Vanilla Cupcakes

B watches Cupcake Wars all the time and always says she wants to open her own shop someday.  We had some time this afternoon, so we decided to make cupcakes.  She wanted vanilla ones (seemed easy enough!) and we had most of the ingredients already.  A quick trip to the store for a couple things and we were baking!  She whipped the batter, filled the muffin tins; frosted them and decorated them!  A fun afternoon!  I found the recipe here for the cupcakes.

Edited to add - We made these again today and added 2 tsp of plain Greek yogurt to the batter.  They are so moist and much better with that in them.  The recipe below reflects that change.    

Here's B mixing the batter

B filling the muffin tins

Decorating the cakes

Her finished product

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups (lightly spooned in the measuring cup and levelled with a knife) flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 Tbs (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup water
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 yolk from a large egg, at room temperature
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 tsp Plain Greek Yogurt

Directions:
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) – I have an unusually hot oven so I set mine to 180°C). Line 12 regular-sized (2 ¾-inch diameter) muffin cups with paper or foil liners (I used silicone cupcake cups).

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium or large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the melted butter, water, egg and yolk, vanilla and Greek yogurt in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk until well blended and smooth, about 1 minute.

Portion the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. (I poured the batter into a large measuring cup with a spout, which makes pouring easier and neater.) Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Move to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan, set them on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Stuffed Pork Chops

I was in the Acme and saw their version of stuffed pork chops and thought, "I can do that...and better!".  So, I bought thick chops and the rest I already had at the house.  I searched online for how long to cook them and as I suspected, the recipe I found was way too short of cook time for these.  It originally called for browning the chops on the stove for 4 minutes per side then in the over for 7 minutes more.  It ended up being more like 12 minutes in the oven.  All in all, this was a tasty meal though!

Here are my "fillers" - Parmesan, spinach, roasted walnuts and mushrooms

I put a little olive oil and panko on the outside after stuffing them

Here's our meal - stuffed chops, Parmesan Rosemary potatoes and corn

Ingredients:
1/4 c walnuts
1/2 c mixed mushrooms
A few handfuls of spinach
Fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp olive oil
2 thick cut pork chops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  Once preheated, put walnuts on a cookie sheet (line with parchment paper for easy clean up) and roast in oven for 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put 1 tbsp margarine in a skillet and saute spinach.  Once wilted, set aside.  In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp margarine (if needed) and saute mushrooms until done, about 5 minutes.

Make a slit in each pork chop, making sure not to cut all the way through.

Combine ingredients and stuff into each chop evenly.

Carefully coat outside of chops with a drizzle of olive oil.  Put panko in a shallow dish and roll chops around to coat.  

In a cast iron skillet (or one that can go in the oven), heat olive oil.  Place chops in the skillet and brown each side for 4 minutes.  Transfer skillet to the oven and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until done.  Let the chops rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into them.  

Meatloaf "Muffins"

I have been wanting to make meatloaf in a muffin tin for a while.  Since it's so cold out, that seemed like a fun dinner for last night.  I used my usual meatloaf recipe and added French's French Fried Onions (crushed up) to it.  I'm not sure if I just cooked it a little too long or if I need the fattier beef, but this turned out a little dry for me.  The spice was really good and I'll make it again but play with ingredients / cook time. 

Ready to put in the oven 

Our Dinner

Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I used the 96% lean)
1 egg, beaten
A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
1-2 tbsp dijon mustard
A few dashes of onion powder
20 saltine crackers, crushed up (I usually use 20 but probably had half last night which is why I added the French's Onions)
1/3 c crushed up French's French Fried Onions
A few dashes of Montreal Steak Spice

For the topping:
1/3 c ketchup
A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 tsp brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients for the meatloaf and mix well
In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for topping, mix well
Scoop meat mixture into 12 muffin tins (spray with Pam first).  Distribute evenly
Place topping evenly on each "meatloaf muffin"
Bake for 30 minutes & serve

Chicken with Mushrooms

I had boneless skinless chicken to use up and a baggie of various mushrooms.  I did a Google search and came across this one.  It was really easy to throw together and I think it tasted great!  I served it with broccoli and some buttered noodles (the "sauce" & mushrooms over the noodles was pretty yummy!).  An easy work night meal! 

Chicken with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3 cups of mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella and button mushrooms)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded
1 egg beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter (I used olive oil)
6 oz mozzarella cheese
3/4 c chicken broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place half the mushrooms in a 9x13 pan.
Dip chicken in egg then in bread crumb mixture
In a skillet, heat the butter (or oil) and brown the chicken on each side.  Put chicken in 9x13 pan.
Cover with other half of mushrooms; sprinkle on cheese and pour in chicken broth.
Cook for 30-35 minutes

Mushroom & Jalapeno "Poppers"

I was in the mood for mushrooms on Sunday so I decided to create a little appetizer.  They turned out pretty good but could use more "kick" next time.  I only used 1 jalapeno & I stripped the seeds from it.  I may include some seeds next time to give it a little more flavor. 

The measurements are estimates because I just eye-balled everything. 

Mushroom & Jalapeno "Poppers"

Ingredients
1-1/2 c diced mushrooms (I used baby bella & button mushrooms)
1 jalapeno (seeds & membranes removed), diced
1-2 tbsp butter (or margarine)
1/4 c shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
8 wonton wrappers
Canola Oil for frying

Directions
In a medium pan, melt butter and add mushrooms & jalapeno.  Saute over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes (until water is out of mushrooms)

Add shredded cheese to pan but don't allow it to melt too much.  Stir to mix together.

I lightly moisten my wonton edges with a little water to help them "stick" together.  Assmble wontons with a little filling in each, fold into a triangle & press edges together to "seal".

Heat canola oil in larger pan over medium high heat.  Place wontons into oil and allow to brown on each side, approx 1 minute per side.

Place on a paper towel to allow oil to drain off & serve. 

Roasted Green Beans, Mushrooms & Walnuts

We hosted Steaksgiving IV last weekend.  I saw a recipe that had beans, mushrooms and walnuts and thought it sounded like it would compliment a steak well.  I think the dish would turn out better if done on the stove top instead of the oven because the mushrooms give off so much water.  Next time, I'd roast the walnuts then saute the mushrooms for a bit.  I'd add the beans to cook and then the walnuts just to get warm.  The flavors were good but I think it could be better on the stove.

Here are the beans ready to serve

Here is one platter of the bone in rib eyes that we had for Steaksgiving IV

Ingredients

8 oz. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
8 oz. cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
olive oil cooking spray or mister
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. truffle oil (you can omit this if you don't have it on hand)

InstructionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss green beans, mushrooms, and walnuts together on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and stir in truffle oil, if using.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

This chicken has the taste of Fall in it!  It smells yummy while it's cooking and tastes amazing!  I love that it's a great dinner that can be completed in under 30 minutes too!  Easy for a weeknight but good enough to serve to guests!  The only change I made from the original recipe is to sub cinnamon for nutmeg.

A picture of the chicken ready to be cooked

The chicken getting crispy in the pan

Our final dish

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup crushed up saltine crackers
1 egg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Season chicken with salt & pepper.
In a small shallow bowl, whip up the egg.
In a separate bowl, mix together the pecans, crackers & cinnamon
Dip the chicken in the egg, then into the pecan mixture.  Be sure to push down & coat both sides
Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
Place chicken in skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes per side, until crispy.

Enjoy!