Frozen Blueberry Muffins

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cups of sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Cream together butter and sugar in seperate bowl. Add eggs, mil and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in frozen blueberries. Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12-18 muffins depending on size of blueberries.

Homemade Hot Pockets

Here's something I've been having fun with lately. Make your dough and then get creative with the fillings.

1 package yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups flour, more as needed

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar. Let it set for a few minutes until foamy.

Stir in oil, salt, and flour. Knead 5 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes.

Divide dough into serving size pieces. (I make about 8) Roll and pat each piece into a circle (about 6-inches across or so). Top half of each circle with filling of choice, keeping back from edges so it will seal well. Fold the other 1/2 of circle over the filling and pinch sides together or seal with a fork.

Poke a couple steam vents and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

So far I have filled mine with...

Spaghetti sauce, Mozzarella and Pepperoni

Cream of chicken soup, broccoli, leftover chicken cut into bite size pieces

Leftover beef gravy, onion, peppers, leftover roast beef cut into bite size pieces

Sometime soon I'd like to try a breakfast variety. Maybe cheese sauce, ham and scrambled egg?

So far they've all turned out pretty good. I have learned to put a bit more sauce in them than you think you'll need. Otherwise they may turn out kinda dry. I hear they freeze well, but have never tried it myself. Have fun!

Donut Muffins

These are my new favorite thing. Like a snickerdoodle all wrapped up in a muffin. I didn't have nutmeg so I sprinkled some cinnamon into the batter which tasted great. Also, maybe my muffin tins are small, but I made 12 instead of 10 easily. I think they'd be super fun as mini-muffins. Enjoy!

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract.
Divide batter evenly into 10 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl.
When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 10 muffins.

Homemade Baking Mix

I saw this tonight on a blog I was reading and thought it looked interesting. She is posting some recipes for a freezer meal day to go with it later. You're supposed to use it in place of Bisquick. Might be handy in a pinch. You can see the post here.

• 10 cups flour (I used freshly-ground whole-wheat. Doreen suggested doing half white and half whole-wheat.)
• 8 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar or turbinado
• 2 1/4 cup coconut oil or shortening

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening or cold coconut oil until you have fine crumbs. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool place (if you use freshly-ground flour, store in the freezer). Use in place of Bisquick.

Freezer Egg and Hasbrown Casserole

8 eggs 4 cups of hashbrowns 12 oz can of evaporated milk 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese 1 tsp salt 1 cup diced onions 1/2 tsp pepper 1 1/2 cup cut up peppers 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 cup diced ham, sausage or bacon Mix together in 9x13 pan and freeze. (The cheese will clump if frozen, you may want to leave it out and add it when you thaw it before you cook it.) Thaw and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. I made ours without the onion and pepper and with sausage and it had plenty of flavor. I did add some onion flakes.

Chocolate-Chip Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Add the flour mixture and combine. Batter will be thick.
5. In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
6. Spread half of the cake batter in prepared 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chip mixture over the batter. Repeat with the remaining batter, and then the remaining chocolate chip mixture.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Cake
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

1. For the topping, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until crumbly. Add chocolate chips and toss together. Set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan. Sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup of butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, beating until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Add vanilla extract and stir in entire can of pumpkin. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended.

3. Spread half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle around half of the topping mixture and spread the remaining batter on top. Distribute the leftover topping evenly over batter. Bake until tester inserted into center comes and clean and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool cake. Serve room temperature.

Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze

I had a friend who posted on facebook that she had made these and how good they were. So, I asked for the recipie and now I'm sharing it with you! This recipie comes from JoyTheBaker.

In a saucepan, heat up on medium heat until spices become fragrant...

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Remove from heat and whisk in....

1 large egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Place filling in fridge while you prepare your dough.

You need to start with pie dough. Wether you use pre-done, make your own or use Pillsbury crescent rolls like I would, depends on how many you will get out of this. Roll out your pie dough into 1/8th thickness and cut with a pizza cutter pop tart size rectangles.

Beat one large egg in a bowl and brush on half of your rectangles. Spoon filling on top of brushed squares. Place the other half of the rectangles on top. With a floured fork, crimp edges together. Create vent holes on top of pockets.

Let tarts rest in fridge while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When oven is ready, place tarts in upper 1/3 of oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cool tarts. While cooling make glaze of...

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 tsp of maples syrup

2 tbls of milk

Glaze cooled tarts and enjoy!

Breakfast Sandwiches

Super easy and freeze well.

1 Can of croissants

8 Sausage links

6 Eggs

1 cup of Shredded Cheese

Cook the sausage and eggs. Place one sausage link per roll and divide the eggs and cheese among them. Roll them up and place on a cookie sheet. Cook at 375 for 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins

For Jillian :)

INGREDIENTS:
2 c cake flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, and oil together until smooth. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture, being careful not to overmix. Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until the muffins are deep golden and baked through. Cool slightly and serve immediately. Makes 1 dozen.

I often add a couple handfuls of chocolate chips to these. We love them that way. :)

Four-Grain Flapjacks

Four-Grain Flapjacks
Tonight was breakfast for dinner night, but I ran out of Bisquick...this was my substitution this evening. These are really moist and lightly sweet, but definitely heartier than Bisquick pancakes. Seth is usually hungry right after pancakes, but not with these!

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal, preferably stone ground
1/4 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
2 tablespoons sugar2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Whisk together in another bowl:
1 3/4 cups milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I used salted because it's what I had)
1/4 cup honey
3 large eggs beaten

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Spook 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake, nudging the batter into rounds. Cook until the top of each pancake is speckled and bubbles and some bubbles have popped, then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you finish cooking the rest. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Makes about 18 4.5 inch pancakes

90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

Okay, so it's not a dinner recipe, but I've made them several times lately and they're really good! I just do them in a greased 9x13 pan and they come out great every time.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup raisins (optional) (I leave them out)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.
Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm

Gingerbread Waffles

Okay girls this is what I made for dinner tonight (balanced I know!) and they were SO GOOD! If you liked the pumpkin pancakes you'll surely like these. They did make a HUGE batch, so beware. We'll have them for breakfast for the next two mornings too.

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffles iron.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These were just too good not to share....

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Strawberry French Toast

If you like strawberry shortcake, like I do, you may love this one as well...


1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices.
Whipped cream cheese

Spread cream cheese between two slices of bread, place sandwiched slices in a glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pour over bread and let sit for five minutes, turn bread over and cover pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Whipped Topping:
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond or amaretto flavoring

Top with strawberries mixed with sugar and the whipped topping.

Make ahead French Toast

This takes a bit longer to make, but is really good. You can also make it in the morning and just pop in in the oven for dinner.

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 45 Min
READY IN 14 Hrs 10 Min

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and vanilla. Dip bread slices into egg mixture and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, and maple syrup. Spoon mixture over bread.
4. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.