Spiced Bran Muffins

Baked Goods ... yum!!! Baked goods have always been a weakness of mine since I was a little girl. As a teenager I worked at the best Italian bakery in the town I grew up in, our master baker was trained by the famous "Mike" of Mike's Pastry in the North End of Boston ... so you can only imagine what yumminess that was baked daily and eaten daily by myself and all my co-workers. So as I got older I find I am still drawn to bakeries all the goodness that comes out of them, weather healthy or not. And that is where these spiced bran muffins come into play.

I think I have mentioned before that I am an avid reader of Real Simple Magazine, Daily Thoughts, and Weekly Recipes. Everyday I eagerly await for my email to come in and see what Real Simple is delivering me. The recipes though seem to only come once a week ... but when they come I think of when I can make it, who I want to make it for and how can I alter this recipe and make it all my own.

Then this recipe came, Spiced Bran Muffins, I was so excited about making muffins that are 262 calories and have 3g of fiber per muffin. I have just found healthy baked goods ... these are muffins I had to make.

This is what I did ...

Ingredients
1 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup Greek plain yogurt

1/3 cup molasses
1 cup currants (or raisins)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oat bran, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt; set aside. In a second bowl beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Add the yogurt and molasses and beat to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Fold in the currants.

Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Serve with butter or jam, if desired . YUM!!!

Of course there are ways to make this recipe gluten-free and even lactose free, this time not too much changing. When I do I will update this post and what was changed.

Boston Baked Beans

Boston Baked Beans are a staple in my house ... they have been since I was a kid right through married life. There is something about baked beans that is not only comforting but also very filling, and can compliment more dishes that you can shake a stick at. Think about it beans go with everything you BBQ on the grill ... as well as our personal favorite blackened seafood.

My husband and I were talking just recently about summertime food and baked beans came up, and in his usual fashion asked if I could make some home-made beans. I had always tried home-made beans when someone else made them ... but they were always watery and runny, they missed that thick pasty consistency that you can get out of a can (I cannot believe I just mentioned "a can"). That is what I craved out of a home-made version but had no idea how to make them.

I started to search the Internet (which is what I usually do when I am given a challenge) ... and found many, many, many Boston Baked Beans recipes, some stove-top, some oven, and some crock-pot. Crock-pot was the cooking method I wanted to use, especially in the summertime since it does not give off as much heat as the oven or stove-top.

This is what I did ...

Ingredients
1 bag of dried navy beans
5 small slices of salt pork
1 onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid.

Arrange the beans in the crock-pot by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with salt pork and onion.

In a saucepan, combine molasses, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Simmer on Low for 6-8 hours, until beans are tender.

If you find it is to salty, add more brown sugar one tablespoon at a time, till you reach the right flavor.

YUM!!!

The nice thing about beans is that they keep very well in the in fridge, in "Tupperware" or some kind. Like most things that are made in the crock-pot these beans will only get better and better ever day they sit and gather more flavor.

I wonder what we will eat with beans tomorrow???

High-Tea

A few weeks ago my Mother and Cousins went out for High-Tea at our favorite place to have High-Tea; Stonehenge Inn & Spa in Tyngsboro, MA. A beautiful place to be pampered and treated like a queen/king for a day.

The day we went for tea it was bitter cold outside and all we wanted was a nice pot of hot tea to warm us up. As it turned out we sat in the Lounge right next to the fireplace and we knew we were going to have a fantastic day together. It was such a good day I had to share it with all my readers. I waited till now to share this because Stonehenge Inn is one of the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week Boston which has come up upon us again. It does not say it on this link but on the Stonehenge Inn page it gives you information about "restaurant week tea."

Tea is something one must remember that it is NOT to be rushed, and should take a couple of hours to drink, eat and enjoy those with you.

This is what we ordered*:

Tea:

Finest Earl Grey, Black Tea
Ginger Lemon Herbal Tea
Crimson Berry Herbal Tea

Sencha (Japanese) Green Tea

Tea Sandwiches (choice of three):

Maine Lobster BLT on Brioche

Grilled Asparagus w/ Boursin & Prosciutto on White Bread

Fresh Mozzarella, Basil Pesto & Plum Tomato on Focaccia

Cucumber & Herb Cheese on Multi grain Bread

Smoked Salmon on Rye Bread w/ Herb Creme Fraice

Currant-Raisin Scones w/ Devonshire Cream & Fruit Preserves

Petite Pastries & Tea Cookies

* There are other Teas & Sandwiches to choose from on the menu, these are the ones we chose.

We ate and drank all this and it took about 2 and half hours, and was only $23.00

(Restaurant week $20.10)

It is such a nice "girly" thing to do, with your mother, daughter, sister or best friend ... I definitely have to say this is a must do for those who love to drink tea.

YUM!!!

Apple Cinnamon Strudel

I know this is a crazy time of year to be making apple pie, strudel, or anything apple but I seem to be doing a lot of it lately. The apple is such a versatile fruit which seems to be one everyone loves and eats. It is sweet and tart and cooks up very well. And with all the varieties of apples out there why not try them all in baking.

I am not one to follow a recipe to the tee, for I need to tweak everything I make to make it more mine than the one who came up with it. I say all this because I am a huge fan of the magazine Everyday-Food. Not only is it small and easy to keep in a kitchen cabinet for reference, but it has super easy recipes that anyone can make. It becomes a starting point for me and much of what I make. It is also very good at keeping up with the seasons and what you can get seasonally.

With that in mind a couple of years ago in September I fund this recipe and made it for a get together with friends. It comes out so beautiful, and looks like you slaved for hours in the kitchen when it really does not take too much time at all.

This is what I did ...

Apple Cinnamon Strudel

flour for rolling

1 sheet puff pastry

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup sugar, and more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg for wash

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Unfold pastry roll out to 12 x 14 and put on a cookie sheet and chill in fridge

In a large skillet melt butter, add apples, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cook until liquid has evaporated. about 15 minutes and let cool.

Add filling to center of dough. Fold dough over the filling. "Glue" edges with egg wash. Turn over so the seam is on the bottom. Egg wash & sprinkle with sugar. With a paring knife cut out steam vents.

Bake until golden brown 35-40 minutes.

YUM!!!

I have made this so many times the only thing that makes this dessert better is a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. We perfect to go to Sully's Ice Cream, since it is walking distance from our house. But if you cannot get homemade ice cream and Ben & Jerry's vanilla will be just as good.

Apple Cranberry Popover Puff Pie

The past week had been a bit crazy here at my house for our family is in town for a BIG wedding!!! A very long anticipated wedding, that is one the entire family is looking for. Family is flying in from all over the world staying where ever there is an open place to sleep. With all these people come lots of meals to make and lots of time we are spending together.




Last night we had a family dinner and I was responsible for the dessert. But the BIG question last night was what was I going to make. I knew all I wanted to make was a pie, but what kind to make. Then it came to me ... A Popover Crusted Apple Pie. The recipe is from a Pampered Chef $1 cookbook. (Which is usually what I buy at those parties ... not really a fan of those "house" parties, too much pressure to buy something ... so I usually buy the cookbook and it stays on the bookshelf till years later.)



The one thing I would like to get out in the open while I am on this topic is those cookbooks sponsored or written but companies that sell either food or kitchen tools are NOT my type of cookbook. When someone tells me what tool I need to use to do the job or what processed food I need to cook with ... that takes all the fun out of the kitchen and more on commercialism.



Now that I got all that out of the way let's talk about this Pampered Chef Pie ...



Apple Cranberry Popover Puff Pie
Popover Puff Crust
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt


Apple Cranberry Filling
1 orange
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 package of vanilla pudding (not instant)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
4 firm apples (2 Granny smith apples and 2 Macintosh apples)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
powdered sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


Melt the butter, brush the bottom of a deep dish baking dish with one tablespoon of butter.

Whip the milk, egg and remaining butter with a wire whisk. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients; flour and salt. Add to the egg mix and whisk till smooth. Pour batter in baking dish and bake in oven 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and cook another 10-15 minutes, till puffed and golden brown.


While crust is baking make the filling. Zest the orange, and squeeze the orange, add water to make 1 cup of juice. In a large bowl mix zest, juice, cranberries, pudding mix, and seasonings. Peel, core and slice apples, add to the pudding mix. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. stir gently and microwave again on high for 4 minutes until glaze is thickened. Apples should be evenly covered.


When crust is cooled, pour the filling in the crust. Sprinkle the edges with the almonds and shake powdered sugar over pie.

This is a nice alternative since the crust is more of an egg base than a butter flour mix.

YUM!!!

Steak Bombs

Steak Bombs are one of those yummy local sub shop finds that we all crave and love when they are cooked right but we know deep down that maybe it is not such a good idea when we are finished eating them.

A few years ago my husband bought me a griddle to go over my burners on my stove. Up until now we used it to make omelets, pancakes and french toast, but other than breakfast we really did not use it that much, until we found the shaved steak at the market. Shaved steak is very cheep at $2.99lb. and very good when cooked on a griddle. We thought why don't we make our own steak bombs at home.

This is what we do ...


Steak Bombs


1 lb. shaved steak
1/2 sliced bell pepper
1/2 sliced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt n pepper to season


4 soft sub rolls
4 pieces of American cheese

Slice up the onions and the peppers and toss in olive oil and salt n pepper. Put on griddle and cook until fork tender. Remove the veggies from the griddle and cook the shaved steak in the oil and seasonings left over on the pan.

Slice rolls in half and line bottom of rolls with cheese. Add the meat to rolls while still hot so the meat melts the cheese. Top with veggies.

YUM!!!

The Gluten-Free version ... instead of using bread try taco shells.

Fish Tacos

When I met my husband I knew he spent some time living on the west coast. If you have been to the west coast either on business, pleasure or just moved there for a time understands that there are foodies you can get there that are very hard to find here on the east coast. One reason for that is the Mexican influence and migration to the US for better opportunities than their country. And with them comes their culture and cooking, which when you live next door to one .... the cooking really changes you. This is what happened to my husband ... his next door neighbor in CA was Mexican and would invite him over to dinner for true Mexican cuisine.

One thing my husband fell in love with was Fish Tacos. I personally had never heard of them ... other than the trips to CA, where they are about as common as a hamburger is here. This was going to be a challenge to find a good recipe to make for my husband, one that brought back the memories of CA.

Ironically, one day while my husband was reading the newspaper he found a recipe and cut it out so one day we could make it. The article was written by the chef at Game On! Boston ... (so the next time you are at Fenway Park for a game ... check them out). This is one of the only meals that my husband helps me with ... I usually do not like too much help in the kitchen but this is one he is good at since he loves fish tacos so much.

Fish Tacos

1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless haddock
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour (we used rice flour)
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

taco shells or soft taco shells
shredded lettuce
salsa
sliced green scallions
shredded Mexican cheese

Prepare three dishes, one with 1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt n pepper, one with well-mixed eggs and milk, and one with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup corn meal.

Preheat vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a large skillet. Cut the haddock into long 1/2 inch thick strips. Dip into flour mix, egg wash, then cornmeal mix. Pan fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Make tacos like you would a chicken or beef one but use the fish as your "meat."

YUM!!!

This is also the start of my Gluten Free cooking. My husband may have Celiac Disease and this is the only way to combat the illness. I will not sacrifice taste but adjust the way I cook so my husband can still enjoy all the yummy flavors of food.