Thanksgiving Series: Cranberry Curd Tart

I'm a bit obsessed with cranberries.  I love cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, anything with cranberries!  So when I ran across a recipe for a cranberry curd tart, I couldn't resist making it this Thanksgiving!  I got the original recipe from here, but I wouldn't want to make a few changes, so I will write out how I will make this next time.

Ingredients:

• 1 baked pie shell
• 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into bits
• 2 eggs 
• 2 egg yokes

In a medium saucepan bring the cranberries, sugar, and orange juice to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook until the cranberries pop and soften, about 15 minutes.  Set a colander over a bowl and pour the cranberry mixture into the colander.  Stir and press down the cranberries to extract as much jelly as possible.  (You can save the solids for smoothies :)  

Transfer the cranberry to a medium saucepan.  Add the butter.  In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and egg yokes and add to the cranberry mixture.  On medium-low heat whisk continuously until it bubbles and thickens, about 10 minutes.  Pour the cranberry mixture into the pie shell and let stand at room temperature until cooled, then refrigerate.  

Thanksgiving Series: Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans and Dried Cranberries

Last year I shared some classic Thanksgiving recipes, like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie.  This year I wanted to try some new things.  This rice pilaf turned out really well, although it was a bit time consuming, so I probably wouldn't make it every day.  I got the original recipe from here, but I made a few changes.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped 
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 
• 1-2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup pecans, 
• 1.5 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans until they are fragrant and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Coarsely chop the pecans.

Bring 1.75 cups of the chicken broth, bay leaves, and half of the thyme to a boil.  Add wild rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until rice is plump and tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 35-40 minutes.  Set aside and keep warm.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-heat until foam subsides, about 2 minutes.  Sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and bell pepper until softened.  Add the white rice and stir to coat grains with butter.  Cook, stirring frequently until the grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.  Boil the remainder of the chicken broth in microwave.  Add the chicken broth and the rest of the thyme to the white rice mixture.  Return to a boil then reduce the heat to low.  Sprinkle the cranberries evenly over the rice.  Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 16-18 minutes.  Combine the wild rice, white rice mixture, pecans, and parsley in a large bowl.  

Greta's Ginger Snaps

I got this recipe for ginger snaps from my college roommate Greta.  I remember her mother baking them for us when I went home with her one weekend, and they have stuck in my memory every since.  They're a lovely holiday cookie that you just can't get enough of!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar, plus a few tablespoons for rolling
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons molasses*
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugar in a KitchenAid mixer.  In a separate bowl, mix together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and flour. Add the egg and molasses and whip on high speed for about 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies crack.  

*In order to keep the molasses from sticking, you can grease your measuring spoon.

Scones

I've been watching The Great British Baking Show, which has inspired me to do a bit of baking.  I thought I'd channel those Brits and bake some scones.  I've never made scones before, but while I was looking at recipes, I found out that the British and the Americans make scones differently.  Apparently, the Brits prefer their scones without extra add ins, while Americans don't mind beefing theirs up.  I went the American route, using a recipe from here.  I'm posting the bare bones recipe, but you can add whatever fillings you like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, refrigerated
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar (for sweet) and 2 tablespoons sugar (for savory)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, almond, orange, coconut, etc.)
• 1 cup fillings (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, cheese, bacon, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Using a grater, shred the butter.  In a KitchenAid mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Mix in the butter.  In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, egg, and extract (if you're making sweet scones).    Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture.  Mix in fillings.  Form dough into a circle and cut into 8 pieces.  Place pieces on baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Some of my favorite flavors include:

• Orange and chocolate chip
• Cherry almond
• Bacon, cheddar, and chive (pictured above)
• Sun-dried tomato, basil, and asiago

Chicken Tortilla Soup

As I've mentioned previously, I love soup.  My poor husband doesn't like soup nearly as much as I do, but he gets the soup experience whether he likes it or not when I cook.  This is one of my favorite soups, and I'm rather surprised I haven't posted it yet.  Be sure to use brown rice, which has a bit more structure than white rice and will help prevent it from disolving.  So here we go...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• Enough water to cover the chicken in a large pot
• 2 onions
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 2 10oz cans Rotel, drained
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups corn (either fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt to taste

Put chicken in large pot and fill with water.  Quarter one of the onions and bell peppers and add to the pot.  Chop the cilantro and add half of it to the pot.  Boil the chicken on medium-high heat until cooked, about 1 hour.  Take chicken out and cool in refrigerator.  Strain off the onion, bell pepper, and cilantro and pour the broth into a bowl.  In the soup pot heat the oil on medium heat.  Chop the other onion and bell pepper and add to the pot.  Sauté until the onion is translucent.  Pour the broth back into the pot and add the black beans, Rotel, rice, corn, cumin, chili powder, and salt.  Bring to a boil.  While waiting for the broth to boil, shred the chicken and add to the pot.  Once the broth is boiling, reduce to low heat and add the rest of the cilantro.  Simmer for an hour.  

S'mores Bars

One of my favorite summer time desserts is s'mores, but living in apartments doesn't allow for camp fires.  So, these s'mores bars are a nice way to get some s'mores action in community living.  I got this recipe from here.  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 5 full graham crackers)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 7 normal size chocolate bars
• 1.5 cups marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a KitchenAid mixer cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add in the egg and vanilla.  In a small bowl mix together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Divide the dough in half and press half the dough into an even layer on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.  Place the chocolate bars over the dough.  Spread the marshmallow creme evenly over the chocolate bars.  Roll out the second half of the dough and place on top of the marshmallow creme.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool before cutting into bars.  

Bourbon BBQ Sauce

I'm all about a good barbecue.  I've come to realize that those who live above the Mason Dixon line tend to call anything cooked on a grill "barbecue."  However, REAL barbecue requires BBQ sauce.  This recipe is great on ribs, brisket, chicken, or whatever your favorite gilled meat happens to.  I got this recipe from here, and in the above picture, I forgot to add the brown sugar (whoops!), so it's usually a bit darker than it appears in the picture.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bourbon
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and bourbon.  Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Run sauce through a strainer if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Stud Muffin: Lemon Poppyseed Blackberry

I'm rather fond of poppy seeds.  Probably because I'm half Hungarian, and Hungarians use poppy seeds in a lot of their desserts.  I found this recipe here, and was quite happy with how it turned out the first time I made it, although I accidentally over-baked them.  Even still, they are really tasty!  Here's what I did...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 teaspoons vanila extract
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.75 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (if frozen don't thaw)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a KitchenAid mixer, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, vanilla, yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  In a separate bowl mix together the poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.  Add the dry ingredients, alternating with milk.  Fold in the blackberries.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Stud Muffin: Oatmeal Peach Muffins with Streusel Topping

A few years ago some friends threw a brunch surprise party for me, and someone made peach muffins.  I had never thought of putting peaches in muffins before, but I loved the idea, and they were super tasty!  I have used frozen and fresh peaches.  If you use fresh peaches, then you need to skin them.  I got the original muffin recipe from here.

Muffin Ingredients:

• 2 cups peaches, chopped
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Streusel Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl mix together the oil and sugar.  Mix in the eggs.  In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until just incorporated.  Mix in the oatmeal, then fold in the peaches.  Divide into muffin tin.  In another bowl mix together the streusel ingredients until it's the consistency of wet sand.  Sprinkle streusel topping on top of muffin batter.  Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Sour Cream Rhubarb Pie

It's rhubarb season!  I did not grow up with rhubarb, so when a coworker gave me some a few years ago, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  I found this recipe, and now it's my go-to pie whenever there's rhubarb around.  I got the recipe from here.  I don't make the streusel topping that the original recipe calls for, because I don't think it needs it.  I got the original recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2.5 cups fresh rhubarb
• 1 9 inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together the sugar, sour cream, eggs, flour, vanilla, and rhubarb.  Pour into the pie shell.  Bake for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes.  

Overnight Oatmeal

When the weather begins to get warmer, I like to have something cold in the morning for breakfast.  I also like this recipe because you make it the night before, so you just get a bowlful in the morning, and you're ready to go!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oatmeal
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight.  

Enchilada Sauce

To celebrate cinco de mayo this year I wanted to make enchiladas.  Usually, we use enchilada sauce in cans, but I've never found one that is as good as the enchiladas in a restaurant.  So it was time make my own. I combined these two recipes and gave it my own twist..  Given that my husband is really into craft beer, I decided to add some beer to our sauce.  We used a chili stout, and I think it was a really great choice.  Here's what we did:

Ingredients:

• 15oz can tomato sauce
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat.   Once boiling, reduce heat  to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Asparagus with white wine and butter

Asparagus is my favorite vegetable (I know, it's a weird choice), and I really don't care how it's prepared.  Roasted, sautéed, grilled--any way you like it!  However, this recipe has to be one of my favorites.  Butter and white wine, you really can't go wrong with that combo!  Of course, I had to change it up a bit to make it extra special.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until they turn slightly translucent.  Add the wine and let simmer until it reduces by half.  Add the asparagus, lime juice, and thyme and sauté 3-4 minutes or until the asparagus is bright green.

Baked Cheese and Fruit Dip

This dip was a favorite during grad school get-togethers.  My favorite ways to serve it are with Wheat Thins and apple slices.  I got the original recipe from here but made a few changes.  I've also tried using other kinds of cheeses, like white cheddar and goat cheese, to give it some additional flavor, but unless you're willing to spend a lot more money to use all goat cheese instead of cream cheese, the flavor doesn't come through.  I've decided to just stick with cream cheese and not try to make it too fancy.

Ingredients:

• 16oz. cream cheese
• 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
• 1/4 cup fruit juice (I've used orange, cranberry, and apple with good results)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients together (I use my KitchenAid mixer to speed things along).  Scoop the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.  

Red Dirt Chicken

I grew up in Oklahoma where the dirt is a lovely red color (maybe because it has a lot of iron??).  The color of the spice blend I use with this chicken reminds me of the color of Oklahoma soil, hence the name.  I originally got the recipe from somewhere, but it has been a while, and I can't find it. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/4 lb.)
• 1 small papaya, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl mix paprika, salt, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon.  Coat both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture.  Put chicken in a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with papaya.  

Homemade Granola Bars

I used to make these granola bars every few weeks, because they are quite tasty.  However, I haven't made them in several years because the last time I made them I cut my finger pretty badly when chopped the dates.  I decided that it was time to conquer my anxiety and make them again.  Cooking "therapy" at work!  I got the recipe from here, and surprisingly, it doesn't need any modifications.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old-fashinioned oats
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Toss the oats, almonds, and coconut together and spread on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.  Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.  In a saucepan mix together the butter, honey, vanilla, and brown sugar on medium heat and bring to a boil.  Pour over the oat mixture and stir in the dates, apricots, and cranberries.  Pour the mixture into a 2 quart greased baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares.

Goat Cheese Frosting

I have been watching The Great British Bakeoff on Netflix recently, which has inspired me to bake more the last month than I have in the past year!  I got the idea for strawberry basil cupcakes with goat cheese frosting and tried it out on some of my coworkers this past week.  Unfortunately, the strawberry basil cupcakes still have a few kinks that need to be worked out, but this goat cheese frosting is scrumptious! I got the recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. goat cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Using the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese in a KitchenAid mixer for about 5 minutes or until fluffy.  Add the vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated.  On low speed slowly add the powdered sugar.  Once it is incorporated mix on high for 3-5 minutes.  

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Lately, at night to help me fall asleep I have thought about different frosting and cake combinations, and a lemon cream cheese frosting has made frequent appearances.  I recently got the opportunity to try it out when I made strawberry rolls (they turned out okay but need some massaging before they are blog ready).  It was just as I hoped it would be.  I got the original recipe from here, but I, of course, made some changes.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• zest from 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Using the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese in a KitchenAid mixer for about 5 minutes or until fluffy.  Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.  On a low speed slowly add in the powdered sugar.  Once all the powdered sugar is mixed in, beat the frosting on high for about 3-5 minutes.

Hungarian (Inspired) Mushroom Soup

I went to a soup supper a few years ago, and something like this soup was served.  I talked with my Hungarian grandmother about it, and she told me that it is not, in fact, Hungarian.  It has some flavors that we could say are inspired by Hungarian cooking.  I got the recipe from here and made a few minor tweaks.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• splash of lemon juice
• 1 cup sour cream

In a Dutch oven melt the butter on medium heat.  Add the onions and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given up their liquid, and it has evaporated away, about 10-15 minutes.  Mix in the flour and paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the broth, dill, caraway seeds, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add the sour cream and serve.

Nana's Lasagna

We inherited this recipe from Carl's nana, and (from what I hear) it was favorite in Carl's family growing up, and it's now a favorite in our family.  We made a few changes to the original recipe, mostly adding more vegetables and seasonings.  The dash of paprika on top reminds us of Nana.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 1.5 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 (18oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, thoroughly drained
• 16oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 16oz fresh mozzarella, shredded (or pulled into small pieces:)
• 1/3lb. shredded parmesan (about 2/3 cups)
• fresh basil leaves
• dash of smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot, boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions.  In a dutch oven brown the ground beef.  Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and oregano, cooking until the onion is tender.  Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes.  In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta and egg.  In a greased lasagna pan, layer the lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil leaves.  (We typically get about 3 layers.)  Sprinkle the paprika on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

Stud Muffin: Apple Oatmeal Muffins

What I like about these muffins is the texture.  The oatmeal, chopped apple, raisins, and walnuts all add different dimensions to the muffin, which makes it more interesting to eat.  I have used all different types of apples, Granny Smith, Fuji, Empire, and Gala, and I think they all worked well.  I probably wouldn't use a Golden Delicious, because I want chunks of apple in the finished muffin, and Golden Delicious mush too easily.  I'd worry that they would just completely dissolve during baking.  The original recipe, along with every muffin recipe I've ever seen, always calls for quick-cooking oats.  I have always used old-fashioned oats since that's what I have at home.  I don't think it makes much difference, but if you have a strong oat preference, go with your gut!  I originally go the recipe from here, but spruced it up a bit to add these additional elements.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.5 cups oats
• 1.25 cups flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a stand mixer mix together the applesauce, oil, brown sugar, and egg.  In a separate bowl mix together the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and flour.  Add the oats to the applesauce mixture.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.  Fold in the chopped apple, raisins, and walnuts.  Spoon into muffin cups until they are about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 17 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 muffins.

Stud Muffin: Blueberry

Blueberry muffins are one of my favorites.  I like my muffins to be heavily blueberried, and this recipe fits the bill.  It's another recipe that comes out great every time.  I tried something different this time, I used frozen blueberries, and put the blueberries in the batter frozen.  It didn't work out as well as using fresh blueberries.  It caused the blueberries to bleed a bit more than I like.  I'm not sure how they would to with frozen blueberries that had been thawed.  I'll update this post once I give that a shot.  But here's the original recipe with my alterations:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.  Fold in the blueberries.  Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for about 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Makes 15(ish) muffins.

Stud Muffin: Banana Nut

I am a sucker for a good muffin, and I really enjoy making muffins.  So this next recipe series will be devoted to muffins.  When I was a little girl, my mom and I would make muffins from a mix.  I like how the mix muffins always come out perfectly, with little domes on top.  I like these banana nut muffins, because, like the mixes, they always come out perfectly.  Every.  Single.  Time.  If you have any consistently good muffin recipes, please share!  I go this banana nut recipe from here, and unlike many recipes, it needs very little alteration.  The original recipe says that it makes 6 muffins, but it makes 8 for me.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup mashed bananas, about 2 bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (the original recipe called for walnuts, but I've also used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar.  Add egg, vanilla, and banana, and mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Add flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Fold in nuts.  Fill muffin cups to about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 24 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Rakkot Krumpli

As I mentioned in my last post, Carl and I make dishes from our ethnic heritage each Christmas Eve. I have made this Hungarian potato and egg casserole with my grandmother, but I did not write down the recipe.  So I fudged the recipe, based off of what I remembered my grandmother doing, and from here.  This recipe calls for Hungarian sausage, and I have made the mistake of trying to substitute some other kinds of sausage to disastrous results.  If you don't have a Hungarian deli nearby, you can order all sorts Hungarian goodies, including fabulous sausages, from this store based out of Chicago.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. potatoes
• 12 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 lb. Hungarian sausage (we used gyulai, pronounced yule-yai)
• 3 cups sour cream
• Sweet Hungarian paprika

Peel and slice the potatoes into 1 inch slices and boil them in a large pot for about 15-20 minutes or until they are barely tender.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Layer about half of the potatoes into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Dollop half of the sour cream on top of the potatoes and sprinkle a few teaspoons of paprika on top of the sour cream.  Layer half of the sausage on top of the sour cream.  Add another layer of potatoes, sour cream, paprika, and sausage.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  

Swedish Meatballs

Every year Carl and I celebrate our ethnic heritage on Christmas Eve.  We make his great-grandmother's Swedish meatballs, along with some Hungarian dishes that I'll post later.  These meatballs are easy to make, come out great every time, and stay tasty as time passes.  What's not to like!  The original recipe left out a lot of details, so I've added in what we do to make it a bit easier to follow.

Ingredients for the meatballs:

• 3/4 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground veal
• 1/4 lb. ground pork
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• dash of ground ginger
• dash of ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Soak bread crumbs in cream.  Sauté onion.  Mix all ingredients in KitchenAid mixer.  Form into 1 inch balls and bake on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.  

Ingredients for gravy:

• 2.5 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Cook and stir in a sauce pan on medium heat until thick and bubbly, about 15 minutes.  Cook meatballs in gravy in slow cooker on high heat for 30 minutes, basting the meatballs often.