Oatmeal Muffins

We had these over the weekend - from the Penzey Spice Catalog and we loved them, so I had to share before filing it away in the cook book!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp Nutmeg
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins or chopped, dried apricots
3/4 chopped nuts
1 egg beaten
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Oil
3/4 Cup Milk

Directions:
In large bowl, combine Oats, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon and Mix well. Add Raisins and nuts and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and mix. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Tops should just be browned.

We aren't big nutmeg fans, so I reduced that to 1/4 teaspoon and used the full 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. We used pecans and raisins in our version and I will definitely be making these again!

Another Southern Living Winner

I tried a recipe for Graham Nut Clusters found in Southern Living for our Labor day get together and it was a HUGE hit. I used generic honey roasted peanuts and it tasted good, but I think it might have been better had I used Planters. I am also toying with the idea of trying mini pretzels instead of the pretzel sticks.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/graham-nut-clusters-50400000115366/

Southern Living Recipe Reviews

I've recently tried two recipes that I found in Southern Living that we really liked. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them too!

Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-semifreddo-shortcake-50400000114543/

This is an awesome dessert! Because the fresh strawberries are pureed, it's a great dessert to make if the strawberries aren't picture perfect. The only thing... a plate (or something) needs to be placed under the springform pan before serving or your counters will be a mess!

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-chili-hash-brown-bake-50400000109928/

This one was a big hit with Dave! It claims to serve 8, but that must only be with very robust side dishes. We had this with a salad and it really took a serving and a half for everyone to feel full. We also tried this as a quick reheat for lunch a few days later and it was just as yummy.

Party Freeze Salad

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it's always a hit at summer gatherings - we sometimes call it Strawberry Freeze Salad.

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup honey
10 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberries, partially thawed (I usually use 1 oz unsweetened)
2 Ripe Bananas - sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 oz tub of cool whip

Directions:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add Honey and mix well. Add fruit and marshmallows, toss to coat. Fold in cool whip. Pour into a 13x9 dish and freeze overnight. Allow to thaw at room temp 30 minutes prior to serving.

Notes:
I use my stand mixer when I make this. When beating the cream cheese, I scrape the bowl twice to removed large clumps. I scrape the bowl again after mixing in the honey. After adding the strawberries, I allow he mixer to run on low while slicing in he bananas and adding marshmallows. I fold in the cool whip using a rubber spatula. This works great as a sweeter side dish or as a light dessert.

Edmund's Up North Roasted Potatoes

This was in the Penzeys catalog and you need Penzey's Northwoods seasoning for it. If you can't get to a store, visit www.Panzeys.com.

Ingredients:

4 Cups chunked red potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
2 Tablespoons Northwoods Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop onion and place in a large bowl. Leaving the skins on, cut potatoes into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Toss potatoes and onions with the Northwoods seasoning until well coated. Toss with the olive oil. Pour into a 13x9 glass baking dish and place in hot oven. Stir potatoes every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then bake for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are nice and brown.

Fresh Fruit Medley

I made this for Memorial Day and it got rave reviews...

Ingredients:
1 Cup orange Juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
2 apples, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:
Combine Orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix well. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Chill, covered, until cool. Combine orange sections, apples, and bananas in a bowl. Pour cooled dressing over fruit and toss gently to mix.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Another wonderful recipe from Penzy's....

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, cream together sugar, peanut butter, eggs, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread into ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Bake 35 minutes.