Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Muffins:

 2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup grated apple peeled and cored apple

Instructions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

*In a separate bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and vegetable oil.

* Combine pumpkin mixture with flour mixture.

*Fold in grated apples.  (I also added raisins and chopped walnuts)  

*Do not over mix batter, Just stir until everything is mixed in.  Over stirring can cause tough muffins.

*Scoop mixture into muffin tins lined with paper liners or sprayed with a non-stick spray.

*Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

* Allow muffins to cool slightly before removing from pan.  Continue cooling muffins on a baking rack.

Banana muffins

1 ½ cups flour

1tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cups sugar

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

3 mashed bananas 

⅓ cup melted butter

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Set aside. 

Mix melted butter, sugar, bananas, vanilla, and egg until blended. 

Fold in dry ingredients, careful not to over mix. 

Fill greased muffin tin. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or u til muffins bounce back when touched. 

Makes 12 muffins. Super light and fluffy. 

Zucchini Oatmeal Waffles

Description:
This is a healthier version of waffles.   If you have leftovers, you can freeze them and reheat in the toaster.   They are great spread with peanut butter too.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.   Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions
2. Stir milk, zucchini, eggs and butter in a bowl until evenly blended.   Combine flour, oats, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in another bowl; gradually stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.
3.   Ladle batter into preheated waffle iron.   Cook until waffles are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

German Pancakes

6 or 7 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
Blend in blender. Melt 1/3 cube of butter in pan. Cook at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Serve with jam and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Waffle Love

I tried the Waffle Love truck in Utah and was excited to buy some Belgian Pearl Sugar from them so I could try my own at home.  I found this great recipe at: 
http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/2013/12/copycat-waffle-love-recipe.html

Copycat Waffle Love recipe
Prep time: 4 hours

Cook time: 5 minutes

Yield: 10 waffles

Serving size: 1 waffle

Waffle Love is an incredibly popular waffle truck in Utah and now you can make their famous liege waffles from home!

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole milk, scalded and cooled to warm milk. (I used warmed evaporated milk)
2 tablespoons water, warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons instant yeast
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups belgian pearl sugar (can be purchased from the Waffle Love truck for $6/lb, Amazon, Pirate O's or Orson Gygi) 

Instructions

Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar to the milk and water and add the yeast, stirring to combine. Allow the yeast to proof, or get foamy and puffy.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Add the egg, honey and vanilla. Stir together and add the yeast mixture. Place in a standing mixer with the dough hook and add 2 cups of flour. Mix until the dough is thoroughly incorporated, and add the remaining flour, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 4 hours, or up to 24 hours in the fridge after the first 4 hours. Then punch down and knead in the pearl sugar. Separate into 8 to 10 balls and place on a hot (365°), buttered waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and serve with biscoff, whipped cream and fresh berries or bananas. 

Dough can be frozen after the initial 4 hours of raising. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for approximately 3 hours then add sugar and cook as directed above.

Chunky Monkey Refrigerator Oatmeal

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey, optional (or substitute any preferred sweetener)
1 Tbs peanut butter

1/4 cup diced ripe banana, or enough to fill jar (approx. half of a small banana)

Directions
In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, cocoa powder and yogurt.  Stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Add bananas before eating.  Eat chilled.

Peter Pancakes

1/3 C Powdered Milk
1/2 C Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Sugar
Mix above then add:
 2 Eggs
1/8 c OilAdd to a bowl with:
1 C Oats and 1 C hot water

Quechee Inn Granola

Enough to fill a mixed nut container:

2 c chopped nuts
1 c coconut
3 1/2 c oats (quick and regular in equal amounts)
2 Tbs Flaxseed
1/2 c honey
1/2 c oil
1/2 c brown sugar (with a little water mixed in to dissolve)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Carefully cook under broiler until toasty, stirring every couple of minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet. Break up and store in an airtight container.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

8 Cups whole wheat flour                                                       

4 tsp salt

1/3 Cup baking powder

½ Cup sugar

1 ½ Cups powdered milk

1 Cup olive oil

Mix dry ingredients together in kitchen aid or with hand mixer, as mixing slowly add 1 cup olive oil.  Keep mixing until lump free.  Keep in refrigerator.  For pancakes add 1 cup mix to 1 egg + ½ - ¾ cup water. Can also be used for waffles.

Spinach Smoothies and Ice Cream

We love smoothies around our house and I love to stuff as much spinach in them as my family will tolerate. :) I tried a really tastey peanut butter one this morning with Max and Ashling and Ashling kept asking for more after she finished an entire sippy cup of smoothie. Not too surprising since she does seem to have a hollow leg lately.

The following 2 recipes came from www.ourfoodstorage.com and I haven't tried a recipe from her site yet that I don't love.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
2 cups milk
1 - 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 GIANT handful of fresh or 1/3 - 2/3 c frozen spinach
1/2 tsp cocoa powder (If your protein powder doesn't seem chocolate-y enough)
1 banana
Ice

Blend up in blender until everything is smooth and pour into about 2 huge or 4 normal glasses.

Berry Smoothie
1 cup milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/3-1/2 cup frozen or fresh berries or add some banana, whatever you like
fresh or frozen spinach (about one third cup of frozen or a giant handful of fresh)

I haven't made this one yet but I think it's for one big serving

We also make one and serve it with dinner sometimes when Randy says he'll drink his salad instead of eat it. Here's the general instructions on this one, remember everything is approximate:

Drink Your Salad
4 oz juice (citrus tastes best to me)
4 - 6 oz yogurt
1 - 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
carrots (abt 6 baby carrots or one big one cut up into chunks)
1 banana (I usually cut them into 4 or 5 pieces and freeze them)
1 - 2 c frozen fruit (I use the Fruit Medley from Sams that has strawberries, peaches, pineapple, & mango)
1/2 - 1 c frozen blueberries (if I have them)
Sugar or honey to sweeten it if I feel like it needs it
Ice

Blend it up in your blender until smooth. I use the whole juice button on my Blendtec but would just run it until it was a good texture on my old blenders.

My Blendtec (the fender-bender-blender as Jessie's family named it) came with a recipe book and we found a spinach ice cream we really enjoy.

Popeye's Ice Cream
6 oz (3/4 c) half and half
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla (I think this is a little much)
2/3 c nonfat dry milk powder
2 - 3 c fresh spinach
2 1/2 to 3 c ice

Place ingredients in blender jar in order as listed and secure the lid. Press the Ice Cream button. (That's the directions for the Blendtec)

Yogurt

I stopped buying yogurt (unless it's free or almost free through couponing of course) once I figured out how to make it on my own a couple months ago. It's super easy, uses my powdered milk from my food storage, and can be a substitute for sour cream and even cream cheese depending on how thick you make it.

Yogurt:

7 1/2 c hot water
2 c dry powdered milk (non-instant)
6 oz store bought PLAIN yogurt as a starter (I used the Yoplait Greek kind and you could probably use 4 oz. instead of 6 oz. and be just fine as long as it says it has "live and active cultures" in it)

Mix your powdered milk into warm / hot water in a glass container that will be used as your incubating container. Spray a large (at least 3 Qt) sauce pan with non-stick spray and pour in the warm milk. Stir the milk often as you heat it up to atleast 180 degrees Ferenheit (mine gets around 200 or so) making sure not to scald it and hold this temp for about 2 - 5 min. This kills all the bad bacteria you don't want growing in your yogurt and keeps the yogurt from turning all liquidy again when you stir it after it's set up.

Clean out the glass container and pour the heated milk back into it to let the milk cool to 110 degrees Ferenheit. Don't cheat because if the milk is too hot it will kill the good bacteria in the yogurt and it will never set up. Pull off a cup or so of the warm milk and mix the starter yogurt into it. Pour everything back together and give it a good stir.

Let the yogurt thicken by sitting in an undisturbed, warm place for 6 - 8 hours (overnight worked great for me). I warmed my oven up to the lowest setting it had (as low as 100 degrees Ferenheit will work) and then TURNED IT OFF. I wrapped my 2 quart glass jar in a thick towel, turned on the light in my oven, and let it sit over night in the warm oven and it was nice and thick the next morning. You can also let it sit on a heating pad all wrapped up in a towel or put it in a cooler with hot water bottles. One girl even used her solar oven to keep it warm. Just do what works for you.

After it has set, let it cool in the fridge and then mix in any jam or fruit when you serve it and even top with granola if you'd like. Eat within about a week. You can use a store bought yogurt as your starter every time if you’d like, but it is possible to just use about a ½ cup from your last batch to start the next batch for a few batches in a row until it becomes too weak to use as a starter. I just bought a big tub of Dannon plain yogurt and froze it ice cube trays. I used around 4 - 8 cubes in each batch and they all turned out about the same.

It works great as a substitute for sour cream because it is plain yogurt. You can thicken it and use it as a cream cheese substitue as well. You can strain it through cheese cloth letting some of the whey drip out to thicken it. Another way to thicken it is to put some paper towels on the top of the yogurt and a dish towel on top of that for some weight. Every couple hours ring the whey out of the dish towel until it gets as thick as you'd like, toss the paper towels, and it should be ready to go.

I really like the blog www.everydayfoodstorage.net and she just started a series of posts and videos about making yogurt if you want to check them out as she posts them.

Resources:

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/yogurt.htm (great explantions)

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html (great tips and tricks in comments section)

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2010/06/yogis-welcome-yogurt-recipe-and-link.html (good ideas on thickening)

“Natural Meals in Minutes Book 3 Powdered Milk Cheeses with Yogurt & Other Milk Recipes” by Rita Bingham (recipe actually comes from LDS Cannery milk)