Hearty Fruit and Oat Muffins

This is a tasty muffin with a great texture. I think they bake up better as a mini muffin. One of the best things about them is that they are a good way to use up overripe bananas or other bits of fruit that need to be used right away.

2 1/2 cups oat flakes - either old fashioned or quick

1/2 cup melted butter

3 ripe bananas

1/3 cup Fruit sauce - any kind: fig, berry, apple, apricot

(You could also use 1 banana and 1 cup of fruit sauce or any combination that makes about 1 1/2 cups fruit.)

3/4 cup chopped nuts

3/4 cup chopped, dried cranberries 

1 large or two medium eggs

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Salt

Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix all of the ingredients together. Ideally, let the batter sit for an hour or two - especially if you use the old-fashioned oats.

Add the other ingredients, mix, fill mini muffin cups and bake. The recipe will make 24 - 30 mini muffins or 12 regular size muffins

330 degrees for 20 minutes for the mini muffins. The regular size muffins might take 25 minutes.

Love looks you straight in the eye and speaks the truth.  Philip Gulley

Chocolate Truffle Cocktail

Variation 1
Equal Parts:
White zinfandel or other dry white wine
Vodka
Cranberry juice
Cashew milk - A brand called Whitewash is the absolute best for this drink.
Chocolate or coffee liqueur

Variation 2 - Non Alcoholic version
Equal parts:
Sparkling cider
Cranberry juice
Cashew milk
Chocolate syrup

Variation 3 - Dairy version
Equal parts:
White zinfandel
Vodka
Cranberry juice
Heavy whipping cream
Chocolate or coffee liqueur

Pour over ice and enjoy. Some people might like this drink without ice. I like the coffee liqueur better, but either of these flavorful liqueurs will work. This could definitely work as a dessert.

Yams with Fruit

We eat yams year round, but it seems they should get dressed up for the holidays. Any fruit will work - pears, apples, persimmon, oranges - anything that can be sliced.

Slice the potatoes and fruit into a casserole dish of any size.

Make a baking sauce using any or all of the following ingredients:

Bacon grease or olive oil

Butter

Salt

Cinnamon

Curry powder

Pinch of rosemary or thyme

Fruit juice

Almond extract or vanilla

Honey or maple syrup

Amounts are not too critical. I used about a third cup of the butter mix, a quarter cup of fruit juice and 3 tablespoons of honey. Spice to taste. You can veer toward sweet or savory. I used more curry than cinnamon. Melt the butter sauce, add spices and pour over the slices.

Sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts over the top. Bake covered with foil for 1/2 hour. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more - all at 350 degrees.

Serve at any meal. This makes a great breakfast, a popular side or a good one-dish meal.

Oxtail Soup

This is an oldie but goodie that a few folks will recognize from their childhood. The bone broth is what gives this soup it's rich flavor.

4 or 5 oxtail bones in 3 - 4 quarts water
Herb blend  (There are several that might work. One called Garlic and Herb Sensation by Spice Hunter seems to work well.)
Salt and pepper
 
Simmer for several hours until meat has fallen off bones Scoop out bones with a slotted spoon.
Refrigerate overnight and remove most, but not all, of the fat layer that has risen to the top.
Return to simmer. This is what the bones will look like when the meat has fallen off. There may also be a few smaller pieces to fish out.

Add some more herb mix and salt and pepper and 3/4 cup red wine. A Cabernet or Merlot, among many others, would be fine.

After the soup is reduced about 1/2 inch, add 3/4 cup pearl barley.
While barley is cooking, chop and saute the following vegetables in olive oil:
1 cup each of
Carrots
Leeks
Onion
Celery
Parsnips
Peeled tomatoes with seeds removed

Add 1 cup chopped mushrooms and 4 - 6 cloves minced garlic to the saute mix just before finishing.

Do not let the vegetables get soft. Add herbs and salt to the saute mix.

Add vegetables to the soup about 45 min before serving.

Serve with crackers or slices of avocado.

Note: The soup is actually made with beef tail bones. No oxen are needed.

Learn something new everyday or you're cheating yourself. Emeril Lagasse

Blueberry Custard - Dairy Free version

1 cup fresh blueberries or 1 cup frozen blueberries - thawed and drained
Chopped peaches, strawberries or raspberries are other great options.
2 cups canned, full fat coconut milk (Cashew or other nut milks will work, but coconut has more fat, so it makes a creamier custard.)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup honey - depending on your preference for sweetness

1. Beat eggs.

2. Add milk, vanilla and honey. Add fruit last.

3. Ladle into glass or ceramic custard cups - fill about 3/4 full.

You can use a glass pie plate or baking dish if you don't have custard cups.

4. Place custard cups or glass dish on a cookie sheet filled with water; set oven at 350 degrees.

5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until middle is set - no longer liquid.

6. Chill and serve.

 For the ultra-rich dairy version, click here:
http://foodforthoughtcookbook.blogspot.com/2013/02/blueberry-rum-custard.html

Someone sits in the shade today because someone else planted a tree long ago.
Warren Buffet

Spice Up Your Breakfast

When I talk about spices, they are very often the chili pepper kind, but this simple breakfast is made with the kind of spices you usually use in desserts.

This is an easy breakfast and will take you only a matter of a few minutes to make.

1 container of firm organic tofu
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
dash of cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts - cashews, pecans or walnuts
1 tablespoon sesame seeds or chia seeds

Melt the oil, crumble in the tofu, add the rest of the ingredients and heat until everything is thoroughly mixed.
In just 5 minutes, you have a tasty breakfast with protein and plenty of healthy fats. You won't be hungry for a long time.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Unknown

Fennel Slaw

Have you seen these beauties at the farmer's market and wondered what to do with them? They are full of flavor and they are very versatile. They can be sauteed just like onions and garlic and added to meat and vegetable dishes, but the best new thing I've found is to use them in a crunchy, tangy salad.

Chop: 
1 peeled apple
3 stalks celery
1 fennel bulb
1/2 small cabbage
A few of the fennel "feathers"

Grate:
3 large, peeled carrots

Mix the chopped and peeled vegetables together and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a couple tablespoons of lemon or lime juice.

Mix with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of a creamy salad dressing. Avocado, honey mustard or ranch are all great options.

Take this to your next picnic or barbeque. It will be a hit.

Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside.
Stephen Covey