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!

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?

Saturday Cake Mix Special- Banana Nut Muffins

Saturday was a busy day hounding all those deals at Wal-Mart and preparing for company on Sunday. So here is the Saturday Cake Mix Special a little late. I love all the different things you can do with cake mixes. I usually have a good supply on hand that I've bought on sale and had a coupon for making them free or almost free.

1 banana or spice cake mix
2 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners. Mix together cake mix, eggs, water, nuts, oil and banana in a large bowl until well blended. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Saturday Cake Mix Special- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin

1 chocolate fudge cake mix
1 small box chocolate instant pudding
3/4 cup water
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips, frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour muffin pan or line with paper liners. Mix together cake mix, pudding, water, eggs, applesauce, oil, and almond extract until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill cups 3/4 full.

Bake about 23-33 minutes or until done.

Does anyone know how to get the mushroom shaped muffins? You know, the big top on the smaller bottom, not domed like in the picture. Also, does anyone use a muffin top pan? IF so, do you like it?