Bran Muffins

Every now and then I feel bad posting recipes that aren't the healthiest for you--only every now and then, but still--so I figured I would post one of the healthier recipes I found: a breakfast classic, the bran muffin. Full of fiber and homemade goodness, these bran muffins make a perfectly healthy breakfast option--and they are tasty, too!

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• (You can also add raisins if you like--I may try mini chocolate chips one of these days!)
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• First, mix together your wheat bran and buttermilk, and let it stand for 10 minutes. While you're waiting, preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and grease a muffin pan (this recipe will make 12 muffins).
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• Next, mix your applesauce, egg, sugar and vanilla together, and add to the buttermilk mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together your dry ingredients (your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Fold flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until just blended--remember not to over-mix! Fold in raisins or chocolate chips if you are using them, and use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
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• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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• Finally, enjoy your moist, apple-y bran muffins--and the feeling that you are eating something good for you!

Chicken Parmesan

• Like so many other recipes, I had chosen this one as an attempt to make something healthy. But, at the end of a long, difficult day, a recipe that was originally meant to be a baked chicken breast with some tomato sauce on top tends to morph a bit. You remember that you have breadcrumbs. Your husband has some leftover cheese from his week's lunches. You haven't been to Olive Garden in awhile. You realize that these things, in combination, sound way better than a tomato-y piece of chicken all by its lonesome. And really, doesn't your chicken deserve to have breadcrumbs and cheese?
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• Of course it does.
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• So, I give you: chicken parmesan! (And yes, there is actual chicken under that cheese...)

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• You will need the following:
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• 2 eggs, beaten + 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup of flour
• Salt and pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 ounces pasta sauce (or make your own--I used canned tomatoes, sauce, paste, and spices to create a more homemade taste)
• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese
• *Spaghetti, if serving
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• First, if you are making your own pasta sauce, prepare that an hour or more in advance. This will give the flavors time to meld before you begin your chicken. Next, mix your salt and pepper in with your flour in a shallow dish. Pour your beaten eggs with water into another shallow dish, and your breadcrumbs into yet another to create your chicken parm assembly line.
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• Then, one at a time, dip your chicken breasts into the flour, then into the egg wash, then finally, into the breadcrumbs. Your chicken is breaded and now ready for cooking!
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• *If you are serving spaghetti, this would be a good time to get your water on the stove for boiling.
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• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Warm a large skillet over medium high heat and add your oil. Once oil is warmed, add your breaded chicken breasts and cook for approximately 4 minutes per side, until each side has turned a golden brown. Finally, place your oven-safe skillet with your chicken breasts into the oven to allow them to finish cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Top with cheese when there is about five minutes left for them to cook.
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• Serve with spaghetti, sprinkle with basil, and your healthy-turned-comfort food dinner is ready to serve. Enjoy!
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• [Note: recipe is a combination of the ingredients and techniques found here and here]

Buffalo Chicken and Bleu Cheese Macaroni

For the first time ever, I tried chicken wings this year--who has never had chicken wings, right??--and they were AMAZING. In fact, for the week or so after I tried them, I was craving that yummy, spicy flavor. But, since I couldn't just drink the hot sauce out of the bottle (not that the thought didn't cross my mind), I had to come up with a recipe that had a similar flavor. I thought about a macaroni and cheese that utilized the same elements as the chicken wings (i.e. the spice, the bleu cheese dipping sauce, the...you know...chicken) and found a recipe here that was everything that I could ever dream of (though I'm sure my arteries had nightmares for days). It was cheesy and creamy and spicy, and the bleu cheese made it taste about as sophisticated as a bar-inspired take on a traditionally childhood meal can taste.

This macaroni recipe is one of those things that just makes you feel cozy and happy, so take a moment to drool over the picture, and then whip yourself up a batch!!

You will need the following ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a LARGE 9 x 13 pan. I used a cake pan instead of a typical casserole dish, and I was still worried I wouldn't have enough room for all the macaroni. Or, you could also fill two smaller 8x8 pans if you prefer. Either way, you'll be eating macaroni for a week (lucky!).

Cook your pasta according to package directions (just make sure to salt the water before adding the macaroni, as this will flavor your pasta). Next, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add your onion and celery and cook for 5-8 minutes (until you notice your onion turning translucent), then add your chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup of hot sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Now for the cheese sauce! Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate skillet over medium heat and mix in the flour and mustard, stirring to prevent lumps. Add in your half and half (still stirring to prevent lumps), bring to a boil to help it thicken, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently while you add in your copious amounts of delicious cheese (only the cheddar and pepper jack here--hold on to bleu for just a bit longer!). Now, if you'd like, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of hot sauce into the cheese sauce if you like things REALLY spicy. I left out the 1/4 cup, and the 1/2 cup from the chicken mixture still made things perfectly spicy for the hubby and me.

Pour the macaroni, cheese sauce, and chicken mixture into your greased pan and mix well (or layer the ingredients as the original recipe called for, if you prefer). Finally, melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and mix in the breadcrumbs, parsley, and bleu cheese. Spread over the top of your macaroni and cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden on top and bubbly around the edges. Like so:

Allow it to rest for 10 minutes after it has come out of the oven, then dig in! If you love chicken wings and all things cheesy and spicy, you will love this. So thank you to the Food Network for inventing this god among foods, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Caramel Apple Cider Martinis

My lovely sister and cousin came out for dinner and drinks a couple of days ago, and I asked them what they would like me to make. My cousin suggested an apple martini, and I came upon this lovely recipe. And, since my grocery store has been making these huge, sugary, mouth-watering looking caramel apples this month, a drink that could provide the same taste seemed like a necessity. It did not disappoint and tasted very much like dessert in a glass!

You will need the following (per martini):

1/2 cup of apple cider
1 oz. vodka
1/2 to 1 oz. butterscotch Schnapps (depending on how sweet you like your drinks)
Ice
Apple (cut into slices)
Lemon juice

First, prepare your garnish by chopping your apple into thin slices and soaking the slices in the lemon juice (this way, they will not turn brown).

Next, pour the cider, vodka, Schnapps, and ice into a martini shaker. Shake well and pour into a chilled martini glass. Place apple slice on the glass rim for decoration and serve! This is my new favorite fall drink by far, and I hope you enjoy it (responsibly) as much as we did!

Pumpkin Bread

This will be the last of the pumpkin recipes...at least for now. I had a bit of a pumpkin baking outburst this past week, but I have officially used up all the pumpkin in my possession and will try to find new ingredients for you in the near future.

But for now, I give you the spiced, the delicious, the moist, the buttery (and yes, the slightly orange) pumpkin bread!!

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• You will need the following (note: ingredients modified based on recipe reviews):
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• Bread:
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping (optional):

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift your dry ingredients (i.e. spices, flour, salt, baking soda) together in a medium bowl.

Next, mix your wet ingredients (i.e. pumpkin, sugars, oil, applesauce, water, eggs) in a separate, large bowl. Once all ingredients are well-mixed, add in dry ingredient mix a little at a time. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, taking care to not over-mix the bread dough.

Once everything is well-incorporated, pour the mix into three 7x3 pans (I only have a 9x5 and came out with enough for two loaves). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the dough comes out clean.

Now, you can either stop there (the bread is still amazing by itself), or you can pour a sugary/buttery topping over the bread (it makes it a bit sweeter and more dessert-like and is delicious). If you do decide to add the topping, poke holes all over the tops of the loaves while the bread is still warm. Mix butter, sugar, and cinnamon together and pour over the top of the bread. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

And now to continue the pumpkin goodness with pumpkin cupcakes. I found a recipe here for pumpkin cupcakes that come with a cream cheese frosting. Not only were they amazing, but they reminded me of these amazing pumpkin bars I used to get from a restaurant called The Brown Bag--the cakes were moist with a subtle spice, and the cream cheese frosting was sweet and cinnamon-y and delicious. I hope you give them a try!

• You will need the following:
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• Cupcake ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
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• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients (for 12-15 cupcakes--see below):
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

First, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and spices together in a medium bowl. Be sure to use the spices listed--I know it sounds tempting to use pumpkin pie spice (which I did the first go around--it seemed logical, as the types of spices used are the same), but the ratio of the different spices will be off and you will lose some of the spice taste if you substitute. So try to use the ones listed if you can.

Next, you will combine the cupcakes' wet ingredients in a large bowl. Start with the butter and sugars. When well mixed, add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Finally, add the milk and pumpkin. Add the mixture of dry ingredients a little bit at a time to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.

Finally, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease two cupcake pans. Using a cookie scoop, pour the cupcake batter evenly into the pans (this recipe will make 24 total). Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden (mine were done at 19 minutes).

While your cupcakes are baking, prepare your frosting. Using a hand-mixer, combine your package of cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. When well-combined, begin adding in your sugar in half cup increments. While the recipe suggests using 3 cups of confectioner's sugar, I would taste your frosting after two cups, then decide if you like your frosting a bit sweeter or a bit more savory. I liked mine sweet, so I used the full 3 cups, but you can definitely add less if you are content with the flavor.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting (note: I only made enough frosting for 1/2 the cupcakes; since I was not going to eat 24 cupcakes in a few days--even I can't accomplish that--I chose to freeze the other 12 for a future week's dessert. Feel free to double the frosting recipe if you can use all 24 at once, though!).

All in all, these cupcakes turned out moist and yummy, and, with a mug of hot apple cider, they are the perfect way to end a fall day. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bagels

It's fall, and time for some recipes to match the season! Of course, that means I get to use one of my all-time favorite ingredients: pumpkin! I began to look into this particular recipe, the pumpkin bagel, because my husband could not find a pumpkin bagel at Dunkin Donuts. I had never made a bagel, and I tend to hesitate before attempting a yeast bread recipe (the doughnuts I made seemed to take forever), but it seemed like a perfect fall recipe and would make my husband happy, so I gave it a go with a recipe found here.

And you know what? It was delicious...and super easy!!! I hope you give these a try!

First, as stated on the website, you will need the following:

Dough:

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water (100-110 degrees)
• 3 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp allspice
• 3 cups bread flour

To cook:

• 3 quarts water
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 egg, for egg wash

First, combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl, with the exception of the bread flour. You will want to use instant yeast if you can find it--I did not, and it took my dough a bit longer to rise. When these ingredients are well integrated, add the bread flour a little at a time, mixing until it is just incorporated (you never want to over-mix a dough). I did this by hand, but you could also use a stand mixer if you have one--just use the dough hook attachment.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes. The dough will start out a bit dry, but will come together by the end of the kneading process. Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning once to make sure all sides of the dough are greased, and let sit for an hour.

Once the dough has sat for an hour, punch it down in the bowl and then divide it into 8 equal pieces. Use your hands to shape each piece into a bagel shape (roll it into a ball, create a hole in the middle with your fingers, then flatten the dough). Place bagels on a greased baking sheet for another 45 minutes to an hour to allow them to expand in size.

Finally, it is time to cook the bagels! First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bring a large saucepan full of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a boil. Drop in two to three bagels at a time and boil the bagels on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from water and set on a greased cookie sheet. Once they have all been boiled, brush the tops of each bagel with egg wash and sprinkle sugar and either cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice over the top. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

And voila! You have homemade pumpkin bagels--add a little cream cheese mixed with cinnamon, and you have a delicious breakfast that practically screams fall. Enjoy!