Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I have been eyeing this Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe from Dorie's Baking book for a long time now. I finally got around to baking these delicious muffins. I don't know about you, but when I find my store has bags of citrus marked down, I buy it, zest and juice it and then put it in the freezer for my next recipe. I've also had a jar of poppy seeds for a while, so this was perfect to get to use some up (How many recipes do you use poppy seeds for?). These came out wonderful, and I dipped the tops into the lemony glaze. A perfect little morning treat.

You may find the recipe here if you'd like to make them.

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Sweet and Spicy Sticky Hot Wings

I saw this recipe used for chicken strips and thought I'd make a twist on it using hot wings instead. I used a bag of frozen hot wings and doctored them up. Man were these good! They are spicy so the little kids didn't eat them, and you know if you stop eating spicy, it just hurts more...so I kept eating, lol. That plate below is mine, gone. LOL, we had these with pizza and I ate them first since they're so sticky I wanted that all done with before I ate pizza. I had eaten more hot wings than Mr. did. If you're not grilling this Memorial Day weekend, or want something else go to with the grilled foods, serve these wings up, I promise everyone will like them.

Sweet and Spicy Sticky Hot Wings

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes and Life as a Lofthouse

6 tablespoons Cholula Chili Garlic Hot Sauce

3/4 cup Brown Sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 lb frozen hot wings

In a medium saucepan heat the hot sauce, brown sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is heated thoroughly. About 5-10 minutes.

Bake hot wings according to package, in the last 5 minutes of cook time, toss wings with sticky sauce, and place under a broiler for a few minutes until you can see the sauce become thick and sticky. (I cooked mine about 40 minutes total time)

sharing these wings with

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Strawberry Lemonade

We always order a flavored lemonade with our dinners when we go out to eat. So when Mary of Deep South Dish (she uses fresh strawberries) mentioned this homemade version on Facebook, I had to make it.

I used a bag of frozen strawberries, pulsed them in my food processor (yes frozen), then made the lemonade with sugar and mixed in the strawberry slush. Then I strained it to get the seeds and bigger pieces out. I also used frozen strawberries to act like ice cubes as we drank it. This was really good, we all loved it.

Strawberry Lemonade

1 (12 ounce) can of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 lb bag frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
Water to fill 2 quart pitcher

Make lemonade with sugar and water in a large pitcher.
Pulse frozen strawberries in food processor until well broken down. Add to lemonade mix.
Strain all through a fine sieve to get seeds and larger pieces out. Serve.

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Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

Here's another tried and try recipe we like. Again from the rceipe cards from long ago. I love the simple flavors of this, particularly the brightness of the tomato sauce. I had some issues with my noodles, most of the, broke while cooking. Luckily the recipe makes enough to fill 10 and I had 9 full tubes and the broken one, I just rolled closed. I was also having troubles stuffing the manicotti. I tried using a baggie, but the mixture just sort of ripped the noodle open more. Then I figured out that I could roll the mixture into a tube shape and stuff the manicotti that way.

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

slightly adapted from Healthy Meals in Minutes recipe cards

1 package (8oz) manicotti shells (this recipes will use 10, prepare for torn shells)

14 oz reduced sodium tomato sauce (I used 24 oz)

6 oz hot or sweet (Italian) sausage, casings removed (I used Italian ground turkey)

15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 TBL chopped fresh parsley
Italian Seasoning grinder (to taste)
1/8 tsp pepper


Preheat oven to 350'. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray, set aside.
Cook pasta according to package, but do not add salt. Drain pasts in a large colander.
To prepare filling, in a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring to crumble, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta, sausage, egg, parsley, and pepper. Mix well. Add mixture to cooked manicotti. (TIP: this is how I did it: if the mixture isn't too wet, you can take a little and roll it into a cigar shape, then stuff each shell that way.)
Place stuffed manicotti in a single layer in prepared pan (I actually added a little tomato sauce & Italian seasoning to the bottom of the pan too). Spoon tomato sauce evenly over manicotti, sprinkle with mozzarella and more Italian seasonin. Bake covered until heated through, about 25 minutes, then uncover ans cook another 10 minutes.

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Honey Grilled Pork Chops

If you've followed me from the beginning of MIH (wow almost 4 years.), you may have seen these posted at my old url address (they're still there, but let's share them here too). I love these pork chops, the curry and pineapple is sooo good. If you can, cut fresh pineapple for this, even better. These are a tried and true recipe, I've been making these for a good 15 years. So get your grill fired up, get your favorite pork chop cut and give these a try.

Honey Grilled Pork Chops

previous blogged post

4 pork chops

8 oz can sliced pineapple in juice (but fresh is so much better, and just puree some of the pineapple for juice)

1/3 Cup honey

1 Tbl. prepared mustard

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Prepare marinade, using pineapple juice, combine with honey, mustard, curry powder, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Mix well. Set aside about 2 Tbl. Add pork chops to the marinade, and allow to sit for 30 minutes, turning to coat. Grill chops about 4-6 minutes on each side, basting with reserved marinade. Add pineapple slices to grill in the last 5 minutes.

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Tofu and Veggie Melt Sandwich

This sandwich is inspired by one I used to make while working in a Cafe. I say inspired because I cannot remember the recipe. lol. A friend turned me onto this and we always used to go eat lunch there (before I worked there). I cannot remember what all goes into the marinade, but I know there's soy sauce and garlic. I also forgot to add avocado to it. But I did remember it comes with garlic jack cheese YUM. So basically it's marinated sliced tofu in some sort of Asian flavors, on toasted sourdough with garlic jack cheese, sprouts and other veggies you like. It's soooo good. I wish we weren't so far from home, I'd go get one of these (and probably still be working there, I loved it). Here's how I made mine:

Tofu and Veggie Melt Sandwich
inspired by Calico's Cafe

about 1/2 C low sodium soy sauce
1 TBL crushed garlic
firm tofu block, sliced
sourdough sliced bread
garlic jack cheese
sprouts
tomatoes, sliced
red onion, sliced
avocado, sliced

Add just enough soy sauce with garlic to cover tofu in a container to marinade over night (or a few days). Lightly toast sourdough bread, place 2 slices of tofu on bread, add one or two pieces of garlic jack cheese, melt toaster oven or under broiler for a minute. Meanwhile, on your other slice of toast sourdough, add your veggies. Add the tofu melt piece and cut sandwich in half. Enjoy!

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Sauteed Seasoned Red Potatoes

This recipe is a long time tried and true recipe, back while I was engaged. It's from a set of recipe cards I got in the mail, but are very hard to find anymore. Anyways, we love these as a side dish, and it's fast to put together once the potatoes are boiled.

Sauteed Seasoned Red Potatoes
Healthy Meals in Minutes cards

2 pound red potatoes

1/4 cup nonfat Italian salad dressing

2 TBL herbes de Provence (see below for what I use)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and let cool slightly. Cut and quarter potatoes into bite size pieces.

In a large skillet, heat dressing over medium heat. Add potatoes, toss well to coat. Sprinkle herbs de Provence, salt and pepper over potatoes, toss to coat.

Cook mixture, stirring gently until potatoes are golden and heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve.

herbes de Provence
(I just eyeballed the amounts, 1/4-1/2 tsp)I mixed a little of dried basil, rosemary, tarragon, garlic, lavender, marjoram, thyme and parsley together.

I am sharing these with Everyday Sisters.

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Bacon Mushroom Honey Dijon Chicken

Years ago, I used to get these Taste of Home recipe magazines, they're full of home cook's recipes. One issue had a recipe very very similar to this is and I just loved it. I've misplaced that magazine (some moves later), so I searched for it online and found this honey dijon version. I know it didn't have a marinade to it, but I decided to give this recipe a go. I changed it up a little to what I remember, and it was just as delicious.

Bacon Mushroom Honey Dijon Chicken

adapted slightly from Taste of Home

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
4-1/2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash paprika
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
8 bacon strips, cut and cooked
2 TBL sliced green onions

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and lemon juice. Pour  into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal the bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours.

Drain and discard marinade from chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in remaining oil on all sides. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Remove and set aside.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms with cooked bacon until tender. Remove to set aside. Add chicken breasts to skillet, top with mushroom and bacon then cheeses and green onions.
Cook over low heat, covered for 15-20 minutes until juices run clear.

Mmm, cooked mushrooms in bacon love./ Assembly of loaded up chicken.

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Bacon Pancakes

Good Morning (oops, this didn't post this am), I recently found out what all the talk was with Pinterest (follow me if you like), because I too have taken quite a liking to it (too bad my IE doesn't care for it, it always freezes up). Anyways, I saw these on another Rachelle's board...Bacon Pancakes. What a neat concept, an all in one bite! I've done chopped up sausage in the batter before, but this way is just so much cuter. I was hoping the kids could dip these into syrup, but they don't really work that way, lol. Mine look a little funny because I poured the batter around the strips instead over them like they did. They were delish though.

Bacon Pancakes
as seen at Pinterest

Cooked strips of bacon (try to keep them flat)
Your favorite pancake batter (here's mine)
Maple Syrup

Place your cooked strips of bacon on griddle or hot pan. Pour pancake batter around a strip of bacon, let brown then flip over to cook other side until golden. Serve with maple syrup.

I am sharing some with

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Applebee's Knock-Off Oriental Chicken Salad

Today's lunch comes from Facebook. Yep! I saw Mandy's Kitchen post this recipe, so I ran to store so I could make it. Of course I changed it up a little, and I think it's great! I bought enough to have a few of these salads all week and I went ahead and doubled the dressing to have on hand when needed.

Oriental Dressing
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1/4 c. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. Sesame oil

Blend together all ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk or mixer. Refrigerate while you work on the salad.


Salad
2 pieces of Crispy Chicken Strips (frozen or from the deli)
bagged salad with asst. lettuces & veggies
bagged broccoli slaw
1 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 c. fried won ton strips
1/4 cup mandarin slices, drained

Bake the chicken strips according to the package directions (if you bought frozen ones). At the last few minutes, add the almonds on the pan that the chicken is on so they can get toasted. Remove and cool. Cut up the chicken.
Mix together some of each (a good handfull per person) of the lettuce and coleslaw. Top with cut up chicken, almonds, wontons and madarin slices. Drizzle the dressing on top.

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Coconut Flan

I made this dessert for our Cinco de Mayo dinner. I've made it before without the coconut milk but with evaporated milk instead. I loved it even more with the coconut milk. For this post, I made one personal flan for photos, and one in a larger 7" dish and that one took like 1 hr 25 min to bake. Go ahead and try this dish for any time, it's very easy and delicious!

Coconut Flan
adapted from allrecipes

1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 fluid ounce) coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350'.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, coconut milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with sprayed aluminum foil. Place flan dish in a large roasting pan and fill with water half way up flan dish (water bath).
Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

family style

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Frosted Banana Bars

If you're always making banana bread with those leftover brown bananas, give this recipe a try for a nice change. I make these in a 9x13 pan so they're more like a piece of cake, not a skinnier "bar".  I like these straight from the fridge, nice and chilled.

Frosted Banana Bars

slightly adapted from Dine and Dish

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 2-3 large)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Pour into a greased 15×10x1 pan (I use a 9x13 pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool.

For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Spread over bars. (I store mine in the fridge)

enjoy,