, but leave 1/8-1/4" around the edge. Chop enough of the scraped out bits to make about 1c of chopped zucchini. Cook the zucchini boats in boiling water for 3-5 min (I think 1-2min follwed by ice water blanching would be better), then set cut side up in a baking dish sprayed with Pam.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, cook the onion, celery and chopped up zucchini until onions become translucent, about 5 min. Add walnuts, bread crumbs, turkey or meat substitute, mozarella, salt, pepper and tomatoes (I crush the tomatoes in my hands first). Stir, cook another 5 min then spoon into zucchini boats. Top with remaining cheeses, bake uncovered at 350 for approx 25 min, until cheese is golden brown and delicious.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (from frozen)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (made with frozen sprouts)
G8R_mom2B (Lauren)

1 package of frozen brussels sprouts - I used the steam in bag kind without salt
olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan

The package of sprouts called for cooking them 5 1/2 - 6 mins in the microwave, so I cooked them for 2 1/2 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. After 2 1/2 minutes, open the bag and dump sprouts into a pyrex baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the sprouts, along with the garlic, salt and pepper. Toss the sprouts to coat. Roast on 400 for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until sprouts are a little crispy on the outside and tender inside. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over sprouts before serving.

Spinach Pesto

Spinach Pesto

sadie_love, based on a Giada deLaurentis recipe

2 cups spinach leaves, washed

1/4 pine nuts (I used walnuts, they're much cheaper and I always have them in the freezer)

1-2 tsp lemon zest

1-2 Tbl lemon juice

1/3 olive oil

1/3 grated paremsan

salt

pepper

Put the spinach, nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until it makes rough paste. With processor running, slowly pour in olive oil until it makes a creamy paste. Pour into a bowl, add parmesan, salt and pepper. Serve over pasta.