Sugar Donut Muffins

Sugar Donut Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract.

Divide batter evenly into 10 muffin cups or ~24 mini-muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes for standard-sized muffins or 11-12 minutes for mini-muffins, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour sugar into a small bowl.

When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: ~10 standard muffins or ~24 mini-muffins

Pasta w/ Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Homemade Garlic Bread

 

 

 

You will need:

1/2 onion finely chopped

2 T chopped garlic

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

chicken stock

heavy cream

dill

 

Directions:

Heat up a pan and saute mushrooms, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the mushroom starts to golden and the onion is soft.
Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1 1/2 cup cream and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill.
Let it simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  Toss with hot pasta.

 

 

You will need:

• 1 cup warm water (70° to 80°)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

• In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available.
• Bake according to bread machine directions (check the dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices (about 1-1/2 pounds).

Pumpkin Dump Cake

I made this for Nathanael's birthday proper, since we were having a chocolate cake the next day at his party.  Notice the 34 pecans for his 34th birthday?  :)  The cake is perfect for the fall.  It is so very rich and filling, so small pieces do the trick.

6 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups pumpkin
2 cups evap milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

1 cake mix or equivilant
1 cup butter - softened
pecans

Mix the top 7 ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13.  Cut butter into the cake mix and sprinkle by spoonfuls onto the pumpkin mixture.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle with pecans and bake another 10 minutes.

Italian Meatball Pie

We have been eating a lot of spaghetti recently.  It is fast for those crazy evenings, plus all the kids will inhale it.  This is just a fancier pile of spaghetti, but fun to have something different now and then.  The recipe called for 9oz cooked spaghetti, however much that is!  I had some extra cooked spaghetti noodles from the week before which I had frozen, and just thawed them for the recipe.

9oz cooked spaghetti
1 egg
1 Tbl butter
6oz shredded mozzeralla
1 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
32 meatballs (I used frozen, thawed)

Heat oven to 350.  Spray a 9" pie plate

Beat egg and butter in a large bowl.  Stir in spaghetti and 1 cup of the cheese.  Spoon into the pie plate.  Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the the pie plate.

Mix the spaghetti sauce and meatballs together, and spoon into the spaghetti "crust."

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Royal Thai Chicken

You will need:
3 lbs chicken, thighs are recommended
3 scallions chopped
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (or less) soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 T toasted sesame oil
3 t minced garlic
3 t minced ginger

 

Mix sauce and pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for approx 45 minutes.

PW's Baked French Toast

• FRENCH TOAST
• Butter, For Greasing
• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Optional
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Warm Syrup, For Serving
• Butter, For Serving
• 1 cup Fresh Blueberries, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away---delicious no matter what!
For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup and sprinkle with blueberries.

Summery Corn salad

Ingredients

• 4 ears Corn
• 4 slices Bacon
• 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Chives Or Green Onions
• 2 Tablespoons Good Quality Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar, Or More To Taste
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Or Really Good Quality Sweet Smoked Paprika
• 1 bunch Arugula or one container cherry tomatoes
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
I roast the corn in the shucks on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes.
While corn is roasting, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and roughly chop.
Remove husks and silks and cut kernels off the ears. I cut the kernels off directly into the bowl I will be serving the salad in.
Add the bacon and chopped green onion or chives (I prefer chives, but I usually don’t have them in my fridge. I think the green onions work just fine) to the corn kernels.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Add in the cumin or paprika if using. Pour over salad. Adjust to taste.
Roughly chop the arugula or slice tomatoes and add at the last minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve.