Banana Oat Muffins

Adapted from AllRecipes.com.

Prep: 15 min / Cook: 25-30 min.
Yield: 12-18 muffins

1 cup + 1 Tbs rolled oats, divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 large very ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Streusel topping:
1/3 cup rolled oats
4 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. butter, chilled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups

Place 1 cup rolled oats in a food processor and process until ground.  In a large bowl, combine ground oats with flours, 1 Tbs. rolled oats, chopped nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the banana and vanilla.  Stir in sour cream.  Mix oat/flour mixture into the egg mixture.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.

To make topping, combine 1/3 cup rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in 1/4 cup chopped nuts.  Generously sprinkle muffins with topping.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Notes:
- One reviewer said she chose not to process the oats because she liked their texture, so do what you want.
- The original recipe also called for 1 tsp. of baking soda but neglected to say when to add it.  I completely forgot about the baking soda and the muffins turned out just fine.
- I didn't pre-mash my bananas even though the original recipe said to.  I'm getting lazy.
- I was short on sour cream and ended up using a Tbs. or so of vanilla yogurt to make up for it.  No problems.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Tablespoon.

Makes 1 loaf.

I made a couple of slight modifications to the original recipe, and that's what I'm posting here.  A lot of other reviewers had variations that sounded good, as well, so I'll include them below the Notes section of this post.  If you want the original recipe, follow the link above.

2 lemons
5 Tbs. powdered sugar
3/4 cup + 1Tbs. white sugar
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs. melted butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 2/3 cup + 1 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)
1 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar

Grate the zest from both lemons.  Put 1 tsp. lemon zest in a small bowl, along with the juice from 1/2 a lemon and the powdered sugar; stir until smooth to make the glaze.  Set aside.

Add the rest of the zest and lemon juice into a medium bowl, along with 3/4 cup white sugar, melted butter, eggs, and sour cream.  Mix until blended.  Stir in the milk.

Whisk together 1 2/3 cup flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Remove 3 Tbs and set aside.  Pour milk mixture into flour mixture (large bowl) and stir until just combined.

Toss blueberries with reserved flour mixture.  Fold gently into batter.  Pour into a greased 9x5" loaf pan.

Cut butter, brown sugar, 1 Tbs. white sugar, and 1 Tbs. flour together with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake for 60 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Drizzle glaze over top of bread before serving.

Nutrition Facts:

1 slice (1/12 of loaf) + a little drizzle of glaze = 167 calories, 6.5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 48.5 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1.5 g protein.

Notes:
- I'm guessing I used about 6 Tbs. powdered sugar, but I didn't exactly measure.  Just keep adding more until the glaze reaches the consistency you'd like.  However, the nutrition facts posted below are for the amounts I've listed.
- I wanted streusel topping, but it ended up being more of a sweet, crunchy crust.  Still good, but not my intention.  I'll work on that.
- The original recipe calls for poking holes in the bread and pouring the glaze over it straight out of the oven.  I opted not to do that because several reviewers said it made the bread soggy if not eaten right away.

Other Suggestions:

- Use buttermilk or soured milk instead of milk.

- Double the glaze.

- Add vanilla extract (probably 1 or 1 1/2 tsp.).

- Add 1/2 box lemon pudding mix to batter.  (I wanted to try this but didn't have any lemon pudding!)

- Add a streusel topping.  (Again, my plan for this one went awry.)

Peanut Butter Bars

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Nancy.

Yield: 32 bars.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup + 4 Tbs. peanut butter, divided
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Use a food processor to pulse the graham crackers until fine.  Add the melted butter, 1 cup peanut butter, and powdered sugar.  Pulse until blended and smooth.

Press the peanut butter mixture into an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.  Pour over peanut butter layer and spread evenly.

Chill for 30 minutes or until set.  Remove to room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing into bars.

Notes:
- I read a suggestion to use all natural peanut butter, but I didn't try it because I have probably a three year supply of the regular stuff and didn't see a reason to go out and buy more!
- The recipe called for 1 1/2 cups butter, which I'm sure would have made the bars even creamier.
- The finer your crumbs, the smoother your peanut butter layer will be.  You don't have to use a food processor (you can do it all in a bowl or blender), but I recommend it.
- Each bar has about 200 calories in it, so devour wisely.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

This is another AllRecipes.com recipe that I had to try.  Um, delicious!  It's like eating a cinnamon roll and a cheesecake at the same time, which I think was the point.  And you could maybe justify eating it for breakfast: after all, it's got eggs, cream cheese (you eat them on bagels anyway), and basically cinnamon rolls.  It sounds well rounded to me!

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1 egg (at room temp)
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cheesecake Filling:
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese (at room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 Tbs. flour
3 eggs (at room temp)

Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese (at room temp)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter (at room temp)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a springform pan.

For Cinnamon Roll Batter:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add egg, half and half, and vanilla.  Beat for another minute.  Scrape down bowl.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients.  Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.

Press half of the batter onto the bottom of the springform pan using greased fingers.  It will be sticky and thick.

For Cheesecake Filling:
In a clean bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute.

Pour all of the cheesecake filling on top of the cinnamon roll batter in the prepared pan.

For Cinnamon Filling:
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake.

Finishing Assembly/Baking:
Drop the rest of the cinnamon roll batter by spoonfuls over the entire top of the cheesecake.  Using a knife, swirl ingredients together as well as you can.

Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Cake will be puffy and lightly browned.  Let cool for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for at least 4 hours.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter together.  Add vanilla, powdered sugar, and lemon juice (if desired); beat to desired consistency.  Frost cheese cake.

Notes:
- I don't own a 9" springform pan--just 8.5" and 9.5"--so I used the larger of the two.  I think using a 9" would have been cutting it close to overflowing in the oven.
- I used fat free half and half.
- In addition to greasing the springform pan, I cut a round of parchment paper to fit in the bottom and greased it as well.
- After 3 minutes, the butter and sugar I creamed for the batter wasn't "light and fluffy," but I called it good anyway.  It was mixed.

Crispy and Creamy Donuts

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Kelly.

Total time: Anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 hours
Yield: About 3 dozen donuts + holes

These donuts don't quite mimic the brand their name plays on, but they were very, very yummy!  We'll make them again for sure . . . sometime.  Donuts aren't an all-the-time thing, you know.

2 (.25 oz) envelopes active dry yeast (or 2 Tbs.)
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 F)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Glaze
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbs. (or as needed) hot water

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups flour.  Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon.  Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.  Knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover.  Set in a warm place to rise until double.  Dough is ready if you touch it and the indentation remains.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently roll to 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut with a floured donut cutter.  Let donuts sit out to rise again until double.  Cover loosely with a cloth.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in hot water one Tbs. at a time until the glaze is somewhat thin but not watery.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 F (175 C).  Slide donuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula.  Turn donuts over as they rise to the surface.  Fry donuts on each side until golden brown.  Remove from hot oil to drain on wire rack.  Dip donuts into the glaze while still hot and set onto wire racks to drain off excess.

Other Topping/Filling Ideas:
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon/sugar mix
- Alton Brown's chocolate glaze (we wanted to try this but forgot to make it)
- Melted chocolate (that's what lazy me did)
- Maple glaze (didn't have time, but I'm thinking of trying the recipe HERE next time--there's also an orange glaze)
- Sprinkles
- Vanilla pudding (I left a few donuts intact so I can fill them)
- Jam or fruit purees (but you could have pudding!)
- Anything else you can think of!

Notes:
- We used canola oil instead of vegetable oil.  Just make sure what you use is safe for deep-frying and doesn't have a low flash point; you don't want to have an oil fire.
- My dough always stuck to the side of the bowl, but it was really easy to scrape out.  I admit I lost count of how much flour I put in (oops!).  I got to what I thought was 5 cups, but the dough was still really sticky looking.  After trying to count back on how much flour I had added, I decided to go ahead and add another cup.  So I'm not sure if I added 5 or 6 cups.
- I love my mixer.  I used the paddle to mix things in and then switched to the dough hook for the kneading.  Yeah right I'm going to knead by hand for 5 minutes!  Ha!
- The indentation in my dough remained even before it doubled in size, so . . . I let it keep rising.
- Donut cutter?  Really?  I used a 3" biscuit cutter and then used the mouth of a small glass bottle to cut out the centers.  I think the mouth of a plastic water or soda bottle would work, too.
- One reviewer said that she let her donuts rise on wax paper sprayed with Pam, so I did, too.  Matt thought it made it harder to pick them up--do what you want.
- We were so involved in the donuts that I forgot about the glaze until the last minute, so I cheated.  I melted the butter in the microwave and slowly added the powdered sugar.  I'm sure it would be easier to do it on the stove, but it worked in a pinch.
- We don't have a thermometer that measures up to 350 F, so I looked up some ways to test the oil without one.  Check HERE and HERE for some methods you can use.
- If you're using a deep fryer, you'll want to check your directions before using it (duh).  Ours says donuts take 2-4 minutes, but I'm not sure they even took that long.  Just make sure you test the insides every now and then to make sure they're cooked through.
- Donut holes are harder to fry since they don't want to flip over once the first side is cooked.  We wasted 8 or 9 before we figured that out.  Matt decided to fry them one at a time and just hold them under the oil with the spider--presto!  He's a genius.

Southwestern Turkey Soup

Adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Doug Matthews.
Serves 8 (each serving is 1 1/2 cups).

Prep time: 30 minutes (less if the meat is already cooked).

Cook time: 30-40 minutes.

Only 210 calories per serving! (Though it depends on the brands, etc. that you use.)  Goes great with corn muffins!

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey

4 cups vegetable broth

1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 Tbs. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 Tbs. fresh, chopped cilantro

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Puree or blend half the can of tomatoes.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine turkey, broth, canned tomatoes, green chiles, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and lime juice. Season with cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Stir in avocado, black beans, and cilantro and simmer 15-20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon into serving bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Notes:

- I used 2 cups shredded chicken instead of turkey because that's what I had.

- I put the garlic through a garlic press instead of just crushing it.

- Before adding everything to the pot, I sauteed the garlic and onions in some water until they were a little soft.

- The soup wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be, but it tasted good. It left me with a hint of heat after I finished the bowl. I might consider adding a little bit more next time.  My mom added 1 diced jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed.

Cream Puffs

Adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Shellie Wendel.

Prep.: 20 min. Cook: 25 min.
Yield: about 40 small cream puffs

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix (or other flavor)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
½ cup butter
1 cup water
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. sugar

Mix together pudding mix, cream, and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour, salt, and sugar until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.

When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells through a small hole in the side or bottom.

Notes:
- I use a small cookie scoop to drop my dough onto the cookie sheet, which typically yields about 40 small shells.
- Try using other pudding flavors instead of vanilla.
- I sometimes melt some chocolate chips and drizzle them over my cream puffs.

Nutrition Facts (using nonfat milk):
1 cream puff = 95 calories, 7 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 111 mg sodium, 7.5 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 1 g protein

Spicy Refrigerator Dills

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by FairyFahrenholz.


Prep: 15 min. / Total: 10 days 2 hours 15 minutes

4 (3 to 4 inch long) pickling cucumbers
2/3 cup water
½ cup + 1 Tbs + 1 tsp. white vinegar
½ cup chopped fresh dill weed
2 Tbs. + 2 tsp white sugar
2 ¾ cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. pickling spice
½ tsp. dill seed
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 1/3 sprig fresh dill weed

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, water, vinegar, chopped dill, sugar, garlic, salt, pickling spice, dill seed, and red pepper flakes. Stir, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Remove the cucumbers to three 1 ½ pint wide mouth jars, placing 4 cucumbers into each jar. Ladle in the liquid from the bowl to cover the cucumbers. Place a sprig of fresh dill into each jar and seal with lids. Refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Use within 1 month.

Original recipe quantities:

12 (3 to 4 inch long) pickling cucumbers
2 cups water
1 ¾ cups white vinegar
1 ½ cups chopped fresh dill weed
½ cup white sugar
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs. coarse salt
1 Tbs. pickling spice
1 ½ tsp. dill seed
½ tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
4 sprigs fresh dill weed

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Laura.

Prep: 25 min. Cook: 25 min.
Yield: About 18 muffins

6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup milk
½ white sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup sour cream

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate squares together with the butter. Let stand until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg. In a small bowl, stir together the chocolate-butter mixture with the milk, sugar, egg, vanilla, and sour cream until blended well.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into muffin pan lined with cups.

Bake at 400˚F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool at least five minutes before removing from muffin pan.

Notes:
- Substitution for chocolate squares: 6 Tbs. cocoa powder + ¼ cup butter + 7 Tbs. sugar

Gravy Baked Pork Chops

Adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Jennipoo.

Prep: 10 min. / Cook: 45 min.
Yield: 4 servings

4 (1 1/4 inch thick) pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the pork chops in the oil for about 5 minutes per side.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the milk, water and soup. Place the pork chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish, scatter the mushrooms, and pour the soup mixture over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Serve with rice, potatoes, or possibly pasta.

Notes:
- I've also sprinkled paprika over everything just before putting it in the oven.
- If your chops are thinner, you'll want to cut the sautéing time and the baking time.  Mine were about 1/2" thick, so I probably cooked them for about 3 minutes per side (enough to get a little golden) and then baked them for about 35 minutes.  They were cooked through but still very tender.