Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What I've Been Cooking and Baking

Like I mentioned in my last post, we had company this weekend. I spent the day Saturday in the kitchen making sure I had plenty for them to eat.

I used this recipe to make Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping.

Ingredients

  • 1-3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • TOPPING:
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, pie spice and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter.
  • For topping, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and pie spice; cut in shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  • Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 1 dozen.
Editor's Note: Read all ingredient labels for possible gluten content prior to use. Ingredient formulas can change, and production facilities vary among brands. If you’re concerned that your brand may contain gluten, contact the company.

I forgot to take a picture before we ate them all, but they were DELICIOUS and I highly recommend the recipe for you pumpkin lovers out there! (although I did just see the nutrition facts and immediately regretted eating 4 of those bad boys over the last 4 days... holy moly!)


I also made Homemade Chili and Cornbread for dinner Saturday night. I don't really have a recipe for the chili as I just used 1 lb ground beef, onion, 1 (28 oz can) diced tomatoes and 1 cup water and a bunch of spices and threw it all in the pot. It turned out
delicious!

For dessert I made tiny pudding pies. I used fat free
/sugar free cheesecake pudding. I put them in Keebler's Mini Graham Cracker Pie crusts and on top I put melted chocolate chips in a baggie and squeezed out drizzled chocolate on top of the pies and the same with some peanut butter. It was a yummy dessert and not too many calories!

On Sunday we got Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza.

Last night I made homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Again, I could not find a recipe I had everything for or that sounded go
od. So I gave up and made it up myself. I cut up 3 small red potatoes, baby carrots, onion and celery. I cubed my chicken into small pieces and sauteed it in a pan with EVOO until it was white. Then added the veggies and poured a can of chicken broth over it and a can of water. Then added 2 bay leaves, some oregano, some parsley flakes and a bit of beef broth for some added flavor. Then cooked the egg noodles separately and added them when they were cooked thoroughly. We ate it with the leftover cornbread and I just ate it again for lunch! So good!


I'm learning a lot about branching out and being brave with recipes. I hate using mixes and recipes and I love to add my own little twist when I find a recipe or Mix I like.
What's for dinner tonight you ask?!?! My Mamaw's Stuffed Pepper Recipe! mm mm! Again, altered by me.

Here is the recipe.
STUFFING:
1 lb ground beef (i used ground turkey for a healthier twist)
Chopped Onion
Instant White or Brown Rice
1 Egg

In a bowl mix beef or turkey with chopped onion, and about 1/4-1/2 CUP rice. Mix together with hands. Add Egg and mix
well. (I just realized I forgot the egg part when I was making mine, I'm pretty sure it won't matter I believe it's just to make sure the stuffing sticks together).

I added some spices. A little oregano. black pepper. paprika (i'm a little hungarian, I love paprika! use it all the time). a sprinkle of chili powder and garlic salt. Mix through meat.

Cut the peppers in half. Take out seeds. Wash well!

Stuff mix into pepper halves.

Put in crock pot.
Add 1 can of tomato soup and 1 small can Tomato Sauce with about 2 cans of water or however much it takes to cover peppers. Add sea salt and pepper and 2 bay leaves. Let cook on low all day or on high for a few hours. Watch them if possible to make sure sauce does not cook off of them too much.

EAT!



Matt and I love figuring out our "Meal Plan" for the week and then going grocery shopping for all the ingredients. It makes grocery shopping so much easier and CHEAPER!

Here it is for this week:

So I start working next week. I have a week of orientation though so I will be working normal hours that week. 8-4:30 which is kind of nice, but kind of sucks seeing as I have to drive downtown Chicago. I'll make it work. Anyways, I realized that I will be working in pediatrics, and I have not worked with kids in like 2 years. My pediatric nursing class was 2 years ago I think and I need a refresher. So I did a little of this today::
I honestly never believed I would look at these books again. My nursing professors always advised against selling our books back and it always made me mad when I would pay hundreds of dollars to know I would get nothing back. I guess now I understand... but I never in a million years thought I would be sorting through the boxes of nursing textbooks I have in our storage room after I took my boards. It happened. But I thought it a good idea as to not embarrass myself on the first day of my first ever nursing job.

I'm off to get ready and knit some while my husband is in class and then we're going to eat those Stuffed Peppers and spend some Quality time at Barnes & Noble this evening. He will read books and I will read lots of magazines! ;-)

I'm still pushing my brothers paintings. He has them listed on Etsy now. Check them out HERE and HERE (ETSY)
Let me know if you're interested or message him via etsy, or just buy something! ;-) Christmas is just around the corner 66ish days!!!!

2 comments:

Rachelle said...

omg you are going to be a Peds nurse! That's awesome and scary. Pediatrics was the one nursing I would never do. That's just me though. I love kids, but sick kids scare me... well more like their parents do. You seem like a sweet person, though, and those kids will love you as their nurse. By the end of your orientation period you will be so ready. Yay you!

Anonymous said...

You make me hungry every time I read your blog............Such a good cook and homemaker. Matt is a lucky guy.......and you a lucky girl.

Mom