Rhubarb Muffins

What?  You've never tasted rhubarb before?  Well, that's okay, neither had I until I was in college!  Whenever I think of rhubarb I think of strawberry rhubarb pie (which is amazing!), but there's more you can do with this vegetable than put it in a pie.  This tangy vegetable also makes some fabulous muffins.  This is a yummy recipe I got from allrecipes.com, contributed by Freya.  It's scrumptious, and my two year old BEGS for these muffins whenever she sees them!  Add rhubarb to your garden for next year, and enjoy the tangy goodness!  (Also, I made these without the almonds on top - because my husband won't eat nuts - and they are fabulous that way too!)

What You'll Need:

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

2 Tb. butter, melted

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. diced rhubarb

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. crushed sliced almonds

2 tsp. melted butter

What to Do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Grease (or line with paper liners) a 12 cup muffin tin.

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, 2 Tb. of melted butter, oil and egg.  In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4c. of brown sugar, baking soda and salt.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just blended.  Fold in rhubarb.  Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups at least 2/3 full.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 c. of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds, and 2 tsp. of melted butter.  Spoon over the tops of the muffins, and press down lightly. 

4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.  Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing.

This recipe makes 12 muffins.  Each muffin has 192 calories, 6.6g of fat, and 
30.8g of carbs.

Clubhouse Chicken Squares

We came across this recipe in the Higbee Family Cookbook (on my husband's side), contributed by Kyle Deal. It's a great recipe for a hot day when you don't feel like a heavy hot meal.  Careful though, they can become addicting, and then you'll eat more than you meant to!

What You'll Need:

2 pkg. crescent rolls

2 Tb. mayonnaise (we used Miracle Whip)

1 tsp. dill mix

1/2 small cucumber, diced

1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or abt. 1/3 c. bacon bits)

1 pkg. cream cheese, soft

1 sm garlic clove, pressed

1 can (10 oz) white chicken, drained

2 plum tomatoes, diced

What to Do:

1.  Preheat oven to 375*F.  Unroll the crescent rolls across a baking sheet.  Roll dough to seal perforations and press up sides to form crust.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven:  cool completely.

2.  In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and dill, mix well.  Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crust; top with chicken.  Place cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and bacon over chicken. Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Cut into squares.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

We made this recipe for our dinner group awhile back, and it was a huge hit.  So yummy, and so easy.  I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, submitted by Erin Parker.  Using some of the suggestions, I doubled the seasonings that were originally listed and made a few other adjustments.  Below is the way I did it.  Or you can click on the link I included above and find the original recipe.  You won't be sorry - this is a fabulous recipe.  Serve it in tortillas and with all your favorite toppings (we had lettuce, tomato, cheese, limes, cilantro, and rice and beans).

What You'll Need:

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 (4 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast

4 bay leaves

3 c. chicken broth 

What to Do:

1.  Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Coat pork with the spice mixture.  Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the port on the top.  Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

2.  Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 8 hours.  Turn the meat after is has cooked for 4 hours.  When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Place on baking sheet and put into a preheated 400* oven for 5-10 minutes.  (This give it a crisp "fried" feel without frying it!).  Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat when serving.

Cinnamon Sugar Crisps

These crisps came about by me using this recipe I found at allrecipes.com as a jumping off point.  We served them with vanilla ice cream, and they were SO yummy.

What You'll Need:

1 pkg. 10-inch flour tortillas

1 stick butter/margarine

1/4 c. cinnamon sugar mix (2 Tbs. of each)

Cooking Spray

What to Do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400*F.

2.  Cut or rip the tortillas into small rectangles. Lay them out flat on a greased baking sheet.  Brush evenly with melted butter/margarine.  Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon/sugar mix over the top of each one.  

3.  Bake for 5 - 10 minutes (keep an eye on them!) in the preheated oven (you want them to crisp up).  Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Brownie Chip Cookies

Wanting to see if there was an easy way to turn a box of brownie mix into cookies, I went searching online.  Lo and behold, I found this fabulous recipe at cooks.com.  It's quick, easy, and very very yummy!

What You'll Need:

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix (family size)

2 eggs

1/4 c. oil

6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips (or you could use peanut butter morsels, butterscotch morsels, heath bar chips, etc....  you get the idea)

1 can ready to spread frosting, or your best homemade frosting ready to go

What to Do:

1.  Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl combine brownie mix, eggs and oil.  Stir by hand to blend.  Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon 2-inches apart on cookie sheets.

3.  Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.  Cookies will be soft to touch.  Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.

4.  Frost with your favorite frosting.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Fluffy Pancakes

We ate these up so quickly that I forgot to get a picture of them!  The best homemade pancake recipe I've ever had.  Contributed to allrecipes.com by "kris."  Thanks Kris - we LOVE them!

What You'll Need:

3/4 c. milk

2 Tb. white vinegar

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tb. white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

2 Tb. butter, melted

Cooking Spray

What to Do:

1.  Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour."

2.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk.  Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray.  Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.  Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.