Pumpkin mini chocolate chip muffin

Making muffins is a big part of our lives! It makes an easy breakfast or after school snack. Sometimes we make 1 batch, but mostly a double batch. Sometimes we make 6 batches of muffins. I got the base recipe from muffins from America's test kitchen. We have recently been doubling this recipe and pour it out onto a greased half sheet and we call it muffin cake. Easy clean up! (Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.)

Banana Muffins

2 C all-purpose flour (1 C mixed grain flour, ½ C wheat flour, and ½ C a-p flour)

½ C sugar (I use ¼ C raw sugar and ¼ C honey)

¾ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt (I use sea salt)

3 very ripe bananas mashed well (appx 1 ½ C)

6 T butter, melted and cooled (I use 6 T olive oil or half butter/olive oil)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¼ C plain yogurt (I use buttermilk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 C chopped nuts, optional (I use walnuts)

½ C chocolate chips, optional

Whisk the dry ingredients together.  Mix bananas, eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla together in a separate bowl.  Gently fold the banana mixture with the flour mixture.  Then fold in nuts and chocolate chips.  Do not over mix.

Bake in a greased muffin pan at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean or with only a few crumbs on it.

Pumpkin Muffins (apply to recipe above)

Instead of bananas, use 1 ½ C cooked pureed pumpkin.  Then add:

2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp all spice

1/8 tsp cloves

Increase the sugar to 2/3 C sugar (1/3 C raw sugar and 1/3 C honey)

1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Blueberry Muffins

Instead of bananas, use

1 C defrosted or fresh blueberries

1 C applesauce

Apple Muffins                                       Crumb topping (24 muffins)

Instead of bananas:                                    1/8 tsp nutmeg         1 C rolled oats          

¾ C bottled apples or sautéed        1/8 tsp ginger           3 T raw or brown sugar

¾ C applesauce                                  1/8 tsp all spice        3 T mixed grain flour

2 tsp cinnamon                                  1/8 tsp cloves                        ¼ C melted butter

Fill muffin tin with batter ¾ full.  Add crumb topping on top of each muffin batter before baking.

Burrito Stuffing Mix

This is a fast yummy dinner and it makes a lot. We double it last night because we had guests over for dinner.

Burrito stuffing mix

Prepare 1 cup uncooked white rice or ¾ C brown rice according packaged directions.

To cook the chicken:  place 2-3 chicken breasts depending on their size and how many you are feeding in a pot and cover with about 2 cups of water.  Season water with 1 cube of chicken bouillon, 1-2 T minced dried onions, and 1/8 tsp garlic powder.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes until chicken reaches 165 degrees.  Take chicken out to cool and then dice or shred.  Strain broth water and reserve for adding later.

While chicken and rice are cooking, sauté together:

1 small onion, diced

½ medium bell pepper, diced (optional)

1 T cooking oil

Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Add:

1 can (14.5 oz.) of diced tomatoes 

1 can (15oz.) black beans, drained

2-3 cups shredded/diced cooked chicken

¼ water or chicken broth from the cooked chicken

1 pkg. taco seasoning (I use my homemade taco seasoning mix)

Stir and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 3 minutes.

Add: 

2 cups of cooked rice and stir.  Cook until heated through.

Put desired amount of mixture into a warm flour tortilla.  Top with your choice of toppings:  cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, salsa etc.

Roll up into a burrito and serve.  This stuffing can be used for burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas, tacos, or taco salad bowls.

Taco seasoning mix (for 1 pound of ground beef)

2 tsp onion powder or 1 tsp powder and 1 T dehydrated onions

1 tsp sea salt

¼-½ tsp garlic powder (I use ¼ tsp)

¼ tsp dry oregano

½ tsp ground cumin

½-1 t chili powder (I use ½ tsp)

½-1 tsp cornstarch (I use 1 tsp)

Flour tortillas

2 C all-purpose flour

¼ C butter (I use half butter and half olive oil)

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ C hot water

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl. Cut in butter. With the mixer on, drizzle in the hot water just until it turns into a dough. Each cup of flour makes 3 or 4 tortillas so with 2 cups, cut the dough up into 6-8 equalish portions. Roll into balls. Roll out each ball into a roundish tortilla. Cook on a hot dry cast iron skillet, with the burner on medium, until tortilla is turning white and golden brown spots are starting.  Place on a cooling rack and start with the next one. After they are all cooked and cooled, store in a gallon zipper bag in the refrigerator.

Easy chicken enchilada casserole

Easy Chicken Enchiladas 

3 blsl chicken breasts

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 can diced green chilies

8-oz shredded cheese, cheddar or Monterey Jack

1/2 cup sour cream (optional: I add this to make it more saucy)

1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce

3 T milk

1 pkg flour tortillas (about 8-9)

Optional toppings: sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc.

Boil chicken breasts for about 40 minutes or until 165 degrees. When cool, dice chicken into small pieces. (Or use two 14.4-oz cans chicken, drained.)

Or... dice the chicken up raw, season with sea salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic power, chili powder, and ground cumin. This is how I prefer the chicken for this.

In a smaller bowl, combine milk and cream cheese. Beat this mixture until smooth. Then add the cooked chicken and green chilies.

In a 9 x 13 or 10 x 14 baking dish, pour about a fourth the enchilada sauce.

Layer tortillas, then ½ the chicken mixture,

Then sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded cheese,

then ¼ of the enchilada sauce.

Then layer again Tortillas,

½ the chicken mixture,

then sprinkle shredded cheese,

then ¼ the enchilada sauce.

Then layer again the tortillas,

the rest of the enchilada sauce,

and the rest of the shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

My famous fabulous delicious Bread

Feel privileged that I am sharing this. I never buy bread from the store anymore. I make bread at least once a week if not twice. I also use this dough to make hoagies, buns, and rolls.

Amy’s Homemade Bread (4 loaves)

Measure out 6 level cups of hard white wheat, and finely grind it. (Appx. 10 cups wheat flour)

In your Bosch:

Freshly ground wheat flour

2 heaping T Saf instant yeast (has to be Saf brand)

5 C luke warm water (105-108 degrees)

½ C honey

½ C olive oil, not extra virgin

Mix for about 20 seconds until it is mixed through and then let sponge until it doubles in size, 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine:

4 tsp sea salt

 ¼ C vital gluten powder

4 C white bread flour (baker’s high gluten flour unbleached)

Mix together and add to the dough.

Beat the dough for 10 minutes then pour it out onto a clean oiled counter.

Divide into 4 equal portions, appx. 1.8 pounds each.  Knead dough to get out all the bubbles and form into loaves.  Place into greased loaf pans, cover with oiled plastic wrap or damp bread cloth, and let them rise. (Dough is up to the edge on all 4 sides and top is nicely rounded on top).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  When all the sides of the loaves have reached the top of the sides of the pan, put the loaves in the oven.

Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes.  Do not open the oven.

Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 22 minutes or until dough easily reaches 180 degrees or more.

Remove loaves from the oven and take them out of the pans.  Place them on cooling racks.  Just for fun, lightly butter the tops of the loaves.  It makes them pretty!

Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Let the bread completely cool before placing in bags. Store in a cool place.

 (Convection oven: Conv. Bake, 425, Conv. Convert, Timer 12 min., then Conv. Bake, 350, Conv. Convert, Timer 22 min.)

Cream Tuna on Toast

This is an easy last minute dinner idea we did this week. We received some real home canned tuna from some friends and it's really good tuna. This is what we made with it. We actually tripled this recipe to feed our family and have some leftovers for lunch the next day.

Creamed Tuna on Toast

3 T butter

3 T all-purpose Flour

3 C whole milk

Melt butter and mix in flour to make a roux.  Add milk and whisk until there are no more lumps.  Stir until thick.

Add:

1 Can of tuna drained

1 T Worcestershire sauce

Season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Spoon over dry toast and top with heated frozen peas.

Cream of chicken and vegetable soup

My hubby made this one!

Sometimes when I have a busy day and haven't decided on dinner yet and I am absolutely exhausted, my dear hubby will step in and make dinner. This is his go-to concoction on a cold winter day!

Cream of Chicken and Vegetable Soup

3 chicken breasts

3 celery stalks, diced w/some celery leaves

1 medium onion diced

6-8 carrots cut in ½ to ¾” pieces

¼ head of cauliflower cut small

1 medium head of broccoli cut to small florets

2 small zucchinis (about 6”) cut in ¾” pieces

1 small yellow squash cut in ¾” pieces

1 lb frozen (or fresh) cut green beans

5-6 small red potatoes cut into ½ to ¾” cubes

6-8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

3-4 cups water

2 tsp “Better Than Bullion” chicken bouillon (water and bullion can be substituted for with 2-3 cans of chicken stock)

¾ stick of butter

¾ C. AP flour

4 C. whole milk

½ lb. ham, diced in about 3/8” cubes

½-1 tsp granulated garlic powder

Sea Salt, Pepper, “Mrs. Dash” chicken seasoning, Les Herbes De Provence, Olive oil

Season chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning, salt, and light amount of Les Herbes de Provence.  Brown lightly in olive oil.  Add celery, onion, and carrot, salt lightly and sautee covered 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add rest of veggies, potatoes, water, a little more salt, and bullion.  When chicken reaches 175-180° remove it and continue to simmer the rest.  Dice chicken into whatever size you like.  In separate saucepan heat ham through until it releases its juice.  Remove from saucepan and put in bowl with chicken breast.  When veggies appear nearly ready make a roux in saucepan with ham juices, melted butter, garlic and flour.  Add milk and heat whisking often until it thickens.  Add to soup along with chicken and ham.  Stir slowly and occasionally until combined and soup boils lightly for a minute or two.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and more garlic if you like. 

Daily Morning Breakfast - Kefir / yogurt made from raw milk

Every morning right after I get up, I talk a couple of acidophilus pills. I also give one to each of my older children who will tolerate it. Then after I get kids off to school, I pour me a cup of homemade 24 hour kefir and a cup of homemade 24 hour plain yogurt. I mix them together and I have a fabulous probiotic drink that I love! Others may have their coffee, I have my kefir and yogurt. I don't always have the yogurt in it if I don't have any at the time, but I always have kefir. When they have been cultured for 24 hours, all the lactose (milk sugar) has been eaten away by the beneficial good bacteria.

How to make Kefir

RULE: Do not let the kefir grains touch anything metal or chlorinated water.

1.  In a clean dry quart jar, gently pour in the kefir grains with the resting milk. (If the grains have sat in the resting milk for more than two weeks and smells pretty strong, you can strain out the resting milk and just put the grains in the jar.)

2. Fill the quart jar with fresh raw milk with a 1 inch head space.  Cover the jar with a cotton cloth or a paper towel and hold it down with a rubber band.

3. Set it in a cupboard for 24 hours. Ideally it should be between 65 and 75 degrees.

4. For the first couple of times, use a plastic or wooden spoon to check the milk under the cream and grains to see if it cultured like yoghurt. (If it is not, put it back in the cupboard of another 8-12 hours. Check it again. Only once has it taken mine 48 hours for kefir to culture.) If it is cultured, then put it in a plastic colander that is set in a plastic or glass bowl. (I use plastic.) Strain out the grains. (I lightly pound the strainer down on the bowl to get the milk of the grains.)

5. Put the grains in a small glass jar and cover with ¾ cup of milk. Cover with a plastic lid or plastic wrap and then a metal lid and put it in the fridge until next time. 

6. Pour the freshly made kefir back into the quart jar and cover with a plastic lid or plastic wrap.  Store it in the fridge.

7. My suggestions of how to choke down, I mean, drink down the kefir drink

          A.  1 cup kefir with 1 cup fresh raw milk- blend in a blender and drink

          B.  1 cup kefir with 1 cup orange juice – blend in a blender and drink

          C.  1 cup kefir with 1 cup OJ, 2-3 frozen strawberries and 1 frozen banana,                      blend in a blender and drink.

          D. Just drink 1 cup of it straight, pureed.

Kefir is combination of 20 probiotics including acidophilus. It is high in Calcium and vitamin Bs. I am sure you can Google it and find all sorts of information.

Caution: It is a detoxifier. Start out with only ¼ cup for a couple of days, then ½ cup for a couple of days, and then move up to a whole cup. Drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then let it digest for about an hour. Organic milk can also be used if you can’t get raw milk.

Homemade yogurt from raw cow’s milk

Needed:

7/8ths quart of raw cow’s milk

¼ C plain yogurt 

Digital thermometer

Method of keeping yoghurt warm

1. Fill up a clean quart jar 7/8^th full of fresh raw cow’s milk.

2. Pour it into a pot.

3. Heat the milk stirring frequently until milk is 105-109 degrees.

          Do Not let it get over 110 degrees.

4. Stir in ¼ C plain, full fat yogurt.

          (I like to use Greek Yoghurt because it has 5 strains of beneficial bacteria.)

5. Pour it all back into the quart jar and put a seal and lid on it.

6. Keep this jar in appx. 90-95 degrees F for 24 hours. Never higher.

7. Save ¼ c yogurt for the next batch.

          I make 2-3 quarts at a time, so I will save ½ C to ¾ C of yoghurt.

A. I have a box dehydrator that the screens come out. I place my yogurt in it to keep to temp. Once in a while I will check the air with my digital thermometer for the first hour. Then I put it on my calendar what time I need to take it out. If it's really hot outside, I will just set it in my enclosed garage. It's plenty warm in there.

B. In the winter, I will place the jar by the fireplace in a warm, but not too hot of a place.

I will repeat this about 2 times with the same batch, but then I will buy some new plain yogurt at the store. It just goes funny/yucky by the third batch.

Information on the benefits of Kefir

Kefir, which means 'feel good" in Turkish, is an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your "inner ecosystem" to maintain optimal health and strengthen immunity.

Kefir's tart and refreshing flavor is similar to a drinking-style yogurt, and it contains beneficial yeast as well as the friendly 'probiotic' bacteria found in yogurt. When used regularly, the naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in Kefir combine symbiotically to help balance your intestinal flora and boost your immunity.

Among its many beneficial powers, Kefir:

·         Provides supplemental nourishment for pregnant and nursing women*

·         Contributes to your healthy immune system

·         Promotes a relaxing effect on the nervous system and benefit many who seek a restful night's sleep

·         Helps support your normal intestinal tract function, promote bowel movements and your healthy digestive system -- and is beneficial after the use of antibiotics to restore balance to the digestive tract

·         Curbs unhealthy food cravings by making your body more nourished and balanced

·         While both Kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products, they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep your digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that already are present. Kefir actually helps to colonize your intestinal tract -- a feat that yogurt cannot match.

·         Additionally, Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt: Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species. It also contains beneficial yeasts which help balance the intestinal flora, including promotion of beneficial yeast in the body by penetrating the mucosal lining. They form a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and helps strengthen the intestines.

·         Kefir's active yeast and bacteria may provide more nutritive value than yogurt by helping digest the foods that you eat and by keeping the colon environment clean and healthy. The curd size of Kefir is smaller than yogurt, so it's also easier to digest, making it an ideal food for anyone with digestive health concerns.