Banana Oat Muffins

 I didn't take a picture of these, because they just look like plain muffins.  They tasted pretty much like the average banana muffin, too.  They get 4.5 stars on allrecipes, but I would probably only give them 3.  I guess I think an entire cup of sugar is too much, especially when you already have banana in there. I assumed they were healthy muffins, when they are a far cry from that.  Just because they contain banana and oats doesn't mean they are healthy. 

Banana Oat Muffins
from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar

2 eggs 1 cup mashed ripe banana 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup sour cream   1/3 cup rolled oats 4 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter, chilled 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2.	Place 1 cup rolled oats in a food processor and process until ground. In a large bowl, combine ground oats with flour, 1 tablespoon rolled oats, chopped walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3.	In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the banana and vanilla. Stir in sour cream. Mix oat/flour mixture into egg mixture. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans.
4.	To make Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Generously sprinkle muffins with topping.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
8 large potatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled and quartered
  1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  1/4 cup butter, cubed
  1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cream, butter, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper and remaining salt; beat until smooth. Yield: 12 servings.

Originally published as Rosemary Mashed Potatoes in Taste of Home February/March 2008, p3

I made these to go with our Sunday dinner. I kind of was laughing about it because who uses a recipe to make mashed potatoes? It was different. The rosemary/nutmeg combo was interesting. I think the nutmeg stood out more than the rosemary, maybe because I used dried rosemary. I will probably make this again sometime, but I think I still prefer basic mashed potatoes. I used an immersion blender to mash them, which was a bad idea. They ended up really sticky.

Apple Crisp

Yes, another apple crisp recipe. This is what I made to use up the rest of the 50 pounds of apples.

Apple Crisp
4 tart apples
6 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t mace
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
whipped topping

Peel, core, and cut apples into wedges. Arrange in a greased baking dish. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly. Spread over apples in baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with whipped topping. Serves 4.

I could probably be disowned from the family for saying this, but I don't love apple crisp. That being said, this tasted like apple crisp should taste.

Hmm, I can't find the picture for this. It looked like apple crisp...

Campground Chili

Make friends with those camping around you. Invite them for chili. Double the recipe. Serve with salad.

1 can (19 ounces) Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup

1 can (15 1/2 ounces) kidney beans, drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

Cooked rice

In saucepan, combine soup, beans, chili. Simmer a few minutes to blend flavors; stir occasionally. Serve over rice. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

The only good thing about this recipe was it was easy. Big Chubb said that we can never have this again. I agreed. There was absolutely no flavor at all!! And, it isn't even close to chili. It is just an upscale vegetable canned soup with kidney beans added.

I don't know who would ever think of cooking rice when you camp. That is not my idea of easy camping food. Don't invite your camping neighbors. They won't want to be your friends after eating this.

He ate the salad and kidney beans.

Wheat Muffins

Another recipe from my page of wheat recipes.  I wanted muffins one morning, but didn't have many ingredients.  This is a very basic recipe, which takes very basic ingredients, so I whipped them up. 

Wheat Muffins

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
3 T brown sugar
2 T melted butter or oil
2 c sifted whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
3 t baking powder

Directions:
Combine eggs, milk, sugar, and oil or melted butter.  Add flour, salt, and baking powder sifted together.  Stir only until flour mixture is absorbed.  Bake in greased muffin tins 20 to 30 minutes at 375-400 degrees.

We thought these were good, but way too plain for us.  They would be better with a mix-in like chocolate chips.  The kid really, really liked them, however.  She ate them very well and whined to have them as a snack, so I guess they were a win. 

Chowder Macaroni Bake

I have a pamphlet from Campbell's Chunky Soups called Quick &Easy Hearty Dishes. Each one features a Campbell's Chunky Soup.

Here's a grand way to please macaroni fans--the addition of Clam Chowder is a bright new idea.

1 can (19 ounces) Campbell's Chunky Clam Chowder Soup
1 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1 can (about 8  ounces) tomatoes, chopped and drained
1 cup shredder Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard

In a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish (10x6x2"), combine soup, macaroni, tomatoes, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and dry mustard. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot; stir. Top with remaining cheese; heat until cheese melts. Makes about 4 cups.

Well, where should I start. It came together easy. That is about the best thing I can say for the recipe. I had a blonde moment and put in a whole can, 15 ounces, of diced tomatoes. It did nothing for the recipe. I am not a fan of chunky soups, and clam chowder is not even close to one I can stand. I started with low expectations and they were met pretty low.

Big Chubb said it was weird, but still ate it and the leftovers for lunch the next day. Little Chubb wouldn't touch it. I ate a helping to form an opinion.

We will never eat this again, and I do not look forward to the rest of the recipes in this booklet.

7 Layer Salad

This "recipe" came from the Mount Vernon Young Women's Cookbook when I was a youth.

7 Layer Salad
from Maria Hansen

Ingredients:
1 large head leafy green lettuce
1 c frozen peas (cooked and cooled)
1/4 c chopped green pepper
1/4 c chopped onion (or green onion)
16 oz jar ranch or buttermilk dressing
8 oz shredded cheese
bacon bits or salad topping of your choice

Directions:
In a 9x13 in. pan or dish place lettuce evenly, that has been rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces.  Sprinkle peas on top of lettuce followed by green pepper and onion.  Chopped celery and carrots may be substituted for the green pepper and onion if desired.  Pour dressing evenly over veggies.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over dressing.  Sprinkle bacon bits/salad toppings on last and seal with a lid or foil and refrigerate until serving.  This may be prepared early in the day.  The extra time enhances the flavor of the salad.

I'll be upfront here and say that I didn't follow the ingredient list exactly.  I used whatever I already had/was cheap, so here is my list in order :
mixed greens
peas
hard boiled egg
tomatoes
green pepper
ranch dressing
cheese

It was good, your normal 7 layer salad.  The beauty of 7 layer salads is that you can change the ingredients for whatever you have on hand or want.  The dressing is supposed to seal in the flavors and help them meld together, which I thought could have been better accomplished with a ranch/mayo mix.  It was good, but I doubt I'll make it again for a long time.