A New DoTellMel post & Healthier Banana Muffins

A new DoTellMel post ~ Living La Vida Diva! Another Devoted Woman here.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffin

Since I am not consuming sugar or artificial sweeteners, I tweaked a couple of recipes and came up with this version which uses a small amount of honey.

For more Saturday Stirrings recipes, visit Carol @ I Throw Like A Girl.

1 C whole wheat flour

1 C self rising flour *

1/2 tsp. baking soda *

1 tsp. baking powder *

dash of sea salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C oil

2 eggs

3 mashed ripe bananas

1/2 C buttermilk

1/4 - 1/2 C honey (I used 1/4 cup.)

Mix dry ingredients. (If using all purpose flour, then adjust recipe to: 2 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda.) Stir in bananas, oil, eggs, buttermilk and honey. Makes a dozen muffins.

Bake in lined muffin pan @325 for 20 - 25 minutes. I use the "toothpick" method to check if middle is done.

Verdict: I enjoyed mine toasted with a bit of butter or a bit of cream cheese. One Fine Man liked it best toasted w/butter. Tech~Son sprayed whipped cream on his. Skate~Boy passed. Guitar Girl is doing South Beach so she did not do the "taste test." Guitar Girl's beau gave his approval on toasted w/butter. Two of my taste testers said the muffins could be sweeter. Keep in mind, I only used 1/4 cup of honey. As for me...muy delicioso!

Swiss Cheesy Bread - Saturday Stirrings

Go see Carol @ I Throw Like A Girl for more Saturday Stirrings recipes!

Warning: You'll be tempted to hog it all for yourself!

1 large loaf French Bread

16 slices Swiss cheese

2 sticks of butter

1 small bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced or crushed

1 small jar mushrooms/or fresh

1 large onion

You can play around with the components of this recipe. Use fresh or jarred mushrooms/garlic. You can use less butter...but don't cut it down too much. Omit onions if you are not an "onion person." But please, don't "cut the cheese." (A little "boy humor." I couldn't resist! Well I could, but that was funny!)

Place large piece of aluminum foil on baking sheet. Place a loaf of bread on cutting board and split French bread into 1" slices, careful not to cut through bottom of crust. Transfer bread to aluminum foil. Layer 1 slice of cheese in each split. Saute onion, pepper, garlic & mushrooms. Pour this over bread, letting it run down into slices. Cover with foil & bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Saturday Stirrings - Jalapeno Cornbread!

For more Saturday Stirrings recipes or tips, visit Carol at I Throw Like A Girl.

Jalapeno Cornbread

Everytime I make this cornbread, I wonder why I don't make it more often. It's "flat-out" good.

1 cup cornmeal (I use Martha White corn meal mix - no need to add salt or baking soda if you use the self-rising mix) ***

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup cream style yellow corn

1/3 cup oil

2/3 buttermilk

1 - 4 oz. can green chili-peppers, chopped (The amount of chili peppers you use determines the "heat" in your cornbread. I like heat so I use all of the chilis.)

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients, except cheese, in a bowl. Mix well and pour 1/2 batter into hot, oiled black skillet (large one) or into a greased 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle cheese and cover with remaining batter. Bake @ 375 for 30 - 40 minutes. The top should be golden. Do not overbake.

*** If you use corn meal that is not self-rising, add 1/2 t. baking soda & 1/2 t. salt

My tips for great cornbread: I always use the Martha White self-rising corn meal mix. This way I never have to add additional salt, soda or baking powder. Also I always use an iron skillet. When I make cornbread I put enough oil in the skillet to cover the bottom and then some. While I mix the batter, I have the oiled skillet heating in the oven. I use the "hand over the skillet" method to determine whether the oil is hot enough. It's ready just at the smoking point. I swirl the oil in the skillet to coat the sides and then pour about 1/2 of the hot oil into the batter for regular cornbread. Stir quickly and pour the batter into the skillet. (For this jalapeno cornbread recipe, no need to add more oil from the skillet to the batter as there is already a 1/3 cup in the batter.) If you hear the "sizzle" when you pour the batter into the skillet, that is music to your cornbread ears! That means your edges will be crispy. Please do not try this cornbread unless you have buttermilk; I fear you will be disappointed.

The original recipe is from Southern Elegance (Junior League of Gaston County, NC).

My only tweak to this is using the cornmeal mix rather than cornmeal, salt & baking soda.

The last time I posted a cornbread recipe, I was contacted by Crescent Dragonwagon, the author of The Cornbread Gospels (Workman Publishing).

She very kindly sent me a copy of her book. There are over 200 recipes in her book and I have enjoyed reading about the differences in "southern" and "northern" cornbread. She includes recipes for quick breads, yeasted breads, spoonbreads and griddled & crisped breads!

If you are a cornbread connoisseur, you'll enjoy the book, too!

Happy Jalapeno-ing,

Melanie

Saturday Stirrings ~ My Favorite Roast

My Favorite Roast

Chuck roast
McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
canola oil for searing roast
sliced onion (as much as you like)


Trim fat from roast if desired.
Season liberally with steak seasoning.
Heat an iron skillet with enough canola oil to cover the bottom of skillet.
Sear all sides of roast. This gives the roast a bit of a crust and great color.
Put roast in crockpot then, with the back of a spoon or small ladle,  rub adobo sauce over roast. (I use the La Costena or San Marcos brand. It comes in a small can. Use what you need and refrigerate the remainder until you need chipotle peppers again.)
Put 2 -3 chipotle peppers on top of roast.
Top roast with sliced onion.
Add enough water to just cover the roast.
Set crockpot on high and cook roast for 5 hours.
optional ~ add peeled, quartered potatoes and chunked carrots (the carrots are especially delicious with their natural sweetness and the spiciness of the seasonins.


I have experimented with different ways to season a roast in the crockpot. This simple recipe is one I came up with when I was out of my regular line up of ingredients for a crockpot roast. But it is my FAVORITE now and I wouldn't fix a roast any other way.
The chipotle peppers add a bit of spice but also a great smoky flavor. My kids love it, too!
Searing the roast gives it great color and the outer texture is fabulous. It doesn't take much more time and is well worth the bit of extra effort.


Happy Eating,
Melanie

Biscuit Pizza & Saturday Stirrings

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Biscuit Pizza.

Last night I made biscuit pizza and served it with a salad on the side. I used 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits, 1 pound of JD sausage and we had leftovers.

Canned refrigerated biscuits

your favorite pasta sauce

grated cheese

Jimmy Dean sausage - prepared and drained

Italian seasoning

Pull biscuits apart at the sides to make 2 "pizza crusts". Place evenly spaced on a greased pan. I used my Pampered Chef jelly roll pan. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on each mini pizza. Top with a little bit of pasta sauce. Add grated cheese. Top with a little mound of sausage. After you have built all of your pizzas, gently flatten them with your hand.

Put in a 350* oven until the biscuit is golden.

You can adapt this to your liking. I don't like a lot of sauce and I feel that putting the cheese under the sausage keeps the cheese from browning before the "crust" is done. I used Publix brand biscuits and McCormick Italian seasoning "classic herb." If you crowd your biscuit rounds and press to fill in the seams, your "pizza dough" will be softer. I like it crispy so I allow space around each little "pizza."