You’d never know from the sun shining on these muffins that we just received a foot of snow. I love it! We haven’t had this much know in Kansas City in 10 years so for this snow-belt-in-northeast-Ohio-bred-gal, this is just fine!!

What could be better for Saturday brunch with friends than some decadent muffins. They’re loaded with butter, coated with melted butter, and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar! Doesn’t the pumpkin make them healthy, though?

We haven’t had anything pumpkin since Thanksgiving so I was in the mood. While the recipe is originally from Martha Stewart, I, of course, had to change things up a bit by adding additional spices. I like my baked goods to be really flavorful!

This recipe will make about 15 muffins but since I only have 12 silpat muffin cups, I made a couple of little loaves to take to some older folks at church tomorrow. Aren’t they cute? BTW, that bakery twine is way too expensive so I simply used some cotton yarn I had and it worked just fine.

Here’s the recipe.

For the batter

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs

For the sugar coating

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Cranberry-Almond Coffeecake

We have a group of friends with which we get together on Saturday mornings for a potluck brunch occasionally. Eight of us got together this morning and my contribution was this coffeecake. Since Thanksgiving is this week and Christmas shortly follows, I thought some of you might enjoy having this recipe. If you don’t have a springform pan, this can be baked in a 9 X 13 inch cake pan as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature (if using salted, don’t add anymore salt)
2 C. sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. almond extract
4 C. flour
1 T. + 1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt (if using)
1-12 oz. pkg. fresh cranberries
1 C. buttermilk

Topping
1/2 C. sliced almonds
2 T. sugar
2 T. brown sugar

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10″ springform pan or 9 X 13″ pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat until combined.
4. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add the flour mixture to the batter a 1/2 C. at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the cranberries.
6. Spread the batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds, sugar, and brown sugar.

If making in the springform pan, bake for 1 hour, then check for doneness by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If there is batter stuck to it, bake for 5-10 minutes longer and check again. If baking in the 9 X 13″ pan, check after 45 minutes for doneness.

Serves 10- 12

Hungarian Lecho: This is pure comfort food!

Rummaging around in my refrigerator, I discovered that I had kielbasa, a green pepper, a yellow pepper, zucchini, and a few mild jalapeno peppers. Wanting to use some of these items up, I did an internet search for kielbasa and zucchini recipes and discovered this Hungarian dish that’s basically sauteed peppers, zucchini, onions, and kielbasa with some tomatoes and Hungarian sweet paprika thrown in. I looked at several recipes and mashed them together to make this. The aroma as it was simmering on the stove was fantastic and when I tasted it, I fell in love! The flavors are a wonderful blend of sweet, garlicy, smokiness. Evidently, this dish is traditionally served with bread. I, however, will be simply eating it by the bowlful!!

Ingredients

2 lbs. of kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 large, sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
3 mild jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
1 large zucchini squash, cut into chunks
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika (don’t used regular paprika as it won’t taste the same)

1. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. When the oil is heated add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the sliced kielbasa and saute until the kielbasa begins to brown a little.
2. Add the peppers and saute for a few more minutes. When the peppers begin to soften add the zucchini and saute until it begins to soften.
3. Sprinkle the paprika over everything and saute until the paprika has completely coated the vegetables and meat so that the paprika is blended into the juices released from the peppers.
4. Add the canned tomatoes and mix together with the contents of the skillet and bring to a simmer.
5. Cover the skillet and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Serves 6

Quinoa Eggs

This is one of those super easy breakfasts that I can’t believe I haven’t thought of before now. If you’re a fan of quinoa like I am, you will love this. You just can’t beat this for a high protein breakfast, with a healthy amount of fiber, all in one dish. Check out this Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Cereal to get the scoop on the health benefits of quinoa.

Ingredients
For each serving:
1 egg cooked to your liking (I like fried, over easy)
1/2 C. cooked quinoa
2 T. low-fat cheese (I used shredded Mexican Blend)

1. Place the cooked quinoa in a small bowl.
2. Meanwhile, cook your egg. Just before the egg is finished cooking, reheat the quinoa in a microwave.
3. Sprinkle the warmed quinoa with 1 T. of the cheese.
4. Place the cooked egg on top of the quinoa and cheese and top with the additional tablespoon of cheese. Enjoy!!

Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

I have always enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast so when I saw a recipe for breakfast cereal made with quinoa, I thought I’d give it a try. It was fantastic!! Quinoa is a whole grain that cooks quickly and has several advantages over oatmeal. It contains over double the amount of a higher quality of protein than oatmeal and 50% more fiber. It also contains more calcium. Did I mention it is gluten-free as well? Since this cereal reheats well in a microwave, I make up a batch of this and eat it all week for breakfast. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 C. uncooked quinoa
cooking spray
1 T. butter
2 C. blueberries
2 C. cold water
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
3 T. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. fat-free milk

1. Soak the quinoa in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. This is important to remove a natural bitter taste found in quinoa.
2. Rinse and drain the quinoa.
3. Spray a medium sauce pan with cooking spray. Add the quinoa and water to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and if there is excess water carefully drain it off.
4. Add the butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and milk; stir to combine and fold in the blueberries.
Makes 6 – 2/3 C. servings. Weight Watchers 5 PointsPlus

Ground Beef and Bean Vegetable Soup

Soup is one of my favorite winter time meals and I especially like those can that be made in the crockpot while I’m at work. There is nothing like coming home from work with a meal already made! The thought that I have something simmering away in the crockpot even helps me get through some of THOSE days with a bit more spring in my step!

I have included directions for making this soup on the stove and in the crockpot. To me it is worth it to spend a little time the night before to prep the ingredients for the crockpot. This soup ranks right up there with the smokey vegetable soup I posted awhile ago. But, if you want to check that recipe out, you can find it here.

Ingredients
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef; browned and drained
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic; crushed
2 cans (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
6 cups beef stock
1 can red beans; drained and rinsed
1 T dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
2 cups very thinly sliced and chopped green cabbage
1 cup chopped spinach
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
sour cream for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and cook ground beef until it’s crumbled and well-browned.
Drain well.
2. Chop the onion and celery and crush the garlic.
3. Rinse and drain the red beans.
4. Add the chopped onion, chopped celery, garlic, canned tomatoes, beef stock, red beans, dried parsley, and dried thyme to the ground beef in the soup pot. Bring to a boil; turn down and simmer for 1 hour. and cook. Taste soup and add salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste.
5. Add the cabbage and spinach; simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
7. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 6-8

To make in a crockpot, brown the beef the night before and refrigerate along with the chopped onion, celery, and garlic. In the morning dump the ground beef, onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, beef stock, red beans, parsley, and thyme into the crockpot and stir. Cook on low while at work. When you get home from work add the cabbage and spinach and turn crockpot to high. Simmer for 1 hour, add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the sour cream.

Crockpot Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

This recipe is an old family standby recipe. I used to make this all the time when my kids were growing up and I’d serve it over either rice or noodles. While adding the sherry or white wine is optional, in my opinion, it’s what takes this recipe to the next level. If you don’t have fresh mushrooms around, feel free to substitute a couple cans of drained canned mushrooms. I’ve done that many times!

Ingredients:
4 to 6 boneless chicken breast halves
salt, pepper and paprika
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 C. flour
1/8 C. sherry or white wine (optional)
8 oz. of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C. onion, chopped

1. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on both sides.
2. Arrange chicken breasts in crockpot.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over the chicken.

In the crockpot ready to simmer all day.

4. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until tender but not dry. Serve over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Serves 4-6

Lemony Blueberry Rice Pudding Almost Gone!

Rice pudding is such a versatile recipe because, in my humble opinion, it works for both breakfast and dessert. This recipe was a total experiment on my part and one of those that turned out fabulous the first try. I really the like combination of blueberries with lemon and simply had a hunch that they would be great instead of raisins in rice pudding. My hunch paid off! I took this to church for our pre-Sunday school breakfast and it was a HUGE hit! Especially among those who don’t like rice pudding because of the raisins. I made a double batch of this, blueberry breakfast cake, and banana bread. This recipe is a good use for leftover steamed rice, as well.

Ingredients
3/4 C. uncooked white rice
2 C. whole milk, divided
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 C. blueberries
1 T. butter
1/2 t.vanilla
zest of 1/2 a lemon

1. Place the rice and 1 1/2 C. of water in a medium saucepan, stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 15 minutes without removing the lid.
2. Add 1 1/2 C. milk, brown sugar, lemon zest and salt to the cooked rice. Stir to break up the rice. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until thick and creamy, 15 – 20 minutes.
3. Combine the remaining 1/2 C. milk, beaten egg, and vanilla. Stir into the rice mixture and cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in melted butter and blueberries. Pour into a casserole dish. Serve warm.

Serves 6-8

Lemony Blueberry Rice Pudding Cooling

Sugar N' Spiced Pecans

With the Super Bowl coming up in a few days, I thought I should post a recipe for munching on during the game (or in my case the commercials). You can really use any nut that you like or 4 cups of mixed nuts if you’re not a fan of pecans. If you’re looking for another snack-type dish, whip up a batch of Pub Cheese Spread and serve it with raw vegetables and crackers.

Pub Cheese Spread

If you want a savory rather than sweet snack, check out this Zesty Ranch Pretzel recipe. It is a standard snack when my son goes tailgating.

Zesty Ranch Pretzels

For sandwiches, make this BBQ Brisket. It’s a real crowd pleaser and with little effort makes a lot.

Sliced BBQ Brisket

For dessert bake some Zucchini Nutella Swirl Bread or make a pan of Peanut Butter Apple Crisp. Either will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth.

Zucchini Nutella Swirl Bread

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

Have a great time with family and friends watching the Super Bowl!!

Ingredients
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 T. water
4 C. pecan halves
1/2 C. + 3 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground ginger

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line a 10X15 inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl beat the egg whites with the water until fluffy. Stir in the pecans and toss until the pecans are coated.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, and spices. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread nuts on the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts.
Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Orange-Chipotle Chicken

This is a really easy and tasty recipe with a sweet, tangy, slightly smokey flavor that comes from the chipotle jam used for the the glaze. I found this recipe at LaaLoosh.com, a blog that specializes in Weight Watcher recipes. One fourth of this recipe is 4 points+ for those following WW, but don’t let the fact that this recipe is Weight Watchers compatible scare you away from trying this. It is so flavorful that you’ll never believe its diet food!

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
Juice from one large orange (about 1/3 C.) If you don’t have a fresh orange laying around you can substitute bottled orange juice
3 T. Chipotle Pepper Jam (I think you could also substitute Asian Zing Sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt

1. Spray a large, non-stick pan with Pam cooking spray and place over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken to the skillet along with the salt and orange juice. Saute until the chicken is cooked through and begins to brown. The orange juice will evaporate in the process.

Chicken simmering in orange juice

3. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the garlic and chipotle pepper jam. Cook until the sauce is heated through and evenly coats the chicken.

Glazed chicken pieces

4. Serve with steamed broccoli.