Blueberry Muffins

I was making bran muffins like usual this morning and Jer requested a different type of muffin and suggested blueberry.  I tend to think that blueberry muffins can be dry, but I searched the internet and found a couple that included blueberries in the batter to make them extra moist.  I took bits and pieces from each recipe and made my own up.

Blueberry Muffins

1 stick butter - softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2-2 1/2 cup blueberries
raw sugar

Beat together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Alternately add in flour mixture and milk and beat until smooth.  Add half of the blueberries and beat until smooth.  Fold in remaining blueberries and spoon into muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Top with raw sugar.  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes.  Leave in pan at least 30 minutes, then place on rack to cool.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister-in-law Sue brought these to a get together the other night and I had to get the recipe from her.  She said her niece Rebecca always brings these to gatherings and everyone always needs to get the recipe.  They are that good.  The original recipe is for unsalted butter and calls for 1 1/2 tsp salt.  I always use salted butter, so I reduced the salt to 1 tsp.  It also called to bake them at 375° for 13-15 minutes, but I found that they were almost overdone at 11-12 minutes, so watch them!  I also decided to try 350° next time since they ended up a little bit darker than I would have liked, so that is what I put in the recipe instructions.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 stick butter - melted
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs - 2 whole eggs plus 1 3/4 T of the 3rd egg, beaten
3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat together butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs (picky, see above) and beat until blended.  Add flour, salt, and baking soda and beat until the dough forms.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough and flatten into 3" diameter, six per baking sheet.  Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes, checking the first batch at 10 minutes to make sure they are not overbaking.  They are done when the edges are lightly browned and the center is still slightly undercooked.  Leave them on the pan for 5-7 minutes to set, then place on a wire rack to cool.

Frosted Brownies

I keep making variations on my scratch brownie recipes.  I blended the brownie base from this recipe with the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from this recipe.  They are just as awesome as I was hoping.  I get requests at work to bring these in.

Frosted Brownies

Brownies:
2 stick butter - melted
2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:
1/2 stick butter - melted
2 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add eggs, stirring after each addition. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  While the brownies are baking, make frosting.  Beat together butter, milk, vanilla, cocoa, and powdered sugar.  After the brownies have cooled for 5 minutes, spread the frosting.

Beef Enchiladas

We were craving enchiladas the other day so I looked for a recipe online.  I found quite a few that looked good, but went with this one from Betty Crocker because I did not want to stink up the house by frying the shells.  I did however add the onion to the beef like Ree's recipe.  Another one I found had black beans added, I think that would be great but I did not think my kids would eat them.  They were delicious, but needed sour cream to tone down the spice - but that is just me and I think everything is spicy.

Beef Enchiladas

1 LB hamburger
1/2 cup onion - diced
1 can green chiles - drained, diced
2 10 oz can enchilada sauce
10 flour tortilla shells
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - shredded

Brown hamburger with onion and chiles.  Add 3/4 of a can of enchilada sauce to the meat mixture.  Spoon about 1/4 cup of meat mixture onto each tortilla shell, top with some cheese.  Roll up tortilla and place in a 9x13" baking dish with the rest of the first can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.  After all shells are filled and placed in the pan, top with remaining can of enchilada sauce and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Chili

I wanted to make something different for a meal that I was delivering to a family at our church, and Jer had been talking about wanting to make chili again, so I thought I would search out a new recipe.  I always love whatever the Pioneer Woman comes up with, so I thought we would try this one.

Chili

2 LB hamburger
2 cloves garlic - minced
8 oz tomato sauce
2 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup masa harina
15 oz kidney beans - drained and rinsed
15 oz pinto beans - drained and rinsed
cheddar cheese
onions - diced
tortilla chips
lime wedges

Brown the hamburger and garlic in a large soup pot, drain the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and paprika. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, adding 1/2 cup water at a time as it dries out. After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shredded Cheddar, onions, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Pumpkin Pie

I searched online for pumpkin pie recipes and decided on this one from Paula Deen.  This makes a TON of filling.  Unless you have a really deep pie plate, you will have extra to throw away or you can make two thinner pies.  The first time I made this I made one and threw some away, the second time, I made two pies. 

Pumpkin Pie

8 oz cream cheese - softened
2 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 cup half and half
1/2 stick butter - melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1-2 pie crust
whipped cream

Place pie crust in a 9" pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, half and half, and melted butter.  Pour into pumpkin mixture and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until incorporated.  Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake at 350° for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.  Store in the refrigerator, serve with whipped cream.

Banana Split Pie

My gramma always used to make this pie.  It is delicious, but this is the first time that I have made it - the raw eggs always made me hesitate before.  I just made sure to keep it super cold all of the time!

Banana Split Pie

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas - sliced
1 T lemon juice
1-2 square german sweet chocolate (green foil) - shaved
1/4 cup walnuts - chopped
1 pie crust - baked

Bake single pie crust according to box directions.  Beat butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl. Add one egg at a time, beating for 3 minutes after each addition. Stir in vanilla.  Slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Stir in all but 12 slices. Stir in shaved chocolate and pour into pie shell. Garnish with walnuts and two banana slices per slice of pie. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours. Best if eaten the same day.