Blueberry Muffins

When I first came up with the idea for my blog, my friend Eric showed me a cookbook his grandmother made for him and for all of her grandchildren. It's called Mimi Cooks With Family and Friends. Her hope was to share a special part of herself with her seven grandchildren and finally compile the multitude of family recipes she's saved over the years, some written in notebooks and even on the back of store receipts she says. I was so honored to be able to make some of these special dishes.

As I was a bit crunched for time this week, I chose a simple recipe to start out with; Blueberry Muffins. Eric told me when he visits his grandparents in Connecticut, their neighbor Bea Foster always brings over a fresh batch of these blueberry muffins. The recipe is super easy and I already had all the ingredients in the house (except the blueberries). The prep time was only about 5 minutes. I was a bit concerned when the muffins didn't rise much so I cooked them a little longer than I probably should have. Eric says the "Beacret" to these muffins is that they're supposed to be flat, that's just the way Bea made them. I was glad to hear I didn't do something wrong in the baking process. It's just a rather dense dough which keeps them from rising and also I think that maybe my baking powder is getting a tad old. It's probably been in my mom's spice cabinet since the early 80's. Maybe Bea needs to replace her baking powder too. Anyway, these muffins were still delicious! The cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top is the best part. Dave and Eric seemed to like them. They were all gone the next day. I can't wait to try some more of Mimi's recipes, especially the old authentic Italian recipes. I hear her meatballs are the best. Thanks again, Eric!

Ingredients

2 Cups sifted flour

1/2 Cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1-1 1/2 cup blueberries

Directions

Beat 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. Add oil and mix well. Sift dry ingredients into mixture. Dust blueberries with flour and fold in berries. Put in muffin pan. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar before baking

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Source: Mimi Cooks with Family and Friends. Originally from Bea Foster.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is actually the first dish I decided to make when I came up with the idea for my food blog. Of course I consulted with my boyfriend/taste tester to make my final decision. The conversation went like this;
Me: "Any requests for dinner? I'm going to the grocery store at lunch. I was thinking homemade pizza or chicken enchiladas. What do you think?". Dave: "Oh my dear baby Jesus, enchiladas would be outstanding".

I've never made enchiladas before and chose an Emeril Lagasse recipe to start with. I've found his recipes to be a bit involved and complicated at times, but this one seemed simple enough. Every Emeril recipe I've tried has turned out amazing, and this was no exception. I made a few alterations to the original recipe; 1. The recipe calls for "New Mexican chili powder". I looked high and low for this stuff with no success. I even went to a grocery store with a HUGE International and Hispanic section. If anyone ever finds this so called New Mexican chili powder, please let me know. I would love to see if it actually makes a difference. I just used regular chili powder and added a dash or two of cayenne pepper. 2. I sprinkled the top of the enchiladas with additional shredded cheddar cheese. 3. I added two small cans of green chiles to the filling mixture.Also, the recipe calls for one onion chopped. I used a ridiculously huge red onion. I think red onions have the most flavor and I tend to incorporate them when a recipe is not specific about what type to use.

Anyone reading this, feel free to get me a Magic Chopper for Christmas. Thanks :)

My boyfriend and his roommate had started a power hour by the time the enchiladas were ready. Needless to say they didn't get eaten until much later that evening and then again for breakfast the next morning. I made enough for a family of 6 and they were completely gone by 11am the next day. I must admit that dishes like these are even better the next day. The picture was taken of the reheated enchiladas rather than fresh out of the oven since I forgot my camera that night. Dave was thoughtful enough to email me pictures of him eating them for breakfast. In his email he says "These things are so good it blows my mind". Just yesterday he asked for more chicken enchiladas in his life. Sorry, but it's on to the next experiment!

Dorje likes everything I make too! He's very impatient though.

    Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup New Mexican chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like things spicy)
• 16 ounces chicken stock
• 10 ounces tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
•  8 oz diced canned green chiles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 cup cheddar cheese for garnish
• 1 cup sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sauce: In a saucepan heat 3 tablespoons oil, add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are well-blended. Season to taste with salt.

Combine cheese, chicken, chiles and onion for filling. Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a skillet until hot. Using tongs dip in tortillas, one at a time, to soften, and drain on paper towels. Dip each tortilla in sauce. On a plate fill with a generous spoonful of filling and roll up; place enchilada seam-side down in a baking dish and repeat until all ingredients are used up. Top with remaining sauce and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes. To serve, top with sour cream.

mmmm. Enchiladas for Breakfast. 

 

Source: adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I am obsessed with all things pumpkin, and in the spirit of the season I've decided to try out several unique pumpkin recipes. I made these pumpkin pie bars for my sister's Halloween party this past week. They were very simple to make and turned out not only beautiful but delicious as well. These bars are for those of you with a super sweet tooth like myself. In fact they were almost a bit too sweet even for me. The consistency of the filling is a lot like pumpkin pie rather than a traditional cookie bar. The crust and the topping are what give it something a little different though. Soon to come, my Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Baked Ziti which happen to be two of my favorite recipes.

Although I did not alter the original recipe, in the future I intend to include my own unique recipes as well as my adaptations to other collected recipes. I also plan to include reviews from my very supportive boyfriend, family, and friends who will be my guinea pigs and food critics as I experiment with food and further my cooking experience.

Ingredients:
For the crust and topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butterscotch chips, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan.  Lightly grease the foil.  Combine the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and toss with a fork.  Add the pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside.  Add the remaining crust mixture to the prepared baking pan and press onto the bottom of the pan in an even layer.  Bake the crust alone in the oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling.To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.

Once the crust has been removed from the oven, pour the filling into the pan and smooth over the crust.  Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture and butterscotch chips, as desired.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Slice and serve.

Source: Annie's Eats