Big Batch Cooking - Ground Beef Edition!

I didn't go AS crazy with the cooking this week but my freezer is a little happier and my mind is feeling a little more at ease!

This week's recipes include more of our tried and true favourites!

1. Taco Soup! This is a Friday night staple as we are at the arena for several hours so I fill our thermoses and everyone eats as they get hungry. You should definitely be prepared with some tortilla chips...Yum! You can find the recipe at Eat At Home Cooks.

2. This was a request of Mr. CB...I don't think we even had them last year! They are called Glad Thai Dings and are also found in a Looney Spoons Cookbook! You can find the recipe on-line at Food & Whine.

 To freeze these recipes I put the meatballs on a tray, freeze them, then move them into bags. I cooled the soup and then put it in containers.

Enjoy!

Heather

Big Batch Cooking - Chicken with a Little Beef on the Side!

I don't love cooking unless it's a project. Turn it into a project and it's like magic. How do I do that? Easy! Big Batch Cooking!

Now that summer is almost over and I have settled into life again (in other words I can think again with camps finishing a few weeks ago). I find myself wanting a nice selection in my freezer so here's what I did!

You are seeing some of our favourite freezer meals here...

1. Chicken Taquitos! Check this out... The Happy Money Saver makes me happy!
2. Chicken Soup! I bought a whole chicken, cooked it up with onions, celery and carrots and then made it up as I went!
3. Chicken Fingers. Boy do I love these!!! These are from my Looney Spoons Cookbook (don't have it? Look it up!) but I found the recipe for you on My Food Infatuation

Then because that didn't seem like enough, I cooked and shredded more chicken to make Chicken Pot Pies (with ready made pie crust!) another recipe by The Happy Money Saver and I also have some beef strips marinating and ready to be turned into stir fry.

So here's the scoop!

1. I put the taquitos and chicken strips on trays and froze them. Once they were frozen I transferred them to bags.
2. The soup cooled and went straight into the containers to freeze.
3. I double the pie plates on the chicken pot pies and then covered them with foil.
4. The Beef Strips are all ready for another Looney Spoons recipe Wok This Way (I couldn't find this one on-line so you better just buy the book!) ;)

My freezer is a little fuller and I'm a little happier in the kitchen now!

Enjoy!

Heather

A Spoonful of Sugar!

Until today, these were my kids favourite muffins...they kept asking for them over and over and over again! Then, I had the nerve to make Chocolate Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and now they have a new favourite!

So here goes, you will need...

1.5c Flour

1.5tsp Baking Powder

.25tsp Baking Soda

.25tsp Salt (I never put in salt, do you?)

.5c Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Egg

.5c Unsalted Butter, Melted

1c Sour Cream

1.5tsp Vanilla

1c Chocolate Chips

2Tbsp Redpath Turbinado Sugar (this is really important - go buy some!)

Preheat oven to 400F (I always forget to do this part ahead!)

Grease 12-cup muffin pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk brown sugar, egg, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until blended.

Gently fold in chocolate chips....mmmm...

Divide batter equally among cups (I always double my recipes and make at least 24 at a time...12 just isn't enough for us! Sprink with Turbinado Sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven for 19-21mins or until tops are gold and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Enjoy!
Heather

Neapolitan Muffins!

It's been awhile that some of you have been asking me to share recipes...

1.5c Sliced Strawberries

1/3c Sugar

1 3/4c All-Purpose Flour

2tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1/2tsp Salt (I never use salt but you might want to add it!)

1 Egg

1/2c Sour Cream

1/2c Milk

1/4c Unsalted Butter, Melted

1tsp Vanilla Extract

3/4c Chocolate Chips

1Tbsp Turbinado Sugar

Mash Strawberries and 1/3c Sugar. Let stand 15mins (this makes them all nice and juicy!)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda and salt (if using)!

In a medium bowl (I know, it's a lot of bowls!) whisk together egg, sour cream, milk, butter and vanilla until well-blended.

Take a look at your strawberries...don't they look yummy?

Now add the strawberries to the milk mixture...with the juice, of course!

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Divide between 12 muffin tins (greased or lined) and sprinkle with Turbinado Sugar (because this adds beauty and a lovely crunch!)

Look how sparkly they are! And yummy too...if you like that sort of thing that is!

Enjoy!

Heather

I want candy!

Well, not really...I just cleared out most of my cupboard of the Christmas Candy the kids got...they have forgotten about it and I prefer not to remind them. But there was one thing left. Half a pack of candy canes...so here's what we did. First I found a willing participant!

And I set him to work. I put 3 candy canes in a baggie and gave him a rolling pin. I highly suggest doing this on a cutting board as if you do it on your kitchen table you might leave some marks...just saying!
Make sure your helper is armed with the best tools available...then get your helper mixing! Dry ingredients, then the wet...this is when a hand held mixer would come in handy...I asked Mr. CB for a little old-school hand turned mixer or a drink mixer for my muffin batter but it has yet to arrive so we used a whisk...Add you chocolate and well, your helper might pout when they don't get to eat the batter...
So, I highly suggest bribing them with other cookies that happen to be on hand...well, they were on hand! Divide your batter into 12 muffins and top with candy cane crumbs.
Bake!
Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup Redpath Granulated Sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp peppermint extract

3/4 cup yogurt (we used soy yogurt, you can also use sour cream)

1 cup chocolate chunks

6 candy canes or red and white peppermint candies, crushed

Preheat oven to 375F

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray

In a large bowl whisk together flour, powder and soda.

In a large glass measuring cup, mix together oil, yogurt, sugar, eggs and peppermint extract. (I always measure my wet ingredients directly into my glass measuring cup to cut down on dishes.)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Add chocolate.

Fill each muffin cup with approx 1/4 cup of batter (I use my measuring cup to help keep my muffins even). Top with candy crumbs.

Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a centre comes out clean. Cool.

*Adapted from 750 best muffin recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury

I will be serving these with hot chocolate when the kids get home from school...I bet they are cold and wet after playing in the snow at school!

Enjoy!

Heather