Basic Muffin Mix, Streusel Tops, and Yumminess...

This week I made Connie Evan's amazing muffins. They made me so happy especially since I made a new year's resolution not to have "treats" in the week! So, I thought this would be ok for a non-treat. It was a logical plan, right? (I later cheated on my "no treat" plan, but that's another story.) Moving on...

(Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Top)

Master Muffin Mix

12 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons baking powder

4 1/2 teaspoons salt

In a big bowl, combine ingredients. Put in an airtight container and store in your pantry so you can make muffins in a moment's notice.

Muffins

2 cups of Master Muffin Mix

1 egg, beaten well

1 cup milk (or 1 cup water)

1/3 c. soft butter (or 1/3 cup vegetable oil)

Combine to make a thick batter, thicker than pancakes but not like dough.

To make more cake-like muffins, make sure you use the above ingredients including the milk and melting butter, then add the following ingredients:

1 more egg, well beaten

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all together till there are no more lumps. (To produce a "high crown" on the muffins, allow them to sit for 10 minutes before pouring the batter into muffin tins.) Grease muffin tins well then add dough until it's 3/4 of the way full (if add streusel topping below then do a little less). Connie says she doesn't use cupcake liners because it waste too much of the muffin. I was much happier with the way they looked this way too. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Touch on top to see if it is done. Makes 15 regular-sized muffins. I doubled my batch since there are six of us in our family.

Variations:

Cranberry Muffins

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup fresh cranberries (sadly these are seasonal)

Blueberry Muffins

1 cup blueberries, drained and raised
Add 1 tablespoon flour to blueberries before fold to batter.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
Add an extra egg for a more cake like muffin.

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins
1/2 cup dried apple chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
For a sweeter muffin add extra egg and 1/4 cup additional sugar

Butterscotch Muffins
Melt 1/3 cup butter and stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Place a spoonful of mix in bottom of the muffin cup.
Add muffin mix as normal.

Cheddar Muffins
Add 1/2 grated cheddar cheese to regular mix.
Needs to be served hot so papers are difficult to use.
Can spice with dill, garlic, or onion.

Corn Meal Muffins
Decrease mix to 1 3/4 cup and add 1/2 cup corn meal.
May need to add a little more liquid to make muffins moister.

To Add Any Dried Foods
Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup of chopped dried raisins, cranberries, cherries, or apricots to regular muffin mix.

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup soft butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup flour

Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then add butter. Connie says she does this in a gallon-size baggie and works it together with a rolling pin or her fingers. She says this is a low-mess way to make this so she doesn't have to clean her whole food processor. I say...."Whatever floats your muffin-making boat!" Fill muffin tins 1/2 full with regular muffin mix then add a teaspoon of streusel mix to the top of each. This makes them extra AMAZING! Try them yourself and let me know what you thought!

The Yummiest Lasagna Ever!

This is my friend's stepmom's recipe and I have never tasted a better lasagna. We used to fight over the leftovers. It's that good. So- I made it yesterday and I just HAD to share it with all of my mommy buddies. As one mom pointed out, you do have to cook the lasagna noodles, but it is worth it! Better yet, double the batch and make two whole pans so you'll have lots of leftovers. Let me know what you think when you make it!

Jackie's Lasagna

Bakes at 350 F for 20-30 min
2T butter
1 lb hamburger
1 clove garlic, minced
1t salt
1t pepper
1t sugar
2- 8oz cans tomato sauce
8 oz lasagna noodles
6 green onions, chopped
8 oz cream cheese (1 pkg)
1 c sour cream
1 lb cheese, grated (cheddar or mozarella work fine)

Combine first five ingredients; saute until meat is done. Add sugar and tomato sauce; simmer 20 minutes. Cook noodles. Combine cut up green onions with cream cheese and sour cream. In a greased casserole dish, place 1/3 of noodes, 1/3 of cream cheese mixture, 1/3 meat mixture and 1/3 grated cheese in successive layers. Enjoy!

Honey-Curry Chicken

This past summer, right after I delivered our last baby, a number of friends brought us dinners. This was one of our favorites, from my friend Lisa! It is so yummy, and VERY easy to make!

HONEY-CURRY CHICKEN

In a 9x13 pan, mix the following:

4 TBSP butter (optional)
1/2 Cup honey
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 cup mustard
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
Soy sauce to taste (about 1-2 TBSP)

Now throw some chicken breasts, or chicken tenders (boneless is best), into the pan and mix it all around and bake it for about an hour. I cover it for the first 45 min. Then usually uncover for the last 15 min. Best served over rice, as the sauce is VERY tasty and tastes good over rice with some veggies!! Yum!

Let me know if you try it!

Taco Soup

This recipe was passed on to me by my mother-in-law. It is one of our family staple meals because we all love it. I also love that it's easy to make. I made a few minor changes to her original recipe based on the tastes of our family.

I am sure your family has a variation of this recipe too. I'd love if you left a comment and told me what it is. I also found a variation of it on Becky Higgins' Blog at the following link and she did a demonstration of the tortilla strip topping at this link (scroll down to Video Day #6). Which I tried in the picture above and it is Yum! Anyway, enjoy! And, let me know how it goes. The next time I make it, I will post a picture.

TACO SOUP

Ingredients
1 pound hamburger -- browned and drained
2 cans corn (whole and undrained)
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 can tomato sauce (undrained)
1 can red kidney beans (drained)
1 can olives (drained)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
lettuce
cheddar cheese
sour cream
corn chips

Directions
1. Simmer all ingredients together.
2. Serve in bowls with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and corn chips on top.

Farmer's Breakfast

This is one of our family staple recipes! It's yummy and the kids don't complain about it. (The best part) Although, Parker likes to pick out the ham. I got this out of my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book which has been my "go to" cookbook since college. Do you have a "go to" cookbook you like? Anyway, enjoy!

Ingredients
2 medium potato, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 green onion, sliced
1/3 cup margarine or butter
6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup fully-cooked ham, diced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(optional) zucchini, chopped
ketchup
cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. In a large nonstick or well-seasoned skillet cook potatoes, onion, and zucchini in margarine over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or till tender; stir often.

2. Beat together eggs, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir in ham. Pour over potato mixture. Cook, without stirring, till mixture begins to set on the bottom and around edge. Using a large spoon, lift and fold partially cooked egg mixture so uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking about 4 minutes or till eggs are cooked throughout but still glossy and moist. (I disagree...I like them much dryer than that but you choose what you like the best).

3. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and serve with ketchup. YUM.

Notes: When I make this for our family I always double it. I find that you don't even need to measure exactly...I just start throwing ingredients in (which normally I am not very successful at) and it seems to always turn out good. Also, for a quicker breakfast, substitue frozen has brown potatoes for the fresh potat

Bacon, Cheese & Potato Chowder

This recipe comes from a magazine that I got in the mail. The magazine is Kraft "Food & Family" and this is the Fall 2007 issue. I haven't received another in the mail for winter but I am still hopeful. I have found some great recipes in this book and this one was yummy and really easy plus the kids love it!

3 Cups fat free milk
1 Can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of potato soup
2 Cups frozen Southern-style hash browns
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
2 Slices Bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled (I used the precooked bacon that you can by in the bags at Costco)
1/4 Cup thinly sliced green onions

Mix milk and soup in large saucepan. Stir in hash browns. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low simmer 10 min., stirring frequently.
Ladle into 6 soup bowls.
Top evenly with the cheese, bacon and onions.
We liked it with a yummy homemade roll.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Tonight, I made a family favorite, Hawaiian Haystacks. This is my mother-in-law, Ludene's, recipe. The kids like picking what they want to have on top. I like that they are getting protein, a couple fruits and a vegetable. Here is a picture of my son with a plate of it!
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Hawaiian Haystacks

Ingredients --
----------------------------------------------------
5 chicken breasts -- cooked and cut up
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2/3 can milk
2 teaspoons curry powder
6 cups cooked white rice
chopped green peppers
pineapple chunks in juice -- drained
grated cheddar cheese
coconut
spanish peanuts
raisins
chow mein noodles
mushroom

1. Cook then cut up chicken.
2. Add cans of soup with a little milk and a touch of curry.
3. Cook white rice.
4. Serve with soup mixture over rice and stack up items from bowls on top.

NOTES: Put in 1/3 can of milk for each can of soup. Serve with bowls of chopped green peppers, pineapple chunks, grated cheddar cheese, coconut, spanish peanuts, raisins, chow mein noodles,and mushrooms (whatever your family likes best).

Hawaiian Haystacks in the Crockpot
Here is a variation of this recipe from 101 Things to Do With A Slow Cooker

10 to 12 Chicken tenders cut into chunks ( I use about 4-5 breasts) cut them when they are still a little frozen it is easier that way.
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (condensed)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

Put the chicken in the greased slow cooker and pour the combination of the rest of the ingredients over the chicken. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve it the same as Margaret's recipe above. ( I also love to put freezer peas on ours.)

Sloppy Joes

Here is one of our family staple recipes. We all like them! It's really easy. You can omit the spices listed and use a packet instead ...but I think it is yummier with them. It is quick to throw together which makes me happy.

Enjoy! Margaret

Sloppy Joes
"Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book"

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion -- chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper -- chopped
8 ounces tomatoes (1 can) -- cut up
2 tablespoons quick-cooking rolled oats
1 teaspoon chili powder (or 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or 2 teaspoons)
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
dash bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
hamburger buns -- split and toasted
cheddar cheese -- grated

In a large skillet, thoroughly brown beef, onion and green pepper. Drain fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, oats, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, hot pepper sauce, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or till mixture is of desired consistency. Serve in toasted hamburger buns with grated cheese.

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Update 9/19- In honor of "Family Staples Recipe Month", I decided to make sloppy joes for dinner tonight. After making it, I realized that I should take a picture for the blog. Ha Ha! Like you've never seen a picture of a sloppy joe before!!! And....if you want to invoke laughter (mostly from your spouse) during dinner time, take pictures of the meal you made. I am obviously a novice at photographing my own meals...but the blog needed pictures! So, there you go! I dare you to take a picture of your meal and post it! I know I will enjoy the reaction you get because I've been through it.

It's Family Staple Recipes Month

Ok Girls...It's a brand new week! And the theme for the rest of the month is family staple recipes. Please post your tried and true recipes that your family goes to over and over. Not your company best food or your holiday special food. Just the recipes that are in your rotation over and over!

P.S. If you have more crock pot recipes.. and didn't get a chance to post them last week, go ahead and post them.

Hot Dinner Time Ideas

This is my "Everybody's Happy" meal idea:

I like to serve buffet style meals. In other words, a couple times a week I will serve meals that everyone can customize to their liking. Some examples are tacos, burritos, salads w/ chopped chicken/ham/cheese etc., Hawaiian haystacks.

Another kind of buffet I do sometimes is serve a few menu items that don't necessarily go together but at least I know everyone will find something to eat. It's what I call being proactive to head off the "I don't like this... I'm hungry" commentary. So we might have baked chicken, chili, rice, salad and steamed veggies. This isn't as much work as it sounds. I use very simple recipes, always make enough for leftovers for the next night or for lunch... and more cans than most people. BUT! I have my reasons! And I'll explain those on another post when I finish ironing the bugs out!

The tricky part about this idea is that it necessitates dirtying more dishes. But my policy is that if I cook it, I don't clean it. I'm not a maid/servant/slave/dummy!