Monday, April 28, 2008

Butterscotch Muffins


These muffins are just absolutely delicious. They are so moist on the inside and the tops get nice and crunchy. A perfect muffin! They are great for feeding to your family with a little mini fruit salad before you head out the door for church. Especially if you have church at 11:30 like we do. It is too early for lunch but it has been a few hours since breakfast and we can't wait until we get home to eat again or we will all be cranky and fussy. The solution? Muffins and fruit! A nice, filling snack to get us through church.

Butterscotch Muffins

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pudding mixes, baking powder and salt. Combine the water, eggs, oil and vanilla; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Red likes 'em!

Menu Plan Monday

I am not feeling well and eating just hurts. I am coming to the realization that I am going to have to got to a dentist soon whether I like it or not. I am not in the mood for eating, cooking or anything else food related right now. My family still has to eat though so I put together a menu. It's a rather boring menu. Nothing new and most of it will use things I already have in the pantry so I don't have to drag my aching self to the store.
If I start feeling better and I can actually eat without it hurting than I might change some of this but then again, probably not. :-)

Monday: Spaghetti, veggie and Garlic Bubble loaf (yes. We eat this alot. What can I say? It is very kid friendly!)
Tuesday: Easy Chicken Bake, fruit salad, pudding
Wednesday:Waikiki Meatballs, Broccoli, Jell-O
Thursday: Hot Dogs and Hamburgers and corn on the cob cooked on the grill
Friday:Taco Salad
Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches, French Fries, veggie
Sunday: Something made in the slow cooker . I have not decided what yet...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

If there is one ingredient I love, it is peanut butter. I can't get enough of the stuff! :-)
Here is one of my favorite peanut butter recipes. Make and enjoy it!

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz bag)

Icing
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz bag)

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Generously grease with shortening and lightly flour 12 cup fluted tube pan. (Bunt pan) In medium bowl, beat cake mix, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer at low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scarping bowl occasionally. Stir in miniature chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured pan.
2. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and top springs back when touched lightly near center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. In a small saucepan, melt all icing ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle warm icing over top of cooled cake, allowing some to drip down sides. Sprinkle peanuts over icing.

(Favorite Ingredient Friday is hosted by Overwhelmed With Joy!)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Grand Re-Opening


I have not posted in over a month! How much of a slacker have I become? Well, no worries! I have lots of ideas and plans to get me going over here again. I'll be posting a lot more often starting in the next few days.
Here is what you have to look forward to:
-I'll start posting my menus and links to recipes again.
-A regular series I am going to call Sweet Tooth. I have a huge sweet tooth so I am going to start posting recipes of all my favorite sweets.
-Every week I'll post a kid friendly recipe. These will range from baby food recipes to big kid favorites.
-Kitchen Crafts. I really enjoy doing things in the kitchen with my son and will start posting about it here.
-Monthly cook book reviews. Every month I will pick a cook book and try to make 1-3 recipes a week from that book. At the end of the month I will do a write up of what I thought about the book and the recipes. (This will go along with the Soups On challenge that I signed up for as well.)
-I am not a big slow cooker user but I am going to start using mine more so I think I will also start participating in Slow Cooker Thursday.
Those are some of my current plans. I hope I still have some people who will come back even though it has been so long since I posted.