Zucchini Nut Muffins

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients: 

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix these ingredients thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add additional spices if you desire (i.e. nutmeg). 

Fold in 4 cups of shredded zucchini and 2 cups chopped walnuts (pecans are an acceptable substitute, but I prefer the walnuts).

Fill muffins tins in paper cups 3/4 full. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This recipe makes approximately 24 regular sized muffins.

TO FREEZE

Allow muffins to cool. Place muffins in a gallon size freezer bag in a single layer. Place in freezer. When you’re ready for a tasty after school snack, pick one out and pop it in the microwave! Microwave one muffin for 30 seconds; two muffins for 45 seconds. Gently remove wrapper and eat with a fork – it’ll be hot! Serve with hot tea or a fresh cold glass of organic milk.

“The SpiGOt” (Salami, Spinach, & Goat Cheese Sandwich)

New Zealand spinach from O’Brien Family Farms, freshly sliced deli genoa salami, and goat cheese on slices of Rosemary Foccacia bread from the Bradenton Farmer’s market. Delicioso! Also great with red pepper jelly.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

My mom used to make this when I was a child, and when she came to meet her new grandson at Christmastime last year she made it for us and left me the recipe! Next time I have to bring a breakfast item to work, I know what I’ll be making! The recipe is from a Mother’s Day cookbook gift from when my mother was in the 3rd grade.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 9 x 13″ pan and set aside. This recipe is easily doubled in my Pampered Chef 9 x 13″ pan. 

Mix and crumble together in a large bowl:

• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c white sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 c Wesson oil (or generic Vegetable oil)

Separate out 3/4 cup of the above mixture. Just 3/4 cup! My “mommy brain” must have been switched on when I made it the first time on my own, because I separated out 3/4 of the mixture instead of just a 3/4 cup! Whooops! Very crumbly results. 

Mix together the following in a small bowl. Once you add the buttermilk, it will foam:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix together.

Pour into greased 9 x 13″ pan. Sprinkle reserved 3/4 c dry mixture over top. Sprinkle cinnamon on top to taste.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. It took our oven closer to 35 minutes, so just keep an eye on it! 

Chicken Cacciatore in a Crockpot – for TWO!

This school year, Henry and I are attempting to stick to a $100 food groceries budget and that means eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at home 5-6 nights a week. This revolution in our married life has forced me to seek out ways to make meals that are nutritious, fresh, and relatively simple to put together.

We have never been “big” about using our crockpot. I’ve been consistently disappointed by crockpot recipe books that frequently utilize canned goods. We enjoy organic meats and fresh vegetables in season, so finding a recipe that works with out diet has been difficult!

Two nights ago I was researching chicken recipes and came across chicken cacciatore. Seemed easy, so I read up on the crockpot recipes. I adapted the recipes I read for what I could get on sale this week Fresh Market and what would fit in my crockpot.

Last night, I chopped 1/2 a large green pepper, 1/2 onion and 2 celery sticks and stored them in a plastic tupperware container. I heated a little olive oil in my non-stick frying pan. Once heated, I added one double chicken breast (skinless and boneless, about 1 lb) to the pan. I sprinkled celery salt, pepper and kosher salt on the chicken. Once that side was seared, I flipped it over and sprinkled the spices on the second side. I had a little extra basil I wanted to use up, so I pureed it in the blender with a little water and added it to the chicken. It only took a few minutes to sear each side. Once the meat was seared, I took it out and sliced the chicken.

I placed the chicken in the crockpot and dumped the vegetables on top. On top of THAT I filled in the rest of the space with the tomato sauce. I used Newman’s Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce (about 1/2 the container).

Overnight, I refrigerated the crockpot meal. I took it out this morning at 6:00am and let it sit out for a little while. Around 7:00am I turned the crockpot on LOW. It cooked all day until I called my husband and asked him to check on it, at about 3:15 p.m.

It was DELICIOUS. Great basil and tomato flavor and the chicken wasn’t too dry; it shredded with the light pressure of my fork. We will be using this recipe again!  Henry’s on the paleo diet right now, so he ate his meal plain. I ate my portion over elbow macaroni and topped with a pre-shredded blend of Italian cheeses.  

OUR SHOPPING LIST

• 1 lb double breasted antibiotic-free boneless skinless chicken breast ($7.10)
• 1 green bell pepper ($1.16)
• 1 small onion (we bough the 3 lb bag of organic onions at Whole Foods for about $4)
• 1 package of organic celery hearts (3.99) We usually buy whichever celery option is cheaper; this week it was the celery hearts!
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• Basil ($2-4 for basil leaves at Fresh Market or gather your own from the backyard!)
• Italian Blend Cheese $4
• Grated Domestic Parmesan Cheese ($3.77)

THE RECIPE

1. CHOP: 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 small onion, 3 celery hearts. Conserve the pieces you don’t use in a freezer bag to make vegetable broth at a later date.

2. PREPARE THE CHICKEN: Tenderize the meat. We use a device similar to this one. Heat olive oil in the frying pan. Add chicken. Sprinkle with salt, celery salt and pepper. Brown on each side.

3. BLEND THE BASIL with water. Pour over chicken in the frying pan.

4. SLICE THE CHICKEN.

5. LAYER the chicken, then chopped vegetables, than pasta sauce in the crock pot.

6. COOK on LOW for 6-8 hours.

7. SERVE over pasta or steamed zucchini. Top with parmesan cheese and/or an Italian blend.

FYI we cooked all this in a 2 qt mini crockpot and we have at least 1-2 more meals we can get out of it. If I were to approximate the total cost of what we USED in the meal, it would total about $16. Considering we’re getting nearly 4 meals out of it, at $4 a serving it’s a great bargain! Especially if you get the chicken on sale.

Mark Phillips’ Eggies

Christmas brunch became somewhat of a major production when Mark decided to make “eggies.” No one really knows where this baked dish originated, but Mark Phillips makes this version. It is hearty!  Serve with fruit salad, pumpkin pie, and mimosas for a delectable Christmas brunch.

For this recipe, you will need:

• at least one standard size 12-cup muffin tin (mini’s won’t work for this recipe!)
• at least 12 eggs (we recommend buying local eggs or 4-Grain Brand Omega 3 Eggs from your local grocery)
• 12 strips of turkey bacon or thin-cut regular bacon (thick cuts will not cook completely!)
• Non-stick cooking spray, i.e. Pam
• Toothpicks in assorted colors, optional.
• Seasonings & sauces listed below (feel free to create your own combinations!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with a non-stick spray, such as Pam.

Saute 1lb bacon strips until partly cooked, but still soft and pliable.

Wrap the bacon around the inside of individual muffin cups in a 12-cup muffin tin.

In the bottom of each muffin cup, place a teaspoon of one of the following:

• Ketchup
• Salsa
• Steak sauce
• Barbecue Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Hot Sauce

Carefully break one whole egg into each muffin cup.

Tip from Mark: Break each egg on the side of a small glass cup or bowl so egg shell chips do not fall into the muffin cups.

Sprinkle eggs with your choice of:

• Tarragon
• Basil
• Ground pepper
• Additional hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until whites are cooked and yoke is set.

Low-Fat Version:

Use turkey bacon instead of real bacon.  No need to pre-cook the turkey bacon.  Use 1/4 cup egg substitute (i.e. Egg Beaters).

Tip from Catherine Miller: Even though I love real bacon, the turkey bacon crisps better in the oven, so for this recipe I always recommend using the the turkey bacon with a real, whole egg. 

Update: I recently read similar recipes to this one that used ham to create a “cup.” It looks delicious! I think I’m going to try it out next time.

When taking requests on Christmas morning, Scott & Eric like to make a “map” of which muffin cups have whice sauce at the bottom so it is easier to identify the “eggie” combinations at serving time. This is easily accomplished by using multi-colored toothpicks inserted between the bacon and the muffin tin.

Fresh Orange Layer Cake

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening (or one stick margarine)

juice of one orange with milk equal to 1 cup

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

grated rind from one orange

Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Sift together dry ingredients. In large bowl, mix together until creamy shortening, sugar, and grated orange rind. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add 1/3 of dry mixture and 1/3 of liquid, beat till smooth, repeat. Scrape sides to blend completely. Pour into two 8-inch round cake pans, greased and floured. Bake 25 min. in oven at 350 degrees. Cool on racks.

Fresh orange frosting:

Combine 1 box confectioner’s sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tsp canilla, grated orange rind from 1 orange, and enough orange juice and milk to reach spreading consistency.

Recipe from Mrs. C. W. Sherman (Betty), printed in Favorite Recipes II, collected and edited by Rachael Jones and sold in Carriage Gate Gifts, Tallahassee, FL.  (Susie Sherman Martin was Paula’s college suitemate).

Paula Miller made this cake for Eric on his birthday every year, and it is the cake most frequently requested by the Miller children.