Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins

Woulda looked better with two jalapeno slices on top...

Got muffin pans for dad's kitchen as the ones that were still there were vintage 1940's, and while their pressed designs were retro and lovely, everything stuck to them, no matter how well they were greased! My poor sis made mini meatloaves for dad and her one night while she was visiting. She told me that even though she'd greased them and even with the fat of the meat, she absolutely couldn't get them out of the muffin tin in one piece. Off I went to Amazon.com to see what I could find. And I found them! They're teflon, but unlike the usually flimsy teflon baking pieces that are hard to control, this brand has a metal surround and handles that keeps everything upright and spill-proof. (You can find the two I bought here and here.) 

The other day, I'd made Red Lentil Chili for dinner for Dad and I and our family friend Paul. Dad and I thought we needed something more than just chili and toppings, so I decided to venture into making Jalapeno Corn Muffins. As I'm definitely not much of a baker, this was the first time I'd ever attempted to make any! After perusing many recipes online, I settled on the below take - that was heavily inspired by a recipe on the food blog isabeleats.com (you can find the original recipe here). It turned out to be a delicious winner! 

1 C., rounded, coarse-ground cornmeal (Bob's Red Mill)
1 C. white flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 rounded T. baking powder
salt to taste
1 C. milk
2 large eggs
6 T. melted unsalted (always) butter
1/4 C. or so shredded cheddar (no more than 1/4 C.)
3 jalapeño peppers, seeds, spines and all, coarsely diced
1 15.20 oz. canned yellow corn, drained - reserve liquid

1 - 2  whole jalapeños sliced into rings

Preheat oven to 400º. 
Place all dry ingredients in the bowl of a Cuisinart and pulse to mix. Add the wet ingredients and pulse to mix. Add the jalapeños and cheese and pulse until the peppers are the consistency you want. Remove to a bowl and stir in the drained corn. (At this point, if batter is too heavy, add the corn liquid, a bit at a time, until you get the consistency you want.) Spray the teflon muffin pans (not necessary, but I did) and divide the batter evenly between the cups, all about 3/4's full.  (I filled the six regular sized cups you see above and about 8 of the half-size 12-cup muffin pan.) Place 1 - 2 rings on top of each filled cup. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the large cups comes out clean. Remove muffins from the pans to a cooling rack. 
If you're using two different sized muffin pans, as I did, bake the larger pan about 5 - 6 minutes, then add the smaller pan to the oven and continue baking another 10 - 12 minutes.

Serve warm with sides of unsalted butter and honey. 

Delicious with chili! This could also be baked in a well-greased cast iron skillet. 

~~~

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Red Lentil (plus some other things) Chili

jalapeno corn recipe to come!

In our effort to make different freezer meals for dad, and ones that are healthy to his standard, I ventured out to find a chili recipe that was more vegetarian than ground beef. I found a wonderful recipe (it turned out) for a red lentil-based chili. Since discovering Big Batch Red Lentil Soup (recipe to come), red lentils have held a near and dear corner of my heart. I don't like the army green color of cooked green lentils, but the bright color of red lentils? That's the best! 

Dad and I first had this for lunch, then, we invited Paul and Marla for dinner the next day. I needed to augment the chili offering, so supplemented it with those delectable jalapeno corn muffins (recipe to come). Dad said he had about a pounds worth of ground venison in his freezer and asked why couldn't that be added to the chili...so we did! Ended up being one of the best chili soups we've ever had! 

This recipe was inspired by a vegetarian/vegan webite recipe. It's called Minimalist Baker, and while none of our family is vegetarian/vegan, we do enjoy recipes and meals from that slant. Even before adding the venison, their recipe is one of the very finest chilis I've ever tasted! Go here for the original. 

It's also the first time I've ever used smoked paprika in a recipe. What a GREAT flavor! The depth it adds is just amazing! 

Here you go - amount as you'd like: 

avocado/olive oil for sauteeing

1 medium onion, chopped

3 - 5 mini sweet peppers, chopped

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 - 2 jalapenos, seeds and all, chopped

4 cloves garlic

3+ T. chili powder

2+ T. ground cumin

2 t.+ smoked paprika (important flavor)

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

3 T. tomato paste (I use the one in the tube)

1 3/4 - 2 or so C. water

1 C. dry red lentils, rinsed and drained (if you want, I didn't)

1 15 oz. can dark kidney beans, not drained of all liquid

1 15 oz. can black beans, not drained of all liquid

1 15 oz. can plain corn, drained

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil, onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and saute until onions are becoming opaque. 

If you have a mortar & pestle, place the jalapeno and garlic in it and crush into a rough paste, if not, just chop both very finely. Add to the pot. Add 2 T. chili powder, 1 T. cumin, 2 t. smoked paprika. Bring to a low boil. 

Once boiling, add the lentils and then at a very gentle simmer, cook for about 15 minutes or until lentils are getting tender. As it's cooking, add more water if it's looking too dry and thick and the lentils aren't submerged. 

Add the kidney and black beans, more salt and pepper if needed, and remaining chili powder and cumin. 

Bring to a low simmer and add the corn. Cover and low simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes to meld flavors. Do stir every once in a while.

Taste and adjust seasonings - I added more chili powder, cumin and quite a bit more smoked paprika. 

Serve with jalapeno corn bread muffins (recipe here) and sides of:
Fritos corn chips (a must!)

sour cream

sliced scallions/green onions

shredded cheddar cheese

diced avocados

~~~

To do the meat add-in: 

1 lb. ground venison (or beef)

2 T. butter (for venison as it's not fatty)

In a skillet, melt the butter and add the venison. Brown, stirring and breaking apart until the meat is done. Draining any oil, add to the chili pot and simmer for another 20 minutes or so to blend all the flavors. Taste and correct the seasonings. (Once again, I added more chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika.)

dinner with family and friend is ONLY the best!

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

That Tuna Noodle Casserole - no Cheddar!

fresh out of the oven...

I just got back from a lovely week-long visit with my dad. We Bumgarner siblings have been going to COMO as often as we can for quite a few years now as, for several years before she died, our mom could no longer travel because of health issues and we all wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, and now, our dad. And while dad is a very healthy, robust 95 year old, we realized after his one and only trip after mom died, to visit my family in CT, it became quite clear traveling by plane was something he just shouldn't do any more because the exposure to illnesses, which would be no big deal for younger folks, could be devastating for him. Dad went home from that trip (which was absolutely wonderful while he was here) and was very sick from some bug he most likely caught on the plane. He and we all realized then that it just wasn't worth the risk of him traveling to us. So we go to him! And that's just fine with the three of we siblings as we all going home to our COMO (COlumbia, MO). We all grew up there, leaving only when we went off to college, and we all had a magical life there. The wonderful memories of that time are many.

Mom and dad were married for 8 days short of 69 years. And they lived a true love story. Until the very end of mom's life, you could literally see the love flowing between the two of them with each look they gave each other. Both of them were also very pragmatic about this life and death thing all we humans go through. Though dad misses her to this day - we all do - he has gotten on with his life and made it a good one. It's not a hardship to be around him as he's such a positive guy that goes out if his way to make his life one worth living. 

While dad has become quite the cook - his salad making skill has become famous amongst family and friends - he's told the three of we children he misses mom's cooking. As anyone who knew her knows, mom was a cook that was most definitely in the chef category. I've never met a finer cook! So, though Carrie, Bill and I haven't yet achieved her culinary magic abilities, we've each taken on stocking Dad's freezer (we even got him a deep freezer for this) with homemade goodies whenever one of us is home. While some of dad's favorite mom dishes aren't freezer-friendly, a lot of them (or our rendition of them) are. This time, it was my turn! Loaded up his freezer with tuna noodle casserole, chili, veggie quiches, sunshine chicken curry, chicken-veggie stir-fry, peanut butter pies, apple crisps, etc. Found out that one of his favorite mom dishes, a salmon loaf, wouldn't need to be made because it got "lost" in the freezer underneath a bunch of veggies. That had been made by my sis over Christmas, so is still good to go. 

Below is the recipe for tuna noodle casserole. It took me forever to find a good recipe that didn't have cheddar cheese in it. While cheddar is fine for the top of a tuna melt sandwich, to me at least, it doesn't belong in tuna noodle casserole. Below was inspired by a recipe I found on the food blog "Tastes Better From Scratch". 

As always with savory recipes, amounts can be changed to suit your own tastes. On a note, I've been using mini sweet peppers in place of regular sized peppers. Their skin is much thinner and the flavor is wonderful. They are all different sizes and colors (no green) so use the amount you want. Click here for an example - there are many brands, one not being better than the other.

for the topping: 

1 C. panko bread crumbs

2 T. butter

Melt butter in a skillet, add panko and saute, stirring constantly until the panko is coated with the butter and toasty brown.

for the casserole:

3/4 of a 1 lb. box medium size shell pasta

6 T. butter, divided

3 inner ribs celery with leaves, thinly sliced

1 small onion or equivalent scallions, chopped

2 - 4 mini sweet peppers, quartered and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 C. baby peas

4 - 6 T. flour

1 C. milk, warmed - more for thinning if necessary

2 C. or so chicken or veggie stock, warmed

salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

white pepper to taste

1 T.+ fresh dill, chopped

1 - 2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 C. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

12 oz. can albacore tuna in water (drain or use water for liquid)

veggie spray for casserole dish

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Cook pasta shells until al dente and set aside in a large bowl. Melt a T. butter in a skillet and add the celery, onion, peppers and garlic. Saute until onion is becoming opaque. Remove veggies from skillet and add to the pasta bowl. Add remaining butter to the skillet along with the flour. Whisk for a minute or so, not letting the butter/flour mixture to get too brown. Slowly stir in the milk and stock and whisk continuously until all is warm and smooth and thickened. No lumps! Reduce heat to low and whisk in the salt, fresh ground black pepper and white pepper, dill weed, lemon juice and half the parmesan cheese. Heat through, taste and correct any seasonings to your taste. Pour over the pasta and veggies; stir in the tuna and peas. Mix well and pour mixture into a veggie sprayed casserole dish. Top casserole with the remaining Parmesan and then the toasted panko crumbs. Bake for 30 or so minutes - until it's nice and bubbling. Serve and say YUM!!

All stirred together

ready for the Parm and panko

~~~

ready for the initial freezing

If you are making this to stock your freezer, get aluminum containers for the serving size you need. In dad's case, I used mini loaf pans (and 1 mini pie pan) so he could have a meal one night and then lunch for the next day. Put together the casseroles and freeze (on a sheet pan if possible - makes it easier) When frozen, cover each pan tightly with aluminum foil and the put them in freezer zip-loc bags. To bake, loosen the foil on the top of the pan and bake in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until heated through and bubbly. Test center of the casserole to be sure all is cooked. 

Oh, and here's dad's salad that accompanied our tuna casserole:

tonight, dad added tomatoes, avocados and apples 

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Tasty Tuna Melts

Ready for the broiler!

Until last night, I'd never eaten a tuna melt, let alone made one! Last night, I discovered we had no food in the house that wasn't frozen and I really didn't want to go to the grocery store, so I gathered the cans of tuna that were in the pantry and racked my brain trying to come up with something to do with them. Hmmm...tuna melts! Never made them, but how hard could it be? Not hard at all, it turned out - and delicious to boot. 

As is usual with my recipes, the amounts of everything is to your taste - and this would also be delicious with sweet pickle relish, red pepper, red onion or shallots, etc. Just add what you happen to have on hand. I usually buy tuna packed in water, but on had I had one of those and one packed in veggie oil, so that's what I used. And after tasting both the cans of tuna, the one packed in oil is much better tasting than the one packed in water. Calories tho...

2 cans albacore tuna, one in water, one in veggie oil, well drained

3-4 inner celery stalks, leaves included, finely chopped

3-4 green onions/scallions, green part included, finely chopped

1 t++ fresh grated black pepper (we like it with a pepper kick)

splash+ Pompeiian brand (my favorite) red wine vinegar

splash+ Heinz apple cider vinegar (favorite again)

1/4 - 1/3 C. Hellman's mayonnaise (yep, favorite)

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or any good melting cheese

2 - 3 slices peasant/country hearth bread, toasted

Heat the broiler. 

In a bowl, mix together ingredients through the vinegars. Taste and correct for seasonings or other ingredients. Add the mayonnaise, a spoonful at a time, until you have the consistency you like (I like it to be not overly mayonnaisy so that the other flavors shine through). Spread mayonnaise on the toast pieces and then spoon the tuna mixture evenly on top. Cover the top with the cheese - be careful not to use too much. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately. 

All melty and ready to go!

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Baked Salmon

baked salmon, hash browns & sauteed baby spinach - YUM!

I have a love-hate relationship with salmon. LOVE it for a bit, then can't even bear the sight of it for months on end! Don't ask me why...I just don't understand it at all! However, the other night was a salmon night as it looked fresh and wonderful at the fish counter. While I usually buy wild salmon, this time is was Norwegian-farmed salmon. While it isn't nearly as good for you as wild salmon, it certainly tastes wonderful! 

For two folks: 

3/4 - 1 lb. salmon fillet*

3 T. mayonnaise

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. pure maple syrup

1 - 2 T. Victoria Taylor's toasted sesame ginger seasoning (sesame seeds 54%, ginger 22%, garlic powder, sea salt, cayenne, toasted sesame oil)

Preheat the oven to 425º F. 

Mix together all the ingredients (not the salmon, duh!) (If you don't have the Victoria seasoning (which you really need badly), look at it's ingredients and add them individually to the marinade.)

Put parchment paper or foil on a cookie sheet, smear a bit of the marinade on it and place the salmon fillet on top. Evenly coat the salmon with the marinade. Bake until it easily flakes, about 15 - 20 minutes. Serve. 

(*Slice the raw salmon into individual servings before baking - makes it easier to serve.)

(I love parentheses.)

We ate our salmon with hash brown potatoes and fresh sauteed baby spinach. 

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Peanut Butter Pie - No Oven Required!

drizzled with chocolate syrup certainly puts this pie slice over-the-top!



I served this pie to my hubs, GB, last night. His comment? "Damn, Ann, why did it take 41 years for you to figure out how to make a dessert during the weekdays? This is fantastic! It would have been even more fantastic if you'd started giving it to me 41 years ago! You have a LOT of desserts to make up for!" Hmph!

Earlier this week, I saw a recipe for peanut butter pie (which I'd never heard of before, let alone tried) on that wonderful website, Skinny Taste. I can certainly understand how savory foods can be made less caloric and better for you, but sweets? Really? How can you possibly skimp on fats and sugar and have anything that's edible? Not a believer here! So! I decided to make the ST peanut butter pie (2nd recipe)  and a second pie (1st recipe) that was the full fat/sugar version. Went off to find a recipe for that full fat/sugar recipe online and there were hundreds of them! Wow! It looks like peanut butter pies are wildly popular! Whoda thunk?? 

While I followed the ST recipe as closely as I could (used Jiff peanut butter and fat-free Cool Whip instead of the recommended Better n' Peanut Butter and Truwhip because I couldn't find either of those products (links to both below recipes), I sort of did my own thing with the second pie, using the same basic ingredients, but not exactly the same amounts as in the recipes I'd found.

Amazingly, Ms. Homolka's ST recipe was delicious. It didn't have the volume the full fat/sugar version had, but it had just as much flavor. The full fat version was much prettier, and also felt a lot heavier in the belly once consumed. (Know this is truth, having had a piece of each, one day apart.)

So the question of the hour is: Which would I make again? Either! They're both so good! Each have their advantages - tho ST even more so if you're using the WW points system. If you love peanut butter, this is the dessert for you, no matter which recipe you use! The first recipe is what I threw together, the second is by Ms. Homolka of Skinny Taste.

1st recipe - the full fat/sugar version - delicious!

The throw together:

1 C. Jiff peanut butter

6 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 C. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract
1 container Cool Whip, thawed

1 chocolate graham cracker crust (bought)
Hershey's chocolate syrup for drizzling (optional)

Mix together peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip and vanilla and the finish smoothing all out with the electric mixer. Scrape into the pie shell, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 - 3 hours. When serving, drizzle chocolate sauce across the pie or across each serving piece.

~~~

2nd recipe - the Skinny Taste version - not as fluffy, but still delicious!

The Skinny Taste recipe:

5 oz. 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. powdered sugar
1/3 C. Jiff peanut butter (Better 'n Peanut Butter* substitution)
1 container fat-free Cool Whip (Truwhip** substitution)
1 graham cracker pie crust
2 T. Hershey's chocolate syrup (optional)

Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together in a medium bowl.
Mix in peanut butter and beat until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip.
Spoon into graham cracker pie shell; cover and refrigerate unti firm, at least 2 - 3 hours.
Drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving.

*Better 'n Peanut Butter
**Truwhip Skinny Topping

(I used fat-free Cool Whip instead of light Cool Whip to make up for the fact I used peanut butter instead of Better 'n Peanut Butter.)

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Tuna Poke - A Hawaiian Delight Brought to CT!

This with Tostitos scoops - let the yum begin!

Last night (wrote this last Monday), as part of our Sunday Family Dinner, daughter Brynnly made one of our very favorite appy's - tuna poke (btw, ~poke~ rhymes with ~okay~). Though it's never the same taste twice, each time it's a delightful combination of flavors that "speak" to the tastebuds. 

All amounts revolve around the amount of tuna you are "pokeing" - which literally means "to cut cross-wise into pieces" - and how much of the other ingredients you want to add. While mayonnaise isn't part of her mixture every time, always included in Brynnly's poke are tuna of course, avocados, onions, jalapenos, ginger, soy sauce, lime or lemon juice and Frank's Louisiana hot sauce. Before last night, toasted sesame seed oil would have also been on that list, but as we didn't have a speck of it in the house (a gross over-sight on my part), it came off the list as our poke was over-the-top delicious! Here's what Brynnly threw together last night:

Please note that all seasonings are to your taste.

the essentials:

1/2 lb. Ahi tuna - sushi grade, cut into strips, strips cut in pieces

1 avocado, cut length-wise, then into pieces

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

the seasonings: 

2 or so T. hoisin sauce
2 or so T. soy sauce
2 or so T. mayonnaise
Frank's Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
1/2+ fresh lime, squeezed
2 t. ground ginger or equivalent fresh grated ginger
1 T.++ "Victoria Taylor's Toasted Sesame Ginger"
BumHot/cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all and taste to correct seasonings. 

Serve in a lovely bowl with Tostitos Scoops on the side.

Grated orange, lemon or lime rind is a lovely addition, as is toasted sesame oil, plain toasted sesame seeds, green onions/scallions, chopped cucumbers or radishes- the possibilities are endless. The choice is yours!

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb