Double-chocolate Nutrient-Rich Oil Free Bran Muffins

yields: 20 Muffins

3 cups wheat bran (this looks like sawdust and is found in the bulk section)
1 cup boiling water
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Measure 1 cup bran and 1 cup boiling water into large bowl. Let stand for 5 min.
Add buttermilk, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin. Whisk until smooth.
Ina med. bowl combine flour, remaining 2 cups bran, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk until combined
Add dry ingredients to wet ones gradually while mixing gently with large spoon. Add choc. chips
Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 350 for 20min. Cool in pan for 5 min them remove eat warm or room temp. They freeze well too!

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avacado Dip

Southwestern Egg Rolls
2 chicken breast
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 tsp veggie oil
4 T minced red pepper
4 T green onions
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup black beans
4 T frozen spinach (rinse and drain)
4 T diced jalapeno pepper
1 tsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne
1 1/2 cups Shredded Monterey Jake cheese
10-14 uncooked tortilla shells

Rub chicken with oil and salt and pepper grill set aside to cool then dice. saute with 2 tsp oil onion and pepper for 2 min. Then add other ingred. except cheese cook 4 more min. then add cheese. Spoon mixture into tortilla and wrap tightly like an egg roll secure with toothpick. Spray cookie sheet with pam and cook 425 for 15 min. Turning halfway through

Avocado Dip
1/2 cup smashed avocado
1/2 cup Mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T buttermilk
3 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 onion powder
dash of garlic powder
dash dill
dash pepper

Randi's French Peasant Bread

1 pkg. dry yeast
2 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
4 c. flour
Oil
Cornmeal
Melted butter (1/2 cube)

Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour, one cup at a time and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled. Flour hands, remove dough from bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush top with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375, brush with butter and cook additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

*This is a yummy bread recipe I found in our ward cookbook. It is easy and not a lot of work. If I can make this bread, anyone can.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

8 c. water
1 can chicken broth
2 lg. cans chicken, or 4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. long-grain rice mix (I use Zatarain's New Orleans-style)
1 env. Lipton noodle soup mix
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 med. onion, diced

Put all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 4-5 hours. This soup can also be made on the stovetop.

*This recipe makes a lot of soup! It is a great soup to make if you are having guests over for dinner, taking a meal into someone or if you want lots of leftovers.

Tomato Ziti Bake

Preheat oven to 350. Cook ziti and rinse under cold water. Add to cooled pasta:

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
15 oz. package of ziti
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried basil

Place mixture into a 9x13-inch dish; drizzle with 1 cup half & half or whole milk. Cover and bake 1 hour. The half & half will bake into the pasta and add flavor and texture of ricotta.

Dry Powdered Milk

This was the topic of the enrichment activity my ward RS just had. It was AWESOME!!

FYI:
-Morning Moo's Low Fat Dry Milk Alternative is NOT milk. Kind of like Tang is not orange juice! So even though you might like the taste of it, it does NOT have the nutrition that real milk offers (Our instructor did not know if it works in cooking or not:).

-Dry Powdered Milk is an excellent food storage item because if necessary you could survive on it.

-Instant Dry Milk (what you buy at the store) is the same thing as Dry Powdered Milk, except it has been loaded with air. So, if you use instant dry milk in place of dry powdered milk you would need to double the amount. For example, 1 C. Instant dry milk = 1/2 C. Dry powdered milk. This is helpful when trying to purchase dry milk. Just recently Macey's had a sale on their instant dry milk, 5 lbs for 7ish dollars. The Dry Powdered Milk from the cannery, also a #10 (5 lbs) can, is about 5ish dollars. Actually then, you would need to buy two instant dry milks from Macey's to compare to the one dry powdered milk from the cannery. That means you are paying 14 dollars (sale price) instead of 5 for the same thing!!!!!!! I'm sure there is a much better way to write this, but since I am writing this from the notes I took, this is the best I can do! I hope it makes sense.

-Dry Powdered Milk has a shelf life of 20 years. It will only taste decent (FOR DRINKING) within the first 3 years on the shelf (but, it will be fine for cooking). After it is opened the shelf life changes to ONE year.

-A person (ONE person) would need 17 lbs of dry powdered milk in order to have ONE glass per day for a YEAR. For food storage, that is the recommended amount of dry powdered milk, per person, for a year supply. So, my family of 3, needs just less than 9 #10 cans.

Now for some recipes:

Bisquick Quiche

I haven't made this yet, but it sounds easy and good. I didn't want to have to search everywhere for the recipe.

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 c. onion
1/2 c. red or green pepper
1 c. swiss cheese or you could use cheddar
3/4. cl Bisquick
1 1/2 c. milk or (1 c of half and half and 1/2 c. milk)
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Spray a pie pan with cooking spray. Put broccoli, onion, and red pepper in the center of the pan. Mix all other ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Bake at 400 for 40 mi nutes. Serve with hollandaise sauce. This quiche makes its own crust!

Chet's Meatballs

Chet made these for dinner tonight. They were yummy!

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil.

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand, using a light touch. Take a portion of meat in hand, and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed but not compressed. Repeat, making each meatball about 2 inches in diameter.

2. In a large, heavy pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add meatballs in batches. Do not crowd. Brown well on bottoms before turning, or meatballs will break apart. Continue cooking until browned all over. Remove meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let meatballs cool slightly; cover and refrigerate until needed.

Yield: About 16 meatballs.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is the same as (or similar to) the Lion House Breakfast Casserole recipe. We use it all of the time, but I don't have it written down. I thought I better add it to this site so I don't have to ask anyone for it again. Our family loves this one.

8 slices white bread – cut the crusts off and cube in 1 inch pieces in a 9x13 pan.
2 lbs sausage (cooked).
Put sausage over bread
Beat together:4 eggs 2 c. milk 1 tsp dry mustard
Pour over bread and sausage.
Add 2 c. grated cheddar cheese on top.

Refrigerate overnight.Next morning:1 can cream of mushroom soup ½ c. milk. Pour mixture over 9x13. Bake at 300 for 1 ½ hours (Covered with tin foil) The last 30-40 minutes, remove the foil).

This recipe is much better if it browns around the edges. It makes the bread less soggy. I would let it go longer than the 1 1/2 hours.

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks

I found this on Pioneer Woman's website. It sounds good and easy. I am either going to make it tonight or tomorrow night. I'll let you know if it is good or not.

1 Cup Apricot Preserves
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce
3 Lbs. Drumsticks (about 12)
Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*. In a small saucepan, combine preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until preserves are melted.
Arrange drumsticks in a single layer on a 13 x 9″ baking pan. Pour sauce over drumsticks, turning to coat. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is done, spooning sauce over drumsticks while baking. Serves 6.

Santa Fe Chicken

This is a great recipe because you can modify it easily if you want more or less.

2-3 chicken breast (butterflied)
1/2 pkg. cream cheese
1/2 - 1 can green chilies
crushed cornflakes (I used bread crumbs since I didn't have any cornflakes)

*Mix cream cheese and chilies. Spread mixture inside chicken breasts. Coat each filled chicken breast in crumbs. Bake 350 for 20-25 min.

Frozen Lemonade Pie

This is an easy and refreshing dessert!

6 oz. limeade or lemonade concentrate
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 plastic tub of whipped topping
1 pre-made graham cracker crust

Thaw a bit the concentrate and ice cream. In a large bowl, pour in the concentrate. Mix well with an electric mixer until pretty smooth, like the consistency of a slurpee. Add the two cups of ice cream, one cup at a time. Mix well with electric mixer until creamy smooth (taste here required, yum). Then add the whole tub of whip topping, again mixing well with electric mixer. When all lumps are gone, spoon fluffy goodness into the pie crust. You might have a little bit extra filling, which is perfect for eating straight from the bowl. Freeze pie at least 4 hours or over night. Enjoy!

Cowboy Cake

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 beaten egg
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups sifted flour
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt

Combine oil, egg and milk. Sift dry ingredients, add to milk mixture. Pour into 9x9 inch pan. Sprinkle with spice mixture and cook @375 for 25 minutes.

Spice Mixture
Combine ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 T flour, 1 T ground cinnamon and 1 T melted butter.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together:
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs

Add:
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg

Add chocolate chips to your liking

Bake @ 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 bananas (extra ripe)
½ cup buttermilk
Nuts (optional)

Cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients to the shortening mixture and mix well. Mash bananas with fork; add to bowl along with the buttermilk. Mix well. Pour mixture into well greased and floured bundt pan. Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Ten Layer Jell-O Salad

1-3 oz package of each: lime, lemon, orange, red raspberry and blackberry Jell-O
1 pint plus 1 cup sour cream

Dissolve Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water. Add 2 Tablespoons COLD water. Divide in half (2/3 cup each). Put 1st half in glass 9x13 inch pan. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Mix ½ cup sour cream into 2nd half. Pour on top of set mixture. Layer in order given making sure each previous layer is completely set.
This salad takes a while to make, but it is worth it! It tastes really good and kids love all the
Jell-O layers.

*I was typing some of my favorite recipes for our ward cookbook and decided to post them here as well.

Easy Pot Roast Sandwiches

Our neighbors made these for us and they were really good.

1 4 to 5 lb beef brisket (or your favorite pot roast. Our neighbor made it for us with a pork roast.) all or most of the fat removed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of dry onion soup mix
2 tsp. granulated beef bouillon or 2 beef bouillon cubes (we used the cubes)
pepper

Instructions
1: Trim visible fat from pot roast and place in bottom of slow cooker. Season generously with pepper
2:In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Heat soup mixture in the microwave for about 30 second just until warm and bouillon starts to melt. Whisk again and spoon in top of roast.
3:Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours.
4: Remove pot roast from slow cooker when cooking time is complete and lace in large bowl. Using forks, shred the roast into medium or small pieces.When completely shredded, add quite a bit of the cooking gravy and mix. The mixture should be moist.
5: Place heaping portion of pot roast on top of good bread or rolls and eat.This also makes for good left over sandwiches

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This is really a yummy side dish. It is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I found on the food network website. It's not hard to make, but it does take a while because of all of the prep work. (I would do the prep work the day before next time.) It's definitely worth it though! I changed some of the ingredients because I didn't have them on hand and it was still delicious.

10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 pounds total)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used milk and had to add more than it called for to make it a good consistancy.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I just used regular sharp cheddar because I had it on hand.)
3/4 pound mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (I used dried chives and it was really yummy.)
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Serve hot.

Delicious!!!!!

I don't know the name of this meal, but it is so yummy.

Taco bowls (I buy the ones from Arctic Circle - $.45 each)
Pulled Pork (recipe below)
Guacamole (also below)
Cooked rice
Black beans (rinsed, drained, heated a little)
Shredded cheese
Olives
Lettuce
Pineapple (cut into small chunks)
Sour cream

*Build you taco bowls with all the ingredients from above. This is how I build mine (but, it really doesn't matter):

Lettuce, rice, pork, cheese, beans, olives, guacamole, pineapple, sour cream.

Guacamole

3 avocados
2 - 3 tomatoes
1/2 - 1 medium onion
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/2 t. white pepper (I used regular pepper)
1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. salt

*Cut avocados, tomatoes, and onion and place in bowl. Pour oil over mixture. Add seasonings and mix.

Pulled Pork

*This recipe works best if started in the morning, because the longer it cooks, the better! :)

3 - 4 lbs pork roast (or pork loin)
1 onion chopped

sauce:
3/4 - 2 C. brown sugar (weird, but this is what the recipe says - I guess it depends on how sweet you want it)
1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. ketchup
1/4 C. honey
2 T. vinegar
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 t. ginger
1 t. salt

Slice onion and place on bottom of crock pot. Add roast. Mix sauce ingredients and pour over roast. Cook for 2-3 hours on high and then 4 more hours on low. Shred pork and leave in pot for another 1/2 hour.

Oatmeal Scotchies

I have always loved this cookie recipe. I first found it on the back of the Nestle's Butterscotch Chips package. I had an off brand of butterscotch chips so I googled this recipe. I think it is the same as the one on the Nestle's package, but I'm not sure.

Oatmeal Scotchies

1 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Old-Fashioned Quaker oats
1 (11 ounce) package Nestle Toll House butterscotch-flavored morsels (about 2 cups)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in oats and morsels.
Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies, 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies.
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Pan Cookie Variation: Grease 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan.
Prepare dough as above.
Spread in prepared pan.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Paula Deen's house seasoning

I keep a small container of this seasoning around all of the time. We sprinkle it on meat when we grill or roast, I've put it on homemade french fries (it would be good on frozen fries too.) I've also added it to recipes that just need a little more flavor.

1 c. salt
1/4 c. black pepper
1/4 c. garlic powder

Mix well and store it in shaker.

Cheesy Potato Bacon Soup

These soup recipes are the ones I made for Samuel's birthday party.

4 medium potatoes
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 c. butter
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 T. flour
1 c. cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2 c. milk
5 chicken bouillon cubes
Peel and die potatoes. Add onion, bouillon, and water in heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. In separate saucepan, melt butter. Add milk and flour. Cook and stir until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and let thicken. Add to potato mixture. Cook and stir until soup thickens. Add remaining ingredients.

The last time I made this, we were thinking it might be good to add cauliflower, corn, or carrots to this soup. Actually, Jon and I thought it would be good. The girls thought we should keep those vegetables on the side, or leave them out all together. :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

7 cups hot water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups cooked chicken
baby carrots, cut in thirds
homemade egg noodles
Boil carrots in water for about 10 minutes. Add bouillon cubes and let them dissolve. Add chicken and egg noodles and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Egg noodles
2 eggs
1 cup flour
Mix together then roll out with lots of flour. Let it dry out for a little bit, then cut into slices for noodles. The more dry it is, the easier it is to slice.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes
1/3 c. taco sauce or salsa
1 can green chilis
3 tsp. chili powder
dash of garlic salt
Brown beef with onions. Combine all other ingredients, simmer 10 min. Serve with a scoop of sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips.

Sweet Tortilla Chips and Apple Dip

Sweet Tortilla Chips

Flour tortilla's (use as many as you can eat:)
Cooking Spray
Cinnamon and Sugar

Preheat oven to 400. First, spray both sides of tortilla's. Then cut them into chip size strips. Put them in a bag and add cinnamon and sugar. Shake the bag. Place coated tortilla strips onto cookie sheets. Place in oven for 6 min. They may take a little longer, but watch carefully, because they can burn quickly. Letting them sit on a cooling rack helps them get a little crunchier, but it isn't necessary.


Apple Dip

2 apples (no need to peel, but get rid of the core)
1/3-1/2 banana (just depends on taste)
3 t. lime juice
2-3 T. Sugar
1 T. cinnamon

*This is a put together recipe, so add more sugar if you want, less or no banana, etc.

Save a fourth of one apple and blend everything else together (I used a food processor). Then cut the rest of the apple into small chunks and add them to mix (this step is not absolutely necessary, but it makes the dip pretty and, of course, chunky!).

Play-dough

I haven't made any good food recipes lately, but I did make this today. Bethany thanks for this awesome play dough recipe. It's easy and it smells good too.

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1 1/2 T. oil

1 pkg kool aid

1 c. boiling water

Mix together and knead until smooth. I think it keeps best in the refrigerator. I'm not sure how long it keeps for. I usually get rid of it after a couple weeks.