Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins

Photo from Taste of Home

This is one of those recipes I thought I had blogged about some time ago.  Since I haven't, and since apples are abundant right now, this seems like the perfect time.

I would never really have thought about making maple-apple muffins.  It's a nice flavor combination but just not one I would necessarily have thought about in a muffin.  Then one time when we were visiting family in Elko, Nevada, we stopped in, as we often do, at Sierra Java, a favorite coffee shop.  I can no longer remember if someone recommended the maple apple muffins or if we just thought they sounded good, but that's what we ordered with our coffee.

What a wonderful flavor those muffins had!  Before leaving town, we actually bought a plastic box so we could pack a half dozen or so muffins to take home on the plane with us!  They fit nicely in a carry-on that we placed under the seat in front of us.  When we got home we froze the muffins and doled them out one at a time for as long as they lasted.

I knew the muffins had been purchased at Costco, so there would be no getting the recipe from the coffee shop.  I eventually went on line and I may have done a search for "maple apple muffins like at Costco".  It was so long ago I can't even remember.  But this is the recipe I ended up with: Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins.  I made them and we did like them a lot.  The flavor was not exactly like the coffee shop muffins, but very, very close -- plenty close enough for us!

Then I sort of filed the recipe away and forgot about it.  Last weekend I was going through some recipes and this one came to the surface again.  I baked the muffins to enjoy for the weekend and they were so good, I thought others might enjoy them too.  I should add that this time, I skipped the maple drizzle

and the muffins were delicious without it.  But other bakers must do as they think best!

Meatless Moussaka

In the "better late than never" category, I am posting this recipe!

Some years ago, I often participated in the Menu Plan Monday linkup at I’m an Organizing Junkie.  Over the years, I've continued to plan menus, but have gotten away from taking the time to link up and post my menus.  Maybe I need to get back to that!

Anyway, back in 2008 I had Meatless Moussaka on my menu plan at some point.  And one of my readers, Kelli, had asked if I could tell her more about that dish.  Yesterday, I was searching for something on my blog and up popped that menu plan, along with Kelli's comment.  You can imagine that my face was red!

I have no idea if Kelli is still interested in this dish, but I will post the recipe now for her and/or anyone else who might be interested.  It's the recipe I go to whenever eggplant is available at a good price.

If you already have a moussaka recipe you like, here's how to make it meatless. Omit the meat, obviously. Then make a mixture of 1 beaten egg, 1 cup cottage cheese, and 2 T. Parmesan cheese. In your 13x9 pan place half the sauce and half the prepared eggplant. Spread all of this cheese mixture over the eggplant. Then on top of cheese mixture, place the remaining prepared eggplant and then the remaining sauce, sprinkling between layers with additional Parmesan cheese. Bake as your recipe directs.

If you do not have a moussaka recipe or just want to try mine, here you go:
*MEATLESS MOUSSAKA
1 large eggplant, pared and cut into 1/2 inch slices (I often cut the eggplant slices in half or quarters, depending on how large they are)
Olive oil for brushing eggplant
Salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce -- you need about 2 1/3 cups (or, if you prefer to make your own sauce, see below)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
2 T. Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

So, preheat your oven to broil.  Then place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet and brush them with olive oil.   Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Broil the slices for 5 minutes.  Then turn them over, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Broil 5 minutes more.

Turn oven heat to 350º.  In a 9-inch square baking dish, place half the spaghetti sauce.  Layer in half the eggplant.  Mix the egg and cheeses together and spread over the eggplant.  Sprinkle on additional Parmesan cheese.  Layer remaining eggplant on top and spread remaining sauce over eggplant.  Sprinkle generously with Parmesan and bake for 40 minutes.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

(To make your own sauce, saute' 1 chopped onion and 1 minced clove of garlic in olive oil in a skillet.  When tender, add 2 cups tomato sauce (16 ounces) plus a 6-ounce can of tomato paste.  Add 1/2 tsp. oregano and 1 T. chopped fresh parsley if you have it.  Heat to a simmer, then remove from heat and proceed with moussaka recipe as directed.)

* This recipe makes a 9-inch square baking dish of moussaka.  If you need a larger quantity, just double the recipe and use a 13x9-inch pan.  Enjoy!

Election Day 2016

There's not a lot left to say, other than, "Please Vote!"  It's your right, your privilege, and your responsibility as a citizen.  If you have not yet voted (or even if you're thinking about not voting!), you will be encouraged by these Six words to remember in the voting booth.  Please do check these out.  They don't tell you who to vote for, just some important principles to remember.

So if you haven't yet, prayerfully cast your ballot and then leave the outcome in God's all-powerful hands.

(The beautiful graphic at the top is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings, who has generously shared it with her readers.  Thank you, Abby!)

A closer look at the "bittersweet tree"

Last week I shared an update on our local bittersweet and also showed a picture of what appeared to be a bittersweet tree.  On Friday I took the camera (the other pictures had been taken with my Kindle) and went back for a closer look.  It continues to look like a bittersweet tree, but I now think that it isn't.

Two blog friends weighed in on this phenomenon and I think they are both right.  Vee noted, "I didn't know that there could be such a thing as a bittersweet tree."  I believe she's right about that.  Bernideen offered this explanation: "It is a vine and probably grew up into the tree."  And I think she's right, too.

This article explains a lot about bittersweet: Bittersweet: Friend or Foe?, and this one: American Bittersweet vs. Invasive Oriental Vines is even more informative.

Here are a few more pictures of the tree (or trees):

A closer look.  See the vines?

At the base of the tree -- more vines and bittersweet.  But I wonder about those darker red berries at the left, right  up next to the tree trunk.  They look like something completely different!

So I believe the "bittersweet tree" was an optical illusion.  It's undoubtedly a bittersweet vine that grew up into the tree just as Bernideen said.  Since the trees it is in are not mine and don't look too valuable anyway, I will just enjoy the autumnal show.

A fowl tip

Photo from Pixabay

 ... on preparing cooked chicken for the freezer.

Our local supermarket will often feature boneless chicken breasts for $1.69/lb.   I nearly always buy a large package or two to freeze.  I most often freeze them individually, wrapped in plastic, and this works out well for using however many I want for a particular meal.

This summer, though, I tried a recipe for Basic Mexican Chicken from a Gooseberry Patch slow cooker cookbook, Slow Cooking All Year Round.  I got this book for free because my recipe for slow cooker "rotisserie" chicken was published in it.

Here's what you do:

BASIC MEXICAN CHICKEN
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg, taco seasoning mix*
16-ounce jar salsa

Place chicken in slow cooker; sprinkle with taco seasoning.   Pour salsa over top; do not stir.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred chicken with 2 forks; mix well with sauce in slow cooker.  Serves 6 to 8.

Julie Saifullah, the lady who shared the recipe, wrote, "I make this chicken often because it is so versatile.  You can use it to make all kinds of Mexican dishes, like tacos, enchiladas, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, or even chicken tortilla soup!"

This recipe is indeed so versatile, as I found when I tried it for myself.  From there it was a short step to thinking about freezing the cooked chicken.  I made the recipe again next time chicken was on sale, and packaged meal-sized portions of the Mexican-flavored chicken in quart-size ziplock bags.  It proved to be very handy to just pull out a package of cooked chicken to get a start on a soup or casserole.

So recently chicken was on sale again

Photo from Pixabay

and I found myself thinking about this a little more.  If Mexican-flavored cooked chicken in the freezer was so helpful, why not other flavors?

So I bought two large trays of chicken and cooked one tray with more of an Italian flavor.  I put a little olive oil in the bottom of the crock and between the layers.  I also made up a dry Italian salad dressing mix* -- a double batch, because this is a lot of chicken to season! -- and sprinkled that between the layers of chicken.  I cooked it for about 4 hours at high.  When it cooled a bit, I cut it up in cubes and again froze meal-size quantities in quart-size ziplock bags.

The next day I cooked the other tray.  I wanted this one to have more of a rotisserie chicken flavor, so I drizzled in a bit of olive oil and sprinkled the layers of chicken very generously with Montreal Chicken seasoning.  Again I cooked it about 4 hours at high and packaged it the same way.  Of course I labeled the various flavors accordingly -- Mexican, Italian, or seasoned.

(I should add that the Mexican chicken recipe, because of the salsa, comes out with a more "soupy" consistency, but I just divided the liquid among the freezer bags of chicken.  It's been fine in the recipes I've tried it in.  But if I wanted it less liquid-y, I would just drizzle the chicken with some olive oil, sprinkle with the taco seasoning, and cook it without the salsa.)

I am looking forward to having these "meal starters" at the ready in my freezer for busy days!

There are several pluses to cooking this chicken in the slow cooker which I thought I would mention.  First, of course, is that it cooks while you are doing other things.  A huge plus in my book!  And then there is the fact that several cups of nicely seasoned broth are also produced with this cooking method.  You just strain it into a clean container (I use a recycled quart-size yogurt container) and put it in fridge or (for longer storage) freezer.  Next time you need chicken broth, it's there!

And then, a very important plus is that you don't need to trim the fat off the chicken breasts before cooking.  Most of it melts into the broth (which isn't an issue because you are going to chill the strained broth and can then lift the layer of fat off the top).  What small bits of fat remain on the cooked chicken, you can easily trim off with kitchen shears and you won't have wasted a lot of meat as can often happen when trying to remove fat from raw chicken.

And also:  * My recipes for taco seasoning mix and Italian dressing mix may be found in this older post: Saving Money in the Kitchen.*

November's bittersweet update

Yesterday the weather was pretty nice, but today is absolutely gorgeous.  Not bright blue weather, just a hazy pale blue sky, but the temps are warm (over 60º) and it is just a mild, nice November day.  Perfect for raking leaves or other outdoor pursuits.

Just yesterday I went and checked on the bittersweet growing near my dad's house.  (In retrospect, it would have been even nicer to do it today, but today has been filled with other tasks.)

Showing some of the background -- road, field, brook.

And then, glancing across the street,  I noticed what appeared to be a bittersweet tree.  The Kindle photos are not the greatest, (a bit blurry) but you get the idea!

At first I thought maybe the bittersweet had just taken over the tree.  Nope.  It appears to be a bittersweet tree.

And that is the bittersweet report for November 2!  Time to cut some of it for decorating...

November goals

Here are my goals for November:

* Write out a passage from God's Word each day.
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones.
* Continue study for Sunday School -- Following God With All Your Heart
* Exercise or walk at least 20 times.
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night. 
* Limit sugar and red meat.
* Drink enough water each day.
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week.
* Post in both blogs as often as possible
 * Finish gifts for November birthdays
* Create gifts for December birthdays
* Start baking and freezing Christmas cookies
* Take part in a cookie swap
* Celebrate our church's 36th anniversary with a harvest dinner
* Finalize the Christmas gift list and finish shopping
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Clean church and set up for potluck meal
* Make plans (and carry them out) for celebrating Thanksgiving
* Continue trying to help and encourage my elderly dad
* Sort out and declutter my dad's house

NOVEMBER'S HEALTHY HABITS:  Drink enough water/exercise/eat healthfully

WORD FOR 2016: FAITHFULNESS

And here's how October went:
* Write out a passage from God's Word each day -- DONE!
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones -- DONE!
* Add 4 pages to my "What Do I Know About My God?" Scripture notebook -- I didn't get four done, maybe two or three.  Since I am writing out Scripture each day, I will suspend this goal until the new year.
* Continue study for Sunday School -- Following God With All Your Heart -- DONE!
* Exercise or walk at least 20 times -- maybe 15 times; most were not long walks.
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night -- accomplished this for about half the month, I'd say. 
* Limit sugar and red meat -- -- DONE! for the red meat, not doing as well with sugar.
* Drink enough water each day -- this habit definitely needs work.
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week -- not kept up with very well, but things are getting done.
* Post in this blog every day and in my Christmas blog as often as possible  -- DONE!
 * Plan and create gifts for November birthdays -- all were planned, but only one completed.
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- DONE!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- not as much as I'd have liked to.
* Clean church and set up for potluck meal -- DONE!
* Attend a couples' retreat -- DONE!
* Continue trying to help and encourage my elderly dad -- DONE!
* Sort out and declutter my dad's house -- still working at this project.

OCTOBER'S HEALTHY HABITS:  Drink enough water/exercise/eat healthfully -- these still need work so I'm setting the same goal for healthy habits in November.

WORD FOR 2016: FAITHFULNESS