It's a Blueberry Muffin Morning!

Well, fellow Minnesota peeps, today is the last day of November, and dare I say there is NO snow on the ground.  In my 40 (something) years of existance I cannot remember another time where this has happened.  All I can say is WAHOO.  No one had difficulties with travel for the recent Thanksgiving day holiday which almost is never a smooth travel holiday here in this state.  Today there are clouds in the sky so I dare say we may likely not see the sun, which is a bummer of course.  This morning I already have fresh sheets on the beds and fresh blueberry muffins in the oven.  I have received my first Christmas card in the mail.  Oh for those uber-organized amongst us.  I USED to be one of the first to pop my cards in the mail.  As we speak, my cards are on their way to me via the U.S. Mail and I have started the draft of the annual Christmas Greetings letter.  So I guess, I am not doing too badly.  Cheers to a great day and whip up some of these muffins for your family - they are YUMMY and super simple! 

Blueberry Muffins
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix all ingredients together.  Stir in blueberries.  Spoon batter into either paper-lined or PAM sprayed muffin tin.  Bake @ 350 for about 25 minutes or until lightly, golden brown.

Busy prepping today!

Ok, yesterday I did all the shopping, it took me to three different stores!  Chaotic for sure but glad I did not wait until today.  This morning I had a DONUT and grapefruit for breakfast - ha, breakfast of champions for sure.  I did then trudge down the hall to the exercise room and worked out for 45 minutes.  I have swept everything and vacuumed every vacuumable surface.  Then I set out to get the cranberry sauce ready.  That is in its bowl and secure in the refrigerator.  I then got this side dish ready to just pop in the oven for 30 minutes tomorrow.  I found the recipe in a November issue of a magazine and adapted it to suit what I wanted to accomplish in a sweet potato side dish.  Once my mom gets here later this afternoon we are tackling the PIES (my favorite part!).  OH and BTW the turkey is safely thawing in the refrigerator.  Enjoy everyone and have a great day tomorrow! 

Carrot Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes (or yams)
1/2 bag of pre-peeled baby carrots
1 c. orange juice
water
Peel your sweet potatoes and place in a large pan with your carrots.  Pour the juice over them and then proceed to add enough water to cover and set on the stove.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until your carrots and sweet potatoes are tender.  Remove from heat.  Drain most of the water off.
Add 3 tbsp. brown sugar
a dash of nutmeg
and beat with your mixed until smooth and pureed.  Place in a baking dish.  Top with marshmellows.  Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes until golden and toasty marshmellows appear! 

(I have them ready to go as shown in the pic, so that tomorrow, I just place in the oven and bake!)

Don't want to make pie crust? Make A Crisp!

If you are one of those who is afraid to make a homemade pie crust, or if you don't have the time, how about a warm, bubbly, apple crisp?  My family loves this.  It is so good, warm and fresh from the oven with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream plopped on top.  I thought about what should be on my Thanksgiving menu today - but haven't made any firm decisions.  I am toying with doing a few turkey breasts instead of a whole turkey.  I did also decide on a sweet potato recipe that has carrots and a bit of orange juice in it as well.  Super cold here in Minnesota this morning, in my neck of the woods we woke up to 9 degrees - yep that is a single digit  :(  I did hear that the northernmost parts of the state woke up below zero - UGH.  Glad that wasn't me.  I am making a quick potato/ham/cheese soup for supper tonight - its bubbling on the stove, some nice french bread is warming in the oven right along side the apple crisp that is baking!  Enjoy!

Apple Crisp
5 c. apples, peeled and diced ( I used Cortland & Haralson)
2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar
Place your apples in a 9 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with your cinnamon sugar.  Prepare the following topping:
1 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. melted butter
Mix all of your dry ingredients together.  Stir in the melted butter to form a crumble.  Sprinkle this over the top of your apples.  Bake @375 for 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly!

A Thanksgiving Pie :)

Here in Minnesota we have had a fall that has made it difficult to think ahead to Thanksgiving and then Christmas.  However, that fate turned yesterday, brrrrr for strong, gusty, COLD winds.  Luckily in my corner of the state we don't have the snow yet but it sure has gotten cold.  One thing that does is make me want to stay home and bake.  Or at least think about what is going to be on the Thanksgiving menu when my family comes to celebrate it with us.  Here is a recipe that my mom has been making for years and truthfully, it's the ONLY way I like Pumpkin Pie.  I am planning to make this one along with a traditional Pumpkin Pie and a Blueberry Pie.  So, if you are like me and have been procastinating so far, there is no time like the present, to start scouring through your recipes and cookbooks and decide what is going to be on your menu. 

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened (go ahead and use the light)
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 TBSP. orange juice

*Mix the first 3 ingredients together and pat into the bottom of a pie plate, or you can use a 9" square cake pan.  Chill one hour or until firm. 
*To prepare the filling, combine the rest of your ingredients, stirring well until all is combined.  Spoon into the chillded crust and freeze until serving.  May top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream!

San Diego bound....

I am off to San Diego tomorrow.  Going out to visit my daughter, and I am going with her grandma and her grandma's friend.  It should be a fun time  :)  Weather in San Diego is always lovely, so not at all worried about that.  Excited to get a bit of color to me already very pasty Minnesota skin.  Just hoping not to get burnt.  In the meantime, here on the home front, yesterday I went grocery shopping and stocked up the fridge for Ken and Heather.  I made a pan of their favorite Scotcheroos, and am whipping up some Goulash hotdish so they can survive the first few days.  I am thinking McDonalds and the like will be frequented in the next week here that I am on vacation.  So have a great week and I will hopefully be better about posting once I return, rejuvenated and refreshed and maybe a little bit tanned!

Scotcheroos
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. karo white syrup
*Put these ingredients together in a saucepan, stir well and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat.
Stir in:
1 1/2 c. Peanut butter
6 c. rice krispies
Spread into a buttered 9 x 13 pan (I use the tupperware one, because it has a handy lid).
In the microwave melt together (carefully):
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
Spread this over your bars.  Regrigerate long enough to let the chocolate harden up.  Then remove from fridge.