Tasty Tuesday: Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken

I recently discovered this easy and yet delicious recipe. I'm trying to use my Crock-Pot more and so I was excited about finding another recipe to utilize it too. The sauce in this recipe is nice and creamy and the chicken was really tender and moist. We all loved it!

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken

6 boneless chicken breast halves, thawed*
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup (or use homemade)
1/2 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can of mushrooms, drained

Fry chicken breasts on both sides in frying pan to brown. (I don't actually do this.) Combine chicken, soup, and Ranch mix. Put in Crock-Pot, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Just before serving, stir in sour cream and mushrooms. Reheat briefly. Serve over rice or noodles.

* Or use chicken drumstick and thighs. This is good too- just cook for a little less time.
For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, Mandy's Recipe Box's Totally Tasty Tuesdays and All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays At the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I'm a cheesecake lover and let me just tell you that this is one of my top two favorite cheesecakes- the other being a Godiva chocolate one that a local coffee shop sometimes has.

I first had this Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake at a church potluck. I had a slice and was instantly smitten and had to track down the lady who made it and get the recipe. Since then I have made it often for special occasions.

I'm not going to try to say that this is a frugal recipe or that it is one bit healthy. It's cheesecake for goodness sake! But let me tell you that it is so worth the splurge! And if you're worried you can't do a cheesecake, this is a perfect one to try because if it cracks and looks funny no one will notice with that frosting on top. :)

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2 c. chocolate wafer crumbs
6 tbsp. butter, melted
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. (6 oz.) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 milk chocolate candy bar (4 oz.), chopped (can use less)
2 c. whipped topping (can use less)
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

In a bowl, combine wafer crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Chill for 15 min. or until set.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 min. or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 min. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

For frosting, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy bar; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Gradually stir in the whipped topping. Remove sides of springform pan. Frost top of cheesecake; garnish with almonds if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 12 servings

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, Mandy's Recipe Box's Totally Tasty Tuesdays and All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays At the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Country Potato Soup

Country Potato Soup pictured with Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

One of the ways that I stretch our budget is by having at least one meatless dinner a week. Recently I discovered this Country Potato Soup recipe in one of my cookbooks and thought it would be a great addition to my list of meatless dishes.

Don't let the basic ingredients of this soup fool you because it still is tasty and full of flavor. The onions, pepper and chives add a lot to it and the sour cream makes it just a little bit creamy. In fact my husband who is not a potato soup fan declared this one to be "pretty good." And I think it goes perfectly with Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits.

Country Potato Soup

3 c. diced, peeled potatoes
1/2- 1 c. carrots
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 c. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chopped chives
1 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. flour
2 c. milk

Combine potatoes, carrots, onion, water, bouillon cubes, pepper and salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook for about 20 min. or until potatoes are tender but not mushy. Add 1 c. milk, heat. Mix sour cream, flour, chives and remaining 1 c. milk. Stir mixture into soup gradually. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, Mandy's Recipe Box's Totally Tasty Tuesdays and All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays At the Table.

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

Don't you love the glamorous shot? It was time to eat when I suddenly remembered I had wanted to take a picture to share with you. :)

These biscuits are oh so yummy! Simple and yet full of flavor, they pretty much melt in your mouth. I think they are the perfect thing to go with soup and we eat a lot of them throughout the fall and winter months.

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

2 c. Bisquick (use my homemade version!)
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese. Drop by spoonfuls (should make 8 biscuits) onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 min. In the meantime, melt butter and mix with garlic powder and Italian seasoning. After biscuits are baked, brush butter mixture onto rolls. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party's Delicious Dishes, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Bisquick

I'm always looking for ways to save and also to eat healthier. So when I came across this recipe for Homemade Bisquick I was pretty excited. Not only is it cheaper than buying Bisquick it is also much healthier because the homemade version has no partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which I really like to avoid. And you couldn't ask for an easier thing to make! It literally just takes minutes.

On top of all that, we actually liked how the things I made with this turned out better than when I made them with Bisquick mix! I've used it now for several different things and they all turned out more delicious than usual. Can you tell I'm sold? :)

Here are two of our favorite quiche recipes using Bisquick- Zucchini Quiche and Crustless Bacon and Egg Quiche,

Okay, so on to the recipe!

Homemade Bisquick

5 c. flour (you could use half whole wheat flour)
1/4 c. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. shortening (I use butter)

Mix dry ingredients together then cut in butter until crumbly. Store in refrigerator** and use as you would Bisquick.

Yields: A little over 6 cups

** If you don't use butter or margarine for this recipe, but instead use vegetable shortening, you could store at room temperature.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Muenster Chicken and Mushrooms

This is one of our favorite ways to eat chicken. It's a great combination of some of our favorite things- chicken, cheese and mushrooms. And while it's easy enough to prepare for a yummy dinner, it's also tasty enough to serve to guests for a special meal.

Muenster Chicken and Mushrooms

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1-2 eggs
Muenster or Swiss cheese (approx. 8 oz.)
8-16 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-2 c. chicken broth
2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
Salt

Cut chicken into thin pieces (this helps the flavor get through more), dip in egg, then bread crumbs. Salt lightly then lightly brown in oiled skillet. Arrange in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Top chicken with sliced or grated cheese and sliced mushrooms. Pour broth over all.

Cover with aluminum foil an bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Remove foil, baste with broth and bake another 10 to 15 min.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, Mandy's Recipe Box's Totally Tasty Tuesdays and All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays At the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Zucchini Quiche

It's zucchini season and we've been loving the zucchini's that friends have given to us. The other night I tried this quiche and we decided that it is our new favorite zucchini dish. It's easy and so yummy that when I got hungry after going to bed, I ended up getting up and eating the rest of the quiche from dinner!

Zucchini Quiche

1 c. chopped onion
1 c. Bisquick baking mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 to 3 1/2 c. zucchini, grated

Mix all ingredients except zucchini in a bowl. Stir in zucchini and pour into a buttered 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 min. or until brown.

* I added a bit of basil and also sprinkled maybe 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese on top (because I was afraid maybe it wouldn't be very good!) but I really think it would still be really yummy without either of those things.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesdays At the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Donut Muffins

I recently discovered this recipe for Donut Muffins and it has become a favorite! These little muffins are easy to make and taste remarkably like a cinnamon sugar cake donut. They've been a hit every time I served them.

Donut Muffins

1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix sugar, butter and nutmeg in large bowl. Stir in the milk then mix in the baking powder and flour just until combined.

Grease 24 mini-muffin cups. Fill cups about half full of batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (I did less I think) or until tops are lightly golden.

While muffins are baking, place 1/4 c. of melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. When muffins are baked, dip each muffin in the melted butter then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Let cool before storing.

Yield: 24 mini-muffins

(There are no eggs in this recipe just in case you were wondering if I mistakenly forgot to list them.)

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Caramel Pudding

My Dad loves pudding. That combined with the fact that we could get milk inexpensively from a neighbor farmer meant that we ate lots of pudding growing up. And I never minded. Occasionally we had the instant stuff but most times it was the good old homemade kind. I still am a pudding lover and recently made this yummy version and realized again how wonderful it is to enjoy.

Caramel Pudding

2 cups brown sugar
12 tbsp. cornstarch
10 cups milk
4 eggs

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch together; add milk and stir. Beat eggs and add to mixture. Cook and bring just to boiling- or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Strain if needed. Pour into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure plastic touches and covers the whole top of the pudding, otherwise a thick 'skin' will form.

Chill and serve with crushed Hershey's 5th Avenue bars on top.

Serves: 20

This makes a large recipe, but you can easily scale it back since it is nice even amounts.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Crumb Cake

Ready to go in the oven

This is a fast, easy dessert and don't let the fact that it doesn't have icing fool you. The cake part is extremely, the moist brown sugar creates a crunchy topping and the chocolate chips add a little bit of extra yumminess. We enjoy this cake as it is, with ice cream or topped with crushed strawberries.

Chocolate Crumb Cake

1 chocolate cake mix, any kind
1 cup water
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix first five ingredients and spread in a greased 11 x 16 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and brown sugar. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Variations: use 1 yellow cake mix, with butterscotch pudding and 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup oil and 4 eggs. Top with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Baked- and yes, I started cutting it before I remembered to take a picture!

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken Casserole

There are two things I love about this Chicken Casserole. It is easy to make and it's pure comfort food. It kind of reminds me of chicken, gravy and filling (or stuffing) all in one. It's one of those dishes that we all devour rather quickly!

Chicken Casserole

3 c. chicken
10 slices bread (or more)
celery salt
parsley flakes

Sauce:
3/4 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
3 c. milk
2 c. chicken broth

Place chicken in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Tear bread into bite sized pieces and put on top of chicken (if 10 slices don't fill the pan, add more). Sprinkle liberally with celery salt and parsley flakes.

In saucepan, melt butter then stir in dry ingredients. When mixed, add milk and chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened. Pour over top of the chicken and bread.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil for last 10 minutes.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club, 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Warm Custard Drink

Warm custard is one of our favorite winter drinks. Basically it is just what it sounds like- a hot custard flavored beverage. Don't let the simple ingredients fool you- this drink is full of creaminess and flavor. We love to sip warm custard right before we go to bed or anytime we just want a warm, creamy beverage. It's kind of funny because many people I have served this too say it reminds them of eggnog; however I dislike eggnog very much! At any rate, I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't liked this drink. Try it and let me know what you think!

Warm Custard

2 c. milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp. vanilla

Put milk and sugar in saucepan. Heat just to boiling. In the meantime, place eggs, salt and vanilla in blender and blend. When milk begins to boil, start the blender and add the milk to the egg mixture.

Pour into mugs; sprinkle with nutmeg.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Jimmy Carter Cake

Looking for a dessert to make your Valentine? This is a rich and delicious dessert that looks like you've spent hours making it when in reality you spent maybe 20 minutes- and it's sure to be a hit!

Jimmy Carter Cake

Crumble Together & press in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.:
1 cup flour
1 stick butter (softened)
2/3 cup crushed peanuts

Cream Together:
1/2 cup peanut butter
8 oz. confectioners sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
3 tbsp. milk

Fold in:
1 cup Cool Whip (use 8 oz. container- will use remainder below)

Spread over cooled crust. Then mix:
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk

Spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining Cool Whip. May sprinkle with crushed peanuts or chocolate shavings.
Chill and serve!

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday,and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Grape-nuts Cereal

Ready to bake.

This healthy cereal is so good...in fact right now I'm kind of addicted to it. It's crunchy, slightly sweet and also is perfect mixed with homemade granola for a little added crunch. This recipe does make a large amount of grape-nuts, but they freeze wonderfully, so no worries!

Homemade Grape-nuts Cereal

2 1/4 lbs. brown sugar
3 1/2 lbs. whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oil
3 cups sour cream (I use yogurt)
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking soda
2 cups buttermilk

Mix together all ingredients except buttermilk. Mix well, then gradually stir in the buttermilk. Divide dough onto 3 greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. When cool, crumble in blender* and then dry in warm oven (200 to 225 degrees), stirring occasionally.

* When the pans are somewhat cool I cut the "cookies" up into pieces and turn them over allowing the cookie to cool faster. Once cool, I blend a few pieces at a time...if you do too many pieces, it won't blend very easily.

The finished product.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday,and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Easy Ritz Cracker Candy

Okay, so I admit, the name is rather generic. But honestly, I don't know what these yummy little candies are called. I've never head a name for them, so hence my own generic name.

Anyway, if you love a salty, peanut butter chocolate combo, you'll love this easy candy. Here's the recipe- and don't blame me for any calories gained because of them. It's hard for me to stop at one when I eat these!

Easy Ritz Cracker Candy

Ritz crackers
Peanut butter
Chocolate for coating

Take a Ritz cracker and spread it with peanut butter. Top with another Ritz cracker. Melt chocolate (I like the wafers best) then dip Ritz crackers into it until coated. Place coated crackers on wax paper to cool.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday,and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: French Onion Soup

I've never been a huge fan of onions and so I always thought I wouldn't like French Onion Soup. Last year at a friend's birthday brunch, I had my first taste of French Onion Soup and realized how delicious it was!

Recently I was hungry for it again and decided to try making it myself. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to recreate that rich, delicious flavor I remembered, but I wasn't disappointed. I used beef broth that I had frozen from when I made pot roast and it tasted wonderful! I really don't know if I would even try making it with canned broth. I'm just afraid it would miss that rich flavor that homemade broth has. But you do whatever you want!

Anyway, here's the recipe I used...easy as can be.

French Onion Soup

1/4 c. butter
3 c. thinly sliced Vidalia or sweet onions
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. flour
4 c. beef broth or 3 (10 oz.) cans
6 slices French bread
cheese

Place butter and onions in a large saucepan. Cover and cook slowly for 15 minutes. Blend in salt and flour. Add beef broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Pour into oven proof soup bowls or cups. Top with a slice of French bread and a slice of cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

Yield: 5-6 servings

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday,and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are SO yummy. The pumpkin really isn't very noticeable in taste, but it makes them very moist. We absolutely loved these rolls!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

ROLLS:
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs butter
½ cup canned pumpkin or mashed cooked pumpkin
2 Tbs granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour

FILLING:
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs melted butter

FROSTING:
¼ cup (4 Tbsp.) butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt
½ to ¾ cup sifted powdered sugar

1. Prepare rolls: In a small saucepan, heat milk and 2 Tbsp. butter just until warm (120 – 130°) and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar and salt. Add milk mixture and beat with an electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flours. Add half of flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Beat mixture on low speed for 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly (dough will be very soft). Turn into lightly greased bowl, then grease surface of dough lightly. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Punch dough down. Turn onto floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough, sprinkling with enough additional flour to make dough easy to handle. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 12×10-inch rectangle.

4. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush surface of dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Beginning with long side of dough, roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch seam to seal. With a sharp serrated knife, gently cut roll into twelve 1-inch slices. Place rolls cut-side-up in greased 9-inch-square baking pan.

5. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls about 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from pan to waxed paper-lined wire rack. Cool 10 to 15 minutes.

7. While rolls are cooling, prepare icing: In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cool over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and cool mixture slightly. Stir in vanilla, salt and powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more powdered sugar for desired consistency.

8. Drizzle icing over warm rolls.

Yield: 12 rolls

Cooking Tips
*If you’d like to begin preparing these the night before… Follow directions through step four, cover and refrigerate overnight. Take out in the morning and continue with step 5.
**If you’re lacking a warm place for rising, use your oven. Turn on the oven light. Then set your oven to 400 degrees for one minute. Turn it OFF and then place your pan inside the warmed oven. Make sure you have turned off your oven!

Recipe taken from RecipeGirl.com.

For other great recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I have a pick with dry muffins. Can't stand them. But these blueberry muffins won the test as far as moistness. They are far from dry, flavorful, and amazingly low in sugar too- one of our favorite muffin recipes.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2 c. flour (can use half whole wheat)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together. Beat egg with sour cream and milk. Stir in oil. Add liquids all at one time to dry ingredients; stir only until blended. Carefully fold in blueberries. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pans.

Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter

Mix brown sugar with flour and cinnamon. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs over top of muffins. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack.

Yield: 14-16 muffins*

*The original recipe says this makes 12 muffins but when I do that amount, the topping runs off the muffins. Fourteen to sixteen seems to work much better!

For other great recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Old-fashioned Apple Dumplings

Fall just calls for apple desserts. And this fall-like weather we've been having put me in the mood for apple dumplings. I have wonderful memories of my mom making these when I was growing up. They were always so good and since she didn't make them often, a special treat.

Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

6 medium apples, pealed and cored (leave whole)
2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
1/2 milk
sugar and cinnamon

Sauce:
2 c. brown sugar*
2 c. water
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add milk, press together lightly, working dough only enough to hold together.

Roll dough out on floured surface into a 12x18 rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 in. thick. Cut into six 6-inch squares. Place whole apple on each square. Fill cavity of each apple with 1 tbsp. sugar then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Fold edges of square towards the center and pinch edges together, covering completely. Place dumplings 1 inch apart in a greased baking dish.

Make sauce by combining brown sugar, water and spices. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and add butter. Pour over dumplings.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Baste occasionally during baking. Serve warm with milk or ice cream

Variation: Roll dough into rectangle 1/4 in. thick. Spread with sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1 1/4 in. slices. Place in pan, pour syrup over and bake.

*These are plenty sweet. You may find you like a ration of 1 1/2 c. water and 1 1/2. c. sugar better.

For other great recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Strawberry and Feta Cheese Salad

This is a deliciously different salad. No, it's not the cheapest salad on the planet, but it sure is fun to make it every once in a while for a special occasion or just for the anyhow. The strawberries and feta cheese give it a delightfully different taste and the dressing is really yummy too.

Strawberry and Feta Cheese Salad

1 head green or red leaf lettuce
1 bag baby spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 c. feta or blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. sliced almonds, roasted
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 c. sliced strawberries (I've also used mandarin oranges, canned)

Dressing*:
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. cider vinegar
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion

Assemble salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a blender, place dressing ingredients; blend until smooth. Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss until well coated.

Yield: 8-10 servings

*We like lots of dressing, but I have found that there is still plenty of dressing with only using about 2/3 of this recipe.


For other great recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.