Cinnamon Streusel Oatmeal Muffins

I love muffins for breakfast. This is a favorite recipe I use all the time (from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book).

Ingredients:
1 1/3 C flour
3/4 C rolled oats
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 C milk
1/4 C oil

Streusel Topping:
3 Tbs flour
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk and oil. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed. Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin tin.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel topping. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like course crumbs. Sprinkle streusel topping over the muffin batter in the cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Homemade Pop Tarts

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I love breakfast pastries! I have tried a couple homemade pop tart recipes and this one is my favorites. The original website had several filling options but I have only tried the brown sugar cinnamon kind. Why make anything but the best? If you are interested in some other ideas, follow the link and see some options for alternate fillings.

Ingredients:
2 C flour
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Cup unsalted butter, cubed (I used salted once and the crust did turn out too salty)
1 egg
2 Tbs milk

Cinnamon Sugar filling:
1/2 C brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon to taste
4 tsp flour
1 egg to brush on pastry

Directions:
Mix flour sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until it is in pea-sized lumps just as if you were making a pie crust (because basically you are). Combine the egg and milk and then pour into the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Knead a few times on a floured counter if needed.

Divide the dough in half. One half will be the bottom of the pastry, and one will be the top. Now, if you want these to look like poptarts, roll out to about 1/8" thick, roughly a 9x12 rectangle. From there cut into 9 3x4 pieces. I usually just make one giant poptart and then cut it into pieces afterward but that means the filling won't be surrounded by crust in all of the pieces.

Beat the extra egg and brush it over the bottom pastry piece. This will be the inside and will help the filling stick to the pastry. If you have the dough in pieces, put a heaping tablespoon on each pastry. If you have one large piece of dough, just spread it evenly over the surface. Then place the remaining pastry piece/s on top. Use your fingers or a fork to press around the edges and seal the top and bottom together. Prick the tarts a few times with a fork to let steam escape.

Refrigerate the poptarts while you preheat the oven to 350. Bake on a greased or parchment lined pan for 20-25 minutes.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This is a delicious alternative to twice-baked potatoes. While this is faster and easier than the real thing, the flavor is the real deal.

Recipe Source

Ingredients:
2 lbs of potatoes peeled and diced
2 Tbs of butter/margarine
1/2 C sour cream
1 C of shredded cheese
2 Tbs bacon bits
garlic salt
pepper

Directions:
Boil potatoes 20 minutes until tender. Mash with butter and sour cream. Add garlic salt, pepper, and other desired spices to taste. Layer half of the potato mixture in a 9x9in pan. Spread the cheese over it and top with the remaining potato mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

 This has been my go to breakfast for dinner lately. It is easy to put together in the morning and then forget about until dinner time. Or if you want it for breakfast, put it together at night and wake up to a hot meal!

Recipe and Photo Source

Ingredients:
1 lb of breakfast meat (ham, bacon, OR sausage), cooked
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
16 oz of frozen hash browns
3/4 cup of cheese (we use cheddar)
6 eggs
1/2 C milk
green onions (optional)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Grease your crockpot. Layer half of your ingredients starting with meat, then onion, pepper, hash browns, and cheese. Repeat the layers and top with green onion. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Pour over the layered ingredients making sure everything gets wet. Cook on low for 7 hours. I enjoy eating mine with salsa!

Lentil Tacos

These lentil tacos are a great meatless substitute for the real thing. Just be sure you cook the lentils long enough. The original recipe said 20-30 minutes, which might work well at low altitudes but I had much better success cooking them for 45-55 minutes.

 

Recipe and Photo Source

Ingredients:
1 tsp oil
2/3 C finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 C of lentils, rinsed
1 Tbs taco seasoning
1 2/3 C of chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 C salsa

Directions:
 Heat oil in a skillet. Cook and stir onion and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Stir and let cook for about 1 minute. Cover lentils with broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until the lentils are fully cooked, about 45 minutes.

Uncover and cook until the mixture is slightly thickened; about 6-8 minutes. Gently mash the lentils and stir in salsa. Serve with all your favorite taco fixings.

Italian Dressing Mix

I wanted to make my Italian Chicken in the Crockpot for dinner yesterday. I didn't have any Italian dressing mix and didn't want to make a trip out to the store for it.

With a little internet search I came across this recipe for the mix using ingredients I already had. Our dinner turned out delicious!

Ingredients:
 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
2 Tbs oregano
1 Tbs dried parsley
1 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp dried celery leaves or flakes (I substituted 1/4 tsp celery seed)

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and store. I used 2 Tbs for a packet of dressing mix.

For Italian Salad Dressing: Mix 2 Tbs of mix with 1/4 C vinegar, 2 Tbs water, and 1/2 to 2/3 cup of oil. Shake well.

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 tablespoons oregano, ground or leaves

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons salt or substitute

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground basil or leaves

¼ teaspoon ground thyme or leaves

½ teaspoon dried celery leaves or flakes

- See more at: http://afewshortcuts.com/2012/01/tide-you-over-tuesday-homemade-italian-dressing-mix/#sthash.MNZdGmhN.dpuf

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake for Valentine's Day and absolutely love the way it turned out. It looked great and tasted wonderful. I can't wait to try it again and make my decorative hearts look even better.

This cheesecake only uses 12 oz of cream cheese as opposed to other recipes that use up to 32 ounces. It doesn't sacrifice any flavor but is great for smaller groups/occasions because you can eat a large wedge of the cake without it being too much.

Recipe Source

Ingredients:
1 pre-made Oreo crust (really just easier than homemade if you ask me)
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/3 C cold water
1 1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
12 oz (1 1/2 bars) cream cheese, softened
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 C white chocolate chips (or 6 oz chopped white chocolate)
1/4 C heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Start by making the raspberry sauce. Mix 1 Tbs sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add water and raspberries and bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Allow mixture to boil for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and put sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/3 C sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add egg, egg white, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

Melt the chocolate chips (30 second intervals in the microwave at 50% power). When smooth, stir in the heavy cream. Add to the cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.

Pour 2/3 C of batter into prepared crust and spread evenly. Then spoon on 2 Tbs of the raspberry sauce. Using a knife or toothpick, swirl the raspberry sauce into the cheesecake. Spoon on remaining batter and smooth with a spatula. Be careful to not let any of the raspberry layer show through.

Fill a clean medicine syringe with raspberry sauce. Starting in the center, squeeze out small drops of sauce, creating a spiral pattern as you move out. Start with small drops and gradually increase the size. I thought I had mine packed together pretty tight but next time I will make the drops smaller and closer together.

Grab a toothpick and starting in the center, run the toothpick through the center of each drop, following the spiral. Don't lift the toothpick until the very end. This will create the heart shapes.

Bake for 40 minutes or until center is still just a bit jiggly. Then turn oven off but leave the cheesecake in for another 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Top slices with remaining raspberry sauce if desired.