Upside Down Peach Muffins!

I really should have called this post "A Peach of a Sister-in-Law"! This is my Sister-in-Law, Chandi. We recently went to Minnesota to visit my hubby's side of the family and got to stay with one of my favorite friends - Chandi. She and her hubby, Joel, just bought their dream home and are refurbishing it. Joel is an artist with his woodworking tools and you can just tell the house is so happy that someone who loves her so much bought her! One morning we got to wake up to these yummy muffins baking in the oven. After one bite - I knew I had to share them with the "Klique". Thanks Chandi for the great week, the yummy muffins and letting us love on that sweet family of yours!




Upside Down Peach Muffins

First prepare the custard cups (approx.18 small size)

6 T butter
1 c brown sugar
3 cups chunked peaches, canned or fresh

Distribute these ingredients amongst the custard cups. For me, the amounts are approximate. I just put a little dab of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar in each cup, I don't actually measure it.

For the batter:

2 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix dry ingred. then add:

1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c milk

Top the cups with batter, place cups on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or till browned on top.

Sweet and Sassy Muffins with Faithgirlz!

Jensie's church group, The Faithgirlz, met the other day at my house. I knew exactly the lesson I wanted to teach them...
My object lesson entailed making these Sweet and Sassy muffins.



We started the meeting off with one of my favorite childhood bedtime stories. My mom, Bobi, used to read this one to me a lot. I must have needed to hear it FREQUENTLY! The story comes out of Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories.
This story is about a little girl, Carolyn,who is nice at school, but turns into "Number Two Carolyn" at home. By this I mean - she shows love and respect while she's away - but at home she sasses her mom (Sound like anyone you know?)



The muffins we made use the same batter and you just change the ingredients to determine if they are going to be sweet or savory. Just like "Number Two Carolyn" - you can determine if you are going to be sweet or sassy - depending on what you put inside.



Sweet and Sassy Muffins
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, milk and oil to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Do not overmix. Grease or line muffin tins with paper baking cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Makes 10 to 12 muffins.

Add in's for Sweet:
1 cup blueberries,1 cup dried apricots, 1 cup chopped and peeled apples, 3/4 cup chopped dates, 1 cup mashed bananas, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup pecans, 1 cup flaked coconut, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter chips, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 cup drained canned pineapple.

Add in's for Sassy:
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
Small can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar, Muenster, Swiss, or Monterey Jack)
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onions.

We added Chocolate chips to our sweet muffins and Bacon, Pepper Jack Cheese, and Green Onions to our Sassy muffins.
The girls loved making them and many even learned a lesson I hope...
"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be" - Abraham Lincoln.

Cheese Blini's - Robin Sue Style!

Years ago Robin Sue, from Big Red Kitchen, brought these unbelievably tasty morsels to my home. I ate a respectable amount during our get together, but as soon as we were cleaning up I crammed entire fist fulls into my mouth while I walked the plate to the kitchen sink. I HAD to have this recipe. She graciously gave me the recipe - which I quickly passed to my mother Bobi. She in turn makes these pieces of heaven on a regular basis - and always gets requests for the recipe. I told Robin to blog about them - and she didn't remember what I was talking about. How could she forget these perfect little treats? How could anyone forget these cinnamon sugar coated lumps of love?

Adapted from: Kraft Kitchens - 2005

GOOD & EASY
You can't miss with Cinnamon Twist "Blinis"

These Blinis are a great addition to breakfast or lunch and if you need a dessert you can take the Kraft Kitchen Tip and dip half of the Blinis in chocolate. Whenever you need a treat to go, these fit the bill, and so I am off and running with a platter of these to a meeting tonight. These might even work for book clubs or Bible studies. You can have these with bacon and eggs in the morning, or tea and coffee as a snack, they are winners anytime.


1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
12 slices white bread, crusts removed
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, vanilla and egg. In separate bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and set aside.

Flatten each bread slice with rolling pin. Spread 1 side of each slice
evenly with 1 Tbsp. cream cheese mixture. Starting at short end, tightly roll up. Brush each roll with butter; roll in reserved cinnamon-sugar. Slice each roll into 3 pieces.

Place each piece, seam side down, on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Kraft Tip: Finished, baked rolls can be dipped halfway into melted Bakers Dipping Chocolate.

When love goes SOUR!

This is my fathers "Sweet" side....



and this is his "Sour" side. Both make him extremely Happy! This is him making kissy faces at his latest bottle of starter. As you can see - it certainly makes him pucker!



My father has been making bread for as long as I can remember. There is nothing that makes him happier then a VERY sour sourdough. The Twangier the better! Here is a link to help you get started on the STARTER!



On this day - my father used his starter to make pancakes with my girls.

Sourdough HOTCAKES

The night before, mix 1/2 cup Starter, 1 1/4 cup Water, 1/2 cup Flour and let sit in a warm place until the next morning, then add 2 Eggs, 1 Tblspn Sugar, 1/4 tsp. Salt, 1/2 cup Flour, 2 Tblspn Oil and.....



... just before cooking mix in 1 tsp. Baking Soda. This is the magic ingredient!



Bake on a Hot Griddle (water bounces).



You'll go ape over these scrumptious bites!

Sausage and Boursin Breakfast Casserole

The other day, as I was cleaning out my cheese drawer in the fridge, I discovered a package of Boursin cheese about to expire. My love of Boursin cheese goes beyond words so letting something that delectable go to waste would go against every fiber of my body. I quickly scoured the rest of my pantry to see what I could whip up.



I spotted the 2 day old loaf of french bread on my counter and hoped I would have a frozen "log" of sausage in my freezer - Score - I did!



I love a "Breakfast" dinner and knew if I threw all these things together - they couldn't be bad!

Rindy's Breakfast Casserole
1 loaf french bread, cubed
1 sweet onion, chopped and fried till just starting to carmelize
1 pound sausage, I prefer HOT (spicy that is)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese
5.2 oz Boursin cheese
2 cups milk
5 eggs



Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. Cook sausage in pan and drain grease. Cook onion in skillet till just carmelized. Cube french bread and place pieces in bottom of dish. Spread 1 cup of cheddar cheese over bread and dot with the Boursin cheese. Put sausage and onions over mixture. In separate bowl, mix 2 cups milk with 5 eggs. Pour over entire casserole. Cover and let this sit for at least an hour - or overnight. Bake for 45 minutes in 325 oven.



I hope your family loves this as much as mine did! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich!

My father, or Gumpa as he is known to my children, has taught my girls many a way to eat Peanut Butter. I do believe it is his favorite food. It wasn't until I was probably 10 that I learned not everyone eats Peanut Butter on their Pancakes, Banana's and breakfast cereal. Ahhh - there's nothing like a big bowl of dry Rice Crispy's in the morning with a gob of Peanut Butter sitting on top. Take a bite, dip the spoon, Take a bite, dip the spoon - that was my favorite morning "exercise" as a kid!

My girls have come to LOVE Gumpa's Peanut Butter and Banana "sandwich" (pictured above)! He, of course, will offer the Peanut Butter "Coin" option as well (where you slice the banana into little "coins" and plop a dollop of Peanut Butter on each one - but inevitably they always go for the "Sandwich"! Try one tomorrow morning with your child and make a memory that will last a lifetime!

Baked Eggs: Eggs Squared!

My daughter turned 9 this past weekend. I remember when her older sister was turning 5 and thought to myself - I can't believe I have a 5 year old. Now I have an 11 and 9 year old - and I am still in disbelief! How do they keep getting older while my hubby and I manage not to age?
Unfortunately, I know I am just kidding myself. I actually had a friend come over the other day who had not been to my new home. I was giving her the tour when she spotted a wedding picture of me and my hubby. She asked who the couple was in the photo. Not what a girl wants to hear - trust me. I said it was me and the hubby and she just laughed. (That's not a good sign - is it?)
One recipe that HAS stood the test of time is this recipe for Baked Eggs. Jensen, my newly 9 girl, asked that I make these for her birthday breakfast. The morning of her birthday I went to go wake her for school and this is what I found! Needless to say - I could have eaten THEM for breakfast and been totally satisfied!



This recipe was given to my mother from my grandmother, Anna Mae, years ago. It has been a family favorite ever since. Who doesn't love cheesy egg goodness first thing in the morning? I hope you love it as much as we do!

Baked Eggs
1 cup Bisquick
1 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp. dehydrated chopped onions
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
6 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. melted butter
Put melted butter in 9 x 13 dish. Mix all ingredients together and pour in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes.



To have a perfectly "Well Rounded" meal - add Big Red Kitchen's Pancake Squares and some bacon and you have one great birthday breakfast! Don't forget to smother your whole plate with Maple syrup!

Sausage Biscuits and Gravy - NEKAMO style!

What is NEKAMO style you ask? When I was a little girl I went away to our church camp. At the time I lived in Kansas and the summer camp was named NEKAMO because girls from Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri all came to this lovely place - thus camp NEKAMO. My mother would come and cook in the kitchen the weeks I went to camp. Not until I became an adult (and mother) did I truly understand this sacrifice. Who would want to spend ALL day in a 100 degree kitchen (on a good day) and cook 3 meals a day? Not me!!! Thank you mom.
We were Midwest folks and my mother and I had never heard of "Biscuits and Gravy". The morning she showed up for work and this was on the menu - she told me she felt so sad that the campers had to eat such a "Disgusting" looking dish. She was sure these little girls would not touch the stuff. You can imagine her surprise when the campers trailed in and cheered when they saw what they were having - and scarfed it all down! She went home and put this on our family's menu and it has been a staple ever since!

NEKAMO Biscuits and Gravy
1 package Pillsbury frozen biscuits ( Why make your own when these taste sooooo good)
1 16 oz package Jimmy Dean HOT sausage in tube in the refrigerator section
3 to 4 heaping Tablespoons flour
1 tsp. onion powder
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Make biscuits according to directions on bag.
Brown sausage in pan. Drain grease.
Mix flour and onion powder with cooked sausage. Stir.
Pour milk over sausage mixture. Stir until thick, about 8 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Pour sausage gravy over biscuits and prepare to be amazed! YUM!

I made wonderful memories at NEKAMO - and this breakfast was one of them!
I am glad this recipe delights my family. My Dad loves his sausage gravy on eggs and his biscuits are reserved for jam or jelly.

Perfect Pancake Portion!

This entire week my youngest, Jensen, has been asking to make pancakes for breakfast. She doesn't love just any pancakes -she loves those little pancakes that are just the perfect size for dipping. In the past I have always used a measuring cup or a ladle to pour the pancake batter; however, it never fails to create a huge mess and pancakes of various sizes (mostly big ones because I can't control my pouring). I decided to try to find, among my 1073 kitchen gadgets, a perfect "Pitcher" to portion out my pancakes - and I DID! I opened up my silverware drawer and spotted these little spoons I got at IKEA for Noodle soup.
It worked great! Each pancake was just the size she wanted and the mess was kept to a minimum!



After completing the first couple of batches - I even let Jensen spoon the mixture onto the pans. So simple even a child can do it!



These were some of the finished "Dippers"! For another twist on pancakes - Try making your pancakes with Jiffy Corn Meal muffin mix. The recipe is on each box and they are so sweet - the kids will love them! Our other favorite pancake recipe comes from Big Red Kitchen. Check out how Robin Sue makes her pancakes HERE!

Funnel Cakes - Pancake Style!

This creation was the aftermath of our end of year Volleyball party at my house.



I was the assistant (and I say that very liberally) coach this year to my oldest daughter's Volleyball team. I had a blast and I am sure I learned more then any girl out there! I used to love volleyball in high school (I'm 6 foot tall - I think it is mandated somewhere that every female over 5'10 has to at least ACT like they like it). The sport has changed so much. If your a freshmen in high school and play volleyball, you have to be able to take out small planes with the force of your overhand serve. It was not like that when I was growing up. Thank goodness my daughter is only 10 - and they just want the girls serves to go over the net. The overhand serves come next year - and I for one need to practice before Logan gets there!



I hosted the end of the year party at my home and I knew exactly what we would do. I would call Dominoes for the pizza and get out my two deep fat fryers for a funnel cake bonanza!



My parents always had donut parties when I was growing up - I can't quite get the hang of making the donuts - but I have found I make a mean funnel cake - Thanks in large part to Emeril Laggassi's Funnel Cake Recipe. I make the batter before the guests arrive and put it in these condiment containers I found at Walmart. I cut the tops off and they make perfect funnel cake "pourers"!

Emeril's Funnel Cakes
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups milk (I add about 1/4 cup more milk to mine)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oil to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk well. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Stir until smooth. Hold your finger over the funnel opening. Place your hand over the oil (not too close) and carefully remove your finger. Scribble and crisscross the filling into the hot oil. Fry until golden on both sides. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with the powdered sugar. Repeat till all the batter is used.

I had about 50 people to my home that night and made 4 batches of batter. I ended up with one batch remaining at the end of the night. (The picture above shows the 4 bottles I had in my fridge the morning after). Rather then throwing it away - I decided to try making pancakes with the batter. It was delicious and fun and my girls felt like the party hadn't ended, and that is always a good thing. These pancakes were sweet, yummy goodness, that they had fun dipping!

The Perfect Poached Egg!

Recently one of my girlfriends gave me some fresh eggs, straight from her chicken coup in her back yard. They looked too perfect to eat, and certainly too beautiful to put in any old recipe. What to do? I decided it was the perfect time to get out my new "Eggshell" poacher and eat these little jewels all by themselves.



The "Eggshell" comes with two silicone egg cups. Fill a pot with 2 to 3 inches of water. Bring water to a boil and float the "Eggshell" containing one egg in the water. Reduce heat to medium. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how firm you like your egg.



Remove "Eggshell" from the water. Run spoon around the inside of the cup and pop out your perfectly poached egg!
I love a poached egg, but usally end up with mostly egg yolk since my whites are left floating all over the water. These little silicone cups were perfect and kept my eggs completely intact!



Two thumbs up for this Perfect Product - The "Eggshell".

Quiche Craving!

The day Robin Sue and I did our "2 Cheap Chics" Blog we started our excursion with a wonderful lunch at a little outdoor cafe in Reston. The Quiche I had that day (pictured above) was probably the best quiche I have ever had. That one little piece (Ok it was the size of my head) probably had enough butter in it to kill a cow - but it was AMAZING! I haven't really stopped thinking about that wonderful slice of heaven, and so I decide to quench my quiche craving by making one for my family dinner.



I dug through my recipes and decide on one that always comes out creamy, cheesy and plain old perfect. Don't be afraid when you see mayonnaise on the ingredient list - it helps to make this ham and cheese dish rich and wonderful!

Creamy Ham and Cheese Quiche

1 (9-inch) Pie shell, thawed
2 cups shredded sharp cheese
1 cup chopped ham
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 375. Toss together cheese, ham, and onion. Spoon into pie shell. Whisk together remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour over ham and cheese mixture. Bake 45 minutes, or until golden and knife inserted into center comes out clean.



It hit the spot on that warm October night - but I look forward to hitting that little lunch spot again some cold November afternoon!

Betty Crocker's Prize Coffee Cake

When I was in my 20's and trying to find the perfect gift for my mother one year for Christmas - I had the brilliant idea of "Salvaging" her cookbook. It was a 1956 (or so) edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook. She had received it for a wedding gift and used it almost everyday for one thing or another. The pages looked like they had been loved for too many years and I was going to fix it for the perfect gift. I bought a bazillion page protectors and a binder and got to work. By the time I had inserted every page into that binder it was 3 times the original size and did not possess quite the nostalgia. My mother, being the incredibly sweet person she is, thanked me profusely and convinced me it was the best gift she could have ever gotten.
The next year Betty Crocker published the original 1950's cookbook - and as a surprise I put that under the tree for my mother. When Christmas day arrived we both had a chuckle as she had purchased the same gift for me! Ah - great minds think alike!



This is a picture of my copy which I refer to all the time.



I always get a chuckle at the pictures inside. This is the Appetizer section and this....



is the picture of the salad section. Everything looks plastic - like it should be under the glass of an old cafe with dust all over it. Although the pictures are quite dated the recipes are timeless. Everything is from scratch and just good, old, home cooking. This is the coffee cake my mother always made from her famous recipe book. Tasted just as good today as I remember it.
Thanks mom and Betty Crocker!



Prize Coffee Cake

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sifted gold medal flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together the sugar, butter and egg. Stir in the milk and flour mixture (flour, baking powder, salt).
Spread batter in greased and floured 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle with desired topping. Bake until wooden pick thrust into center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm, fresh from the oven.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 375 for 25 to 35 minutes!

Tastes just like mom used to make!

* For an orange variation of this coffee cake follow the recipe above - except use orange juice for half of the milk, and add 1 1/2 tsp. grated orange rind. Sprinkle top with Crumb Mixture, given above, adding to it 1 1/2 tsp. grated orange rind.

Cindy's Healthy Muffins

Are you mesmerized yet? Doesn't this picture look like a muffin Willy Wonka would serve at a tea party?



My good friend, Cindy, brought this yummy morsel to my doorstep the other day and I was blown away. Let me tell you why.



Cindy is my "Healthy Hero". She only puts healthy food into her cute little body. I am amazed when we go out for lunch and I order up my onion rings and she orders her house salad, dressing on the side - no meat please! Such restraint, such will power for such a little woman! I have seen her drink green concoctions for lunch that would make your head spin.



Since my little "episode" last year, I have been trying to eat a healthier diet. It is hard, but Cindy is so encouraging! When she brought me this muffin the other day, I have to admit, I was a bit scared. A whole lot of healthy is packed into each bite - but wow they are so yummy! It tasted like a little individual carrot cake - YUM! If healthy tastes like this - pass the muffin with a shot of that green stuff to wash it down!

Here is the recipe for the muffins. They are SO healthy, full of fruit and even veggies, especially when you substitute Sucanat ($2.99 at Target) for the sugar. Again, if you are not expecting them to taste like Krispy Kreme donuts, they are very moist and yummy. Hope you like them...

Morning Glory Muffins cooking light 6/99

2 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup brown sugar (I used Sucanat)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded apple
3/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup coconut
1-8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup apple butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (thru salt) in large bowl.
Stir in carrot and ingredients thru pineapple.
Make a well in center of mixture.
In another bowl, combine oil thru egg whites. Stir with a whisk. Add oil mix to flour mix. Stir until moist.
Spoon batter into coated muffin pans. Bake 350 for 25 min. or until springs back when touched in center. Remove immediately. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen