Saturday, August 18, 2012

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 C. blueberries (thawed if frozen)
Extra sugar for topping

-Preheat oven to 375 & prepare muffin tins
1. Whisk together sugar, oil, egg, sour cream and vanilla.
2. Add dry ingredients & mix until just incorporated.  Fold in blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tins.  Sprinkle sugar over tops.  Place on *cookie sheet & bake 20-25 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before removing from pans to cool on wire rack.

-Makes 24 muffins

*Cooking your muffins on a cookie sheet helps prevent the bottoms from over-cooking and burning.

Potato Kielbasa

4 medium/large potatoes, cubed
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 freshly made bratwurst or Polish sausages, cooked & sliced
6 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled
1/3-1/2 C. frozen spinach (2 C. fresh)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme

1. Heat oil in large pan on medium heat, cook potatoes (seasoned with salt & pepper) & onion until potatoes are just tender.  Add sausage, bacon & spinach to pan.
2. Make sauce by mixing remaining ingredients in small bowl.  Pour into pan & mix in.  Cover & simmer on med/low heat 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Serves 4

p.s.  I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine & made a few slight changes.  This is also delicious when served with an over-easy egg; the yolk makes a great sauce.

Beets with Dill Sauce

3-4 large beets
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate
(or 2 Tbsp. apple juice)
1 tsp. dried dill
Salt & pepper

1. Trim ends off of beets, peel & cube.  Steam 15-20 minutes until tender.  Let cool until warm.
2. Combine remaining ingredients to make sauce & toss with beets.  Cover & refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

-Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies

1  stick butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder'1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
*3/4-1 C. oats
1 C. raisins

-Preheat oven to 375
1. In medium bowl combine butter, sugars, egg & vanilla.  Beat until mixed.
2. Add remaining, except oats & raisins, and mix until just incorporated.  Mix in oats & raisins using a spoon.
3. Spoon batter onto cookie sheets.  Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are beginning to brown.  Wait 2 minutes before placing cookies onto wire rack to cool.

-Makes 18-24 cookies

*Amount of oats depends on your own preference, I like more oats in my cookies so I use 1 C. but you can use a bit less if that's what you prefer.

Rice Pudding

3/4 C. white rice
1 1/2 C. water
1 1/2 + 1/2 C. milk
1/3 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 C. raisins
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine rice & water in medium pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover & let simmer until cooked (20 minutes).
2. Turn up heat to medium, add 1 1/2 C. milk, sugar & salt.  Let cook until thick and creamy, stirring often.
3. Stir in remaining 1/2 C. milk, egg & raisins.  Cook 2-5 more minutes, until desired consistency is reached, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat, stir in butter & vanilla.  Serve warm or cold.

-Makes 4-6 servings & is especially delicious when topped with ground cinnamon

Banana Crumb Muffins

3 overly ripe bananas
3/4 C. sugar
1 egg
5 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

-Preheat oven to 375 & prepare muffin tins
1. In large bowl combine bananas, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg.  Beat on med-low speed until well mixed.
2. Add remaining ingredients & beat until just mixed.  Spoon batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tin.
3. Make crumb topping:
1/3 C. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold butter
-Mix ingredients with fingers until fine crumbs have formed.

4. Top muffins with crumbs.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes then remove from pan & let cool on wire rack.

-Makes 12 muffins