Monthly Archives: November 2008

Nov16

Blueberry Cream Cheese Strata

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Strata

image000022(aka French Toast Casserole)

It was my day to bring “snacks” to church. I was looking for something easy to prepare, and something that I would likely have ingredients on hand for. I did a lot of searching and decided on this recipe. It is scattered over many internet sites with different names and variations. This dish is prepared the night before which was even more enticing – as I would only have to “set it and forget it” (sorta) in the morning.

The dish was a hit and was still warm when I brought it…which made it even better. Here is the recipe with my own variations, yum.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Strata

Ingredients:

  • 14 -15 slices day-old bread (enough to fill 9 x 13 dish)
  • 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, cold
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 12 eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup honey

Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Cut bread into 1″ cubes; place half in a greased 9 x 13″ baking dish. Cut cream cheese into small cubes; place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread cubes.
Beat eggs, then add milk and honey. Pour over bread mixture. Make sure all of the crumbs are thorouly saturated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator about 25 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until golden brown and center is set.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Slice strata into 24 cubes and pour sauce over cubes. Serve right away.

Yeild 24 fabulous, fattening servings!

Nov12

BOJO Muffins

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BOJO Muffins

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A good friend gave me this recipe a while back. It was written on an old fashioned recipe card. She said she had never made it, but the lady that gave it to her swore it was the best ever. I’m not sure they are the “best”, but I like any blueberry muffin that is home baked. One thing for sure, this was an easy recipe that is pretty much dummy proof.

And the name? Blueberry Muffins is boring, so I gave em my own version. Besides, they are good enough that buying (aka eating) one, you won’t mind getting one free.

 

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BOJO Muffins
(Berries, Orange Juice, Oats)

Ingredients:

  • 1½ C. All Purpose Flour
  • 1¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ½ C. Rolled Oats
  • ½ C. Orange Juice
  • ½ C Oil
  • 1 Egg, slightly Beaten
  • ½ C Sugar
  • 1 C. Blueberries

Topping*:

  • 2 Tbl. Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees and line 12 muffin tin with paper liners. Mix Flour, Salt, Soda and Baking Powder in a small bowl, set aside.

Combine Orange Juice, oil, eggs and oats. Stir in sugar, then flour mixture. Stir to combine, then add blueberries. Spoon into muffin cups, fill 2/3 full. Blend remaining sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over batter. Bake for 18 – 22 minutes.

*I had some streusel that was already prepared, I topped the muffins with this.

Nov12

What to do with outdated cereal…

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What to do with outdated cereal…
Check Muddy Buddies

Check Muddy Buddies

I’ve known for a few weeks that this box of cereal was coming near its “best by” date, but I had been procrastinating using it. Not sure of the exact date, I checked it last night, um, figured I needed to use it up. It was getting late, and I needed an quick and easy recipe. Then bam! There it was, right on the box! I have never actually made any type of chex mix, but I have tasted plenty. I knew this one would go over well with the family and hey, if the cereal was stale, the PB and Chocolate would mask it!

 Quick, easy… gone in under 24 hours:

Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

  • 9 cups Chex
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Place cereal in a large bowl, set aside.

Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Serving size 1/2 Cup: Calories 220; Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 200mg; Carbs 30g; Sugars 17g; Protein 3g

Nov10

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

image00004

 

Who isn’t familiar with these easy, one bowl cookies? They are a great tasting “dummy proof” cookie that anyone can make, and it uses only a few ingredients that are staples in most pantry’s. Last night, was looking to finish off a peanut butter jar – scraping it down to the last drop. I had just enough to throw these cookies together. Kenzie, my 7 year old was happy to help. I scooped the cookies and she rolled them in sugar. When they came out of the oven she helped me top them with more calories with kisses and M&M’s. It was a mood booster for her, since her brother wouldn’t let her play basketball with him.

I did change one thing on the sugar… you will see the change below:

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 C. Peanut Butter (I used Jif)
  • 3/4 C. Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 C. Brown Sugar* (my change)
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Hershey Kisses
  • Milk Chocolate Chips
  • Mini M&M’s

Directions:

Combine PB, sugars, egg, vanilla and soda. Stir with spoon until well mixed. For the kiss topped cookies, roll the dough into a ball (whatever size you want – I used 1 tsp) and then coat with sugar. Place on pan (do not flatten) and bake for 8 minutes. The cookies are ready when they begin to “crack”. Remove and immediately place kisses on top – pushing down slightly. (um, unwrap them duh). Allow to cool about 2 minutes on the pan, then remove to wire rack and cool completely – and until kisses have hardened – if you are in a hurry, place the cookies in the fridge.

For the other cookies you see pictured, I added some milk chocolate chips and mini M&M’s into the batter and placed teaspoon rounds on pan. I should have pushed them down slightly, but they turned out fine.

Serve with a tall glass of milk and enjoy! Stored tightly covered at room temp.

Nov9

Pumpkin Muffins (Cake Mix)

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Pumpkin Muffins (Cake Mix)

image00002

(a Libby’s Pumpkin  recipe)

I had a carrot cake mix just screaming to be used. I have a home made carrot cake recipe that a boxed mix couldn’t come close to complimenting, so I needed another use for the mix. I found this one, which interested me because it was a lighter recipe. It turned out tender and cakey – pretty much reminding me of a pumpkin loaf. But hey, I was able to use the box mix, and I will take the muffins to work tomorrow. Here is the recipe and the link to the Libby’s site.

Pumpkin, Spice & Everything Nice Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 box spice or carrot cake mix
  • 1 (15 oz) can Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
  • 6 tablespoons egg substitute or 3 large egg whites*
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2/3 cup raisins**

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 24 muffin cups.

Combine cake mix, pumpkin , egg and water until moistened, then beat for 2 minutes. Stir in raisins and spoon into muffin cups (2/3 full). The batter was thick, I used my large cookie scoop.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (mine took 15). Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to cool completely.

* I used egg beaters and changed up the raisins a little** – I made 1/3 with raisins, 1/3 with milk chocolate chips, and 1/3 with white chips. I changed the chips to accommodate the picky eaters in the house.

Per Muffin: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 1.5g, Sat Fat: .5g,
Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 10mg, Carbs: 23g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 13g, Protein: 2g, Vit A 45%, Calcium 4%, Iron 4%

 

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