Muffins with Mushrooms?

We love mushrooms in our house so I always have some in the fridge. I literally put them in everything from pasta to pizza and now even baking! I was sautéing up some onions and mushrooms for dinner anyway, so I just made extra and put them in some muffins. I wasn't sure how they would taste but they came out surprisingly good! The caramelized onions had a wonderful rich flavor and of course, the cheese helped too! Not quite a "Meal in a Muffins" but definitely good as a side dish or quick breakfast. Hum...now what else could I put in a muffin?

Ingredients: (6 muffins)


2 Tbsp butter
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/4 c chopped onions
1 c all-purpose flour
1-1/2 baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 shredded cheese (I used Mexican Blend)
1/2 c milk
1 egg


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 6 muffin cups.


2. Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter until caramelized.


3. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add cheese and toss to coat.


4. Beat egg and milk together. Add to dry ingredients with mushrooms. Mix until well blended.


5. Divide mixture among muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean.

Sunny's Pistachio Poppy Bread

Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real is one of my favorite new shows on The Food Network. I love the vibrant energy this girl has and all her food look so easy and delicious! The other day she made some brunch recipes and one of them was a Pistachio Poppy Bread. I LOVE Pistachios so I knew I wanted to give it a try! I bought the already-toasted nuts from Trader Joe's so that saved me an extra step. I also substituted some lemon zest for the orange cuz I always have fresh lemons on hand. I didn't have any creamed honey for serving but this bread was seriously good enough on its own!

Happy Easter!

I usually have Brunch with my mom on Easter but this year Greg wanted to spend the holiday together. The weather wasn't as great as we hoped but we still had a great time! Just by chance, we went to the same restaurant that I went to with my mom last year. We chose Palomino cuz it's really close to where we live and the food hasn't failed us yet! How can you go wrong with Crabmeat Benedict and LOTS of Champagne right?

Squash and Zucchini Bread

I've made plenty of Zucchini Bread but never thought of combining it with Yellow Squash. I saw that both veggies were on sale this week so decided to give it a shot. This bread tasted very similar to regular Zucchini Bread but I love the pretty yellow specks from the squash!

Ingredients:


12 Tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 medium yellow squashes, diced
1 medium green zucchini, diced
1/2 chopped pecans
1 c sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.


2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.


3. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.


4. Stir in the squash, zucchini and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.


5. Bake until loaf is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before unmolding onto rack to cool completely.

Another Meal in a Muffin!

I just love making savory muffins cuz they make such great portable treats! This was another one of my creations that I consider a "Meal in a Muffin." It's actually a very balanced meal with protein from the ham, veggies from the tomatoes and dairy from the cheese. A great breakfast on the run or light lunch!

Ingredients: (8 muffins)


1-1/4 c all-purpose plour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 eggs
3/4 c buttermilk
1/2 c (1 stick) butter Melted
4 oz ham, chopped
1/2 c shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and copped
2 Tbsp chives, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8 muffin cups.


2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the ham, Mozzarella, tomatoes, chives and seasoning. Mixture will be lumpy.


3. Divide among muffin cups. Top each muffins with 1 Tbsp Parmesan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tops are browned and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Curry Braised Pork Chops

Since my last attempt with braising pork chops came out so well, I decided to give it another shot. This time I used a can of Campbell's Condensed Beef Broth along with some Curry and Cumin Powders. I served the chops over some boxed couscous with Curry flavor to match. Again, the slow braising made the pork super tender and flavorful!

Spring is Finally Here!

Although the weather in SF doesn't feel like it these days, it's quite clear that spring is here from all the fresh produce at the market. I found these beautiful strawberries on sale at Safeway and knew I had to make something with them. I haven't made anything with oatmeal in a while so I decided on Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins. Pretty, healthy and yummy! What more could you ask for?

Ingredients: (8 muffins)

1 c rolled oats
1 c buttermilk
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 8 muffin cups pan with paper liners.

2. In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Let stand for 5 min. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the egg, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the oat and flour mixtures, just until moistened. Fold in the strawberries and walnuts.

4. Divide mixture between lined muffins cups. Bake for 15-20 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.