Holy Smoklin' Doklins'!!!!!! Do you like Snickerdoodles? Then you will love these muffins.
Funny thing....I think of all the things I missed out in my childhood. Not much. Really. I had to have had the two greatest parents ever. Maybe we didn't have a lot monetarily, but we had a simply nice life. Except for one thing. Snickerdoodles. I don't know where I first encountered these lovlies, but they were never a part of my growing-up. And I can't remember the first time I ever had a Snickerdoodle cookie. But I do know that I loved it. And still do. Is Cream of Tartar an agent or a flavor? Enlighten me if you can.
Anywhoooo.....these muffins bring the Snickerdoodle to muffin/cookie life. They are so light and fluffy and have that bit of cinnamon crunch to boot. If you are a coffee drinker, I cannot imagine a better accompaniment. Oh heck. Forget the coffee. These stand on their own.
SNICKERDOODLE MUFFINS (Makes 18 cupcakes)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
For the topping:
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Put 18 liners in the muffin tray.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until smooth.
Using a cookie dough scoop, plop a scoop of butter into the bowl with the cinnamon/sugar. Gently roll the batter in the mixture. Place the ball into the muffin liner.
When you have completed all of the muffins, sprinkle the leftover cinnamon/sugar onto the tops of the muffins.
NOTE: This recipe came from LovintheOven.blogspot.com. First of all, I made the dough earlier in the day. When she said "scoop the dough into a cookie dough scoop, I had no idea how much dough she was talking about. So I weighed the entire dough and split it into 18 servings. Turned out each muffin was about 1/4 cup dough. And then I put the dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and then kinda flip-flopped in back and forth between my two hands, like I was making a biscuit, ala Shirley Corriher (Atlanta's biscuit Queen). Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until they are golden on top and just baked through (the toothpick test).
The dough was quite sticky, was this because I used non-fat buttermilk and light sour cream??? I have no idea. Didn't matter. These muffins are Just The Best.
Autumn is here!!! Yea!!! Our highs this week are all in the 70's (tomorrow's high is suppose to be 66!) I am so ready to get back into cooking. And now that it's October, I am starting to think about Halloween. I have a stack of fun dessert recipes to try over the next few weeks, that is if I can pawn them all off on Jim's office. This was a fast, easy recipe for which I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. A sweet version of a Chex Party Mix. The Nutella is wonderful, a hazelnut/chocolate butter. Melted with chocolate chips and butter, and dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for that sweet tooth.
NUTELLA PUPPY CHOW
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Nutella
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
14 oz box Chex cereal (I used wheat because the chocolate mixture is pretty thick, I think the corn or rice versions would probably break up while stirring)
2-3 cups powdered sugar
In a pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips, stirring constantly. When all is melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in the Nutella.
Slowly pour the chocolate/Nutella mixture over cereal in a large mixing bowl. Wash your hands and use them to stir everything together until fairly evenly coated.
Pour in the powdered sugar and shake, starting with 1/2 cup at a time. You want to make sure everything's coated, but not too sweet (the original directions said to put the cereal in a gallon-sized ziplock and shake the sugar onto the cereal.....I found it easier to mix it in the bowl).
This entree is just about as easy as they come. And oh so good!!! I think the simplicity just brings out the best of the chicken and the vinegar. When I first read the recipe (it's a South Beach Diet recipe) I was a bit leary. In fact, I was going to use a balsamic glaze instead of just vinegar and I'm so glad I didn't! I used chicken tenders and it was so tender we didn't even need a knife. I'll list the recipe as published, but I just used 7 oz of tenders and since they're so thin, it only took 8 minutes in my oven (I turned it over in the dish and let it sit in the juices while I got everything else ready). A great entree paired with either a simple side dish or something a bit fancier.
BALSAMIC CHICKEN (serves 6)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp EVOO
4-6 Tbsp white wine (optional)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Combine the rosemary, garlic, pepper, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil, and rub with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight (mine sat for about four hours).
Preheat oven to 450. Spray a heavy roasting pan or iron skillet with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over. If the drippings being to stick to the pan, stir in 3-4 Tbsp water or white wine.
Bake about 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160 and the juices run clear. If the pan is dry, stir in another 1-2 Tbsp of water or white wine to loosen the drippings. Drizzle the vinegar over the chicken in the pan.
Transfer the chicken to plates. Stir the liquid to the pan and drizzle over the chicken.
I guess you've figured I love just about all Asian-inspired foods. Double that if sesame oil is an ingredient. Here is a simple, simple salad. Make the dressing ahead of time, use pre-packaged cole slaw mix and clean a rotisserie chicken, and you can have this on the table in minutes.
ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD (3-4 servings)
Dressing:
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp chile-garlic sauce
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
1 Tbsp tahini paste
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
Salad:
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
16 oz package cole slaw mix (with carrots and red cabbage)
about 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup chopped scallions
about 3/4 to 1 pound chopped cooked chickens
To prepare dressing: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and chile-garlic sauce in a glass measuring cup; stir to blend. Heat canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, unti fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan; bring to a simmer. Whisk in tahini and broth; cook until reduced slightly, 3-4 minutes. Let cool.
To prepare salad: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.
Combine cole slaw mix, radishes, scallions, and chicken in a large shallow bowl. Stir dressing to recombine and drizzle over the salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
NOTE: I rarely use all of the dressing called for in a recipe. I usually use about half and save the other half for another salad.
There is a new office favorite. Jim took this in the other day and it won "The Best Office Treat" hands-down. And it is mighty tasty. The moist cake has that distinctive almond extract flavor. Then the sweetened cream cheese, raspberry preserves, and an almond streusel topping. What I wouldn't do for a piece of this coffeecake right now!
RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE CHEESECAKE
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9" or 10" springform pan.
In a large bowl combine the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the crumb mixture.
To the remaining crumb mixture, add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, one of the eggs and the almond extract and blend well. Spread the batter over the bottom and 2" up the sides of the prepared pan. Batter should be about 1/4" thick on the sides.
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the remaining egg blending well. Pour over the batter int he pan.
Carefully spoon the preserves evenly over the cream cheese filling.
In a small bowl combine the one cup of reserved crumb mixture and the sliced almonds. Sprinkle over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the cream cheese filling is set and the crust is deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes and remove the sides of the pan.
Serve warm or cool, cut into wedges. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Well, we are getting back into the world of real food. This is a spin on the Coconut Curry Shrimp I've posted before. Many years ago, a friend and I used to frequent a Thai lunch spot in OKC. Every time we went we both ordered this wonderful dish. I wasn't into cooking Thai food at the time and had no idea what might be in it or how to make it. But I never forgot the flavor. And I swear this is so very close to what we used to order.
THAI CHICKEN POTOATO COCONUT CURRY (Serves 4)
2 tsp canola oil
6 green onions, white and greens separated, chopped
2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste (I used 1/4 cup of Central Market's Curry Coconut Sauce)
Tbsp minced garlic
1 can light coconut milk
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fish sauce
about 2 cups (1/2 pound) cooked, chopped or shredded chicken
about 3 medium red potatoes, cooked then cubed (about 3/4 to 1 lb)
1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste
cooked jasmine rice
In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add scallion whites and red curry paste and saute one minute. Add garlic, season with salt and cook 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, then add cooked chicken and potatoes. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and cilantro. Serve over rice.
Hello again! It has been a long two weeks for us. Returning home from Texas last week, Jim and I were both sick. I am sick. And it still lingers. It must be the Texas Crud, but it knocked us out for an entire week. When we got back, I cooked a chicken and we ate chicken soup for days. My first foray into a "real" meal was this comfort food. Leftover cooked chicken topped with fresh herbs and a few fresh vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. The perfect "first meal." Since I was just cooking for two, I used a small (7x5 1/2x2") casserole dish. You can either use any leftover cooked chicken you might have, or poached or grill and skinless, boneless chicken breast. And use either leftover mashed potatoes, make fresh mashed potatoes, or use the prepared mashed potatoes found at your grocer's.
CHICKEN SHEPHERD'S PIE
Mashed potatoes
1/2 cup (about 6 oz) or to taste, finely chopped or shredded, cooked chicken......enough to cover the bottom of the dish
S&P
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
(or about a scant cup of frozen mixed vegetables)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, optional
Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Cover bottom of dish with chicken. Sprinkle with S&P and herbs. Add the vegetables. Spread the mashed potatoes over this. Smooth out. Cover with cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. I turn the broiler on for the last few minutes to brown the cheese. Garnish with rosemary sprig, if desired.
