Goal Number 37-New Recipe #8

Coffee Cake Muffins
(recipe courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book-12th Edition)

Cooking Time: 15-18 minutes

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.


Grease twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside.

For topping, in a small bowl, stir together the 3 tablespoons flour, brown sugar, and the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in the 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in nuts; set topping aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt; cut in the 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk; Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one-third full. Top with half of the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Reimove from muffin cups; serve warm.


**This is a delicious recipe!  I highly recommend it.  I made them for dinner and served them with a yummy Potato Corn Chowder.  Yum-Chum!!

Cinco de Mayo Celebration-New Recipes

I love Mexican food and what better opportunity than Cinco de Mayo to try out some new recipes.  I made some chicken tacos and actual FRIED ice cream.  The both turned out super yummy.  I would definitely recommend both recipes.


Sheryl Crow's Chicken Taco's
(Recipe courtesy of People Magazine)

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

1 1/2 c. mild salsa
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Flour tortillas
Shredded Cheddar
2 c. shredded lettuce

In a sauce pan, combine the chicken stock and the salsa. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken, cover and simmer on low heat for 1 1/2 hrs. Remove chicken from pan, reserving some liquid, shred chicken with two forks. Pour reserved liquid over chicken to keep it moist (you don’t need much because it’s very moist already). Create your tacos!

**I should note that I like more "stuff" on my tacos so I also used some black beans, corn, rice, tomatoes and olives but the basic concept of cooking the chicken in the salsa and chicken stock really was delicious.  YUMMY!!


 
 
Fried Ice Cream
(Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com)
 


1 quart vanilla ice cream

3 cups crushed cornflakes cereal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
2 quarts oil for frying

1.Scoop ice cream into 8 - 1/2 cup sized balls. Place on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

2.In a shallow dish, combine cornflakes and cinnamon. In another dish, beat egg whites until foamy. Roll ice cream balls in egg whites, then in cornflakes, covering ice cream completely. Repeat if necessary. Freeze again until firm, 3 hours.

3.In deep fryer or large, heavy saucepan, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4.Using a basket or slotted spoon, fry ice cream balls 1 or 2 at a time, for 10 to 15 seconds, until golden. Drain quickly on paper towels and serve immediately.

Quilt-Progress Finally Being Made

I have actually made some progress on my quilt in the last couple of days.  Go me!!  There are 9 total squares of the quilt each made up of 4 pieced blocks.  Ugh!  I am a glutton for punishment.  :)  I finally got 1 set of the 4 blocks pieced.  Woohoo!!  I am really happy with how it is turning out.  I am encouraged to keep going.

Goal Number 93 Finished!!

It's true, I read right through my 24 hour mark.  To be honest I took several breaks over the course of the last day or so but I am pretty happy with what I got read.  Below I have listed the things read in the second 12+ hours.

Magazines
People-114 pages
Better Homes & Gardens-228 pages
Marie Claire-254 pages

Book
Gone With a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West-342 pages

I really enjoyed this silly book.  It was full of Southern charm and a super easy read.  It is an extremely predicated murder mystery with just enough romance and humor to keep the pages turning.  I am not sure if it's because I am extremely tired but I have no idea why there was a need for the last paragraph.  It makes absolutely no sense to me.  If any of you ever read this book maybe you can explain it to me.

***Disclaimer-I am soooo tired right now so if parts of this post to not make sense please forgive me!!!

Hour Number 12 Update

Okay, so we are actually at hour 12.5  and I must admit to taking about a 3 hour nap.  That being said I just finished my first book and have read approximately 1/2 of this week's People magazine.

The book I read is Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan.  It is about 4 Smith alum's who are finding out that life is always what we planned.  I really enjoyed this book by first time novelist Sullivan.  Check out her website and see if this is a book you would be interested in.  I will admit tha I was a little scared that I might find the book a little too feminist but I appreciate that the author seems to understand that all of us see womanhood differently. 

**note-Commencement is 320 pages

Goal Number 93 Begins-The 24 hour Read-A-Thon

Beginning at 10:30pm I will begin my 24 hours of reading.  I will be taking a couple of breaks and maybe a catnap or two but for the most part the next 24 hours I will be getting my reading on.  I plan on updating you at hour 12 and then again when I am finished.  Good times!  I plan on giving you a quick review on the book(s) read.  This is going to be a great weekend!!

Goal Number 37-New Recipe #5

In honor of William and Kate I am making a special English breakfast this morning.  I woke up at 2am this morning just to watch the wedding.  I truly am a crazy romantic at heart!

Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins

{Recipe taken from People Magazine via Nigella Lawson}


(makes 24 mini muffins)

1 cup strawberries diced into quarter-inch pieces
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tsp. powdered sugar


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper baking cups.

2. Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine.

3. In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder.

4. In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Fold in strawberries.

5. Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

6. Place tin on a wire rack and leave for 5 minutes. Take out the muffins and continue cooling them in the paper cups on the wire rack. When muffins are completely cool, place the powdered sugar in a small sieve. Shake sieve lightly to dust the muffins with sugar. Serve.


Note: If making regular sized muffins it makes 12 and will have to bake for about 17 minutes.



Just before going into the oven.  They smell yummy already!!



The final product!

Yummy!!  I would highly recommend this recipe.  Best wishes to the happy couple!