Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you all a very 

Happy New Year!! 

Stay safe, be healthy 

and have a 

remarkably fabulous 2014!

My husband and I have never been party going people. Every New Year's Eve we order Chinese take-out and watch the ball drop on tv. 

What are your New Year's Eve plans? Do you have any traditions for New Year's Eve? 

Happy New Year from the Saucy Sisters Family Kitchen

Sandi and Sue 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a 

very Merry Christmas 

and a happy, healthy New Year! 

Thank you all for bearing with us during this incredibly busy time in our lives and busy time of year. With both of us having very active toddler boys, it is quite often we don't seem to be able to do much else than run after our boys. We love cooking and sharing our recipes and stories with you all, so please rest assured we haven't gone anywhere. We are still in our kitchens cooking, testing and photographing at any chance we have. 

We have been traveling and had family and friends coming and going throughout this holiday season and will resume posting fabulously yummy home cooked goodies when our schedules return to normal. 

Thank you again for bearing with us and for visiting our little corner of the world. 

Merry Christmas from our families to you and yours. 

Sandi and Sue

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our families to yours! 

Thank you to all of our readers for allowing us to share our families favorite recipes 

and hopefully inspiring you to make a few of them for your families. 

And thank you to all of our family and friends for being our support system

and our recipe testers. 

This year's Thanksgiving Menu at Sandi's

Turkey

 (brining for the first time this year)

Stuffing

(I do not put it inside the bird)

Green Beans

Butternut Squash

Mashed Potato

Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie

Sue will be visiting some friends this year and bringing 

Pumpkin Pie and Shredded Wheat Bread

New posts to come with Thanksgiving recipes. 

We hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

Sandi and Sue 

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

It has been an exceptionally crazy, busy month here at my house this month too. I truly never imagined, before becoming a mom, how crazy and unorganized life would be with a 2 year old. Not to mention that I have been without my smart phone for a week now. While attempting to wrangle the little bugger I dropped my phone on a slate step.....the screen cracked and went black.....You really never know how much you depend on technology until you are without it. I have a loaner phone from Verizon at the moment. It is a flip phone that does nothing. I can make calls and text, with difficulty mind you, as this phone makes me feel like I am stepping back into 2001. I miss my phone.....luckily I bought the insurance on it and should have a new one soon...I hope...

I have so very many pictures, both of our son and the food I have photographed, trapped on that dead phone....

Now on to the recipe. I have meant to post this recipe for a while now. This past summer I went to our cousin Kristin's house for a family BBQ. She and her husband Vin throw a BBQ party every summer and this was the first one I have actually been able to attend and I am so glad I was able to go. There is nothing better than spending time with family. And even though they live not so far from me, all of our lives are so busy we don't get to see each other that often. I brought this salad and inside out chocolate chip cookies. Since the party was outside in the summer, I chose this salad since there is no mayo in the dressing. This salad is perfectly safe being un-refrigerated for a few hours as opposed to a traditional potato salad with a mayo based dressing. I am so glad I chose this recipe. It is sometimes risky making and bringing a dish to share if you have not tried the recipe before, but every one loved it and it did not last very long.

This was so very yummy. I encourage you to try it. 

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and left whole

1/4 C red wine vinegar

1/2 t sugar

1 t garlic powder

3 t spicy brown mustard

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1/4 C olive oil

2 T chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 30 min. Drain. Cool about 10-15 min until you can handle them; peel potatoes. Cut potatoes in half then in 1/3” slices. Place warm potatoes in large bowl and add sliced onion. In a small bowl combine red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, olive oil, and mustard; stir until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over potatoes. Toss to coat. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss well and marinate at least 20 min and up to 2 hours at room temp.

(Adapted from Bon Appetite Magazine)

Enjoy!                                            

Sandi

Braised Beef Short Ribs

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by these days! My little one has just survived his first cold, and he's become an unstoppable force of nature (read: toddler who likes to explore everything) just going, going, going. We've been so busy that I suddenly realized it has been almost a month since I've managed to write a post. Again. Sorry everyone, I'll try to keep on top of this better!

So, while the days have been flying by at the speed of sound and the temperatures have been getting lower, I've been looking for more comfort-food type meals that can basically cook themselves. We've had stews and soups, but I also really love to add this dish into the rotation. I got the recipe from Ree Drummond's Pioneer Woman Cooks website, which I absolutely love to read whenever I have a couple extra minutes (you can see her original recipe here). I decided not to do step by step photos of this one for two reasons: I really needed to get it done quickly to take advantage of a short stuffy-toddler nap, and also because my photos would not be nearly as nice as those you'll find if you follow the link (you really should, I think you'll enjoy it if you do).

I made this almost exactly as Ree wrote it the first time, but since then I've tweaked it a little here and there - no big changes mind you, just little things. I leave my carrots in larger chunks because I really like them to be a bigger part of the dish rather than just to add flavor to the sauce; I skip the pancetta and just use a spoonful of bacon grease that I keep in a jar for just such a purpose (yes, I keep bacon grease in a jar, and I'm comfortable with that); and I add a pinch of crushed red pepper along with dried rosemary and thyme to kick it up a little. Also, when I was ready to start cooking this last time, I discovered I had run out of stock. I had neither beef nor chicken, and so I simply used water. The ribs came out just as good.

These are fantastic served with polenta, as suggested by Ree. They are also great if you eat them with bread because your husband got home starving before you had time to make polenta. They really are amazing, in addition to being super easy, and I hope you try them!

Here's the recipe as I've adapted it:

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2-6 whole beef short ribs
       (depending on how small they have been cut, you want them all to fit in your 
       dutch oven in a single layer - the ones I've been getting are still pretty long 
       so I use three or four)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
~1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
~1 Tbsp bacon grease (you can just use olive oil, but you will miss the smoky flavor)
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped into bite-size chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
~1 tsp dried rosemary
~1 tsp dried thyme
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
additional fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
2 Cups red wine
2 Cups water (or beef or chicken stock) enough to just cover ribs

Preheat oven to 350*.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides, and coat with all-purpose flour. Heat the bacon grease in a dutch oven on pretty high heat, and brown the ribs on all sides. This will be pretty fast, a minute or less per side, just to brown them; then remove them to a plate to wait. Turn the heat down to about medium, and toss in the onion, carrot, garlic and spices; saute until fragrant and beginning to soften. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the browned bits that are still stuck. Stir in the water or stock, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Return the ribs to the pan, making sure they are each mostly submerged.
Cover the dutch oven and put it in the 350* oven for 2 hours. Then lower the temperature to 325* for another 30-45 minutes. (Or if you are like me, and it's time to go get the little one ready for bed, just turn off the oven but don't open it, and let the ribs finish cooking with just the heat they retain for the next hour).
Serve with polenta, or mashed potato, or bread - whatever you prefer, really anything that will help you enjoy the lovely sauce you've created.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Bourbon Chicken Pizza

This recipe has absolutely zero resemblance to the 'Bourbon Chicken' you may find at fast-food joints. That dish is apparently named after Bourbon Street and not after the alcoholic beverage, which it does not contain. This dish is named after the spirit, which it does contain. 

I just had to throw that out there, as it goes toward the story of how this particular recipe was created: Hubby asked me several years ago whether I had heard of something called 'Bourbon Chicken' and if I knew how to make it, as he had just heard someone mention it that day. I told him I had heard of it, and that I had even tried it once, and I asked if he knew that it did not, in fact, contain bourbon. He was shocked and appalled. So he asked me to create a bourbon chicken dish that actually utilized bourbon... and then he said he wanted it to go on a pizza. I asked if there were any other specifics he had in mind, and we talked it through a while, and what follows is what we came up with - which has now become our favorite pizza, we make it almost every single time we make pizza, if that tells you anything about how good it is. 

We start with caramelized onions, because... well, have you had caramelized onions on pizza? But instead of using butter or plain olive oil, we decided to saute them with a Spanish dipping oil we love - sun dried tomatoes are a prominent ingredient in this sweet/smoky/tangy mixture, and making sure to get plenty of bits of those tomatoes into the pan is an important step. Saute the onions over medium heat just until they begin to soften and release their lovely aroma. 

Then turn the pan up to high and add in your diced chicken. Saute just until chicken is about half cooked, then pour in your bourbon and cook until chicken is done and the liquid has absorbed/evaporated. At this point, you really have the bourbon chicken aspect finished; you could enjoy this as is, with rice or pasta or some warm soft tortillas. Add some fresh lime and cilantro and you'd have some yummy tacos...

Back to pizza: I highly recommend you use homemade crust, my recipe can be found here; but if you prefer not to, I'm sure it will be alright. Not quite the same, but tasty anyway. Spread your favorite barbecue sauce thinly over your prebaked crust - we use one that is a bit smoky and spicy, which complements the bourbony chicken nicely. Then sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese (we actually use rice cheese, as dairy is a no-no, but I bet it would be great with anything you normally use on pizza). Tear up a few big handfuls of fresh spinach to cover the cheese, then top with the bourbony chicken and onions. Pop this into the 450* oven for about ten minutes to melt the cheese and crisp the crust.

Mmmm. Don't you want to try this? Wait - before you answer that - Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

And here's the recipe:

Bourbon Chicken Pizza

One prebaked pizza crust  (find the recipe to make your own here)
4-6 Tbsp barbecue sauce (more if you like it thick)
~1/2 cup shredded cheese (again, more if you like)
Fresh spinach (a few big handfuls)
1 small or 1/2 med-large onion, sliced
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, diced (I use thighs, but breasts would work if you prefer)
~1 Tbsp oil for sauteing **I use spanish dipping oil for the complimentary flavor, but you could use plain olive oil or even butter**
1 oz bourbon **I'm intentionally not specifying the brand here, we've used a couple different brands as we've had them to very similar effect**

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat, saute onions just until softening and aromatic. Turn heat to high and add chicken; saute until chicken is cooked halfway. Add bourbon and cook until chicken is done and liquid has absorbed/evaporated.
Spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce on prebaked crust, top with shredded cheese. Tear up spinach and layer on top of cheese. Top with bourbon chicken and onion mixture. Bake at 450* about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is crisped and golden-brown.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Pizza Dough

I know that for many (most?) people, pizza is something you order out, or maybe pop in the oven from a box you find in the freezer. Some people will even go so far as to purchase premade crust and top it at home, for a more customizable option. But make the whole pizza, dough and all, from scratch? Probably not very many would even consider it, let alone make it a habit. 

I'm here to tell you, it is not that difficult, and it is sooo worth it. I've been doing it for years, and I honestly prefer homemade pizza, especially the dough, over any takeout. (The only exception is the food of the gods you find at a place called American Flatbread, but that's a story for another day...) Not to mention this is really the only way to ensure there is no dairy or soy or any of the other ingredients that make hubby sick included. 

Alright, let's get started. First, proof your yeast. This is a very simple process, and truthfully not always necessary. I have skipped this step before without any problems. That said, I recommend that you proof if you are not absolutely certain that your yeast will be active if you skip it. It would be unfortunate to go through the whole process and end up with a lump of play-doh and nothing for dinner. You might have to order out... 

Anyway, like I said, simple process: in a small bowl, stir your yeast and a teaspoon of sugar into a couple tablespoons of the warm (not hot, not cold - comfortably warm) water called for in the recipe. It should mostly dissolve, but you may have a few clumps, and that is ok.

Let this bowl sit on the counter while you assemble the rest of the ingredients, just a few minutes is all it takes. And voila! Bubbly, puffy, and increased volume. This not only tells you that your yeast is active, it gives your dough a head start on rising time because the yeast has already started working! This is especially nice if your kitchen is not very warm, which tends to slow down a dough's rise.

While the yeast has been proofing, you have assembled your flour, olive oil, salt, and the rest of the warm water in a mixing bowl. Now you add the proofed yeast mixture as well. No need for any particular order or extra steps, just put it all in the bowl at once.

Then, using your dough hook, turn the mixer on low and let it do the work for you. It will mix and knead the dough all in one step, just let it go until the dough is cohesive and looks pretty smooth, like this:

If you have a bread machine, you could also do this on just the dough setting and it will work to the same effect. If you have neither, you can certainly mix and knead by hand, it will just take a little longer. If you knead by hand, try putting a little olive oil on your hands before you begin to avoid needing to add extra flour. When your dough is soft and smooth, form it into a mostly round ball; lightly oil a large bowl and roll the dough around to coat the surface. Cover and allow to rise on the counter at least 90 minutes.

You can use the risen dough right away, or refrigerate up to a few days or even freeze it. This is what my dough looked like after spending the night and the next day in the fridge (this is a 2.5 quart bowl):

Now to use the dough: the recipe makes enough for two large thin crust pizzas, or if you like a thick chewy deep-dish crust go ahead and use the whole batch on one. I divide the dough in half and make two pizzas, sometimes both at once, other times I refrigerate the second half to use the next day. Lightly oil a large pizza pan, and (optionally) sprinkle with cornmeal. Stretch the dough a bit by hand into a circular shape, then place it on the prepared pizza pan and pat and stretch it further. Be gentle to avoid making holes. When the dough starts to resist but is not large enough to fill the pan, especially when you have just pulled it from the fridge, let it rest for five or ten minutes on the counter while you go do something else.

When you come back, the dough will probably be more cooperative, and you can pat/stretch it to fill the rest of the pan. Preheat your oven to 450* and let the dough rest again while you wait.

Then use a fork or knife to poke the dough in several places to avoid air pockets, and prebake until you start to see some golden brown areas - about 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven. I like to check on it every once in a while to make sure there aren't any air pockets forming despite my punctures, if there are, just pop them and press the dough down to let the air out (using that fork or knife, not your fingers - it will be hot!).

Then you have a lovely canvas with which to create your very own personal favorite pizza! Top with your favorite combination of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Then back into the 450* oven to melt the cheese and meld the flavors, another 10-15 minutes or so, depending on whether you have toppings that need to actually cook or just heat up. Our favorite topping combo will be my next post, so if you need ideas, check back soon!

I have also used this recipe to make stromboli with great success (I'll have to make it again soon, I've just reminded myself how good it was! I promise I'll post about it when I do.), you are not limited to flat pizza! Really, the possibilities are endless - it even makes great breadsticks.

And here's the recipe:

Pizza Dough

2 tsp yeast (or one packet if you purchase those instead)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl and pan
3 cups all-purpose flour (actually, I've made it with whole wheat before and it is also very good)
1 1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal (optional) for the pan

Dissolve yeast and sugar with a couple tablespoons of the warm water, set aside. Assemble all ingredients in mixing bowl, add proofed yeast mixture. Mix and knead until dough is cohesive and smooth. Turn dough in lightly oiled large bowl to coat surface, cover and allow to rise at room temperature at least 90 minutes. At this point, dough can be refrigerated or frozen until needed.
Divide dough in half for two large thin crust pizzas, or use the whole batch for one large deep-dish pizza, or divide into 4-8 smaller portions to make stromboli. Lightly oil pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently stretch the dough into a circular shape, place on prepared pan and pat and gently stretch to fill. When dough resists, allow to rest 5-10 minutes, then resume pat/stretching to fill pan.
Preheat oven to 450* while allowing dough to rest. Poke dough in several places to vent air with fork or knife. Prebake 8-10 minutes, until crust begins to turn golden brown in places. Top with your favorite combination of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Return to oven another 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

Here's another apple recipe as a result of our apple picking adventure. 

A few years ago I made something like this, but this version was much better. I adapted this recipe slightly from one I found on Betty Crocker's website. 

I meant to take a picture of a single piece and zoom in on the caramely goodness on the inside....but these things disappeared so fast I never got a chance. You may start to notice when I am trying to get through a recipe as quickly as possible, as there may be just photos of the end result (or almost the end result as seen here with the lack of picture for the individual piece...) and none of the process. 

My husband and toddler LOVED these Caramel Apple Cookie Bars! My husband really likes sweet food. Where as I prefer things a little less sweet. These were very good though.

 I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Cut your parchment to fit the pan on the long side of the pan and make it longer on the short ends so you can just lift it easily out of the pan once it's cooled.

My husband and I both are not generally corner and edge people. When mine and Sue's Dad is around we save the corners for him. We prefer the middle pieces on brownies, bars and even biscuits, with the exception of my Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies (they will be a post for another time-I assure you they are divine). But the edges on these were so nice and chewy that we didn't mind eating them. 

Just look at that edge....Somewhat crisp, yet chewy, caramely, oaty goodness. The inside pieces were soft and chewy. It was good warm and at room temp, but when we put it in the fridge, that's when it became the nice chewy caramel consistency we were looking for. 

And here's the recipe

Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

1/4 C plus 2 T shortening

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 1/2 t salt

2 1/4 C old fashioned oats

2 1/2 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 cinnamon

3/4 t baking soda

4 1/2 C chopped apples

3 T all purpose flour

1 lb caramels

cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line 13x9” pan with parchment paper. (cut to fit on long sides of pan and make it longer to overlap the pan on both short sides of the pan) In a large bowl combine shortening, butter and brown sugar. Add salt, oats, 2 1/4 C flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir to combine. Reserve 2 C of the mixture; press remaining mixture in bottom of parchment lined pan. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the top. In another bowl stir together apples and 3 T flour. Spread evenly over the crust in the pan. Sprinkle apples with a little cinnamon sugar. In a med saucepan over low heat, heat the caramels stirring occasionally until completely melted. Pour as evenly as you can over the apples. Distribute the reserved oat mixture as evenly as you can over the caramel. Press lightly. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Bake 25-30 min or until apples are tender and top is light golden brown. Cool in the pan a little so you can handle it safely. Then using the overlapping parchment carefully remove from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.  

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

Enjoy!                                            

Sandi 

Apple Fritters

Wow. It has been almost a month since my last post. Earlier this month our toddler turned 2. We went home to Maine for his birthday party with family we don't get to see very often. Now there is an abundance of new toys strewn about our living room from his birthday. Lately he has started to actually sit and pay attention to the television for brief moments and he is loving the Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr. They are very cute and actually educational. In fact as I sit here typing this he is sitting on the floor watching them. He has also decided to delay his nap as long as possible and now isn't ready for bed at night until 10-10:30....yikes. Hopefully I can get that sorted out and fixed ASAP. Who knew life with a 2 year old would be so incredibly busy? I certainly didn't.

Well, back to the apples. We don't often eat donuts at my house. While they taste so good they are not so very good for you. Laden with carbs and sugar and not to mention fried.....

My goal here was to create a doughnut like treat that was relatively healthy. We are trying to make-over some of the yummy, not so good for you treats with less sugar and wheat flour for an added  fiber boost. And while my husband and toddler can drink milk with no issues, I on the other hand can not have too much dairy as it makes me feel very ill. So I am experimenting with unsweetened almond milk in place of regular milk for some things. While they are still fried, these apple fritters have very little sugar or butter and I used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk which bumps up the calcium content.They were a nice little breakfast treat. And toddler approved! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 

Does anyone have any go-to things your kids love to eat? Or anything you would like to see Sue and I make? Or maybe even make-over so it's a little healthier?

Our toddler loves strawberries. They went nicely with the apple fritters. 

You don't have to use the powdered sugar, but it did add a nice little extra touch of sweetness since there is very little sugar in the recipe itself.

Here's the recipe:

Apple Fritters

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/8 t salt

1 1/4 t baking powder

2 T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

2 T melted butter

1 t vanilla

1 C unsweetened almond milk

1 large McIntosh apple, chopped

powdered sugar

oil for frying

Heat oil to 375*F (use amount needed for electric fryer or about 3 inches in a Dutch Oven). In a large bowl combine all ingredients through apple and stir just until combined. Scoop batter with a muffin scoop about 1/2 full and gently drop into hot oil. Fry about 3 min each side. Test one after your first batch is done and adjust frying time if needed. The larger your fritters are the longer they will take to cook. Fry in batches. (with the size of my fryer I was able to do 4-6 at a time) Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I got 24 fritters.

Enjoy!                                            

Sandi 

Apples up to my eyeballs!

We have been super busy at my house. Getting into a new routine at the new place. We've been in the new place for 2 months now and things are going well. A few sleep deprived nights, and as a result exhausted days, as our toddler who is about to turn 2 has decided not to sleep through the night again. 

We recently went apple picking at Shelburne Orchards in Shelburne, VT. We LOVE picking our own apples.  There is just something so satisfying and fun about picking them yourself instead of buying them in the grocery store. Shelburne Orchards has a really great selection of Pick Your Own fruit. Picking our own apples there is one of the reasons that Vermont is our favorite New England state. 

 I love fall. I love the way the air smells so clean and fresh and crisp and the colors of the leaves changing to red, orange and yellow. Now, I am really a summer kind of girl. I love the beach and I love lots and lots of sunshine and warmth. But fall holds a special place in my heart too. 

We had really great weather the day we went apple picking. It was cool, but not too cold. It was spectacularly sunny. And we actually went on a weekday so there was hardly anyone around us while we were picking.

Don't they look delicious and pretty?

Don't you just want to reach into the picture and take and apple?

This is what 155 lbs of McIntosh apples looks like.....yes, we picked 155 lbs of apples....only half of them went home with my husband and I. The other 2 bags were my mom's. 

Our toddler was having a great time.

He was a really great little helper. He was having a great time taking apples from us and putting them in the bags.

And picking apples himself.

And eating them....I think he ate 3 apples that day!

 Isn't that just the most adorable little face?

So pretty. So crisp, juicy and slightly tart. Just delicious. 

Not only are the apples beautiful, but they had a really beautiful pile of pumpkins. 

Our toddler picked out 2 little pumpkins. He continually moves them around to different positions in our living room. 

This is the biggest of the 2 pumpkins he picked.

And the little baby one he picked.

Now the little one is in the bag.

Did I mention I love fall? Orange and green are my favorite colors. 

Happy Fall! 

More posts to come with LOTS of apple recipes. I have been apple recipe testing since we got home. I still have TONS of apples left to make things with. Anyone have any apple recipe you'd like to see me make? 

*I have not been compensated in any way for these comments. I just happen to love this orchard and wanted to share with you. *

Sandi 

Peach Oat Wheat Muffins

What to do with a handful of ripe peaches... Hmm, not enough for pie... I bet they'd be good in muffins! If I push them through the baby food mill I should have something similar to the texture of mashed bananas (and I won't have to peel them first) that should work! On a side note - this baby food mill is one of my new favorite gadgets, I think I will keep it around even after baby doesn't need it anymore...

I especially love to have fresh hot muffins for breakfast, but I find lately that it just takes too long to get them ready for breakfast. Even though one of the great things about muffins is how quickly they come together, with my newly mobile little guy cruising all over the place it isn't happening for me. So I decided to try getting everything ready the day before I wanted muffins, and then just stir and bake for speedy breakfast.

I used a mason jar for the liquids, and combined the dry ingredients in a bowl that I could cover. You could really use any airtight container for the liquids, but I happen to always have mason jars on hand, and they feature the added bonus of measurement lines so I didn't have to use separate measuring cups.

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a resealable container or bowl that you can cover with plastic wrap; set aside. Combine peach puree, (rice)milk, egg, and vanilla in a mason jar or other resealable container (for easiest method, use a container that seals well so you can just shake it to combine rather than needing to whisk) and refrigerate until you're ready to make breakfast.

Then, in the morning, preheat your oven to 400* first thing. Stir together the dry ingredients, shake your jar of liquids and pour it in, then stir everything until just combined. Spoon into your muffin pan (greased or papered if you need, my silicon pan doesn't need...) and bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly dry. A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are ok with these muffins, because the peach puree will stay moist even when they are fully baked. Remove to a rack and enjoy your fresh hot muffins for breakfast!

I really love to use oats in muffins for the taste as well as the added texture. These didn't seem to have as much peach flavor as I expected, but they were quite good!

And here's the recipe:

Peach Oat Wheat Muffins
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 C old fashioned oats
1/4 C brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 C peach puree (you can supplement with unsweetened applesauce if you are a little short)
1/2 C (rice)milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a med-large bowl, cover and set aside. Combine peach puree and other liquids in a mason jar or other resealable container, refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 400* and prepare your muffin pan as needed. Stir dry ingredients; shake or whisk liquids and pour into dry mix; stir just to combine. Spoon into muffin pan and bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly dry. Remove muffins to a rack to cool. Store leftovers in airtight container.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue

Roast Pork Tenderloin

Well, my husband's schedule has gone back to keeping him at work later most nights, so I get to cook dinners again! Not that I don't enjoy when he cooks, but I do miss cooking when I don't do it for a while. This dish is nice because you can prepare most of it early in the day, or even the night before if you like, to decrease the time it will take to get dinner ready. For that reason, however, you'll have to excuse my photos if they are a bit blurry, as I was wearing my little helper on my back while doing the prep work - he likes to kick his feet if I hold still to take photos ("Giddyup Mama!") 

First combine your garlic and spices in a mortar.

And use the pestle to crush and macerate them.

Add olive oil and continue to grind the mixture into a thick paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a food processor or just a knife and cutting board. The cutting board method will take a bit longer and will probably not give you a paste so much as a spice rub, and you'll use the olive oil separately, but if it's all you have it will still taste good!

Rub the spice paste onto all surfaces of the meat. I used two tenderloins because I wanted leftovers, but you could use just one or a different cut if you prefer. You can continue to the cooking stage now, or wrap the meat and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 425*. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron (or any oven-proof) skillet, and sear the meat on all sides.

Remove the meat and saute onion slices until fragrant. Stir them around with a wooden spoon during this step to pick up the browned spices that stayed in the skillet.

Return the seared meat to the pan on top of the onions and roast in the 425* oven for 10-15 minutes per pound.

Transfer meat to platter and allow it to rest while you deglaze the pan. Return the skillet to the stovetop over med-high heat and pour in about a cup of liquid (water works fine but if you'd like to kick it up feel free to use wine, or I bet it would be great with apple cider...). Stir with wooden spoon to loosen any more browned bits, allow liquid to simmer down if you want it thicker.

Pour your lovely brown onion jus (or gravy if you let it thicken) over the meat to serve.

And now for the recipe:

Roast Pork Tenderloin
1 or 2 pork tenderloins
5-6 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp dry rosemary
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle for searing
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup water or other liquid

Macerate garlic and spices with mortar and pestle, add olive oil and continue to grind into a thick paste. Rub spice paste onto all sides of meat, wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 425*. Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet and sear meat on all sides. Remove meat and saute onion slices until fragrant, stirring with a wooden spoon to pick up browned spices from skillet. Return meat to skillet on top of onion, roast in 425* oven for 10-15 minutes per pound.
Transfer meat to platter to rest. Return skillet to stovetop over med-high heat. Pour in water or other liquid, stirring to loosen brown bits from skillet. Allow to simmer down to thicken if desired. Pour onion jus/gravy over meat to serve.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue