Kenny Rogers Corn Muffins

                         

 

Kenny Rogers Corn Muffins

 

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2  cups flour

3/4 cup cornmeal (I grind my own cornmeal in my wheat grinder, I use popcorn and it is great)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup tender corn (optional)

 

Cream together butter, sugar, honey, eggs, and salt in a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients and blend thoroughly.  Add milk while mixing. Add corn to mixture and combine by hand until corn is worked in.  Pour into greased 8 or 9 inch pan or 12 cup muffin pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or till golden brown.

 

 



Reuben Pigs in a Blanket

 

 

 

I needed to make Super Bowl food like I needed another hole in the head.  This wreaks havoc on trying to lose weight, but man, this stuff is yummy.  I got this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was a favorite at my house.  My husband said I hit a home run with the pairings this year.  Well, it wasn't in football terminology, but it was appreciated.  My grandsons even liked it--of course, they had to pull the pig out of the blanket.  Purists...

 

Do you see that square-ish little part of a sandwich in the bottom right corner?  Yeah, that one.  Future post.  Stay tuned!

Ingredients:

8 all-beef hot dogs (Oscar Mayer has some great choices here)

2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup sauerkraut, well-drained (about a 15-oz. can--I used the Bavarian style with the caraway seeds)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

2.  Cut the hot dogs in half, cross-wise. 

3.  Divide the crescent rolls at the perforations.

4.  On the wide end (opposite of the pointy end) of the crescent roll dough, place 1 tablespoon drained sauerkraut, 1 tablespoon of the Swiss cheese, and a hot dog half.  Roll it up, being careful to tuck in the edges to hold things in.  Place on lined baking sheet; repeat with the rest of the dough.

5.  Brush the beaten egg over the tops of each "pig" and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

6.  Makes 16 wrapped up piggies.

7.  I served these with Thousand Island Dressing and Spicy Brown mustard for dipping. OBB also suggests Creole mustard.

Source:  www.ourbestbites.com

Chicken Cordon Bleu

    Pinterest strikes again! This was a gem of a find. Delicious, and not too complicated, although it looks and tastes like it. My kids even gobbled it up! (Always a big endorsement around here).

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half (like you’re butterflying, but finish the cut)
• 12 slices deli ham
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 6 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese

Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard (more if you like a strong mustard flavor)
• ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley, for garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter; set aside.
3. Lay all of the chicken breast halves in a single layer in the bottom of your baking dish. Top each breast with two slices of ham and 1 slice of cheese, so that the entire breast is covered. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (clear juices), the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden brown. You may want to broil the chicken for a minute or two to really brown the bread crumbs.
5. While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux, cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and chicken broth while whisking constantly, make sure there are no clumps. Whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Parmesan cheese, until the cheese is melted. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.
6. Remove chicken from oven, plate, and top with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. I added the parsley to the sauce itself.

Source: www.whitelightsonwednesday.com

Abs Diet Trail Mix

This recipe comes from my favorite healthy diet called "The Abs Diet".  It's all about using power foods that give your body excellent fuel for healthy living.  I am not a trail mix snob.  I enjoy all kinds of trail mixes.  Of course, my favorite ones include some dark chocolate.  Give this one a try and Happy "Trails" To You!

Ingredients:

1 c. whole almonds
1 c. pecan halves
1/3 c. plain oats
 cooking spray
2 T. honey
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 c. orange-flavored dried cranberries (craisins)
1 large packet dried apricots, roughly chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place nuts and oats in a bowl and spray evenly with cooking spray (about 3 shots).  Drizzle with 1 T. honey and add cinnamon, stirring to coat.

2.  Spread nuts evenly on a pan and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Once they've cooled, stir in the second T. honey and mix in the dried fruit.

Source:  The Abs Diet

Eczema fighting lotion

This is a super moisturizing lotion. My sister first gave me a sample of some that she made and after I ran out of that, I made a batch of my own. I love it. After leaving the humid environment of Florida, my skin suffered. I use this at night and my hands and knuckles have improved a lot.
 

1/4 C. Avocado Oil
1/2 C. Coconut Oil
1/2 C. Beeswax pastilles
1/3 C. Shea Butter
1/2 tsp. Vitamin E oil (about 5 capsules, cut open and squeezed out.)
20 drops of essential oils (optional)

1. Melt the avocado oil, coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter in a double boiler, or a glass mixing bowl over simmering water in a pot. 
2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Add the vitamin E oil and essential oils (if using). Stir to combine. Let cool completely.
4. Place the cooled lotion in a mixer or beat with a hand mixer until smooth (this is optional.)

Lion House Rolls

On a recent trip to Utah, I stumbled upon a package of rolls in, of all places, a bookstore in downtown Salt Lake City.  Now, I've been to the Lion House once for a wedding reception and I remember it was very tasty; but I don't remember the rolls.  Well, after taking one bite of the rolls I bought at the bookstore, I was hooked.  I found a recipe online through a Google search and although mine weren't as good as the original, they were pretty dang tasty and a big hit at my house.

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
melted butter

1.  In a large bowl combine the water and dry milk powder; stir well until milk is dissolved.  Then whisk in  yeast, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups of the flour.  Whisk well.
2.  Add another 2 cups of flour and whisk well.  Add 1 more cup, stirring well (here's where I get out my big wooden spoon).  Add remaining flour a bit at a time just to the point where your dough is no longer really sticky but isn't dry and stiff.
3.  Dump dough onto a floured surface and pour a Tablespoon of vegetable oil on the sides of the mixing bowl.  Return the dough to the bowl, flip it over to coat the surface.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
4. Punch dough down and turn onto floured surface.  Either roll out and cut or form into roll shapes by hand.  (I divide the dough in half, then half again, half again, etc. until I end up with 2 dozen blobs of dough.  I shape these by hand into rounds).  Place in a greased pan (I used two 9x13 greased pans), cover, and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.  Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Source:  LDS Living

Crock Pot Chicken

This is sooooo easy!  It always comes out moist and delicious! 

Rinse off a whole chicken (I like free range organically fed)
Put in the Crockpot (do not add any water unless the chicken is frozen then add 1 cup of water)
Season with Salt, Pepper, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme
Cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 Hours.
Serve with your favorite sides.

Another reason I love this is because I love bone broth!  After I have taken as much meat off the bones that I can I put the bones back in the crockpot, add 3 quarts of water, turn on low, and let cook 12 to 24 hours (you can also add onions, celery, etc.).  I then strain the bones out and refrigerate or freeze my broth for the next time I make soup.   I really believe that the bone broth has been a HUGE reason my children haven't gotten sick this winter.  If you get a chance look up the benefits of bone broth and you will be amazed.