Good Morning Bran Muffins

Before you click away from this post because you're thinking, "Ugh, not another bran muffin that tastes like plywood." Don't. These muffins are the softest and most tender bran muffins I've ever had. They almost melt in your mouth they are so soft!

What I love about these muffins is that you make the batter, put it in a large tupperware container and stick it in your refrigerator. Then when you need a quick breakfast, just scoop out the batter into a muffin tin and bake. Whallah! A yummy, filling breakfast just like that! Even my toddlers love these so that's saying something.

Makes 24 muffins

3 cups All Bran cereal

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

In a large bowl, mix cereal, shortening & boiling water until shortening has melted & cereal is soft. Add buttermilk & eggs & mix well. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients together then add to your wet mixture all at once. Stir just until it's all combined. Grease a muffin tin and scoop batter into tins until filled 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Remove and enjoy with butter, jam, honey, etc.

Put the rest of the batter in a tightly fitted container. This will keep in your refrigerator for 3 weeks.

Read more...

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Every once in awhile, you just need that homey, comforting bowl of soup. Usually creamy tomato soup fits the bill just fine, but sometimes I crave something different and often when I get that feeling...no, not the feeling that Marvin Gaye talks about, that need for something soothing, I pull out this recipe. This is a great soup recipe for when you're sick too.

It's full of wonderful vitamins and nutrition like Vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid and lycopene. Major good for you! One of our favorite meals in our house is this soup with a BLT. Talk about an easy and delicious dinner.

Serves 6-8

adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Note: You'll need roasted bell peppers for this recipe. You can buy roasted peppers in a jar or roast them yourself. If buying store bought, you'll need 2 jars with juices. To roast bell peppers, set your oven to broil and place peppers whole on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little oil and rub all over the pepper. Roast on all sides til the skin is blackened then remove and place in a plastic container or a paper bag. Put in your refrigerator or even the freezer if you're short on time to cool it down and let them steam. When cool enough to handle, remove skins and seeds.

2 T. Olive oil

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups of chicken broth

3-4 roasted red bell peppers

1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 T. sugar

2 t. Italian seasoning

Salt & pepper

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 C. white wine vinegar or 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar diluted with 1/4 cup water

Garnish:

1/4 c. softened cream cheese mixed with 1/4 c. sour cream

Croutons

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or so. Add broth, peppers, potato, seasonings, vinegar & sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Take the soup off the heat and let cool about 5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until it's a smooth consistency, mainly blending the potatoes and vegetables til creamy. Season the soup with more salt, pepper, Italian seasoning if needed. Dollop each serving with a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture and scatter with a few croutons.

Read more...

Mexican Lasagna

I first made this dish several years ago for my then boyfriend,-not-yet-husband and it might be one of the reasons he married me. He would argue otherwise, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Ever since, this has been a family favorite and it graces our table at least a couple of times a month. What I love about it is it's healthy, hearty and easy to put together. Since I've been making it for awhile, I can whip this meal up in about 30 minutes. Extra bonus: This is a great take-in meal for that somebody who's had a baby, had surgery or just plain lost their mind during the Christmas season. :) You just throw it together, foil it up and take it for them to bake when they are ready. It freezes great too.

Note: You will need to roast your poblano chili pepper beforehand. To roast poblano, set oven to broil. Put pepper on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a little oil. Place under broiler and roast til skin blackens, turning the pepper every couple of minutes til it's black on all sides. Place pepper in a plastic container with a lid and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. When ready, peel skin off and remove stem and seeds. It's okay if some seeds remain.

Serves 4 BIG eaters, 6 Normal ones

3 T. olive oil (or canola oil is fine)

1 red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat of your choice (beef, turkey, chicken)

1 roasted poblano chili, diced

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (or regular)

2 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. dried oregano

1 large can enchilada sauce

2 1/2 c. shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese

package of flour tortillas

Garnish with any of the following: cilantro, green onions or olives.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper and season with salt & pepper. Cook until softened and add garlic. Cook for another minute and add ground meat. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder & cumin. Brown meat for 3-5 minutes until it's not pink. Add diced poblano, black beans, diced tomatoes & corn. Mix until combined. Season with oregano and more chili powder, salt, pepper, etc if needed.

To assemble:

Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray and pour about a 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Pour 1 -2 cups or so into a pie plate or other shallow dish so you can dip your tortillas in the sauce before layering. The layers of this dish go like this: enchilada sauce, flour tortillas, meat mixture, cheese and then we start over again. I like to tear my tortillas into large pieces and layer them that way, but you could also just lay them down whole and tear some pieces to fill in corners.

So, dip your tortillas and layer in the bottom of the dish, top with half of the meat mixture and a handful of cheese. Repeat with another layer of dipped tortillas, the other half of the meat mixture, some more cheese and end with another layer of tortillas. Take your extra enchilada sauce and pour over the top of your tortilla layer and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or...until hot & bubbly. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with any of the above mentioned items or just plain dig in!

If frozen:

Bake covered in foil at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Check to see if center is warmed through before serving.

Read more...