Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I had 2 apples in my fruit basket that needed to be used, and I found this easy muffin recipe. All of the ingredients were on hand, so I decided to do some baking. I liked the big chunks of apple, but the muffin was not as sweet as you might expect so you may want to add more sugar.

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t cinnamon
2 T sugar
3 t baking powder
2 small apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. applesauce

Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Combine water and applesauce in another bowl. Add apple to dry ingredients and mix to coat apple. Add water mixture to dry ingredients. Mixture will be somewhat thick. Spoon mixture into 12 non-stick muffin tins sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

-Terry Frye at BigOven.com

Pizzelles

Here is another Cookie Swap classic, my Mom’s pizzelle recipe.

6 eggs
2 sticks margarine, melted and cooled
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 t anise
1/8 t cinnamon
4 t baking powder
4 c. flour

Mix ingredients and use pizzelle iron according to directions.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Each year I host a Christmas Cookie Swap and each guest makes one kind of cookie to share so that everyone takes home an assorted plate for the holidays. Of course, plenty of cookies are eaten along the way! This is the recipe that I make each year.

1/2 lb. butter, melted
1 c. vanilla wafer crumbs
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
1 lb. confectioners sugar

Mix well to form balls, and add more peanut butter if mixture seems dry.

Melt together in top of double boiler:
1/2 block of paraffin wax
1 pkg. (12 oz) semi sweet chocolate bits

Dip balls in mixture, holding each with two forks. Put on waxed paper to dry. Makes 5-6 dozen.

Thanksgiving Feast

Our family had quite a feast yesterday, and here are some pictures taken with my brand new camera. I have a lot to learn about food photography, but I had fun!

The day started with a hearty bowl of Banana Oatmeal with pecans.

We also snacked on Kelly’s Pumpkin Muffins.

Once it was noontime somewhere in the world, we opened our favorite wine.

As our guests arrived, we served crackers, cheese, and this yummy spread from Trader Joe’s. My aunt brought her wonderful stuffed cherry peppers, but I didn’t get to snap a picture.


Finally, time for the main course. Here is the turkey, ready for carving.

On the side, we had Noni’s Stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and Grandma’s Turnip.

We also made fried peas and onions.


And we had Kelly’s Cranberry Sauce.

After a little break, it was time for dessert. We had Mom’s Apple Pie, pumpkin pie, and almond cookies.

A good time was had by all, and I would have gotten a group photo but the crowd was a little camera shy. Hope that all of you also had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Turkey Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite recipes for leftover turkey. I am posting it today so you can get the ingredients and have them on hand for the weekend.

1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. fat-free sour cream
3 c. chopped turkey
6 flour tortillas

Saute onion in a pan coated with cooking spray until tender. Place flour in a bowl and gradually add broth, stirring until well blended. Add mixture to pan, bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and sour cream. Combine 1 c. cheese mixture and turkey. Spread 1/2 c. turkey mixture in each tortilla and roll up. Place in a sprayed 13×9 dish and pour remaining cheese sauce over filled tortillas. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

Mom’s Apple Pie

This is my favorite apple pie recipe, and I can’t wait to enjoy some on Thanksgiving.

1 pre-made pie crust, or homemade pastry

Filling
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
6-7 c. thinly sliced tart apples (Cortland, Macoun, etc)

Crumb Topping
Mix together until crumbly:
1 c flour
1/2 c. firm butter
1/2 c. brown sugar

Prepare pastry and place in bottom of 9″ pie dish. Flute or seal edges. Mix apples with filling ingredients in a large bowl and place on top of pastry in pie dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top, spreading evenly. Bake at 425F for 50 minutes, covering edges with foil if they brown too quickly. This recipe will also work for a 10″ pie if you add a few more apples and another Tbsp of flour.

-Betty Crocker

Kelly’s Pumpkin Muffins

This is the recipe for the pumpkin muffins that my sister usually makes, to enjoy while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

1 c. flour
1 1/3 c. powdered skim milk (do not add water)
2 packets Splenda
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
4 T reduced calorie margarine, melted
4 eggs
8 T raisins
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Mix together and put in sprayed muffin pan. Bake at 350F. Makes 12 muffins.

11/25/08 Update: The baking time for the muffins is not listed, but I will update the post again as soon as I confirm it. KC

11/27/08 Update: My sister just made the muffins this morning, and she baked them between 18 – 20 minutes. The photo proof is at the top of the post.

Grandma’s Turnip

Turnip seems to have a bad reputation, but I hope this recipe straight from my Irish grandmother will help change that. Mashed turnip is a classic Thanksgiving dish for my family, but we also enjoy it with corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

2 large or 3 small turnips or rutabagas
1 stick butter
2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Peel turnip and cut into large cubes. Boil for 30-60 minutes until fork tender. Drain.
Add remaining ingredients to turnip in a bowl and mash by hand. You can whip with an electric beater if desired. This can be made ahead, put in oven proof casserole and reheated before serving.

Noni’s Stuffing

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I’ll be posting my favorite holiday recipes! This is the stuffing that my grandmother used to make, and we still use this recipe every Thanksgiving.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. sausage meat (out of casing)
4 eggs
10 slices bread soaked in water (day old Italian is best)
1/4 c.Parmesan cheese
2-3 T garlic salt
2-3 T parsley
2-3 T basil
salt and pepper to taste

Saute meat crumbling into small pieces. Drain some of the grease but leave a little for flavor. Add other ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until cold before stuffing turkey.