Ice Cream Recipes

I recently got a book from the library with different ice cream, sorbet and granita recipes. I wrote a few down that I wanted to try and this week we made the combination below. They are two different recipes but after they were both made, I layered them in a container so that when they were scooped they were swirled. The combo was delicious!!!

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (makes 1 quart)
1 c dried, shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened (I used regular since I didn't have any unsweetened)
1 c. whole milk (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup cream)
2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp rum

Preheat oven to 350. spread coconut on baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove when fragrant and golden brown.

In pan, warm milk, 1 cup cream, sugar, salt and add coconut. Scrape vanilla bean into warm milk, add the pod. Cover, remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour.

Rewarm the coconut mixture. Set mesh strainer over another saucepan and strain. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly add the warmed mixture to the eggs and return to saucepan. Stir until thickened. Mix in remaining 1 cup cream. Add vanilla or rum. Chill and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.


Mango Sorbet (makes 1 quart)
2 large, ripe mangoes (about 2 pounds)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
4 t. fresh lime juice
1 T dark rum
pinch salt

Peel mangoes. Cut the flesh into chunks and put them in a blender with remaining ingredients. Chill and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.

Breakfast Pizza

The other night I was reading a food blog and it linked to a website I had never heard of. Since it mentioned that it was a website that was specifically devoted to food photos and they had a certain criteria that needed to be met, I hopped on over there and was awed at all the wonderful photos. In fact, I planned my week's menu from the photos I saw. One of the first photos that caught my eye was for Breakfast Pizza. I had never thought of putting raw eggs on a pizza crust and then baking it, but it was amazing!! Dan even said I could make it once a week if I wanted. Of course it helps that I've finally figured out how to make a crust that has the right balance of crunch and chew.



My picture doesn't do it justice. But then, I'm not a food blogger. Nor do I aspire to be. So just click on the link to the recipe and you'll have the recipe, directions and some great photos!!

Homespun Pot Pie

Here is the recipe that I mentioned earlier that we made while on vacation in Vermont. The original recipe says that it feeds six, but good grief, they must be six really hungry people. I'd say it would feed probably twelve adults. We got 2 1/2 meals out of one recipe.

Homespun Pot Pie

Vegetables

1 T olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t salt

1 t dried thyme leaves

1 t dried marjoram

4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 T Dijon mustard

2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

2 cups chopped potatoes

2 cups peeled and chopped parsnips (optional)

1/2 t ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth or stock

3 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn

1 T soy sauce

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 pound chicken, chopped

Biscuit topping

2 c white flour

1/2 t salt

1 T baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

6 T melted butter

1 c buttermilk or plain yogurt (I used buttermilk)

1 t dill weed

Warm the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and garlic, cover and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, thyme, marjoram, mushrooms and the mustard. Cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices, about 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, parsnips, black pepper, chicken and the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are just tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the vegetables stirring constantly. When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the peas, corn, soy sauce and the salt. Pour the vegetables into a greased 9x13 pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, dill and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt. combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Drop the biscuit batter over the vegetables.

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the biscuit topping comes out clean.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics.

Cream Cheese Tomato Soup

'Tis the season for soups! Here is another one of our favorites from Dining in the Spirit of Naniboujou.

Cream Cheese Tomato Soup

2 T butter

1/2 cup finely diced onions

6 ounces cream cheese

2 cans (11 oz each) condensed tomato soup

3 cups milk

2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes, with juice

2 tsp basil

Melt butter in pan and saute the onions until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add cream cheese, stirring while it melts. Mix in the tomato soup until smooth. Add the milk slowly, mixing well. Continue cooking and add the diced tomatoes and the basil.

Dilly Bean Potato Soup

When menu planning for this month I found a great-looking and inexpensive soup recipe in Simply in Season. I was a little skeptical about how the soup would taste as I've never made a soup that combines potatoes and beans. But I figured it was cheap and I've not been disappointed in anything from this cookbook so far so I'd give it a try. And it gave me the opportunity to use my new pan (a Le Creuset knock-off). I was not disappointed. It was delicious!! Even Darin (who thinks he's picky) loved it and had seconds. It is just as good warmed up the next day.

Dilly Bean Potato Soup

3/4 cups chopped celery

3 carrots, shredded

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

In large pot saute in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4-5 large potatoes, peeled and diced

salt to taste

Add and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Mash some of the potatoes.

4 1/2 cups cooked Great Northern beans (I used dried that I had cooked the night before)

1 T dried dill weed

Add to soup.

3/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 1/2 T flour

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine and stir into soup. Cook and stir until sour cream has been mixed in and heated.

Serve with fresh bread.

My newest favorite recipe

I made this recipe for the first time over Christmas while at my parents' house. When we all (my siblings families, my parents and our family) get together, we meal plan in advance and all contribute something. I had been looking for a recipe that was allergen-free since my niece has recently been diagnosed with several allergies, and the first place I looked was this blog. I have used it many times when making a meal for a friend of mine that has several allergies including gluten and have never been disappointed in any of the recipes. Little did I know that this recipe would be so absolutely scrumptious!!!! I'd make it again today but I'm out of the ingredients and considering that I left my wallet in the car that Dan has in Mankato today and that the wind chill is currently -50, I won't be making a run to the grocery store. :-(

Roasted Vegetable Magic
This makes a very large batch so either you'll have lots of leftovers or you can cut the recipe in half.
Roasting sauce:
6 T olive oil
3/4 cup Dijon mustard--I like the stone ground kind
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (could also use marjoram or thyme)

Vegetable mix:
4-5 small red potatoes, quartered
4-5 small yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 zucchini, cut into half-moons
1 yellow squash, cut into half-moons
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
6 carrots, sliced
Sea salt or kosher salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Mix vegetables in large roasting pan. Whisk roasting sauce in small bowl and pour over vegetables. Stir vegetables until coated. Roast in oven for about an hour stirring once or twice. Enjoy!!

Hominy with Shredded Chicken and Peppers

This recipe was adapted from Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way. It is the first time I've ever used or even eaten hominy and we all liked it. I'd like to find dried hominy somewhere, but so far I've been unsuccessful in finding it here.

Hominy with Shredded Chicken and Peppers

2 Tbls olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large red bed pepper, seeded and sliced
1/4 t salt, plus more to taste
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 t dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 (15-19 oz) cans hominy, drained (I used 1 can yellow hominy and 1 can white hominy)
1-2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes, drained
2 cups (about) shredded or chopped roast chicken
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and salt. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, jalapeno, oregano and cumin and continue to cook until the peppers begin to soften.

Stir in the hominy. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Then stir in the chicken and cook till heated through. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.

Cornmeal pancakes

This recipe has become one of our favorite pancake recipes. It is definitely a hit with the kids, especially when served with real maple syrup (except for Kara who prefers pancake syrup). Make sure you don't skip the whipping of the egg whites or the pancakes will be much denser. This recipe come from Food to Live By.

Cornmeal Pancakes--makes about 8 4-inch pancakes.
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
2 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp canola oil
Extra canola oil or butter for griddle

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and orange zest in large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together orange juice, buttermilk, egg yolks and canola oil. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into pancake mix. Do not overmix.

Heat oil or butter on hot griddle. Spoon the batter onto griddle and spread the batter a bit. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, flip the pancakes. Cook until other side is brown.

Mosaic Cheesecake

When I first saw this recipe on this blog I knew I had to make it. I love cheesecake and I love brownies. So when some friends invited us over to play cards, I had this dessert in mind when I volunteered to bring the dessert. We had half of it left when we were done playing cards so I put it in the freezer for a later time otherwise I'm sure I would have felt the urge to sample it several times during the following days.

Mosaic Cheesecake

Part 1: Fudge Brownies
1 1/3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup canola oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. In smaller bowl combine wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Line a 9x13 pan with tin foil. Let tin foil hang over on two sides so you'll have handles with which to remove the brownies after they've cooled. Spray tin foil with cooking spray. Pour in batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Let cool. When cool remove brownies from pan and cut into 1/2 inch chunks with cookie cutter. You will need about 1/2 of the pan for the cheesecake. The rest you can just eat. :-) (they are really good refrigerated)

Part 2: The crust
2 1/4 cups chocolate graham crackers, crushed
8 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Mix crust ingredients together and press into bottom and up sides of a greased springform pan. Fill crust or chill until ready to use.

Part 3: The cheesecake
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie chunks
Mix cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Gently fold in brownie chunks and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the area near the center is set. Center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is shaken. Let cool and top with ganache.

Part 4: Ganache
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
Scald butter and cream in a saucepan. Place chocolate chips in food processor and process until powdery or very small pieces. With processor running, pour in hot butter and cream. Stop machine and scrape sides as necessary. When mixed, add vanilla and powdered sugar. Process until completely combined. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm.

Chill cheesecake until ready to serve.

Tomato Spinach Phyllo Bake

This recipe came out in a Light & Tasty magazine either last year or the year before. My whole family loves it (well, except for Darin who sometimes thinks he doesn't like anything) and it is good for you too. I made it one night for supper this week and Darin helped me mix the ingredients.

Here's the recipe:
Tomato Spinach Phyllo Bake

4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 sheets phyllo dough
Butter-flavored cooking spray
3 large tomatoes, sliced

Combine first 9 ingredients. Set aside. Spray 1 phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Place in greased 9 inch cooking pan allowing one end of dough to hang over the edge. Repeat with 4 more sheets staggering which side the dough hangs over.

Spread 1/3 of spinach mix over phyllo dough. Top with 1/2 of sliced tomatoes. Repeat layers and top with spinach mix. Spray remaining phyllo dough sheets and layer on top, staggering as before. Gently fold over ends of dough towards center. Spray with cooking spray. Loosely cover with tin foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Pound cake

The other day when I was showing Dan our newly organized downstairs pantry, he saw the box of cake flour and commented that I hadn't made pound cake in quite awhile. I got this recipe several years ago when we lived in Lincoln. One of Dan's co-workers, Karl, made it for a potluck one night and it was so delicious and moist. It freezes well, but around here it never lasts that long. Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 T vanilla
3 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Add cake flour and baking soda. Butter and flour a bundt pan. Pour in batter. Bake for 2 hours at 300 or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Roasted veggies

Last Saturday I took the kids with me to the farmer's market and we picked out some veggies. We picked up some purple, yellow and red peppers and a yellow tomato. We also picked up some broccoli, carrots and watermelon. And we picked up some Okra. I recently saw a post by Bethany about how to make okra so I figured we'd try it. We haven't yet but I'll let you know what we think of it when we do.

With the fresh veggies I made veggie pizza on Sunday night and last night I made roasted veggies over a mix of brown and wild rice. It was so yummy!! I got the recipe out of a new cookbook I've gotten: Simply in Season. My sister-in-law had brought her copy of the book along when we went camping over Labor Day so I was able to preview and she (along with my brother who is the main cook in their family) gave it a whole-hearted endorsement.

The recipe in the cookbook gives 4 different seasonings to put over the veggies. I just poured 3/4 cup Italian dressing over 10 cups of chopped veggies. Then I put it in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes. When I served it I topped it with shredded Parmesan (not the green stuff in the can but the shredded stuff). It was so delicious and I'll be making it again very soon.

Finally!!

Yes, I'm finally blogging. I realize it's been awhile so I'll try to update you all on what we've been doing lately. I'm sure I'll forget half of what I had planned on blogging about since I never write anything down.

This week we went to a local fruit farm and picked a bunch (ha, ha, get it?) of concord grapes. Ellie and Kara had their own clippers and Darin and Natalie helped me pick some. We picked 42 pounds of grapes. Aren't they beautiful?

My original plan was to make 2 batches of grape jelly and to make the rest into juice. I've got a great canning cookbook with wonderful recipes. I started with the first batch of jelly. What a pain!! First you have to cook the grapes, strain them and then strain them again--using cheesecloth. It takes forever!!! Then you have to strain them a few more times. It seemed way too labor-intensive and wasteful (you throw the pulp away) so I only made one batch of jelly and one batch of jam. Turns out, I prefer the taste of the jam anyway.

Since I figured out that using cheesecloth to strain the grapes was too much work, I decided that the original recipe I was going to use for the juice was also way too much work (same process, just save the juice instead of adding sugar for jam). There was another recipe in that cookbook and a friend of mine had used a similar recipe so I decided to try that. Plus it would make a whole lot more jam.

Here's the recipe:
Wash 1 1/2 cups grapes. Place in clean, hot quart jar. Add 2 T sugar. Fill with boiling water leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Let cure for 3-4 months before drinking. Strain before drinking.

I got 57 quart of juice.
In other news I recently got my own sewing machine. I'd been borrowing (mostly keeping) a friend's and recently gave it back. Dan figured it was about time I got my own so we stopped by Sears and picked up one that was pretty similar to the one I'd been borrowing. We can't afford a really, really good one with all sorts of fancy options so since I was familiar with this machine and I'd not had any problems with it, we picked this one up. I sewed a couple of things on it and then it went kaput!! No matter how much I monkeyed with it it would not sew correctly. It kept pulling on the spool of thread and I'd have huge piles of thread bunching up under the fabric. Needless to say the seam on the underside was a mess. So I gave up and sent Dan back to Sears with it. Normally there is a 15% restocking fee but since it wasn't working right they didn't make us pay that. Had they tried Dan would've gotten them to reconsider. He's good about things like that.

Before Dan took back the sewing machine I thought I'd check Craigslist to see if there was a used one since my mom and my sister have recently gotten some really good deals through there. And there was!! It was the same brand I've been using but an upgrade. And it cost less. Plus it came with the quilting feet including a free form foot which I hope to use soon to make some coasters.

So here is what I've made so far:
Some burp rags I made for a friend who is expecting her first baby:
AWANA bags for Darin and Kara (Ellie's isn't done yet):
I've got a few more bags I want get made and then I hope to get some coasters done.

Apple Nut Pancakes

I made these for supper tonight. They are from Food To Live By.

2 crisp apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 c toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs
1 c milk or buttermilk
4 T melted butter or 4 T canola oil
2 c less 2 T whole wheat pastry flour
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 T cinnamon

Mix eggs, milk and butter. Mix dry ingredients together and mix with wet ingredients until moistened. Spoon batter onto hot griddle to form 4-inch pancakes. Arrange apples and walnuts over batter. When small bubbles begin to appear, flip pancakes and cook until the other side is brown. Serve with warmed maple syrup.

A couple of good recipes

I recently asked the library to purchase this cookbook for me and I've found several very yummy recipes so far. I've asked Dan to buy it for me so hopefully he will as I can't keep the library's copy forever. Here are a couple recipes I've tried so far.

Maple Almond Granola
4 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 c slivered or coarsely chopped raw almonds
2 T ground cinnamon
1 1/4 c pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A dark amber
1/3 c canola oil
1 c raisins

Preheat oven to 325. Place oats, sunflower seeds, almonds and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir. In a small bowl, combine oil and maple syrup. Pour over oat mixture and stir until all ingredients are moistened.

Place in 12x17 rimmed baking sheet. Bake about 25 minutes, then stir. Bake another 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until granola is light golden brown, dry and fragrant. Remove from oven. Stir in raisins and let cool.


Banana Maple Walnut Muffins--makes 16 muffins
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 c pure maple syrup
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/3 c milk
1/4 c canola oil
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c mashed very ripe bananas
3/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Place in greased muffin tins and bake for 20-30 minutes.

A couple of good recipes

I made a couple of good recipes the last couple of weeks.
This is a really good salad--but be forewarned--it makes a ton!!!! So only make 1/2 a batch or share it with another family. Asian Noodle Salad

This one is a recipe for granola bars. I made them for a Spring Break party yesterday and they were a hit. I added 2 cups of rice krispies, a smidge more butter and brown sugar and 2 T of real maple syrup. I also used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds. They are quite versatile.
Granola Bars

Wild Rice--Quinoa Pilaf

I made this for supper last week to go along with our stuffed chicken. It was really good, although the next time I make it I think I'll use a little less chicken broth since I think I would like the quinoa a little drier. Quinoa can be found at your local health food store.

1 T canola oil
1/3 c finely chopped onion
1/3 c finely chopped celery
1/4 c pistachio nuts or almonds, chopped
1 c quinoa, rinsed and drained (don't skip the rinsing step or your quinoa will be bitter)
3 c chicken stock or vegetable broth
1 c cooked wild rice
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute for 5-6 min or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the nuts and quinoa and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes. Stir in the wild rice, cover and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is hot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Pad Thai-Style Fried Rice

I made this for supper last night and it was really, really good. I'll definitely be making it again. I got the recipe from Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.

Peanut Sauce:
2 T fish sauce or tamari soy sauce
2 T chicken stock or broth
1 T ketchup
1 T natural-style peanut butter
1 T fresh lime juice

Fried Rice:
3 T roasted peanut oil or canola oil, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c shredded carrots
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 t minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1 c thinly sliced green onion
1/2 c diced red pepper
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
4 c cooked brown rice, chilled (cooked a little drier)
1/2 lb precooked peeled medium shrimp
10 fresh Thai or regular basil leaves, chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 c fresh bean sprouts
chopped peanuts

1. To prepare peanut sauce, mix together ingredients and set aside.

2. To prepare the fried rice, place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 t oil and eggs, stirring to scramble loosely; cook until done. Remove the eggs to a plate.

3. Add 2 t oil to the skillet with the carrots; cook for 2-3 minutes or until the carrots begin to soften. Remove from the pan.

4. Add the remaining 2 T oil to the skillet with the garlic, gingerroot, green onion, red pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked rice. Cook for 1-2 minutes; stir in the eggs, carrot, shrimp, basil, cilantro and peanut sauce; cook until heated through.

5. Taste for seasoning and salt if necessary (I didn't add any). Garnish with the bean sprouts and the peanuts.

6. Enjoy!!!!!

Health Nut Muffins

I was looking for a recipe for muffins for lunch today, found one, then modified it. Darin asked if I could please make them again once they were all gone.

3 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 T canola oil
2 cups sour milk
1 T vanilla (about, I never measure vanilla, just put in a few squirts)
3/4 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup blueberries
2 apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped
2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Mix wet ingredients in large bowl. In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fill greased muffin tin mostly full. Bake at 350 for 15-22 minutes, depending on the size of the muffin. I made 12 jumbo muffins with this recipe and bakes them for 21-22 minutes.

Kielbasa Split Pea Soup

I am posting this since there was a request for the recipe.

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package (16 oz) dried green split peas
9 cups water, divided
1 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, halved and sliced
4 medium carrots, halved and thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 T minced fresh parsley
1 t dried basil
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

In a large Dutch oven coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook celery and onion til tender. Stir in split peas and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients (including 3 cups water). Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until peas and veggies are tender.