Strawberry Cornmeal Muffins

I found this recipe randomly at Eating Out Loud.

Strawberry Cornmeal Muffins
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped strawberries, plus 1/2 cup for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add beaten egg, oil and milk, stirring until just combined. Fold in 1 cup chopped strawberries.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, then garnish with a few chopped berries. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes (mine were done at about 15-18 minutes) or until testing done with a toothpick.

Allow the muffins to cool before removing from the muffin tin. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each muffin, then pop out of the tin. Makes 12 muffins.

We ate these with cheesy scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Frozen Fruit Cups

The county extension service has been offering some classes on stretching your food dollar. This week the topic was healthy snacks. We tried this recipe, and I made some at home yesterday.

3 bananas
24 oz. strawberry yogurt (I used raspberry yogurt)
10 oz. frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juice (I used raspberries)
8 oz. canned crushed pineapple, with the juice

Line 18-24 muffin tin cups with paper baking cups. (I did not use paper cups, just put the mixture directly into the tins.)
Dice or mash bananas and place in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in remaining items.
Spoon into muffin tin cups and freeze at least 3 hours or until firm. Remove frozen cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer.
Before serving, remove paper cups and let stand 10 minutes.

Apple Raisin Muffins

Another recipe from allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup chopped, peeled tart apple
• 1/4 cup raisins
• CRUMB TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons quick cooking oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cold butter or margarine

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the apple and raisins. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners; fill two-thirds full with batter.

For topping, in a bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Shrimp Kabobs

I don't have a real recipe for these. I just marinaded the shrimp (1 pound) and vegetables in szechwan sauce, oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and paprika. I used 1/2 green pepper, 1 small onion, 1 small zucchini and grape tomatoes. Grill and serve with brown rice. Yum!

Parmesan Drumsticks

(Reposted from Jenny's Jottings blog)

Now, I don't really like chicken dark meat, but sometimes legs and thighs go on sale, and it's hard to pass up a good deal. I found a really good recipe for Parmesan Drumsticks in my Saving Dinner cookbook (by Leanne Ely of Flylady fame) that the whole family likes.
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
1 T. olive oil
12 chicken drumsticks, no skin (I usually leave the skin on as it's too time consuming and tedious to remove)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper.
Line shallow baking pan with foil.
In a small frying pan, melt butter and oil together (I do this in the microwave). Dip each drumstick in the butter mixture, then in the cheese mixture, and place on the foil-lined pan.
Bake drumsticks for one hour or until chicken is completely cooked.
The outside comes out nice and crispy while it's moist on the inside.
We usually have mashed potatoes and a veggie with this.

Garden Pasta Salad

Another recipe from allrecipes.com

• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked tri-color spiral pasta (I used shells)
  
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 2 stalks celery, chopped (I only used 1 stalk)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (I used grape tomatoes, halved)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 (16 ounce) bottles Italian-style salad dressing (I can't imagine using 2 whole bottles; I used a little less than 1 bottle)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• I also added 1 cup of frozen peas
  

1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain.
2. Mix chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, and onion together in large bowl.
3. Combine cooled pasta and vegetables together in large bowl. Pour Italian dressing over mixture, add Parmesan cheese and mix well.
4. Chill for one hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I decided to make some cookies this afternoon, and settled on Peanut Butter Cookies instead of the usual Chocolate Chips. This recipe was from allrecipes.com.

1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup margarine (I used butter)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, margarine (butter), brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Form dough into walnut sized balls and place them 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Dip a fork into flour and criss cross each cookie to flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until just lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.