Olive Oil Bread

This is one of my "go to" recipes for a dinner bread; it works great for soups or to dip in olive oil. It's straight forward to make and keeps better than most dinner-style loaves because of the olive oil.

From How to Cook Everything, 10th anniversary edition

3 c. flour (I use half white whole wheat)

2 t. instant yeast (rapid rise--about 1 package)

2 t. coarse sea or kosher salt

1/3 c. olive oil

1 c. warm water

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary, optional

Mix flour, yeast, and salt together. Add water and olive oil, stirring until the dough forms (you can do through this step in a food processor). Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth, kneading in rosemary. It will be a smooth, but still slightly moist dough. Place in large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled. You can cut this rise short if you're in a hurry.

When dough has doubled, turn out onto floured surface, divide into 2 pieces (or keep as 1 large loaf) and let rest 20 minutes. Shape into balls, dust with flour, place on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rise for another hour or two.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a baking stone, stick it in the oven on the bottom shelf. Slash top of dough several times. Bake the bread (slide onto the stone or put a baking sheet in the oven with the bread on it) until it starts to brown; lower temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown and internal temperature is 210 degrees on an instant read thermometer--about 40 to 60 minutes. This isn't as precise as it sounds--you can go by the times and appearance of the bread and forgo the temperature if you want.

Italian Sausage-Navy Bean Stew

This is hearty, filling, and easy to make. It's perfect for a cold night and goes well with crusty bread. It's also a great way to sneak some cabbage into those tummies; you can't taste it in this soup because everything sort of picks up the sausage flavor. It can be made in the crock pot (see below).

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 11th edition

• 1 pound dry navy beans (2 1/2 cups)
• 2 (14.5-oz) cans beef broth (or 4 cups homemade; can also use half chicken stock)
• 3/4 c. water
• 1 pound Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (can also use bulk Italian sausage; brown it first so it will be in small pieces)
• 3 c. chopped cabbage
• 1 c. chopped onion (1 large)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can tomatoes (14.5-oz.)
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves

1. Rinse beans. Combine beans and 6 cups water in large stockpot. Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes; removed from heat and leave, covered, for 1 hour. (Can also just soak overnight) Rinse and drain beans.
2. Add remaining ingredients to beans in the same stockpot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally and check to make sure beans are tender. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
3. If you are concerned about fat, let the soup sit/chill it and skim off fat. Reheat to serve.

Makes 11 cups (8 servings)

Crockpot Directions

Soak beans (quick soak or overnight). Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.

The Cast Iron Skillet: Why It Should Be In Your Kitchen

My friend Megan recently asked me why I like/recommend a cast iron skillet. She has yet to be convinced that it's a necessity in her kitchen and, like many of us, is seeking to simplify her kitchen "stuff." So, why add one more type of pan?

Well, first of all, in all love to my dear friend Megan, she obviously isn't Southern (she has married a Southerner and lives in sweet Virginia now, so surely she's learned this next fact by now): ALL Southerners worth their salt know that you simply cannot make proper cornbread in anything BUT a cast iron skillet. But, perhaps you don't eat much cornbread, or Southern cornbread specifically, or perhaps you don't want to add a skillet just for cornbread making to your already full kitchen.

Here's why I keep a cast iron skillet in my own kitchen and why, if I ever move to a smaller kitchen, it will make "the cut." It honestly is the skillet/pan I use the most.

1. It's truly a multi-purpose skillet. Well-seasoned (and you can buy them already seasoned these days), it works like a nonstick skillet. However, unlike nonstick skillets, it's also ovenproof, holds heat marvelously, and won't "peel" off. This one skillet can double for both your stainless steel skillets and your nonstick skillets.

2. It browns meat better than either a nonstick skillet or a stainless steel one.

3. It actually imparts iron to your food, meaning it works like a vitamin!

4. It's inexpensive, particularly compared to the better nonstick/stainless steel skillets.

5. It will last for decades if cared for properly. It's hard to mess up and not care for properly.

6. Even if you have to store it in plain sight, it will add ambiance to your kitchen.

7. Don't you feel like you're carrying on the great Pioneer legacy of our nation by owning a cast iron skillet?

8. If you do drive-up camping (as opposed to hiking all day and then setting up your tent), you can cook with your skillet over an open flame. I did this a lot with a big cast iron bean pot when I worked at nature camp.

9. It really does make superior cornbread and anything else requiring a golden crust.

10. It can be preheated significantly, especially in the oven. This, incidentally, is what gives cornbread that great crust. It's also a nice trick to roasting a chicken without overcooking the breast meat and so forth.

Now, there are some downsides to the cast iron skillet; there is no perfect solution to the "perfect skillet" question. You may, like me, decide that the downsides are negligible:

• not dishwasher safe
• HEAVY

I have several skillets, all Lodge brand, and use them all; the pre-seasoned ones give you a good start to real seasoning/nonstick capability and you can buy them in Wal-Mart in the South. I don't use the pots much because the handles are so darn hot and the pot, once full, is really too heavy for me. The skillet I use the absolute most is the square 10.5-inch one. I have a round 12-inch that I can hardly lift. The 10-inch size is much easier for me. The square shape, though, adds significant volume, so I can cook many things I might have needed a round 12-inch for. It's a great shape to hold 4 grilled cheese sandwiches, 4 pancakes, a big batch of scrambled eggs*, a batch and a half of cornbread, a Dutch apple pancake, a big recipe of stir-fry, a roast to brown, several pieces of chicken to brown and then oven-roast, .... I also have a double griddle that, while heavy, works wonderfully and lets me cook a super batch of pancakes at once or even "grill" inside.

*I've not perfected scrambled eggs in the cast iron skillet, but my hubby has!

Kids in the Kitchen

When those rainy, cold days hit and you need to occupy your children indoors, try cooking with them! Most kids love to help Mom or Dad bake up something yummy. My daughter has been helping me bake since she was not quite 2. "Help" is a bit of a misnomer, but she is now able to thoroughly stir together a muffin batter without my assistance once I've measured the ingredients. I hope I can turn the muffin production over to the kids completely in a year or two. Wouldn't that be nice?! Spending time in the kitchen together has many benefits: time together, increased familiarity with the inner workings of the kitchen, realization of the time involved, pride in a great final product, and something yummy to eat or drink!

The go to recipe for most people who want to cook with their children is chocolate chip cookies (or cookies of any kind). Why not try something a bit healthier and easier? Cookie dough often involves a mixer and the dough can be quite stiff (too stiff for little hands). In addition, if you're making cookies that you plan to roll out and decorate, you have to chill the dough--definitely DELAYED gratification. Instead of, or in addition to, the ubiquitous chocolate chip cookies, try one of the following recipes:

"Spiced Tea": sometimes this is called Russian tea. It's mostly Tang and sugar; no wonder kids love it! It's easy enough for a young child to stir together and fairly instant gratification if you already have some hot water on hand. Mmmm.... Perfect for a cold, rainy day.

When first starting out with actual cooking/baking, particularly if your "helper" is a very young child (2 or 3), try the Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins. There are no eggs, so if your young helper licks the spoon frequently, it won't matter (personally, I don't have much issue with licking the spoon even when there ARE eggs present, but I suppose I can't advocate that). This batter is exceptionally easy to whip up, easy to measure, easy to stir, and, unlike most muffin batters, can't really be overmixed. And they are YUMMY!!!

"Jiffy" Cornbread Muffins are another good place to start. Fairly straight forward and your child will be immensely pleased to have helped make part of dinner. This batter, made as cornbread, is easy enough for an elementary school-aged child to do by him- or herself, if he or she is familiar with the kitchen. Unlike other cornbread recipes, it does not require buttermilk, nor does it require a hot pan already greased with hot butter/grease (making it safer for a child to handle).

Stir and Drop Sugar Cookies are an easy cookie recipe to try. They don't require chilling or a mixer. They can be decorated easily with sprinkled (always a hit with kids!).

Toddler Dishes: Plates, Cups, Bowls, Silverware

And we're back to a favorite posting topic of mine: toddler fare and the tools they need!

I've written on this before, but can't find the old post--if I can't find it, odds are good that other readers can't find it either. So, I'm rewriting it with some new "stuff" thrown in.

Let me say up front that I use plastic because it's practically essential with a houseful of wee folk. However, I'm also a fan of moving them on to real dinnerware ASAP. With that in mind, my kids have been eating on "real" (china) plates since they were about a year old--sitting at the table with us. They most definitely have been using youth-sized METAL utensils. Have you ever successfully pierced a piece of anything except a soft potato with plastic forks? I rest my case.

Give you your ones every chance to succeed at the table with you:

1. Metal Utensils: you can find stainless steel utensils that are child-sized, even silver-plate! Department stores and places like TJMaxx, Ross, and Marshall's are good places to start. Put these items on your child's first birthday wish list. My grandmother has taken care of helping my kids start out on a civilized note. Pay attention to how deep the bowl is on the spoons you choose--the deeper, the better. These will be much easier to use in the long run than any plastic counterpart.

2. Real China Mugs: Kids love cups with handles. There are lots of small china mugs available; these are also good soup containers--little ones can pick up the mug and drink their soup when it's too thin for them to manage on a spoon. You can also find enameled mugs like those used for camping.

3. Real China Bowls/Plates: You probably already own a selection of small bread-and-butter plates with your regular dishes. If you have fruit bowls, even better. Both are these are perfect sizes for little children. Salad plates are another good idea.

If you don't have any of the above, check out your local import store; Asian stores, in particular, seem to have a large selection of dishes and cups in small sizes. It doesn't matter if the 3-sectioned little plate is supposed to hold dips and sauces. It will work perfectly for a snack tray for your child. Small rice bowls are perfect soup/cereal bowls.

Chinese BBQ Pork Buns

Adapted from several sources.

1 pound leftover cooked pork (pulled pork or pork roast)

1/2 c. hoisin sauce*

1 bunch scallions, chopped fine (about an inch or so of green)

2 cloves garlic

4 T. soy sauce (could do a bit less)

4 T. oyster sauce (could do a bit less)

2 T. sugar

For homemade hoisin sauce, see here (black bean paste is 2 T. mashed preserved black beans with 1 clove garlic and 1 T. soy sauce or so)

Mix all together the night before or morning of and let sit in fridge to blend flavors.

Bun Recipe:

~4 c. flour

1 T. yeast

1 1/2 c. hot water

1/4 c. sugar

2 T. oil

Mix yeast and 2 cups of flour. Mix hot water, oil, and sugar. When lukewarm, add to yeast/flour mixture. Stir well. Stir in remaining flour; switch to kneading when stirring becomes too hard. Knead on floured surface until dough is smooth (will take total of 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour). Let rise until double or triple (2 hours or so).

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 2-inch wide "snake" and cut each into 1-inch sections (you'll have 12 per "snake."). Pat/roll/pull each piece into a 3-inch circle, leaving the middle thicker than the ends. Place 2 T. or so of filling in each and pull up sides, pinching to seal and giving a little twist at end. Let rise an hour or so on little wax paper squares (can let half rise in the steamer).

Steam over boiling water for 10 minutes or so. Can keep warm over hot water.

Makes 24 (extra filling)

Chicken Stew

My mom reminded me of this recipe of mine today--it's a wonderful, hearty version of chicken noodle soup. If you don't have all of the ingredients on hand, you can probably substitute with what you DO have on hand (i.e. a few extra regular onions in lieu of pearl onions, etc.). This can be frozen--see below for freezing directions.

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 3-pound stewing chicken, cut up
• 1 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 c. water
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 c. frozen pearl onions
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 c. frozen green beans
• 1 c. uncooked egg noodles

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat olive oil in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until crisp-tender. Add chicken pieces and water to pot. Bring to a boil; then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 70-80 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from broth, remove and discard skin and bones; strain broth. Wash stockpot and dry thoroughly (don't know why this is specified....).
2. Place broth back in stockpot and add carrots. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until carrots are tender. Add chicken meat and remaining vegetables. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add egg noodles and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender.

Serves 4-6

Black Bean Potage

This is seriously good stuff. Traditionally a side dish, we eat it as a main course over rice. It needs to cook a while, but most of the time, it's completely unattended. Yum, yum, yum.

Recipes combined from Recipezaar and Group Recipes

1 pound dry black beans

8 c. water

2/3 c. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, crushed

4-6 sweet chili peppers*

2-4 t. salt

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. cumin

1/4 t. pepper

2 bay leaves

2 T. sugar

2 T. dry wine, optional but good

1 1/2 T. vinegar

*something like serranos, poblanos, hot or sweet banana peppers, and so forth; bell peppers can be used in part or full--just reduce amount to 1 bell pepper for every 2-3 hot peppers substituted.

1. Soak beans overnight or quick soak (bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, let stand 1 hour off heat and covered) in 4 cups water. Rinse and drain beans.
2. Add next 4 cups of water to soaked beans. Bring to a rapid boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour.
3. Saute onions, garlic, and peppers in olive oil for 10 minutes or until softened.
4. Add onions, garlic, peppers, and all dry seasonings to beans. Cover and simmer another hour.
5. Add wine, if using, and vinegar, and simmer another hour.
6. Check seasonings (and texture of beans). Cook for a little longer with top off if you want the potage thicker. We like it kind of runny so it will provide sauce for rice.

Serves 6-8, depending on use as main dish or side dish

Leftover ideas (it's worth saving 2 cups or so just for the leftovers!): it reheats well on its own. It makes a terrific quesadilla or burrito filling. It also makes a great Mexican-inspired casserole: 2 cups black bean potage (liquid included), 2-3 cups cooked rice, 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 1 cup or so corn kernels, 2 cups cooked chicken if you have it, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and a touch salt (and cayenne if you like it spicy)-->mix all together, saving out 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake, covered at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Uncover and let cheese brown a few minutes.

Auntie's Gingersnaps

This is a recipe passed down in my husband's family. They're delicious, have a perfect crisp outside and chewy inside, and keep well. The dough freezes well as cookie balls; the cooked cookies also freeze.

• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. butter
• 4 T. molasses or sorghum
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 c. flour
• 2 scant t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. ginger
• 1 t. cinnamon
• extra sugar

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg.
2. Add flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
3. Roll into small balls (about an inch in diameter) and dip in sugar. Place on greased baking sheet 1-inch apart.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies

Hospitality

Hospitality is something I'm passionate about. I write about it often and practice it often! This will provide an "index" of sorts to the different types of hospitality and, most relevant to this blog, recipes and menus that are good starting points, particularly for crowds. I'll try to update this periodically....

General Hospitality

• Hospitality on a Budget
• Keeping Your Freezer Stocked

Mobile Hospitality (articles appeared on sister site: The Tarnished Teapot)

• What is It and Who Needs It?
• How to Get it Started
• What to Bring

Favorite Menus for Entertaining Groups

• Toddler Birthday Party Menu
• Easy Adjustable Menu for a Crowd (grilled chicken)
• Easy Crowd-Pleasing Cookout Menu (think: summer)
• Chili for a Crowd (scroll down to see menu)

Crowd-Friendly Main Courses--all have been tested on my many guinea pigs...er, guests (recipes either make large quantities or are easy to double/triple; *indicates meals that they "travel" well if you need to bring food elsewhere; in addition, most are freezer friendly and/or make ahead)

• Grilled Chicken
• Lasagna*
• Chicken Spaghetti*
• Mock Ravioli*
• Macaroni and Cheese*
• Black Bean Lasagna*
• Meatless Manicotti*
• 3-Cheese Chicken Florentine*(off-site link)
• Meatloaf*
• Red Chili*
• Black Bean Chili*
• White Chicken Chili*
• Famous Chili*
• After-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup*
• Black Bean Pottage*
• Herb-Roasted Chicken
• Sticky Roast Chicken

Food Prices Keep Going Up! (and what we're going to do about it...)

I made my usual shopping excursion to Kroger today; I came home amazed! Over the past few months, I've noticed significant price changes (raises) to many of my old cheap, healthy stand-bys. Some examples:

• mandarin oranges (the Kroger brand has a variety that is just mandarin oranges in mandarin orange juice--not heavy syrup): was $0.50 regularly last year. Now? $0.75 (that's a 50% raise)
• canned pumpkin: on sale regularly for $0.79/can last year. Now? "on sale" for $1.79 (that's more than a 100% raise)
• frozen vegetables: formerly on sale for $0.88/1-pound bag or at least 10/$10. (regular price: $1.02). Now? a 12-ounce bag on sale for $0.88 and regular price is $1.49. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.

We tend to buy very few processed goods; ironically, many of those things seem to be holding steady--or at least jumping more slowly. We can still get Triscuits and the like for close to $2/box. But the produce and other "healthy" types of things are definitely on the rise.

So what do we do? We panic! Just kidding. We scour the internet for money-saving recipes. We start stockpiling and coupon-ing like mad. Wrong again.

We trust. The Lord has promised over and over to take care of his people, to provide for them. I hear friends complaining and assuming their grocery budgets are going to skyrocket. Well, they might go up some, but that's not the end of the world. We, on average, spend far less a percentage of our income on food compared to most of the world's population. Food is relatively cheap in America. And the Lord will always provide--even if it's only enough for that particular day (remember those Israelites and their manna?).

We adapt. The recipes that might have been cheap to make a few years ago might not be the most economical now. An example is the ubiquitous casserole with some sort of dairy-based sauce. Dairy products are now not much less expensive than meat; meat is one of the few things that isn't going up as much (we've been able to get boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale at Kroger for $1.99/pound every other week now for years). So, we make different recipes: perhaps a bean-based dish that uses a small amount of meat OR dairy as an accent. Asian stir-fries use no dairy and small amounts of meat. Indian recipes frequently use dairy but little to no meat. You get the picture.

We practice good stewardship. We use what we have (all of it), get creative, and don't buy what we don't need. This goes for other areas of life as well. We must eat, and, if the food budget goes up, perhaps we get a cheaper hair cut, don't buy movies the same week they come out, get a cheaper cell phone plan, etc. We just notice our food budgets more because it's something we buy every week. But there are frequently other areas of the budget that could more easily be cut.

We resist gluttony. If every American ate only what he or she needed, then I bet most of our food budgets would decrease along with our waistlines.

We practice delayed gratification. Most products go on sale at some point or another. Do you really need to have beef roast this week when chicken is on sale? Perhaps you can make snickerdoodles for a while until chocolate chips go on sale. Or perhaps you just choose to cook the more expensive stuff less often.

You can, of course, practice the other strategies for reducing the budget (cooking from scratch, shopping the sale items, bulk-buying, etc.), but they won't help you as much in the long run as the right attitude will :). Before you rush out and buy the latest cookbook that promises to show you how to feed your family for $50/week (and end up spending extra money to buy the book), adjust your approach and see what you can come up with in your own, no-doubt-well-stocked kitchen.

Feel free to share your ideas, strategies, and attitude adjustments in the comments!

Spiced Tea Mix

This was my all-time favorite "hot tea" growing up. Of course, it's mostly sugar and flavorings, but it still hits the spot on a cold day. My daughter loves it, too, and we have our tea parties with it. I use a slightly different recipe than my mother's mostly because it's hard to find the specific tea hers called for (why do they keep changing products?).

From Cooks.com

• 1 c. lemon flavored iced tea mix
• 1 c. Tang orange flavored drink mix
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. cloves

Mix well and store in a tightly covered container. To make tea, use 3 teaspoons per cup of hot water (or however much you like!)

"Jiffy" Corn Muffins

Nearly everyone I know thinks of the Jiffy cornbread mix when they think of cornbread muffins. It's inexpensive, easy, sweet, and more cakey than Southern cornbread. Well, reach for that box no more! This recipe takes hardly a minute or two longer to whip up than the box variety, makes 12 muffins instead of a mere 6, and has nothing artificial in it; it also tastes almost exactly the same (actually it's better). To make cornbread instead of muffins, simply pour into a greased 8x8-inch square pan (no need to preheat the pan like you do for true Southern cornbread). This is my kids' favorite cornbread recipe (of the many I make!).

From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 13th edition

• 3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
• 1 c. flour (can use half white whole wheat)
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 3 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 T. melted bacon grease or butter or corn oil (I use corn oil since it's easy)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin cups thoroughly (I use butter).
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add milk, egg, and fat/oil, and blend well. Spoon into the muffin cups (about 3/4 full). Bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12

Kid-Related Musings

• 10 Tips to Tempt Those Tiny Palates (the Ethnic Version)
• Kids in the Kitchen
• Toddler Meals: The Guarantees
• Toddler Serving Sizes
• Toddler Dishes: Plates, Cups, Bowls
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Tips and Tricks
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: My Kids are Weird
• Spunsters and Chick-Fu with Frosty Peas
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Leftovers in Disguise
• Toddler Smoothies
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Menu #5
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Menu #4
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Menu #3
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Menu #2
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits: Menu #1
• Tuesday's Toddler Tidbits
• Favorite Finger Foods
• Pumpkin Yogurt for Toddlers
• Super Baby Food
• Making Greens Palatable: Even to Kids!
• Foods Rich in Iron
• Foods Rich in Vitamin C

Apple Walnut Muffins

These are worth the effort!! One of our favorite muffins (and we make a lot of muffins). This is a terrific use for apples that are getting slightly soft or otherwise too unsightly to eat out of hand. They take a bit more time than a standard muffin recipe, but they're yummy.

From Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. baking soda
• scant 1/2 t. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. coarsely grated or finely chopped peeled apples (about 2 medium), with juice
• 5 T. warm melted butter (unsalted, or use salted and cut back on the salt)
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Whisk eggs and sugar together; stir in apples with their juice and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, and salt together thoroughly.
4. When the apple mixture has stood for 10 minutes, stir in butter and nuts. Combine with dry ingredients, stirring just until mixed. Batter will not be smooth.
5. Divide mixture between muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 14-16 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from pan to a cooling rack.
6. These are best the day they are baked.

Makes 12

Articles Index

Frugality (and Grocery Shopping)

• A Lean, Mean Grocery Shopping Machine
• Homemade Does Equal Savings
• Food Prices Keep Going Up! (And What We're Going to do About It)
• Some Time-Honored Strategies for Battling the Grocery Budget Increase
• Serving Others and Practicing Hospitality Spontaneously on a Budget
• Creative Cooking: Using What we Have
• Grocery Shopping Strategy

Home-Cooking

• Homemade Cakes
• Reality in the Kitchen
• Casseroles Revisited
• Baking at Home: Not Rocket Science
• Managing My Weekly Home-Cooking
• The Final Frontier
• Leftovers and Old-Fashioned Cooking
• 10 New Year's Food Goals and Resolutions
• Quick Breads for a Month
• Chili: It's What's For Dinner
• Hospitality
• Secret Recipes
• My Pantry Meals
• Computer-Free Summer
• Handed Down Recipes
• The Fast
• Eating Less Meat: the Quest
• Random Post: Counter Top Kitchen Appliances
• The Cast Iron Skillet: Why It Should Be in Your Kitchen
• The Chinese Grocery Store and a Bold Step

Ingredient Spotlight

• Sourdough
• The Humble Legume
• Ginger: Tips and Tricks
• Making Greens Palatable: Even to Kids!
• Super Foods
• Foods Rich in Iron
• Foods Rich in Vitamin C
• Super Foods!
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Baby Greens Recipes

Gardening

• Gardening is for Chefs
• Farmer's Market Tips
• Cooking From the Harvest
• Preserving the Harvest
• Farmer's Markets and In-Season Produce
• Garden Gourmet in the Dead of Winter

General Tips and Tricks

• Stir Fry: Tips and Tricks
• Breakfast for Champions: Tips and Tricks
• Breakfast for Champions: What Makes a Good Breakfast
• Kid Friendly Citrus: Some Tips and Tricks
• Some Cookie Tips and Tricks
• Favorite Recipe Tip
• Keeping Cilantro Fresh

Power Cooking

• Cooking Day Lineup: Meals for my Freezer, round 1
• Enjoyable and Hospitable: Benefits of Cooking for Your Freezer
• Money Saver: a Benefit of Cooking for Your Freezer
• Time Saver: a Benefit of Cooking for Your Freezer
• What's For Dinner?
• Less Stress: a Benefit of Cooking for Your Freezer
• Tricks of the Trade: Tips for Cooking for Your Freezer
• Organizing the Big Day: Meals for a Month
• Customizable Convenience: a Benefit of Cooking for Your Freezer
• Meals for a Month

Cookbooks

• A Sign of a Truly All-Purpose Cookbook
• I Think I'll Buy a New Cookbook...
• Make the Most of Your Cookbooks
• Cookbook Review: Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes
  
• Cookbook Review: How to Cook Everything, 10th Anniversary Edition
• Cookbook Review: Muffins from A to Z
• Cookbook Review: Fannie Farmer Cookbook
• Cookbook Review: How to Cook Everything, 1st edition
• Cookbooks as Gifts
• Cookbook Review: Extending the Table
• Cookbook Review: Meals for a Month
• Cookbook Review: The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
• Cookbook Review: More-with-less
• Cookbook Review: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
• Cookbook Review: Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition
• Cookbook Review: America's Test Kitchen Family Favorites Cookbook
• Website and Cookbook Review: Saving Dinner
• Website/Blog Review: My Favorite Things
• Website Review: allrecipes.com
• Website Review: mealtime.org
• Website Review: The Food Pyramid

Menus

• Following the Menu?
• New Menu Strategy: Theme Weeks
• October 2-week Menu: the Reality (2010)
  
• October 2-week Menu (2010)
• September 2-week Menu (2010)
• August-September Overlap Menu (2010)
• August 2-week Menu (2010)
• 2-week Menus are Back (and the Times, They Are A'Changin')
• Weekly Menu 2/7-2/13 (2010)
• Weekly Menu 2/1-2/6 (2010)
• Weekly Menu 1/10-1/16 (2010)
• Another One Bites the Dust and Why I Don't Menu Plan
• Menu Failure (sigh) and Change of Plans
• Texas Menu, Week 1
• Indian Week, round 1
• New Menu Strategy: Theme Weeks
• Mediteranean Week, round 1
• August 2-week Menu (2009)
• Summer Seasonal Meals
• May 2-week Menu (2009)
• Menu Planning: A "Normal" Week
• Menu Planning on the Fly: ANOTHER Power Outage
• Menu Planning on the Fly: Toddlers, Leftovers, and an Asian Grocery Store
• Menu Planning on the Fly: Toddlers and Leftovers
• Pre-Trip Menu (Toddler Tidbits)
• Pork Chop Fall Menu
• Easy Asian Inspired Fall Menu
• Rotisserie Rubber Chicken Menu
• Rubber Chicken
• Easy Adjustable Menu for a Crowd
• Easy Crowd-Pleasing Cookout Menu
• What We Ate/Consumed, week 1
• What We Ate/Consumed, week 2

Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins

These are yummy! Kids love them, guests love them, everyone loves them. They're also one of the easiest homemade muffin recipes to whip up. Enjoy. (An especially good recipe to have on hand if you entertain those who require dairy-free or egg-free diets!)

Note: I updated this recipe 3/31/12 to reflect the way we make them now--if you prefer the old version, simply double the oil. The new way makes a more cake-y muffin, and we like them better.

From our Aunt Jeanne

• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1 c. applesauce
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. baking soda

Mix brown sugar and oil first. Then add remaining ingredients. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. The muffin tops come off easily if the muffins get much bigger than the pan allows; err on the smaller side and just make more muffins if your muffin pan has small cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 10 muffins or so

Chicken Spaghetti

A stand-by when I was growing up--this makes a huge amount. It's a bit of work up front, but it gives such a big yield and freezes well that you reap a nice "harvest."

• 1 5-6 pound chicken, cooked and boned (save water you cook the chicken in!)
• 2 large chopped onions
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 stick celery, cut up
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup OR 1 c. grated cheese

1. Saute onions, green pepper, garlic in 1/4 cup butter until soft. Add tomato soup, mushroom soup, salt and pepper to taste, and oregano to taste. Add chicken.
2. In broth from chicken (1/2 gallon or more), add 1 stick celery cut up. Boil until tender. Add spaghetti when celery is tender. Cook until almost all liquid is absorbed/evaporated (check noodles).
3. Mix soup mixture and noodles. I like mine kind of saucy, so I add extra milk/bechamel sauce or make a homemade soup substitute and don't make it quite as thick. Add cheese soup or 1 c. grated cheese (stir in). Bake until cheese melts.

Serves 16

Baked Apples

Side dish or dessert--this is a perfect recipe to have on hand for apple season (and it makes your house smell WONDERFUL). It's also appropriate for so many of the dietary needs today (wheat free, vegetarian, dairy free, better for diabetics than most desserts....). We top ours with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream if we're eating them for dessert, but this is not necessary. Cooking time will depend on the apples you choose; cooking apples like Romes, Cortlands, and MacIntoshes will cook down softer. You may need to scrape the apple out of the skin to eat, depending on type of apple.

• 4 apples
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. raisins or craisins
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. apple juice or water (I think orange juice would also be good)
• orange zest (optional)

1. Core apples. Peel top third of apples. Place in square baking dish (8x8-inch size).
2. Combine filling ingredients (brown sugar, raisins, spices, and some zest, if using). Pack into cores.
3. Pour juice in bottom of dish.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until apples can be pierced easily with a fork. Baste with juice occasionally.

Serves 4