In the Kitchen: Bran Flax Muffins

What you will need:

1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour

3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

3/4 cups Oat Bran

1 cup Brown Sugar (I used 3/4 cup)

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Shredded Carrots

2 Apples, peeled and shredded (I used one large apple and left about 1/2 the peel on)

1 cup of Nuts, chopped

1/2 cup Raisins (optional)

3/4 cup Milk (I used skim)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix together Flour, Flaxseed Meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in large bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

Then stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Stir until batter is moist.

Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid into dry ingredients. Stir until moistened, but do not over mix. (About 1 minute or less).

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Yields 15 medium muffins.

I like to make both medium and small bite size muffins. I was able to get 12 medium and 22 bite sized.

Turn out immediately onto racks to let cool. Enjoy! They are delicious!

Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Several weeks ago I was meeting a friend at BJ's Wholesale to do some shopping, but before we did our shopping we stopped for a cup of coffee to chat. As we ordered our coffee we took notice of a delicious looking cookie that we just had to try! So we shared a Cranberry Oatmeal cookie and it did not disappoint.

So with our church's cookie exchange coming up I decided I needed to try to bake that cookie!! For the most part I just used the oatmeal on the back of the Quaker Oats and went from there. I like my oatmeal cookies thick and chewy. I have found that the trick to getting a really thick, chewy cookie is to chill the dough before you bake it.

Below you will find the recipe.

• 1 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit if you don't like cranberries)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts (or walnuts etc)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, cranberries, white choc and nuts, if using them.

Chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You can go ahead a bake them without chilling them but they will not be as chewy and will be a thinner cookie.  I even chilled one batch over night to finish baking the next morning.

Bake cookies two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. This is important: Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.  





This recipe makes about 5 dozen, depending on the size of cookie you make. I made these with my granddaughter for a cookie exchange. I needed to double the batch. They are delicious!



I thought I would join my friend Gina today over at Keepin' It Real!

Utterly Deadly Pecan Pie

One of my favorite pies is Pecan. I have wanted to post this since Thanksgiving but hadn’t taken the time to transfer the pictures to my computer. So Here is my recipe that several have asked for. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cup corn syrup (I use 1/2 dark and 1/2 light)
• 4 eggs 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups pecans, coarsely broken
• 1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

Directions

 

1. In saucepan boil sugar and corn syrup together for 2 to 3 minutes'; set aside and allow to cool slightly. I usually wait about 30-45 minutes.

 

 

 

2. In large bowl beat eggs lightly and very slowing pour the syrup mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly.

3. Stir until mixture is smooth and lump free.

4. Stir in butter, vanilla, and pecans.

 

 

 

5. Pour mixture into pie crust.

 

 

6. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for about 45 to 60 minutes or until set.

Go Big or Go Home?

When my boys were younger I used to make Applesauce every fall. In fact we had friends that would come over and the fours of us would make enough applesauce for both families to last until the following fall. Or at least we hoped it would last that long!

We were so spoiled on homemade applesauce that we all refuse to eat store bought. It’s just not the same. Not even close.

I’ve been hungry for homemade applesauce. So,Thursday I bought 2 pecks of apples planning to make applesauce on Saturday. It’s just two of us, I thought it would be plenty.

So I am up on Saturday cleaning the apples when my dear husband looks at me and says “no way is that enough! You know the boys are going to want some.” I commented that I didn’t really want to make a ton of it just a little. His reply? “Go big or go home!”

Back to the orchard I went and purchased a bushel for a total of one and half bushels of apples. I pretty much cleaned them out of the apples I wanted. I was a little late in the season!

With the apples all washed I began to boil them, whole. I like to use a variety of Apples. The two I most often use are Cortland and Golden Delicious. This year I also used some Red Delicious, Winesap and Jonagold apples. Bottom line is I never just stick to one type of apple for my sauce. With this combination I didn’t have to add any sugar. It had just the right taste of tartness and sweetness. Delicious.

There are several ways to cook your apples. Boil. Steam. Bake. I have used all three. In fact I usually use all three at the same time so that I can get them cooked quicker.

When the apples look like this they are ready to be processed. One important note. Each batch you cook should have a variety of apples in the pan. Do not cook apples separated according to types. You want a good mix of all the apples in each batch.

I have a manual Food Mill that I like to use. It was passed down from my mother and I couldn’t find any like this on the internet. I did find a stainless steel one. But I really like mine better. You can also find a variety of food mills, even electric one.

My husband always helps in the process as it can get tiring, but great exercise. Well for one arm anyway! :-)

Once you have all the apple pulp grind from the apples you are left with the skin, seeds and stems. Because we live in the country we like to save this and take it out to the corner of our property and dump it for the deer that like to visit us.

Now the fun part! The Applesauce! Oh but first a couple of suggestions. I use the same water as it is already hot and doesn’t require heating up again. When you are finished with the water you will most likely see bits of apples. So that I do not waste any of the apple I pour the water through a fine strainer. Once all the water is strained run this through your food mill.

You will then pour the applesauce into a large bowl. Allow to cool.

Once the applesauce is cooled down a bit you can taste it to see if it needs sugar.  If you can the right combo of apples you shouldn’t have to add any. But there have been years that I have had to add a little. I also add cinnamon to mine. Once you have it tasting the way you want it then begin to put into bags to be frozen.

You can also CAN applesauce. I never learn or bothered to teach myself because I really don’t have the space to store a bunch of canned goods. I do however have a very large  freezer.

I will usually freeze my applesauce in freezer bags as they take up less space. You can also use storage container that are made for the freezer.

My one and half bushel produced over 17 quarts of applesauce. I might have gotten a bit more but I set some aside for Apple Crisp and eating.