Eggs, Hard Cooked the Easy Way

05 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in A-Z, eggs, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

Do you ever hard cook/boil eggs and end up destroying the egg when trying to peel it? If you are like me, that’s a big yes.
I have tried all the tricks and so far this is what works best for me.
No water needed for cooking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit/160-165 Celsius
You will need a regular size muffin pan.

Ingredients:

Eggs

Put one egg in the shell in each muffin cup.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool slightly in a pan of water and peel.

It is possible to end up with a slight discoloration where the egg rests against the pan.
It does not effect the taste.
And if you are cutting the eggs, just cut in that spot and no one will even see it.

Dice

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in A-Z, Dice, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

There are lots of terms in cooking that can be used and you aren’t sure what it really means.
Dice is one.

Dice is chopped into small pieces.
Some recipes may call it diced or finely diced.

Just chopping is cutting into bigger pieces.

When you chop into dice, you want all the pieces uniform and fairly small.

Smaller than dice or diced is minced.
Minced is about the smallest you can go.

Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in A-Z, Chocolate, chocolate oatmeal muffins, muffins, yummy stuff

≈ 5 Comments

There is nothing like something chocolatey and warm to start your day. They also keep well. So, make them the night before to speed things up in the morning.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 Celsius
Grease the bottoms of 12 regular size muffin cups.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil OR melted organic, virgin coconut oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
Just stir til everything is wet, but do not overmix.
Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until they test done when poked with a toothpick.
Remove from pan and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Turn out of pan(s).

Enjoy!

The olive oil will make them rise a little more than other oils you may use.
Overmixing will cause the batter to peak while baking and the peaks may crack.
They still taste good though.

Black Bean Brownies

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in A-Z, Brownies, Chocolate, gluten free, yummy stuff

≈ 14 Comments

I love these brownies. They may have a little different texture than you are used to, but you can not taste the black beans at all.
There is absolutely no flour in these brownies, which makes them gluten free.

You will need an 8″ square pan, greased
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 Celsius
You will also need a food processor for mixing.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry black beans
water, for cooking the beans
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted organic, virgin coconut oil OR butter
1/4 heaping cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Rinse the black beans and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover with lid left ajar and took until beans are soft. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half.
When done, drain. You should have 1-1/2 cups cooked beans. If you have more than that, set those aside for something else.
Put the blade in your food processor. Add the drained beans. Or you can drain and rinse a 15 oz. can of black beans and add those to the food processor bowl.
Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil ,eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar.
Put the cover on the processor and turn on, blending until smooth.
Take off the lid and stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies test done when poked with toothpick.
They may just start to pull away from the sides.
Take out of oven and let cool.

I usually get 16 brownies out of a pan. They are pretty filling.

I like coconut oil better in these brownies. However, butter is more economical and tastes pretty good too.

Almond Flour

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in A-Z, Almond flour, flour, gluten free flour, yummy stuff

≈ 10 Comments

If you cook gluten free, almond flour is an ingredient that comes in handy. If you are not gluten free. it is still a great way to add fiber and nutrients to your diet.
You can use it for baking and for breading.

It can be quite expensive to buy at the store.
However, it is very simple to make.

This works great if you have a spice grinder. But, a food processor or a blender that can grind nuts will also work.
You also need a fine mesh sieve(strainer) and bowl.

Ingredients:

Plain, whole almonds

Add a small handful of almonds to your spice grinder.
Pulse off and on for a minute.
Check and if it is mostly powdered, stop.
Put the sieve over a bowl and dump in the ground almond.
With clean hands or a spoon, press the flour through it into the bowl.
You may have larger pieces of almond left.
Put them back into the grinder and pulse until fine and again press through strainer.
Repeat with more almonds until you have as much as you want.

Be careful not to grind for too long or you will get almond butter.

To keep fresh, store in the refrigerator.

The Liebster Award

31 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in Liebster award, yummy stuff

≈ 8 Comments

I just received the Liebster Award from We Bless Your Heart.

This is a complete surprise.

From what I gather the rules for the Liebster Award have changed, depending on who gets it and gives it.
But, each involves time it involves sharing random facts, asking random questions, and sharing the Liebster Love.

So, here are my random answers to random questions.

 1.  Who or what is Liebster? In German, it is a sweetheart or beloved person.

2.  How long have you been blogging? This May my yummy stuff will be 4. Welcome to Me is about a year younger. I have articles on the web that I have written before that.

3.  Do you have animals? A turtle named Rainbow, cats named Lacey, Minnie, Sparkle, Rusty, and Stanley.

4.  Are you still in contact with any of your high school friends? Only on facebook and they are not close friends.

5.  What is your favorite tree? The weeping willow. I had one, but the drought last year did her in. I am still sad about that.

6.  Do you have an artistic side you have expressed? I used to make my daughter’s Halloween costumes. One year, I made a wicked looking alien head.

7.  Do you enjoy getting together with your family? Yes and no. It is complicated.

8.  Do you blog on WordPress.com or WordPress.org? No. Only on blogger.

9.  What is your favorite color? Fuchsia

10.  Do you take or do or believe in  natural, alternative health? Yes, I do. Very much.

11.  What do you wish I had asked you? What my favorite thing is. It’s hugs.

Now, for my 11 random facts:

1. I hate watching reality shows.
2. I have an outhouse hooked onto my garage.
3. I hate to drive.
4. I carry my camera with me at all times because you never know. Many times I didn’t have it and later wished I did.
5. I collect glass decanters.
6. I have been married for 15 years.
7. I grow a huge garden every year.
8. I spend more time proof reading my posts than I do writing them.
9. I am currently a homemaker.
10. If I could, I would eat quinoa every day.
11. I know how to can.

Now, I am supposed to ask questions.

1. Coffee or tea?
2. Have you ever made money from your writing or is it strickly for fun?
3. What is your favorite snack?
4. Do you collect anything?
5. Have you ever gone fishing?
6. How often do you blog?  
7. Do you comment on blogs you read?
8. Do you believe a joke is just a joke or that some things should never be joked about?
9. Do you think this is a long post and a lot of questions?
10. Sweet or salty? Or neither?
11. Do you DIY?

Because I am generous, I would like to give this award out to all who reads this and wants to answer and ask questions.
Go ahead. Take it.


Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Muffins

20 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in cheesy bacon breakfast muffins, muffins, oat flour muffins, yummy stuff

≈ 5 Comments

These are a really great way to start the day. Not only do they taste great, they are packed with protein and fiber. The cheese also gives you calcium.

This makes 12 muffins.
You will need a 12 regular size muffin cup pan. Grease the cups.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 Celsius.

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup flax meal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt-optional
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 strips bacon
extra oil, as needed

In a skillet, fry the bacon until as done as you like. Remove and drain on paper towels.
When cool, crumble.
Pour the bacon grease into a measuring cup. You want 1/4 cup so it you don’t have that, add a little oil or extra bacon grease to get the right amount.
Set aside.
In a mixing bowl: mix the flour, flax meal, baking powder, and salt.
Pour in the bacon grease and stir to distribute it evenly. It will clump some, but as long as it has been mixed throughout the flour that’s fine.
Stir in the cheeses and the bacon.
Beat the milk and egg together in another bowl and stir into the flour mixture. 
Divide the batter evenly between all the muffin cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
Loosen in pan, but let them sit for a few minutes.
Turn out and serve.

Great warm or room temperature.

Due to the lack of gluten in these muffins, they do not rise quite as high as regular muffins made with wheat flour.

To make your own oat flour: grind oats in a food processor or spice grinder. I use my spice grinder. I can’t do as much at a time, but I can get a finer grind than I can in the food processor.
You can also buy oat flour in the grocery store or online.

Brands Can Matter

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Brands matter, yummy stuff

≈ Leave a comment

Sometimes foods don’t turn out.
We can’t always pinpoint the reason.

It could be the oven temp.
It could be the pan.

Or it could be the ingredients.

All brands are not the same.
Two brands can seem to have the same ingredients and the right amount, but they can change how things turn out.

Butter is a good example.

One brand may melt easier than another brand.
They may taste similar, but when baking, foods don’t turn out the same way.

If one melts faster and you are making cookies,
the butter will leak out more before the cookies set up.

They may spread a little or a lot.

You may end up having to use more flour to account for the difference.

I have used a lot of different brands over the years.
It is always nice to take advantage of a sale or coupon.

But, my advice is that the first time you make a recipe, use the brand that works best for you.
That way, you know how the recipe should turn out.

Au Gratin Potatoes

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Au Gratin potatoes, Cheese, cheesy potatoes, potatoes, yummy stuff

≈ 6 Comments

 Potatoes and cheese- does it get a lot better than that? In my opinion? No. It’s especially great to warm you up on a really cold day.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/ 190 Celsius
You will need a 2 quart baking dish with a lid.

4-5 medium-large potatoes

Cheese Sauce-
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon diced onion OR 1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
1 Tablespoon flour
dash salt
dash pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or a cheddar cheese blend

Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Peel and slice the potatoes fairly thin. About 1/8″ or a little thicker is good.
Put the slices in the baking dish.
Make your cheese sauce-
Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
Add the diced onion and cook til soft, if using. This will take a few minutes.
Next add the salt, pepper, and flour.
If you didn’t use the onion, but are using the powder, add the powder with the salt, pepper, and flour.
Raise heat slightly, continuously stirring until the flour/butter mixture is bubbly.
Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is bubbly and thickened.
Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce.
Cover with a lid and put in the preheated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
After 45 minutes, check the potatoes, by poking with a fork.
If they are tender, the dish is done. If they seem a little solid, cook for another 15 minutes and test again.

Remove from oven and serve.
Serves 4-6.

The thicker the potatoes are sliced, the longer they take to cook.

Enjoy!