Make Your Own Onion Soup Mix

One of my goals has been to quit buying all those packets of mixes and learn to make my own. It saves money and is better for my family and I.

Today I made a jar of Onion Soup Mix. I use onion soup mix when I cook my roasts, for dips and gravies.

ONION SOUP MIX
1/3 cup plu 2 tsp. dry minced onion
8 beef bouillon cubes or 8 tsp.
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. celery salt or crushed celery seed

This will make 18 tablespoons.
It fit perfectly in my empty bouillon cube jar.
5 Tablespoons of this mix = 1 pre-packaged mix

Mix 5 Tablespoons with 4 cups water for soup.
Mix 5 Tablespoons with 16 ounces of sour cream for dip.
Add 5 Tablespoons to your water when cooking a roast.
Add 5 Tablespoons to your beef stew!

TIP The best thing to remove onion odor from your hands is to rub a stainless steel spoon all over them. It works like magic! :D

Zucchini Candy-In honor of National Sneak Zucchini On Your Neighbor's Porch

National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day is today!  Have any of you dropped any off on your neighbors?
It always happens.  The zucchini that hides until it is soooo huge!  I've had a couple of them so far this year.  How about you?  What do you do with your bat size zucchinis?

This year I've been making candy.  That's right, zucchini candy!  I have a batch in the dehydrator right now.  They taste a lot like gummi worms. 

I have two recipes.  The one I am trying right now is one my mother gave me.  I think she found it on the internet but not sure where:

Ingredients:
A large zucchini
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pack Kool-aid
8 cups water

Peel the zucchini.

Cut it into 1 inch chunks, be sure to cut off the center part with seeds (as uniform as you can so they dry evenly).

Add Kool-aid, water, and sugar (recipe can be doubled) in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Add zucchini chunks and turn down to a simmer,  stir occasionally. Cook until zucchini turns translucent, about 20-25 minutes. Drain using a colander.

Place them on the food dehydrator racks making sure no pieces are touching each other.  Use a fruit leather mat if you have one. This makes clean up easier. I only use mine for about the first hour then remove.

Let it dehydrate until it feels squishy but firm,  about 18 hours.

When they are done, put 3 Tbs of powdered sugar, and 1 Tbs corn starch in a bag and toss candy pieces in with it. This keeps them from sticking together in the bag or jar.

I'll let you know how we liked this recipe once it is done.

Another great recipe is:

10 cups peeled diced zucchini 1/2 inch cubes or  "worms" about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick and wide.
3 cups water
2 pkgs. unsweetened Koolaid (Everyone says black cherry or cherry is best, all I had was strawberry)
2 1/2 cups sugar

Peel zucchini,  dice/slice, removing seeds. Mix the liquid syrup together. Add zucchini. Bring to a boil and them simmer for 25 min. Drain. Put on dehydrator trays. Dry 14
hours at 125 degrees. Turn pieces over and dry another 4 hours. They will
feel dry and not sticky when done. Store in jars or other tightly sealed
containers. If you dip in sugar when you turn them, they will be more like
"gum drops" on the outside.


Next I will be trying these two recipes to use up large zucchini:

Zuke Chips
Take the large size zukes and slice them 1/8 inch thick, blanch them for 30 seconds, pat dry, and sprinkle salt (use Kosher or french fry seasoning) and onion powder on them. Dry them in the dehydrator until crispy like potato chips.

Zuke Burger
Take a large zuke, slice 1/2" thick, brush with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, (or any hamburger seasoning you use) and  grill.  Serve on potato roll buns.

So you still have too much zucchini and are going to sneak some on your neighbors porch, be sure to include a few of these recipes for them! lol

FREE Gooseberry Patch Slow Cooker Recipes

I love Kindle books, even though I don't have a kindle!
That's right, you can download the Kindle for PC from Amazon for FREE
and then snag this great cookbook from Gooseberry Patch.

No Fail Banana Bread

What makes a recipe quick and easy for you?

For me, it's a recipe that requires minimal measuring, doesn't dirty every dish to prepare it and that comes out beautiful everytime.

Tip: Always have bananas on hand. Freeze over ripe bananas individually so they thaw quickly.

5 ripe bananas
1 yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 5 x 9 bread pan.

Mash bananas well. Add remaining ingredients and beat 2 minutes on medium.

Pour into pan and bake 1 hour or until firm in middle. (It takes my oven 1 hour and 10 minutes)  Cool in pan on wire rack. 

I have some awesome reviews and giveaways coming up that I can't wait to share with you!  Be on the lookout for them.

Superbowl Menu from the Pantry

Here at the EFL home we are kickin back, relaxin and waitin for the Superbowl game to come on.

I love football so I keep my Superbowl menu quick and easy most years. Yesterday hubby asked me, "What can we fix to munch on all day tomorrow?" Usually he doesn't ask, he just waits and eats what is put in front of him. I have a feeling he was telling me in a nice way "NO MORE CHICKEN FOR A WHILE". LOL Here's my Superbowl Pantry Meal:

Mexican All U Can Eat Bar- Taco meat with rice (I use 2lbs ground beef, 1 cup rice & Williams Taco Seasoning), lettuce, tomatoes, Crystal Farms Mexican Taco shredded cheese, sour cream, onions, Ortega Taco Sauce, Mission Tortilla Strips, Tortilla Chips, Old El Paso Taco shells, and Mission Flour Tortilla's.

7 Layer Mexican Dip-I used 1 can Ortega refried beans (the best!), 1/8 cup Ortega Taco Sauce, 1 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tsp Jalapeno Dip Mix from Planters Seed Company and 2 tsp La Fiesta Dip Mix from All In Our Family,chopped green onions, lettuce, Crystal Farms Mexican Taco seasoned shredded cheese (this cheese is soooo good) and garnished it with Red Gold petite diced tomatoes (you can't get a decent tomatoe around here this time of year! We LOVE the Red Gold petites.) Served with Mission Tortilla Strips.

Then I needed a dessert/snack; something sweet.

In the last week I received 2 General Mills cereals to try. Gluten Free Honey Nut Chex from Pssst and Cheerios Cinnamon Burst from MyBlogSpark. Boy wonder and I liked both cereals with milk for breakfast. But what could I make for a snack for Superbowl game?

It is a "revised" Muddy Buddy!

2 cups Honey Nut Chex®
2 cups Cinnamon Burst Cheerios
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/8 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Measure out cereal into gallon ziploc bag; set aside.
In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter 1 minute; stir. Microwave until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, shake until evenly coated.
Add powdered sugar. Shake until well coated. Store in refrigerator.

Almost game time! Who are you rootin' for?

Smuckers Sugar Free Jelly $1/1 Printable Coupon

Did you know Smuckers has an online store?  And it's not just for Smuckers products? There is Folgers, Hungry Jack, Crisco, Pillsbury, Jif, Knotts Berry Farm to name just a few.  Go HERE to check it out.

They are also running a few promotions right now.

Go HERE to print a $1/1 coupon for Smuckers Sugar Free Jelly.

You can go HERE and request 2 free recipe books. In the Peanut Butter Recipes you will find scrumptious recipes for Decadent Peanut Butter Pie, Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce, Peanut Butter Frosty and more... each with a full-color photograph!


The other is for cookie recipes featuring jams, jellies and preserves. The booklet includes over a dozen fruit-filled recipe ideas, each with a full-color photograph.

Thanks so much to Tips & Treasure for sharing this!

No Lard - No Shortening Flour Tortilla Shells

It's easy to make your own flour tortillas! And this recipe uses no lard or shortening! It makes the best tortillas I've tried to make.

Texas Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Stir in oil.
Slowly add warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes and let rest.

Divide into eight sections, rolling them into balls. Place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

One at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff.
Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet or griddle, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.

Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, on griddle or in the oven wrapped in foil.

Store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.

Makes eight tortillas.

If you would like more insight on this recipe, visit Home Sick Texan.

10 Red Hot Holiday Trends

The Betty 10

What makes a trend red hot? When it’s exciting, it’s fresh, and making its mark from coast to coast. From the DIY craze to the rise of beer and bacon, the food trends that made Betty Crocker's red hot list are each very different, but have one thing in common – they’ll get you excited about food.

Here are my three favorites.

Indian Spiced Mini Donut Muffins

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Start to Finish: 40 Minutes

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups.

2. In large bowl, beat 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Add alternately with milk to butter mixture. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

4. In large food-storage plastic bag, mix 1 cup sugar, the cinnamon, garam masala and cardamom. Roll hot muffins in melted butter, then toss in sugar mixture to coat. Serve warm.
24 mini muffins

Salted Chocolate Almond Fudge

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Start to Finish: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (6 oz) coarsely chopped smoked almonds
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon Fleur de Sel sea salt, if desired

1. Line cookie sheet with foil. Line 8-inch square pan with foil.

2. In 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, and cook until bubbly. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; stir to coat. Spread almonds on cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break into small pieces.

3. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Add almonds and dried cherries; stir until blended.

4. Spread evenly in 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered at room temperature.
36 pieces

Snickerdoodle Cookie Cocktail

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Start to Finish: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Cinnamon Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
Snickerdoodle Cookie Cocktail:
1 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup (2 tablespoons)
1 oz vanilla vodka (2 tablespoons)
1 oz half-and-half (2 tablespoons)
1/2 oz white crème de cacao (1 tablespoon)
Cinnamon-sugar

1. To make Cinnamon Simple Syrup, mix sugar, water and cinnamon sticks in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside 1 hour to cool. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour syrup into glass jar. Cover jar, and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

2. To prepare cocktail, fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add 1 ounce cinnamon simple syrup, vodka, half-and-half and creme de cacao; cover and shake. Strain into cocktail glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
1 cocktail (1/2 cup)
Tip: You can purchase cinnamon-sugar or to make your own combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To view the rest of the 10 Red Hot Holiday Trends, click on the badge to left. There is cupcake poppers, mancakes, sweet swirl marshmallows and more! Let me know what your favorites are!

Eggnog, Milknog or Eggnot? Recipes

Here's my favorite recipe for eggnog when entertaining for the holidays. It's really easy and tastes so yummy!

Eggnog

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups milk with one package instant vanilla pudding mix. Stir well until thickened. Add 2 more cups milk and 1 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters); mix well. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg until the mixture is well-blended, smooth and coats a spoon. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, stir in 1/4 cup rum if desired. Serves 10.

Note: If it thickens too much, simply stir in more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

If you're not a fan of eggnog try these:

When I want a glass of 'nog but don't want to make a bunch here's my Milknog recipe.

Milknog

6 oz milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp french vanilla non-dairy powdered creamer
dash of nutmeg

Blend until frothy. I use my stick blender. Garnish with cinnamon.

Or you can try this one if you like malted milk powder.

Eggnot!

Heat 8 oz milk until hot. Add 3 tablespoons malted milk powder, dash of nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until foamy. Pour into mug and top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.

Corndogs and Curtains

Do you ever have days when you feel like you get nothing accomplished? Or that 10 minute job turns into a much longer project?

Do you ever feel your "to do" lists keep getting longer and longer instead of shorter?

This week is one of those weeks for me.  Yesterday I needed to make some curtains for my patio doors to help insulate from the cold.  I had sheer curtains up that looked great but were just too thin.  The project that I thought would take 10 minutes took an hour and half.

So I needed something quick and easy to go with some leftovers for dinner.  What could be quicker than Corndog Muffins? Thank You Amanda from Better is Little.

2 boxes of Martha White Yellow Cornbread Mixes
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup shredded cheese
7 hotdogs cut up (we cut ours into smaller pieces so you get more hotdog in each bite of cornbread

Mix cornbread mixes and brown sugar together.  Add eggs and milk.  Stir well. Gently stir in cheese.

Spoon a little mix into bottom of 18 greased muffin tins.  Add hotdogs. We put three pieces in each.  Cover with remaining mix, filling muffins 2/3 full.

 Bake at 400 for 14-17 minutes until cornbread is done and golden.  Serve with ketchup & mustard dip.

Easy right?  I'm not sure who came up with the idea to put them into muffin tins and bake but I like it better than dipping and deep frying. 

Back to the curtains....

To keep the cost down on the curtains for my patio doors I chose to make them from canvas drop cloths.  This is another idea I have seen all over the internet but not sure who came up with it. I think the first time I seen it was on The Lettered Cottage.  

You see the valance part?  That's how much should have been cut off.  Instead I just folded it over and sewed across it twice to make the rod pocket,  (does anyone know what the real term for that is?) since I can't puddle them on the floor.

The two 6x9 canvas drop cloths cost me $16.  These doors are 104 inches wide.  Heavy curtains wide and long enough are expensive!  I figure I saved at least $50 but closer to $100 doing it this way.  What do you think?  They turned out pretty nice, hugh? I think I will make two more sets, one for the sun room and one for my bedroom.

Be sure to check back tomorrow.  I'll be posting a giveaway!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Normally my family and I don't like oatmeal bars. Every recipe I have tried has turned out really dry. This recipe turned out better than any I've tried, being fairly moist.

The recipe does say to bake 20-30 minutes. I had to bake mine 40 minutes to get the middle done.

2 c flour
2 c quick oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c peanut butter
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz chocolate chips

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.

In large bowl cream butter and both sugars. Add peanut butter & mix well. Add eggs, milk and vanilla & mix well.

Slowly add in flour mix then oatmeal.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread in a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Tomorrow I  will be baking some more.  I think I'll do banana bread and some muffins.  Have you been baking anything special?

More Easy Bake Oven Recipes

Easy Bake ovens will be going on sale in the coming weeks.
Don't let the high price of replacement cake mixes scare you from buying that Easy Bake Oven this year.

To use a regular cake mix:
3 tablespoons cake mix, any flavor
1 tablespoon milk

Mix in a bowl until smooth. Place in greased toy cake pan.
Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Makes 1 serving

To Make Icing:

Mix 1 teaspoon water and a couple drops vanilla. Add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and desired consistency.


Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons sugar

In a bowl, mix together all ingredients to make a dough. Roll into 1/2 inch balls. Place 4 balls into the Easy Bake Oven pan and press down slightly with the tines of a fork. Bake for 6 minutes. Cool. Bake remaining balls 4 at a time.

The Original EBO Peanut Butter Fudge
1/2 cup powder sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon soft butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until smooth. Spread mixture into greased pan. Bake 5 minutes. Cool completely.
NOTE: Be sure to preheat oven 15 minutes!

For more Easy Bake Oven Recipes, be sure to check out my previous post: Save Money- Make Your Own Easy Bake Oven Mixes


Linking to:
Foodie Friday
Frugal Friday

Crock Pot Apple Butter

I had some apples go mushy before we ate them all and decided to make some crock pot apple butter.

My mother's recipe had to be altered for such a small batch. Although I used my apple peeler/slicer, I forgot I didnt need to peel them darn it.
I used my little Rival Crock-ette. I started them at 10am Sunday.

1 1/2 pounds (6) red delicious apples
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 c water

After the apples had cooked about an hour, I chopped them into smaller pieces.
Sorry these two pics are so gold.  The light in my kitchen is yuck and my camera wasn't cooperating.

After four hours of cooking with no lid on, I took my Oster stick blender and pureed it.  We like velvety smooth apple butter.

Finally, at 11:30 pm last night I dumped it into a jar and into the fridge. 

This morning I had some on toast for breakfast.  It's so thick, velvety, and yummy!

Be sure to visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for some great Thanksgiving food ideas!


Now I have 3 pie pumpkins and 1 medium pumpkin I need to do something with.
Anyone have any suggestions?  I've never prepared pie pumpkins.  Do I just slice them in half and scoop out the pulp?  Can I put it in a jar in fridge until next week and make pumpkin pies out of them or should I wait until next week to do it?

Lunch Today

It's a grey rainy day here in my part of the world. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sounded good for lunch. Any time I get a craving for this I have to fix it for lunch since hubby and kiddo don't like it.

Here is how I make my tomato soup when I don't have fresh tomatoes.

Quick Tomato Soup

1 can Chicken Broth
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup milk

Whisk together all ingredients except milk and bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer.  Slowly whisk in milk and simmer 5 minutes to thicken.

Today I also wanted something for dessert so I made some Toll House Chocolate Chip bars.

Making Pepper Vinegar

I picked the last of my peppers for the year. Then I had to decide what to do with them. I've so many in my freezer already. The year was a great growing year for me. The best ever actually.

I decided to make Pepper Vinegar to go with the jalapeno relish and cucumber sweet relish I made. I will put together a couple of gift baskets with one of each of the three, include some gourmet crackers and a bag of tortilla chips for two people in my family that like spicy goodies.

The vinegar was SIMPLE to make.

Wash your peppers, cut the tops off, cut them if need be so they will fit into your chosen bottle, and pour boiling vinegar into bottle. Let them sit in a dark cool place for at least two weeks to ripen and flavor vinegar.

The vinegar can be used to flavor soups, chilis, cooked greens such as spinach & collard greens, beans, gumbos, jambalayas and so much more!

If you would like a little more details on how to put your vinegar together, visit The Domestic Engineer. Even if you don't make the vinegar, her site is a great site, be sure to check it out!

Preserving Apples- Freezing Apple Pie Filling

We have a granny smith apple tree in our backyard. In years past, there hasnt been many apples. This year was a different story, it was loaded with apples. Apples that weren't very pretty to look at, but had an amazing taste!



When you grow your food all natural, using no herbicides or pesticides, they LOOK different than what you buy in the store. They also TASTE different! The look is not so appealing, the taste is sooooo much better and fresher! Just look at these sad looking apples before being peeled. Then look at them peeled. Yummmo!

I decided I needed to preserve them into pie filling. I found a great freezer recipe in one of my aunt's church fundraiser cookbooks.

We needed to prepare a lot of apples.

I was lucky and kiddo was home and bored. Being the creative young man he is, it took him 5 minutes to rig up this apple picker and we had a 3 gallon bucket full of apples in less than 15 minutes!

I set our kitchen up in stations. I have two Apple And Potato Peeler/corer/slicers, with different bases. I love these things!



I picked mine up at garage sales for a couple bucks. You can get one FREE using your Amazon gift cards earned from Swagbucks!



You can read some other people's reviews on CSNstores.com. They love it too!

We set the suction cup based peeler on the glass top stove. Kiddo was in charge of running the apple peeler, I did the "detailing" of the apples. The little machine makes fast work of a bucket of apples and they all come out the same thickness! It took us about 40 minutes to prep the apples.



24 cups thinly sliced apples
4 tablespoons lemon juice ( used some lemon juice mixed with sprite to keep em white!)
5 cups sugar (I used 2 cups brown and 3 cups white)
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 cups water

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
3. Ladle 4 1/2 cups into freezer ziploc bags. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.
4. Seal bags and freeze. Can be stored in freezer for up to 12 months.

After cooking down, I had enough to fill 4 ziploc bags for four pies! The apples were free, so I have the cost of the added ingredients which I figure is maybe $2.

I can't wait for one of those cold grey evenings with snow flying for one of these pies to spice up my home and warm my family!

Did any of you preserve any apples this year?

Cinnamon Sugar Dounut Muffins

With the change of weather comes an intense feeling/need for me to nest. Nesting for me means cooking, baking, decorating, and crafts.

Earlier in the year I was watching a tv show (The Best Thing I Ever Ate?) and they previewed a bakery who served Sugar Donut Muffins. Everyone raved about them. Since then, recipes have popped up all over blogland. One blog who I totally trust their recipes is Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and it was her recipe I used. She adapted it from Baking Bites.

Here's my adapted version. Be warned-these melt in your mouth and you can't eat just one!

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp burnt sugar flavoring
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted to brush tops
1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbl cinnamon mixed together, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil, milk, burnt sugar and vanilla extract, stir to combine.

Divide batter evenly into mini muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, prepare your rolling station.
Melt butter.
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

When muffins are done, cool slightly, then lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll entire muffin in cinnamon sugar mix. Cool on a wire rack.

I made two batches. One I rolled in just sugar. The second I rolled in cinnamon sugar. Next time, I'm going to roll them in powder sugar like Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice did.

What would you roll the muffins in?

The ONLY Way To Make Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

The idea of ice cream cone cupcakes has been around for, uhmmmm, as my kiddo would put it.... decades! lol

I've baked them a few times before for both my sons and it always didn't go as well as the recipe would have you believe it should/would. There are several different methods.

There was the Betty Crocker method (found HERE) that had several problems. Some were top heavy, some of the cones did not "stick" to the batter and had to have the cake "glued" to the cone after baking.

There was the "mini muffin" method, (found here) where you bake mini cupcakes in your mini pan then put the cooked cupcake in a cone, and decorate. When the kids ate them it was a mess! The cupcakes didn't stay in the cone too well.

Then there is the method that has been around for "decades" and Paula Dean likes it. It can be found here. The first time years ago when I baked these and placed them on a cookie sheet, it was disaster with a captial D! Trying to get the filled cupcakes into the oven with out any falling over wasn't easy...BUT after they were in the oven and started baking they have a tendency to fall over also. The cake will bake up until it hits the ridge of the cone then most "tops" fall to one side, causing the cone to fall over.

My attempt at these this past Saturday for my grandson's birthday was the best so far. Leave it to Martha to show us the correct way to do it! lol
Remove center of a 12-inch tube pan and cover pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Use a skewer or paring knife to poke 12 small holes in the foil, 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently place a cone in each hole, pushing it down until only about 1 inch of cone is showing.

I adapted Martha's method to my liking. I covered my 9x13 pan in a DOUBLE layer of foil, used a skewer to poke the holes and stuck my cones in.

I used a Duncan Hines cupcake mix that I had picked up from CVS for FREE using Extra Care Bucks, a tub of Pillsbury frosting that came with sprinkles and Keebler ice cream flat bottomed cones.



Be sure to only fill them up about 3/4 full or they will bake over the cone, make a mess and your cone will not stand up!



Here they are all baked. See how all but one of the tops fell to one side as the cake down in the cone baked and rose?



All frosted and ready for the kiddos! To ice them I used a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off, placed a plastic star tip I saved from a tube of icing a few years ago and piped my soft serve ice cream frosting on top. The kids loved them!



Have you ever made ice cream cone cupcakes? Did they turn out great or did you have a disaster you trashed? Do you have a favorite tip to share when making them? Let me hear them!