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Eat Right Guide

Double Blueberry Muffins

I made these muffins this evening, and they were fantastic.  Substituted turbinado sugar in place of the cinnamon sugar.  So yummy.  Recipe from Food Network's website.  

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin or line the cups with paper liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix. In a shallow bowl, mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries with the back of a fork. Add to the batter and mix.

With the mixer running at low speed, add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the milk, and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups whole blueberries by hand until well mixed. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon. Use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the muffins and bake until golden brown and risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before turning out.

Smooth-ie Operator

I have never been one to jump on the smoothie bandwagon.  I never quite saw the appeal of pureed fruit as a drink because, to me, it lacked flavor, body, substance, something....
And then I discovered, on a whim, that, duh!  I can make my own!
Armed with my blender and food processor, and a boatload of fresh fruit, I've discovered the art of making custom, portable breakfasts, built around whatever I need for the day--peanut butter for energy, bananas to ease a queasy stomach, strawberries just because....  I'm overjoyed with the endless possibilities.
I used milk as a base in my smoothies, but I felt that it lacked something.  We have been keeping half and half lately because we have been on a homemade ice cream kick lately, and I tried that instead of using milk--divine.  As far as sweeteners go, I far prefer agave nectar over honey or sugar or other options.
What do you like in your smoothies?

Strawberries Galore!

I know it's technically "Wordless Wednesday," but I have to share some recipes from our trip to the local farm to snag lots of yummy strawberries.  Two recipes are included.

First "recipe":   My semester is drawing to a close, so I went to my mother-in-law's house to finish my grading in peace. She went with me earlier today to the farm to get strawberries. While I was grading mountains of papers, she came in with three bowls--one with strawberries, one with sour cream, and the other with brown sugar. I was told to dip a strawberry in the sour cream, and then roll it in brown sugar. Why didn't I know this my whole life? Absolute heaven.
Second recipe: This is the freezer jam I made earlier today (pictured in my previous entry).

Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam (from Sure Jell Pectin)

2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

step 1 RINSE 5 (1-cup) plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

step 2 MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is almost dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

step 3 FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Wordless Wednesday

Update to My Previous Post

In an effort to squelch my eating-out addiction, I am going to attempt to go two full weeks without a single fast food indulgence, or a restaurant stop, etc. This starts tomorrow, the 18th. Wish me luck!

Advice For a Take Out Queen?

In my attempts to spend less needless $$, I find that some temptations are easier to eliminate than others.
My biggest vice?
Take out, restaurants, drive-thrus, ice cream parlors--the joy of eating out has always been a weakness of mine.
I see all of these things for making freezer meals to stash, meals in jars, etc., and it all seems like they are really fabulous ideas, but I never seem to put them to fruition. With two little ones, the desire to snag easy food wins out far too often.
I try to find short-cuts...I have done freezer meals, learned to make some yummy quickie dinners, have precooked and canned (or have frozen) meats to make kitchen prep a little easier. And it all seems to be to no avail.
I know the steps I need to take, but the question is, how to I motivate myself to take them? Any way to make it fun along the way?
To be fair, we have set an "eat-out budget" this pay cycle that we have been adhering to, and I am hoping that it will help--BUT, we've blown this before, so I worry.
Any advice for a take-out queen?

Chinese Style Pulled Pork

I made the *best* pulled pork the other day.
It started as ribs, and I turned it into pulled pork on a whim, and it was fabulous.
Take 2/3 cup of orange marmalade, a half cup of soy sauce, six tablespoons of ketchup, and a couple cloves worth of minced garlic and mix together in a bowl to combine.
Pour half of the mixture in a slow cooker, add the ribs, and pour the remaining sauce on top of the meat. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Cool meat enough to handle, debone ribs, and shred the meat. (We used the slicer/shredder attachment for our Kitchenaid mixer, and it worked really well.)
Make another batch of the sauce (with the same proportions/measurements), add to the shredded pork, mix, and heat thoroughly. Wonderful on sandwiches!

A Follow Up: DIY Mandarin Orange Peel/Zest

A few posts ago, I shared an entry dedicated to grating your own mandarin orange peel. This morning, armed with a container of peels from my newfound addiction to Cuties, I decided to give it a try.
I took the orange peels, layered them out in a glass baking dish, and baked them in a 170 degree oven until they started to feel a bit crispy/dried out (I checked them every ten minutes or so).
Once I took them out of the oven, I tossed them into my Ninja and, using the pulse setting, processed the peels in batches until they resembled coarse crumbs.

And voila!
Place in batches in freezer bags and freeze until needed!
I can't even begin to tell you how awesome my house smells right now, and I am anxious to make another batch as soon as I finish the rest of those cute little mandarins. I love using orange peel in glazes and Asian dishes, and I'll post recipes when I use them for the first time.

DIY: Mandarin Orange Zest

In my quest to achieve frugality, I'm *attempting* (and often failing) at trying to waste less. And, seeing as I am now addicted to those darling Cuties mandarin oranges, I was excited to find a blog post that talks about how to turn those peels into fabulous mandarin orange zest. Orange zest brings such life into foods and sauces, so I'm totally stoked to try this.
How to Dry and Use Mandarin Orange Peels

Sopapilla Cheesecake...Om Nom Nom....

Bless you, Pinterest, for introducing me to Sopapilla "Cheesecake." It was creamy, decadent, warm, gooey, and all around wonderful. And now, I am sharing it with you! (The original recipe can be found here.)

Sopapilla Cheesecake
Ingredients:
-3 cans crescent rolls
-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup butter (melted)
-Cinnamon & sugar

Instructions:
Unroll and spread 1 & 1/2 can crescent rolls on bottom of ungreased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with mixer on medium speed, until creamy/mixed. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Teriyaki-Hoisin Chicken

I have a lot of vices. Among them are:
1) eating out
2) getting Japanese/Chinese food as takeout when doing said eating out, particularly when it comes to good teriyaki
3) hoisin sauce...I could eat spoonfuls straight out of the jar

This is why I am making THIS for dinner tonight, instead of eating out, via Barefeet in the Kitchen:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

In a small saucepan, whisk all the ingredients together until well combined. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer just until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To Cook the Chicken:

1 1/2 lbs chicken (white or dark meat), diced into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
granulated garlic

In a skillet, over medium high heat, warm the oil and add the chicken pieces. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Cook the chicken until the meat is no longer pink, turning the pieces as needed. When the meat is cooked through, place in a small bowl and pour the above teriyaki sauce on top. Toss thoroughly to coat.

Our New Year's Eve Date

(The hubby was prepping Gorilla Bread while I was making the Orange Chicken for dinner.)



(Orange chicken...it was fabulous, if I do say so myself.)



(Gorilla Bread, fresh out of the oven.)

Instead of going out, the hubby and I made our own dinner--together. Made a knockoff Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken recipe for dinner, and Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread for dessert. Eating out wouldn't hold a candle to the awesomeness that was our dinner--and we got to enjoy the prep as a couple. Yay for being frugal!

Orange Chicken (from www.recipesecrets.net)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Oil (for frying)

Glaze:
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1 c fresh orange juice
1/2 c hoisin sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c granulated sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cut your chicken into 2 inch piece and put them into a large
bowl. Add in the egg, salt, pepper and oil. Mix it well and set it
to the side. In another large bowl, stir the cornstarch and flour
together and mix it well. Add the chicken into the flour mix and
coat each piece generously.

2. Pour about a 1/2 inch of oil into a heavy skillet and set it
over high heat. When the temperature is 375 degrees, carefully put
some chicken pieces in small batches and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or
until it’s brown and crispy/crunchy. Carefully remove the chicken
from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels,
brown bags, or however you’d like to drain it. Finish frying the
chicken until they’re all done. Set it aside and put together your
glaze in the next step.

3. Let your oil cool slightly in the skillet and remove all but 2
tbsp. of oil and put it over medium heat. Saute the minced garlic
for a minute, being careful not to burn it so you don’t end up with
a bitter taste. Add the rest of the ingredient in and bring the
mixture to a boil. Make sure to stir this for 3 minutes and reduce
the heat and simmer it until a saucy thick glaze is created. Pour
the glaze over the chicken and serve!

AND..........

Gorilla Bread Recipe (www.pauladeen.com)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 12-ounce cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

My First Pinterest Project--Buckeyes

So, I conquered my first Pinterest project today--buckeyes. I basically morphed two pins--the one for Peanut Butter Balls, and the other for Buckeyes--and made my own creation. This was one of my very first attempts at making homemade candy, and that's one of the beautiful things about Pinterest--I keep finding projects that I think, "Hey, even I could maybe do this?" There are so many creative ideas, and I'm inspired to broaden my horizons and expand my skills. I'm generally not a DIY/project kind of gal, so I'm hoping to break that and surprise myself.
Here's the recipe:

-1 cup peanut butter
-1 cup honey
-1 cup powdered milk
-1 cup malted milk
-1 package chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients into a thick mixture. (You can play around with proportions as needed.) Roll into walnut sized balls and place onto flat sheet/container. Chill for one hour.
In a microwave safe bowl, place chocolate chips and oil. Heat on half power for two minutes, or until melted, stirring after one minute. Roll chilled balls in melted chocolate. Chill for two more hours, and enjoy! Keep refrigerated. Yields 2 to 2 1/2 dozen.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Found this recipe online via Taste of Home...will file away for future use. Yummy.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

• 24 Servings
• Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch
  

0 10 30

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Colored sugar or sprinkles, optional

Directions

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, sour cream and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Divide dough in half. Shape one half into a 5-in.-long roll. Wrap in plastic wrap; place in a resealable plastic freezer bag. May be frozen for up to 3 months. Cover and refrigerate remaining dough for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles if desired.
• Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To use frozen cookie dough: Remove dough from the freezer 1 hour before baking. Unwrap and cut into 12 slices. Place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles if desired.
• Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 2 dozen.

Today is the Day....

Today is the day...
-I start working toward getting out of debt and improving our financial lives.
-I start working toward feeding my family more foods that are better for them.
-where I resolve to use eating out as a treat, rather than a habit.
-when I show more gratitude for what I have been blessed with in my life.
-that I find ways to save money and live a more frugal life.
-I focus more on my children and what they need, instead of simply muddling through the day.
-when I work toward living a more productive life every day.
-where I worry less about appearances and what others might think of me.
-that I strive to be a better wife to my husband.
-I begin working on cleaning out our mess of a basement after the horrors of Mouse-a-geddon.
-that I start working on becoming more self reliant, particularly in the areas of emergency preparedness and food storage.
...And the beautiful thing about this? If I slip up, or I have a bad day, tomorrow will someday be today, and I can start anew.

Learning to Love the Local

If you remember, one of my New Year resolutions is to buy more local foods whenever possible.
Grocery shopping is one of those things where I really strive to make my money count. I have already mentioned the fact that my main grocery M.O. is buying frequently used products in bulk, but I have also discovered that buying local can often be both yummier and easier on your wallet.
There are major advantages to living in a rural area, and for me, I can use these resources more than someone who might live in a larger city, but I still recommend exploring your options. I don't buy local foods as often as I should, but that's why I have that as a resolution for next year.
As a general rule, I like buying certain things locally. For example, I don't have very good luck buying produce at mass market grocery stores. Usually, it goes moldy and nasty faster than I can use it, and it's so pricey. But, when farmer's markets are available, I can get fresher, homegrown produce at a fraction of the supermarket cost, and, for whatever the reason, it lasts longer. (I really need to master my canning skills so I can preserve more of what I bring home.)
I also buy as much meat as I can through local butchers. The quality is significantly higher, I can trace where the meat is coming from (and even visit the farms if I like), it's custom cut and packaged just for me, and they usually offer discounts for buying in bulk (which I love to do, of course). And, once again, it's better quality and cheaper than in the grocery store (as a general rule).
I buy spices locally and in bulk. There's a little grocery store in our area that is run by a Mennonite group, and they sell cheap, bulk spices. It is much cheaper to buy there than it is to buy the small containers at the chain stores. This same store also sells fresh baked goods, homemade jams (for WAY less than the generic jams at Walmart or the grocery store), and Amish made cheeses. They also sell bulk baking products, so I can both locally and in bulk.
I discovered that if I focus buying locally produced snacks, that we eat healthier in the process. After realizing that The Goob had developed an addiction to Lucky Charms, I made the goal to give him healthier snacks when I can. So, we found local fruit markets that sell dried fruits, trail mixes, etc., and he LOVES these new snack discoveries. I managed to snag bags and bags of healthy snacks--honey drops, loads of trail mix bags (with flavor themes like strawberries and cream, pomegranate and cherry, strawberry honey crunch, tropical Tahitian, etc.), dried fruits, chocolate and yogurt covered cranberries, sweet potato chips, crystallized ginger...the haul was insane--all for $19.
I love locally grown eggs, though they ARE pricier than their store counterparts, but they lack that egg-y aftertaste you get with store eggs.
So, this is a goal for my new year. I can support small business, save some cash, and eat yummier, higher quality food. Wish me luck!

Kitchenaid 7 Quart Mixer Giveaway

They are giving away an AWESOME 7 quart, Kitchenaid stand mixer at Love From the Oven. I just received a 6 quart version as an early Christmas gift, an upgrade from my tilt-head Kitchenaid Artisan, and I LOVE it. So much power...I'm a little afraid to put it on the highest speed...it's THAT powerful. ;)

Good luck! I'm hoping to win it, too! My dream is to have two Kitchenaid mixers in my kitchen (and two dishwashers, too...I already have two microwaves), and the only way I can justify it to the hubby is to win one for free! (My sister in law has my old mixer.)

Curried Rice Pilaf With Apricots, Dried Cranberries, and Golden Raisins

So, I made curried rice pilaf for dinner alongside salmon in Lowry's Hawaiian marinade. I took a recipe from Taste of Home and made it my own. It was fabulous, so here ya go:

CURRIED RICE PILAF WITH APRICOTS, CRANBERRIES, AND GOLDEN RAISINS

-2 1/4 c. water
-1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional)
-1 cup long grain rice
-1/4 cup dried cranberries/Craisins
-1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
-1/4 cup golden raisins (can up to 1/2 cup, if you want)
-2 teaspoons chicken bouillon or chicken soup base
-2 teaspoons curry powder
-dried minced onion, to taste
-1/2 tsp. of salt

Set water and butter (if using butter) to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, mix the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Once water is boiling, add remaining ingredients to boiling water. Reduce heat and cover, allowing to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve.

Why I am Grateful, #24 and #25

I am grateful for the fact that, minus buying some small gifts for a few friends, we have most of our Christmas shopping done...all of the family shopping is complete! And I'm really excited about that because now I can tune out the Black Friday commercials and sale ads and focus on the season itself. (I really, really, really hate the commercialism of Christmas and Black Friday, but that's a rant for another day...let's just say, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is essentially Christmas without the materialism, and now the retailers want to take that away from us via Black Friday hell.)
Today, I am also grateful that we had a Thanksgiving meal large enough to supply us with ample leftovers, which I will be turning into pot pies a la Paula Deen today.

TURKEY POT PIE

Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 11-ounce cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
2 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of celery soup
1 large Turkey skinned, cooked, boned and cubed
2 medium onions, diced
2 cup cooked butternut squash, diced (I'm just gonna use a can or two of canned veggies...corn, maybe peas, or mixed vegetables, or whatever is frozen downstairs)
2 cup cranberry sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, dust surface with flour. Cut 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Mix egg and milk together and brush onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes. Dough will rise and turn light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies.

In a large saucepan heat the milk and soups. Stir in turkey, onion, squash, cranberries and salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. In an oven-proof pot, fill with mixture and top with the pre-cooked lattice square. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes until bubbly and puff pastry is deep golden brown.

Cook’s Note:
Cutting the puff pastry with a fluted-wheel creates elegant edges.

Good substitutions for cheddar cheese soup are cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup.

Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen