Pizza Muffins

These are part of my "fast food" collection. When I have time, I make a batch and throw them in the freezer. Then I can pull them out on those days when life is crazy and it's suddenly lunch time but I haven't even started to make anything. A few seconds in the microwave... cut up some fruit... and VOILA - Lunch!

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup chopped pizza meat (pepperoni, sausage, etc.)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, basil, oregano, onion flakes, and sugar. Mix in cheese and pizza meat. If you use pepperoni, either buy the small diced variety or chop it pretty finely. If you use sausage, be sure to cook it thoroughly and break it up - I like to throw it in my food processor after cooking to break it up in to little pieces. In a smaller bowl, beat the egg, then whisk in buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon batter into muffin cups until 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Yummy with ketchup frosting!

PB&J Muffins

These are part of my "fast food" collection. When I have time, I make a batch and throw them in the freezer. Then I can pull them out on those days when life is crazy and it's suddenly lunch time but I haven't even started to make anything. A few seconds in the microwave... cut up some fruit... and VOILA - Lunch!

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
All-fruit preserves - your favorite flavor

Preheat oven to 400. If you use muffin papers or cook right in the muffin tin, spray them with nonstick cooking spray. I like to use the silicon muffin cups and have found that they don't usually need to be greased at all. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With two knives or a pastry blender, cut in peanut butter until coarse crumbs form. Add milk, honey, carrot, zucchini, eggs, and oil. Stir just until ingredients are combined and moistened.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup (about 1/2 full). Top with about 1 teaspoon fruit preserves (Do Not Use Jelly - it will melt all over the place). Cover with another tablespoon of batter. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Carrot Soup

I actually found this recipe on the back of a cracker box - It looked simple and yummy so I set it aside to try at a later date. Last night, I didn't feel like cooking at all so this was perfect. I have to admit that I was surprised at how well it turned out. My kids probably would have liked it more if it was smoother in texture, but since my blender died I had to puree it with an immersion blender which leaves it with more chunks.

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup sour cream

Cook and stir onion and salad dressing in a large saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until onion is tender. Add carrots, broth, and cumin; mix well. Cook 10 minutes or until carrots are tender, stirring frequently

Pour into blender container; cover. Blend until pureed. Add sour cream; cover. Blend until smooth. Pour into bowls and garnish with sour cream.

I should note that I used half chicken broth and half veggie broth when I made this. My veggie broth is the reserved liquid that I freeze after cooking beans. This particular batch of beans I made with jalepenos so the broth had a bit of a kick to it. The end result was a creamy, sweet soup with a bit of a zing! Delicious, but it might be hard to recreate!

Zucchini Corn Cakes

I needed to use up some fresh corn so I dug around online and found a recipe for corn fritters which I adapted to make these yummy corn cakes. My kids loved them dipped in ranch or ketchup, but Andrew and I preferred them with a little sour cream and peach chipotle salsa or Harry & David's Charred Pineapple Relish!

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter melted
2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels

In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, cumin, sugar, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and butter. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini and corn. Heat a large skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter in 1 tablespoon portions onto griddle and cook as you would pancakes.

Rosemary Cheese w/ Fig Preserves

I made this last year for our Jerusalem dinner and it was sooo yummy. I think it will be a permanent addition to our Christmas menu!

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz goat cheese
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together until smooth, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 1 1/2 cup mold or souffle dish lined with plastic wrap. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Invert chilled cheese mixture onto a serving dish and discard plastic wrap. Spoon fig preserves over cheese. Garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serve with crackers, crostini, or pita bread.

Fig Jam

Before we left my uncle's after the fish fry last weekend, he begged us to pick as many figs as we could carry from their very happy fig tree. We were happy to oblige and, while I really didn't think we had picked all that many figs, my mom and I ended up with enough to make 15 1/2 pints of fig jam! (Yes, those two flats of jars in the background are also filled with jam.) We used this recipe from Kraft, but you can also find great recipes on one of my favorite websites that gives information on how to can/freeze/preserve almost anything!

While some people aren't all that crazy about the flavor of figs, I love fig jam because it is so versatile... it's tasty in both sweet and savory dishes! In fact, I'll post my favorite way to use it as soon as I can find the recipe... it's the yummiest cracker spread you've ever tasted - especially if you have access to fresh rosemary!

Martian Cookies

In an attempt to use up a truckload of zucchini that we harvested during the five days that our friends were out of town, I've been trying just about every recipe I can find on Allrecipes that involves squash - and even adding it to some that don't. Some of the results have been better than others... this was one of the winners!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick oats
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until soft. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. In a medium bowl, stir together flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until well blended. With a spoon, stir in oats, zucchini, and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

The first time I made these, I forgot to add the oats and they were really good that way too!