Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Alisha (my sister) and I made these muffins earlier this summer. It's a modified version of the recipe from the inside of the cream cheese container. Yep . . . they were AWESOME!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients (Muffins)

• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh or drained canned blueberries or ¾ cup frozen blueberries, thawed and well drained

Ingredients (cream cheese):

• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
• ¼ sugar
• 
  

Directions:

1. Prepare muffin batter
2. Divide ½ the batter among 12 muffin tins.
3. Combines softened cream cheese, using electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
4. Divide cream cheese among batter in muffin tins. Top with remaining batter.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

It's another cold day

Well . . . another cold day!  Matthew has been sad to go to work when I get to stay home but he has been enjoying the benefits of yummy breakfasts and dinners. I bought the Pioneer Woman's cookbook recently. We have been making one recipe a week for some together time. Since I was off, I made the Fancy Mac & Cheese for him last night. amazing. That's all I can say. She has the recipe on her blog as well:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/02/fancy-mac-and-cheese/

I'm off to spend another day in school work, crafting and cleaning. Enjoy the pictures in my last post of our mini vacation to remember that summer will be back someday!

Amazing Black Beans

2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight
8 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls chili powder
handful of cilantro, chopped

I soaked the black beans overnight; actually for about 18 hours. In the morning I drained and rinsed them.
In a pot, soften the onion for about 2 minutes with oil, then add half the garlic. After about 1 more minute add 6 cups of chicken broth and then the beans. Add chili powder. Bring to a boil then put on low for about 45 minutes. (The black beans I bought most recently were smaller than usual...they were soft after 45 minutes. Cook yours until they are soft.) Add the rest of the garlic and all of the cilantro. Cook for another 15 minutes.
My beans had quite a bit of liquid so I might try less next time, but like I said, the beans seemed smaller than usual. Just watch your liquid and add more if needed.

Ham Potato Broccoli Soup

Each Thanksgiving we are blessed with a (large) half ham from Matt's employer. Last year, once we broke it open, we were struggling to eat it all quickly enough. This soup was a result, enjoy!

Ham Potato Broccoli Soup
16 cups potatoes
10 cups water
5 cups ham, chopped
2 cups onions, chopped
16 oz. pkg. broccoli
8 oz. pkg. cheddar cheese
freshly ground pepper to taste

I sauteed the onions first and then threw everything else in (except the cheese). I didn't even peel the potatoes but I have a Norwex veggie cloth that cleans them really well. And we don't mind skins. After the potatoes had softened I took a couple cups at a time and spun it through my manual food processor until it had a nice creamy texture. Then I added the cheese at the end.

Our ham arrived last Tuesday. We haven't opened it but I'm already looking forward to this soup again!!

Vegetable Beef Soup

Vegetable Beef Soup
12 cups water
soup bones (I used one package from some beef we processed. About 3 lbs. I think)
1 pkg. corn

The soup was a little more soupy than this . . .
my husband tends to go for the chunky part of soups and this was his bowl.

1 pkg. green beans
1 pkg. peas
1 pkg. mixed veggies
4 beef bouillon cubes
5 tbsp flour
4 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tbls salt
2 tsp marjoram (I didn't have any so I omitted this and it was still fine)

I boiled the water and soup bones for quite a while until the meat was easy to pull from the bones. After that it's basically dump and stir. Add the flour with care to avoid chunks - use water from the pot and stir in a small bowl before adding.

Venison sandwiches

It's getting to be that time of year again - gun hunting is right around the corner. It's time to use up all our venison so we have room for the next deer. I have barely done any grocery shopping besides milk and spinach - it's a wonderful thing! I made this for the first time last spring and never did a post so here's to hunting season - Good luck to you all!

Shredded Venison Sandwiches

2-3 pound venison roast
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme

Put the roast, soup, garlic and thyme in a crock pot for 6 hours on low or until tender. When I start to cut the venison into chunks the meat just falls apart. Mix it up well and serve on a bun.

Dad's Chili

It's been COLD at night - fall is really setting in I guess. We have been dealing with the cold and refusing to turn on the heat. I don't think that will last much longer. Until then we have my dad's chili recipe (with my adjustments) to warm us up!

 

Chili

3 cups dry kidney beans, soak in water overnight and drain

6 cups of water

celery (I use the whole thing)

2 quarts of tomatoes

1 large onion

1 lb. hamburger or venison

8 tbsp chili powder

1 tbls oregano

1 tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 tbls crushed red pepper

 

Top with cheese and sour cream if desired. Serve with Frito's or other corn chips.

 

This chili is SPICY. If you don't like your chili to be very spicy, skip or reduce the crushed red pepper. If you use canned beans, reduce the water.

Spicy Sausage Soup

It was chilly last weekend! So I made this soup to warm me up while Matt was away on a fishing trip. He was gone for a whole week . . . it was long. I'm so glad to have him back!

Spicy Sausage Soup

2 quarts tomatoes

2 spicy italian sausages, cooked

1 medium onion

1 green pepper

2-3 cloves garlic minced

oregano

several fresh basil leaves, chopped



Cucumber Sandwiches

 Cucumber Sandwiches

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 large spoonful salad dressing
1 large spoonful mayo
fresh dill chopped or cut
2 large spoonfuls soup greens
  (I buy soup greens at a local foods store. It has  a bunch of different dried veggies. It is not necessary but adds a little more flavor.)

Soften the cream cheese. Blend in salad dressing and mayo. Mix in soup greens if desired (it takes a while for them to hydrate). I use scissors to cut the fresh dill. I use quite a bit because I love dill! Let it sit for an hour or more in the fridge before spreading over rye bread and adding cucumbers on top.

Apple Banana Bread

I had to make space in the freezer for all the food we have been putting away. We had frozen bananas taking up an awkward amount of space but I didn't have the correct ratio of bananas to banana bread batches. I substituted some apples we had that were drops from my in-laws trees. We normally use drops and "old," soft apples by coring and cutting them up. Then we freeze them for crisp and oatmeal  - but this worked well too!

Apple Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 ripe mashed bananas
3/4 apples - put through a food processor
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips - chopped
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of the bread pan. Mix sugar and butter, then add eggs. Blend. Add bananas, apples and water, mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into bread pan and bake for about 60 minutes.

Harvesting Weekend - How to Freeze Corn

We worked A LOT on harvesting food this weekend. We butchered chickens, picked and froze corn, tomatoes, and beans. I made spaghetti sauce and salsa. Baked apple and rhubarb crisp. Mixed up creamy cucumbers (with the help of my wonderful sister-in-law) And we still have a lot to go. Matthew and I will be cutting more corn tonight. It's a lot of work now but we really enjoy it in the winter!  Here is how we put it away:

Get out a 9x13 glass pan.
Fill it with corn cut from the cob.
Grind peppercorns and mix it in with the corn.
Cut half a stick of butter into slices and place on the top.
Add 1/4-1/2 cup of water.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Mix corn well.
Bake for another 20 minutes.
Let corn cool.
Put in ziploc bags and freeze.

I take the corn out of the freezer the night before I'm going to serve it and put it in the refrigerator. It just needs to be heated up on the stove quick before serving. Sometimes water needs to be added to avoid sticking and burning.

Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Last spring I had family come into town for a 31 Party. I needed to make some easy but yummy treats so I could spend more time with them than I did in the kitchen. I also was able to use things I already had in the house.

Cream Cheese Roll-Ups
1 pkg. cream cheese
4 green onions chopped
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
flour tortillas
2 garlic cloves

Not-So-Plain Brownies

Butterscotch & Peanut Butter Brownies

I also made brownies. I love brownies, even from a box but it's also fun to jazz them up every once in a while. I didn't measure exact amounts but there were a few dollops of peanut butter and probably about a 1/2 cup each of butterscotch chips and chocolate chips.

 

Summer Venison Burgers

 Venison Burgers
2 slices bread, toasted and crumbled
1 egg
1 lb. ground venison
a few chunks of cilantro

Mix these ingredients together and split into four balls.


Other ingredients:
small green pepper
small onion
pepper jack cheese

Chop one small green pepper and 1 small onion. Saute them with olive oil.

Pepper jack cheese (or your favorite cheese). Sliced thick and cut in half.

Split each ball of venison in half, put the cheese slices in between and press the halves back together.

She's Back!

I know it's been forever. Later I'll post some of the things that have been occupying my time. In very new news...as if late last night...my sister is back for the summer!! I can't tell you how much this makes me smile. This will be the 3rd summer she has spent with us.  Today was her first day back to work with my in-laws and for dinner we're having my favorite venison marinade. Here's the recipe.

Favorite Venison Marinade

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic (or more if you LOVE garlic like me!)

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp oil (of any kind, I use olive)

+ 1 onion

+ venison (this will cover 1-2 lbs for me)



Easy Oatmeal

Matthew and I love easy but yummy breakfasts. We generally leave the house within 30 minutes of waking so it has to be quick. Matt eats his breakfast at work because he doesn't like eating just after waking up. He used to skip breakfast altogether but I would always lecture him about it so we found an alternative. He really liked those packet oatmeals with apple cinnamon. Well those packets can get pretty expensive (especially when your husband eats 2 at a time!) and, those of you that know me, know I love living on a budget. I came up with a mixture of my own. We use:

2/3 cup quick oats

a little less than 1 tbls brown sugar

a dash of cinnamon

a few frozen chunks of frozen apples (added just before cooking)

I used to give Matthew the job of scooping the mixture into the same ziplocks each week but he tired of that job quickly. Instead, we bought air-tight containers and added cheap measuring spoons from Walmart so it's quick to scoop up in the morning. While this makes a great breakfast, we also really liked the apple, cranberry, almond that Quaker Oats makes. Because of our abundance of frozen strawberries we came up with this recipe instead of cranberries. I had walnuts on hand so we used those too. This verison is more filling since it has nuts too, plus I like the texture of the old fashioned oats vs. the quick oats.

Amazing Baked Oatmeal

4 cups old-fashion oatmeal

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup walnuts chopped

2 cups strawberries sliced

1/2 cup chocolate chips

4 cups whole or 2% milk

2 eggs

1/2 stick melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix 4 cups oatmeal, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Split walnuts and strawberries in half. Add half to the mixture, save the other half to arrange on the top. Spray a 9 X 13 glass pan and lay mixture evenly. Mix 4 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1/2 stick of melted butter and 2 tsp vanilla. The butter doesn't mix very well especially if the milk is cold but it still works out. Arrange the chocolate chips and remaining walnuts and strawberries over the top. Pour liquid mixture over the oatmeal slowly. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy! We usually make this at night since it takes a while to bake. We eat it all week long by scooping it into a bowl, heating and adding a little milk.  Use other fruits if you'd like! I've seen many other ideas on pinterest with cranberries, blueberries, bananas, etc.

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip

I was going to bring a grape fruit salad to Easter dinner with my husband's family. A while back I got a recipe with cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, walnuts, etc. When I remembered that Matt's brother-in-law was avoiding dairy, I decided not to make a mixed fruit salad. I made a dip instead. I also had left over heavy whipping cream so I skipped the sour cream. Here is the recipe:

Quick and Easy Fruit Dip
1     8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2  pint heavy whipping cream
1/4  cup granulated sugar

Soften the package of cream cheese, beat well with whipping cream; I used my KitchenAid stand mixer. Slowly add the sugar until combined well.

Easter Eggs

Decorating Easter Eggs

My mom, sister, sister-in-law and I decorated Easter Eggs together.  I like to be crafty but the artsy I am not so good at. Good thing we had Alisha and Heidi there to make these cute little chicks!
Here is a link to the best way to boil eggs. It makes it so easy to peel them!
http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes-and-more/cooking-school/hard-boil-eggs

Pasta & Ricotta

I love pasta. I know, I know, it's really not that great for you but it's not like we have it every night. I like to throw fresh veggies together with fresh garlic, olive oil and the spicy italian sausages from Aldi because it makes a quick meal. Last week I had left over fresh veggies from pizza toppings so this is what it ended up to be:

Pasta Toss:
2 spicy italian sausages
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
3-4 roma tomatoes
1 onion
mushrooms
parmesan to top it off

I like to use broccoli too but didn't have any in the fridge.

I had planned to throw some leftover homemade ricotta on top but forgot about it until after we had eaten dinner. I threw it in with the leftovers . . .YUM! I got the idea for homemade ricotta on this blog. I never knew you could make your own and it was SO good. I don't think Matthew will let me go back!

Productive Procrastination . . . ?

At least, that's what my sister-in-law once called it. I had every intention of being very productive this weekend. The result . . . I got almost no school work done.  I got up a little late on Saturday, went grocery shopping and decided to put some of my pinterest finds to good use. That has to count for something, doesn't it? And, for those of you family members who tease me about getting excited about a good deal . . . I got $56 worth of food at the County Market for $20.64 - sweet!! AND it was the milk sale. I LOVE milk sale weeks and my sister-in-law always teases me when it comes around. But seriously, 50% off milk? And I know it's 50% off a price already much higher than Aldi, but skim for $1.74 and whole for $2.12 does make me and our food budget happy!
We also had Christmas with Matt's Dad's family, moved our snow blower back home after being fixed and I started the December sales taxes for Matt's parent's business. Looking back I guess I got a lot done, just not in the school area of life. Check out some of these awesome recipes I tried this weekend . . .

Peppermint Puppy Chow - found the idea on Pinterest but changed it because of my love for chocolate

Ingredients:
1 box of Aldi brand chex cereal
1 12 oz pkg. white chocolate chips
1 12 oz pkg. chocolate chips
1 (heaping) Cup crushed candy canes
Powdered Sugar

I split the cereal in half, melted the white chocolate and mixed half of the cereal. I poured half of the crushed candy canes in while mixing. Then I put some powdered sugar in the bottom of a Ziploc, added the mixture, put a little more powdered sugar on top and shook. After that was powdered nicely I did the semi-sweet chocolate.  The semi-sweet chocolate seemed to stick together with the cereal in chunks but the white chocolate separated nicely. At the end I mixed both in the bowl.  It's the perfect mix because Matt's favorite is white chocolate and I love the cocoa.

Grapefruit, Orange, Pomegranate Salad

I experienced Pomegranate for the first time this weekend. Isn't God's creation amazing? I cut it in quarters and revealed the beautiful, sweet, juicy fruit inside. I called Matt into the kitchen to admire it as well.  We removed each juicy seed from the inside and then mixed it with several grapefruit and oranges. In December we purchased fruit from some family friends to support their upcoming trip with the high school music department. I look forward to the sale each year because the fruit is better than any you find at the local grocery store.

Turkey Cranberry Salad Sandwiches - I actually followed this recipe the whole way except we used 12 grain bread and no lettuce, salt or pepper
http://easy.betterrecipes.com/turkey-cranberry-salad-sandwiches.html

Ingredients:

2 cups	Cubed Cooked Turkey
½ cup	Dried Cranberries
½ cup	Celery, finely chopped
3	Green Onions, finely sliced
½ cup	Mayonnaise
¼ cup	Plain Yogurt
2 Tbsp	Lemon Juice
	Salt & Ground Pepper
	Lettuce
4	Croissants

Directions:

In one bowl combine turkey, cranberries, celery, and onions; mix well. In another bowl mix mayonnaise, yogurt, and lemon juice together. Sprinkle to taste with salt and ground pepper. Pour over turkey mixture; stir all together. Refrigerate 1/2 to 1 hour. Spoon turkey mixture on sliced croissants; add lettuce and croissant top.

Pictures are to come . . . for some reason Blogger is not letting me upload pictures from my computer.

I guess IE isn't working anymore to upload photos. Today (after two weeks of trying to upload these photos) I tried Chrome. Works like a charm.