The Gosh-Darn-Best-Bran Muffins

I absolutely love bran muffins. But not any bran muffins..just these. I have tried bran muffins at bakeries and I never like them like I love these. This was my first time making them. I usually leave it up to Mel and my Mom to make them for me when I go home to visit. But I decided I needed some last night...and man...they are good.

Six Week Bran Muffins

Mix:
2 cups boiling water with 5 tsp baking soda, cool.

Cream:
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add:
4 eggs beaten stiff
4 cups All Bran Cereal
2 cups 40% Bran Flakes
1 cup nuts (op-- I leave these out)
1 qt buttermilk
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Mix in large container. Store in tight Tupperware. Will keep in refrigerator for 6 weeks.
Do not stir.
Bake in muffin tins @ 400* for 15 mins.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I found a buttermilk pancake recipe on pinterest then while reading the comments someone posted this recipe. I loved it. So I put it in Livestrong.com to find the nutritional value and what not. Instead of reposting all the information, just follow the link to my Livestrong.com recipe. :) Got to love Livestrong. http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/sunday-whole-wheat-buttermilk-pancakes/

Honey Granola

I wanted to make some granola that didn't have added sugar, high fructose corn syrup or oil. So I adapted a recipe I found online and this was the recipe I threw together You can add anything you want into it. I just like plain granola, not much added. All of these things I had in my kitchen so it made for a nice easy recipe to throw together.

4 cups oats
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1(+) cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup applesauce (the original recipe calls for oil. So I chose applesauce)
1/2 cup-3/4 cup coconut (I added coconut flakes but I put them in the magic bullet first so it's more like coconut powder. I'm not a fan of coconut chunks)

Mix dry ingredients and wet separately. Then mix all ingredients together really well.

I baked it at 300 for 7 minutes then stirred the granola. I did this 4 times. After the granola cooled I added semi-sweet chocolate chips (only because I didn't have mini ones)

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake

Cream Puff Base:
5 TBS Butter
2/3 Cup Water
1 TBS sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs

Cream Cheese Mixture
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 TSP Vanilla
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2/3 Cup Powedered Sugar

For the cream puff layer, preheat the oven to 375. Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucpan. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don't overbeat. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inc springform pan (I used a circle cake pan and it worked fine.) Spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick the pastry with a tooth pick 10-15 times. Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutesmore until golden brown but not overbaked. (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven). Cool completely.

For the cream cheese mixture, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.

Top with fresh sliced strawberries mixed with sugar.

I tried this recipe on a Sunday so I didn't have any heavy whipping cream. I made a slight variation that turned out more like frosting. It was very good but very rich. I later made this topping for pancakes with strawberries and it was DELICIOUS. I'm excited to try this recipe again with the correct topping. I love the idea and it's a very easy and fast and pretty cake recipe!! I recommend it for sure!

Thanks to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Not really sure if this recipe actually is a Mrs. Fields original, but that's what's been typed up in our family cookbook, and it's been that way for as long as I can remember)

Mix:

1 ½ cup sugar

2 cups brown sugar

Add and beat for two min:

1 lb. softened butter/ margarine (I usually use Imperial Margerine, but my mom uses real butter ... just make sure it's softened and not melted!)

Add:

3 eggs

2 TBL vanilla (use the good stuff ... it makes such a difference)

Add and beat for 5 min.:

6 cups flour

1 ½ tsp soda

1 ½ tsp salt

Fold in 1 11.5 oz bag of chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard Real Milk Chocolate Chips)

Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake@ 350 until done. (Time varies by oven. The recipe says 7-10 minutes, but I have always ended up baking for 11-12 minutes. Apply common sense here.) Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a great, in a pinch, need a dessert/pick-me-up recipe.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dana Howes

1 Cake mix (chocolate or cherry chip ***I prefer chocolate***)

¼ cup flour

½ cup oil

1 egg

¼ cup water

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except chips. Fold chips in. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will not look done, do not over bake.

Cornbread and Andouille Dressing

Since Thanksgiving is around the corner ... and my assignment is typically stuffing ... thought I'd share with you the recipe for just about the best stuffing ever ... in my opinion.

2 tsp butter

½ lb andouille or other sausage, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 tbsp minced garlic

Basic Cornbread

3 slices white bread, torn into ½ inch pieces

½ cup chopped green onions

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

pinch of cayenne

2 eggs, beaten

1 – 2 cups chicken stock as needed

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook sausage until brown and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to large bowl to cool.

With fingers, crumble corn bread into the bowl, add bread, green onions, parsley, and thyme. Mix well. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and eggs, mix well. Add enough broth, ½ cup at a time, to moisten the dressing, being careful not to make it mushy.

Transfer to casserole dish and cover. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Basic Cornbread

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400, grease 9-inch pan.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and sir with a wooden spoon. Add the buttermilk and egg to mixture, stir well to blend. Pour cornmeal batter into dish and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from over and let cool before serving.

adapted from Emeril