I have declard myself the Muffin Queen!

I have been obsessed with making muffins lately.  I am going to list a basic recipe then tell you how to amp it up and make your own.  So far I have made your standard Blueberry Muffins, Chocolate Muffins and an absolutely delicious Almond Banana Cream Muffin.  I also have a tip on how to make them look like the gigantic muffins you see in grocery stores and bakeries!

Ingredients:
Dry components - mix these together in seperate bowl
2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
dash of salt

Wet components - whisk together before adding dry ingredients
1 c. buttermilk  (to make your own butter milk -  mix 1 c. milk with 1 Tblsp. white vinegar).
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup veg or canola oil
Optional - extract -  this can be vanilla, almond, orange anything that will go with your flavors use 1 tsp.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together.  This is your basic muffin mix.  Now you add your flavors..

Bluberry Muffins- add one cup fresh or frozen blue berries-gently fold into batter

Banana Muffins- mash two large ripe bananas - gently fold into batter-My secret is I also add one small box of Banana Cream Instant Pudding (so delicious) - this is where I added the Tblsp. of Almond Extract to give it a Banana Nut taste without the actual nut.

Chocolate Muffins- I added 1 large box Instant Chocolate Pudding- I added the Tblsp. Vanilla Extract for this one.

Pumpkin- 1/2 can of pumpkin puree.

Pistachio- 1 small box of Pistachio Instant Pudding-1 Tblsp. Almond Extract will give it extra nuttiness!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray Large muffin pan with baking spray. 
This is the secret to large muffins.  Fill all the way to the top.
Bake for 26-30 minutes or until golden brown.  ( I also test with a toothpick or a fork to ensure they come out clean).

There are so many directions you can go with this basic recipe and they will be fabulous.  Another idea is Cranberry Orange- using dried cranberries and either orange zest or orange extract.

So far I am testing these daily and I have new ideas everyday!  Please feel free to experiment and see if you can come up with something not so "traditional".  I promise that everyone who tries them will be impressed that they were made from scratch!
ENJOY!

Snow..Snow...and more SNOW!!!!

Well since it is a cold and snowy day...  I have been making homemade fried pies and a hot and spicy dip to munch on while we watch football.  First I have to tell you what I made last night!  Bacon Cheese Burger Meatloaf!  So Yummy!  Basically it is everything you would want on a Bacon Cheese Burger.  I will list the recipe below but feel free to add or discard any of the ingredients.  I am positive it will turn out great!

1 pound ground beef
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz. extra sharp grated cheddar cheese
2 large eggs beaten
1/4 c. bread crumbs (I make my own by toasting sandwich bread and finely chopping)
1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 Tblsp. mustard
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. ketchup
1 small onion finely chopped
1 small can mushroom pieces
Optional- I like to add pickles that I chop into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients together and place into meatloaf pan.  Bake 40 minutes then cover with more ketchup. Bake for another 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. 
For side dishes, I like to keep it in line with a real bacon cheese burger so I make french fries or onion rings.  This recipe is so delicious!  Although I made it last night, everyone has been eating it all day today.  In fact... they had meatloaf sandwiches for lunch!

HOLIDAYS ARE OVER...TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK!

I apologize for no new posts but I have been actively working on recipes for my book.  I have to tell everyone how amazing a Greek inspired recipe turned out last night.

I made a Spinach-Feta cheese stuffed chicken breast with Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes and a Lemon Vinaigarette marinade!  Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients are as follow:

4 boneless chicken breast
14 oz. frozen spinach
1/2 c. feta cheese crumbles
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. sour cream
1 egg beaten
2 tbs oregano
1/2 c. black olives coarsely chopped
1 small onion chopped

First step-butterfly chicken breast.  Place open in gallon size plasic bag.  Use a mallet or heavy bottom frying pan to pound out thinly.
Season chicken with salt, pepper and I like to use Soul Seasoning as well. (this is a ready-made combination of salt, garlic, paprika, onion, black and red pepper).
Set aside while you make the stuffing.

Spinach-Feta Stuffing:
14 oz. package of frozen spinach. Thawed and drained.
1/2 c. feta cheese
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. sourcream
1 small onion chopped
1/2 c. black olives coarsely chopped
2 Tblsp. oregano
1 egg beaten

Mix together and place  1/2-1 cup on butterflied chicken breast.  Fold chicken breast together and secure with toothpicks.
Use a small amount of olive oil to coat a cookie sheet.  Place stuffed chicken breast on pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

For a side dish, I made Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes with a Lemon Vinaigarette

1 1/2 c. olive oil
6 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
1 bunch of chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tblsp. oregano
2 Tblsp. parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 pounds large russet potatoes, cleaned and cut lenghtwise into 6 wedges
1/2 c. chicken stock

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, onions, garlic, oregano and parsley in a medium bowl.  Salt and Pepper to taste.
Toss potatoes in mixture and place on large baking sheet.  Reserve remaining vinaigarette.

Pour chicken stock around potatoes.  Roast potatoes until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 45 minutes.  Place on serving platter and drizzle remaining vinaigarette.  Garnish with more parsley.


This meal was a huge success at my house and will be included in the book!  Please give it a try and let me know what you think!

A good hearty meal for the snow!!!

I used my Cuisinart Digital Pressure Cooker again last night!  I made a good old-fashion meal of Pintos and Cornbread and it was delicious!  This pressure cooker is so amazing that my meal was cooked in 35 minutes from dried (not even pre-soaked) beans!  I added a quart of beef stock that I drained from the pressure cooker from a previous meal and it was heavenly!  I threw in 3 small pieces of neck bone with meat which simply fell off the bone.  It was so tender!  My cornbread was easily made with self-rising cornbread mix right out of the bag.  All I did was throw in some reserved bacon fat to season my cast iron skillet.  I salt and peppered the mixture to taste since I find plain cornbread rather dull.  The meal turned out to be so filling and satisfying that noone could move from the couch for a full 2 hours!  I recommend trying this on a cold and snowy day!  It will make you feel toasty all the way to your toes!

Tis the season for tongue, eyeballs and testicles

Tis the season to be jolly fa-la-la-la-la!  Ok, so I am so tired of turkey and ham and the usual suspects that generally show up at the seasonal dinners  Bring on the Venison heart and liver!  Bring on the BRAINS!!!!  Oh yummy creamy goodness!  I could care less about the Figgy Pudding!  I want some bull testicles!  I know that alot of this may sound repulsive to "non-adventurous" eaters but close your eyes and take a bite.   I promise you it really is not so bad!!!  I have been "advised" not to post my eclectic taste on my blog but I cannot help myself.  I have become bored with American Cuisine and I just want others to know that these are everyday staples in other cultures.  There is a reason for this and it simply comes down to this, THEY ARE DELICIOUS!  I have found a restaurant in Asheville that specializes in alternative meals.  The Admiral on West Haywood.  Unbelievable menu!  It looks like a dive bar from the outside and a Four-star restaurant on the inside.  Elegant yet relatable... and absolutely fabulous!  Pate....sweetbreads...oh my!  Love love love it!  Open your mind and stomachs!  You will be pleased!!!

i absolutely adore my brand new Digital Pressure Cooker.  I am telling you that this is the best thing since sliced bread!  I promise you it truly is life changing!  Last night in a matter of 10 minutes, I cooked 3 chicken breasts, took them out, put in 30 small hot/spicy sausage balls, took that out and finally using the broth from the chicken and sausage I cooked an entire back strap of venison (deer).  Literally,  the deer took one minute to cook.  Seriously???  How much faster can you get?  The microwave cannot even come close to being that fast.  I want to perfect the ratios on my recipes and what I used all of this meat for before I post it but I just had to let all of you know how fabulous and easy my life is right now!

Cold morning here in Asheville

I love sitting here at my desk thinking of food and recipes while watching the squirrels jump around right outside my window.  They sure have gotten fat lately.  I guess they are getting ready for winter, stock piling their food sources.  Kind of reminds me of what I have been doing with the canning for the past few months.
I think I have enough soups, stocks, and marinaras to last me a life time! Yet I still want more!  Do you think this  makes me a hoarder???  Well, this one is short and sweet.  I have company in town!
ENJOY!