Baked Apple Cider Doughnut Holes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 large egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used plain nonfat Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp canola oil
canola cooking spray
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple butter, vanilla extract, honey, apple cider, yogurt, and canola oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and whisk until just incorporated. Don't over-mix - a few lumps are okay.

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, fill a 24-hole mini muffin pan with the batter; fill each hole only 3/4 of the way, or you'll end up with huge mini muffins. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

While donut holes are still warm, melt butter in a microwave safe dish. Combine cinnamon and sugar in another dish. Using a pastry brush, very lightly brush a tiny bit of melted butter onto the top of each donut hole, then dip the top of the muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the donut hole in the cinnamon sugar to coat the sides and top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can also omit the butter - the cinnamon sugar sticks nicely to the donut holes.

makes 24 mini muffins or "donut holes"

**Depending on the size of the holes in your mini muffin pan, you may get many more donut holes than I did - the mini muffins from my pan appear to be a bit larger than the average mini muffin pan.

Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I have been dieing to cook from my new Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook. I am a huge fan of her and love her blog and cookbooks and when I can her show. 

She has so many wonderful dishes and the way she uses TONS of pictures of each and every step, makes it so easy, even a beginner like me can follow.

Tonight I tried my hand at her Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Here is what you will need:

Roasted Vegetables:

1 Whole Celery Root, Peeled and Diced  

(I couldnt find any at my local stores so I skipped this)

3 Whole Parsnips, Peeled and Diced  

(I used only 1)

6 Whole Carrots (Varied Colors If You Can Find Them Looks Great), Peeled and Diced    

(Couldnt Find Carnival Carrots So I Used Regular Carrots)

Other Vegetables, Peeled and Diced (Turnips, Butternut Squash, etc.)

(I Added 1 Turnip, Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash,  1 Yam and 1 Sweet Potato)

Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Salt and Black Pepper To Taste

Cornmeal Cakes:

2 Cups Cornmeal

6 Cups Chicken Broth

Salt To Taste

Olive Oil, For Frying

Pork Tenderloin:

2 Pork Tenderloins, 1 To 1 1/2 Pounds Each

Salt and Black Pepper To Taste

1/2 Cup Herb de Provence (Sold In Spice Aisle)

(I Couldnt Find But Looked Up Italian Seasoning and It Says It Would Work)

1 Cup Plum,  or Peach, or Fig Preserves  

(I Used Peach Preserves)

1 Tablespoon Vinegar  

Roasted Vegetables:

1. Preheat The Oven To 425 Degrees

2. Peel The Vegetables and Dice Them In Small Uniform Pieces.

 

 

3. Toss Them With Olive Oil, Salt And Pepper

4. Roast Them On A Baking Sheet In Oven For 15-20 Minutes, Or Until Golden Brown And Starting To Caramelize. Remove Them From Oven And Set Aside (I Cooked Mine About 25-30 Minutes)

 

For The Cornmeal Cakes:

1. Add The Cornmeal To A Pot With The Chicken Broth And Salt. 

2. Bring To A Boil, Then Cover and Simmer On Low, Until The Cornmeal Is Done, 

About 25 minutes.

3. Pour It Onto A Baking Sheet Pan.

4. Spread It Out Into An Even Layer and Allow To Cool To Room Temperature. 

 

5. When The Cornmeal Has Cooled Cut A Small Square, The Cut The Square Diagonally.
6. Fry The Cornmeal Cakes In Olive Oil In A Skillet Over Medium-High Heat. 

7. Remove Them When They Are A Nice Golden Brown, Allow Them To Drain On A Paper Towel. Set Aside.

Pork Tenderloin:
1. Place Pork Tenderloin On A Baking Sheet Pan And Sprinkle With Salt and Pepper.

2. Sprinkle On Herbes de Provence. (Italian Seasoning I Used)

 

3. Roast In Oven for 13 to 15 Minutes, Or Until No Longer Pink In The Middle. (Pork Will Continue To Cook Slightly After You Remove It From Oven) 

4. Allow The Pork To Rest For 10 Minutes, Then Slice Into Thick Slices.

Preserve Sauce:

Meanwhile, Stir Together The Preserves, Vinegar, and 1 Cup of Water In A Small Pan or Skillet. 

Heat Over Medium Heat Until Thoroughly Warmed, Then Set Aside.

 To Arrange:

 Place 3 Slices Of Pork Over 2 or 3 Cornmeal Cakes.

 

Decorate The Whole Plate With Roasted Vegetables.

 

 

Spoon The Preserves Over The Top Of Pork And Cornmeal Cakes.

I have to say it was a huge hit..Greg and Dad Both Had Second Servings, Me Who Normally Doesn't Care For Pork LOVED This. Plus, I know Momma Was Watching Over Me While I Cooked As I Always Mess Up When Cooking So Many Things At Once. I Know She Would Have Been Proud Of Me and Would Have Liked This Meal Especially With The Peach Preserves. I Love You Momma and Miss You Very Much. Thanks For Helping Me With This Meal!!! Also Thanks To A Lady I Don't Know Personally, But Without Her Wonderful Step By Step Instructions I Would Have Been LOST...Thanks Pioneer Women (Ree Drummond) 
This Recipe Was From Her Awesome Cookbook: "The Pioneer Woman Cooks Food From My Frontier" Page 190-193.

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

Prep: 12 min.

Cook: 5 min.

Serves: 6

Cost per serving: $1.62

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 9 lemons)
1/4 cup grenadine
1. Combine sugar and 4 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely.

2. Pour half of syrup into a blender, add strawberries and blend until smooth. Strain into a pitcher; discard solids.

3. Add remaining syrup, lemon juice and grenadine to pitcher and stir to combine. Serve over ice, garnished with additional strawberries, if desired.

Eggplant Baked Ziti

• For the Eggplant:
• 1 Eggplant
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• 2 28-oz can  Whole Tomatoes (crushed)
• Fresh Basil
• 1 pound Ziti
• 1 pound Mozzarella (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• Pecorino Romano

FOR THE EGGPLANT:
Preheat the oil to 350F. Cut the eggplant into rounds about 1/2-inch-thick dice. Saute in olive oil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Salt and Pepper slices

Fry until golden brown

Allow to drain on paper towels

FOR THE MARINARA SAUCE: 
Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 90 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook and reduce slightly for about a half hour. Top with fresh basil.  

ASSEMBLY:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cook the ziti to half of the time on the package instructions. On the bottom of a casserole, create a bed of the eggplant. Grate pecorino over the eggplant and then top with half of the sauced ziti mixture. Grate more pecorino over the ziti mixture, then cover with another layer of the eggplant rounds. Add the remaining sauced ziti mixture. Cover with the remaining sauce and grate pecorino generously over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and melted. 

Add small amount of sauce to bottom of dish, top with half of the eggplant

Add half of ziti sauce and pasta.
(Layer like lasagna: Eggplant, sauce, ziti, cheese.
 Then repeat: Eggplant, sauce, ziti, cheese)

Add other half of the cubed mozzarella cheese cubes

Nice and golden brown. 

Peanut Butter Balls

While growing up my mom would often make these and they would make a great protein snack that would always hit the spot after school. Plus being a healthy snack made Momma happy. One day mom passed down many recipes to me in February 2012. I decided I had to try them for my own family now. They are very simple and easy to make. Here is all that you will need:

1 Cup Honey

1 1/2 Cups Peanut Butter (Chunky or Creamy)

9 oz (3 cups) Nonfat Milk Powder

2 Teaspoon Vanilla

Oil your bowl first then add the honey, peanut butter, and vanilla

Then add the powered milk on top

 Using a dough hook mix until well mixed

The dough will look dry and grainy once you finish mixing with the dough mixer

  Continue to kneed together with your hands like you would when making dough.

 If your worried about it being to dry you can add a small squeeze of honey and a tad more peanut butter.

Scoop a tablespoon size amount into hand and kneed slightly like you would dough

 and then roll into a small to medium size ball and place on parchment lined container.

Cover and store in refrigerator.

For added fun and flavor try rolling them in coconut, Toasted Sesame Seeds, or even Wheat Germ.

(Mom Tasted and Approved)

 Family approved too!! 

(Well except for Emma: who say WOW peanut butter smell, you know I don't do peanut butter!)

 

Pasta Pizza Soup

1 pound ground beef
4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium carrots, sliced
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked tricolor spiral pasta

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook beef, mushrooms, onions, and celery until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.

2. Stir in the water, tomatoes, carrots, bouillon, bay leaf and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Stir in pasta; heat through. Discard bay leaf.

Yields 8 servings (about 2 quarts)

Cheesy Cream Corn Puffs

ActiveTime:30 min/TotalTime: 1hr10min
Makes: About 24

Ingredients:
1 cup canned cream corn
4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, plus some extra for topping
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees- line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring corn, butter, salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

2. Scrape dough into a bowl; let cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Stir in the cheese and chives. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.

3. Scoop tablespoon size mounds of dough onto prepared cookie sheets. About 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake in oven until golden brown and puffy. About 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Quick Carrot Cake with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting.

Here is what you will need:
1 pkg (2 layer size) Carrot Cake
3 large carrots, shredded about 2 cups
1 can (8oz) Crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans (divided)
2 pkg (8oz each) Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed

Now to make it:
Prepare: cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, completely drained pineapple, 3/4 cup of pecans. Pour into 2 (9 inch) square pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake: 25 to 30 min. Or until toothpick inserted in centers come out clean. Cool in pans 10 min; invert onto wire racks. Remove pans. Turn cakes over, cool completely.

Beat: cream cheese, and sugar until well blended. Whisk in cool whip.

Stack: cake layers, spreading frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Top with remaining nuts. Keep refrigerated.


This cake came out great and the frosting wasn't that thick heavy and overly sweet cream cheese frosting!!