One of 'those' recipes

Have you ever had a hankerin' for a certain food/snack (in my case today, muffins) and didn't have all the right ingredients for the recipe you wanted to make?  Maybe it's just me?  I wasn't running to the store for the ingredients I didn't have, so I just made it up as I went along!  This is a culmination of about 2 muffin recipes and some stuff I just threw in 'cause it's all I had.  I didn't even have any muffin papers!!

I call it:  Your Favorite Jam Muffins

1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C applesauce
4 T  plain yogurt (or whatever you have)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 C white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C milk
1/2 C Your Favorite Jam (I used homemade blackberry freezer jam)

In a large mixing bowl, mix the vanilla and the sugar together well.  Add applesauce and yogurt, mix.  Add eggs and beat into the batter until well combined.  Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium sized bowl.  Add flour mixture and milk alternately to the batter.  Mix until well combined.  Fold in Your Favorite Jam.

Fill (preferable paper lined) muffin tins to 1/2 full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Top with butter and/or Your Favorite Jam of course!

YUM!!!  Enjoy!

Lace Cookies

Lace Cookies
a.k.a Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

Any of the following people will REALLY enjoy this recipe:

1.  People who like oats and/or chocolate chips
2.  People who like cookies
3.  People who THINK they MIGHT like cookies
4.  People who normally don't like to bake
5.  People who need to eat Gluten Free
6.  People who will want to try these cookies just because the word 'lace' is in the title.  ; )

This recipe is WAY simple to mix and cook.  Most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand.  There are lots of words in the instructions, not because there is lots to do...but because I want to make this as simple as possible.  Even if you don't normally like to bake because your baked goods never come out the way you intend for them to, this recipe is EASY PEASY!  Trust me!

Here goes:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup rolled oats (not the quick cook kind, get the 'old fashioned' kind)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt (or a pinch...whatever)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (don't go for broke and get the grown up chocolate chips, this dough is not substantial enough to support the big guys)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.  Place oats in a medium-sized bowl.  Stir in both sugars and the salt and blend to break up any lumps.

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vanilla extract and egg.  Stir this egg mixture into the oat mixture and add mini chocolate chips, mixing with your hands or a large wooden spoon to work in the ingredients.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on your cookie sheet.  Form the dough into 1 inch balls or lumps (don't get perfectionist on me here) and tamp them down with the back of a spoon to make the cookie flat.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned and the tops of the cookies are medium golden brown in color.

Cool well on the cookie sheet (about 10 minutes) before attempting to remove, using a spatula.

ENJOY!!

Mexican Pot Roast

I am trying a new recipe for dinner tonight.  It's called "Mexican Pot Roast".  It is a crockpot recipe and I LOVE crockpot recipes!!  I'll let you know if it's as tasty as I think it's going to be.  Here is the recipe:


Mexican Pot Roast

2 cups dried Pinto beans
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (I make my own because canned Cream of Mushroom Soup has MSG in it.  The recipe for the homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup is below)
2 lbs Chuck Roast
1 can of Rotel
1 small can of chopped green chilis
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano (I used Mexican oregano)

Spray crock pot with Pam (I used olive oil).  Put the dried pinto beans in the crockpot and cover with water.*
Add 1 can of soup, the roast, the other can of soup, Rotel, chilis and spices.  Cook on low for 16-20 hours or on high all day.  You can also add potatoes and/or carrots if you prefer.  Once completely cooked, break meat apart, cool to thicken.  Serve on tortillas or over rice.

*I soaked the beans overnight to speed up the cooking process.  You can do it either way.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Compliments of my friend Denise Highfill

1/4 cup sliced (I dice them) mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley flakes


Saute the mushrooms in the butter.  Mix the flour with 1 1/2 cups of milk until smooth.  Slowly add this mixture to the mushrooms, whisking constantly.  Slowly add the remainder 2 1/2 cups of milk.  Whisk until smooth and bubbly.  Add salt, pepper and parsley flakes.  Remove from heat.  Soup will thicken as it cools.  Feel free to add more milk to reach desired consistency.  Makes the equivalent of 3 cans of condensed soup.

Update:  My family loved the recipe!  We will be making this again in the future for sure!