Pecan Pie Muffins

I hate to admit it, since we had virtually no summer weather, but there is a cool breeze blowing through the window and fall is in the air. Some leaves are even beginning to change.  Fall weather makes me think of baking, and baking makes me think of pecans.  My parents were from Texas, and the best pecans come from there.  Today I ordered a large amount from Sunny Land Farms.  I can't recommend them highly enough.  There is absolutely no comparing their plump, delicious nuts with the dried and shriveled things that pass for pecan pieces in my local supermarket.  Check them out at www.sunnylandfarms.com and don't let the prices deter you.  They are not cheap, but they are worth every dollar.  I found this recipe there today, after I placed an order for 6 lbs. of pecan pieces.  Can't wait for them to arrive (sometime after the October harvest) so I can try out this recipe.

1 cup Small Pecan Pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine pecans, sugar and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in center, add beaten eggs and melted butter. Stir until just moistened.

Line 9 muffin tins with paper cups, or spray muffin tin with a non-stick cooking spray. Fill 2/3 full.
Bake at 350° 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Makes 9 muffins.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Here in Wisconsin, we have had a glorious fall so far. Sometimes fall is miserable here, with seemingly endless stretches of coldly grey days. Sometimes the leaves start to turn to the beautiful hues of autumn only to be blasted bare by rain and wind before the transformation can be enjoyed. Not this year! We have had plenty of sunny days with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s even though it is getting chilly at night. I just heard that frost is finally in the forecast for next week, but meanwhile some of our flowers are still in bloom and the colors on the trees are becoming beautiful.
 

Fall makes me want to savor a cup of coffee along with something baked in the oven, especially something with cinnamon in it. I'm planning on this for Saturday morning, and I don't want to even think about how many calories are in it.

Ingredients for Cake

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt

1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Ingredients for Topping

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Ingredients for Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

What to Do
Mix all cake ingredients together except for the butter. Next, slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. Meanwhile, brew a pot of coffee and mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. While cake is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top.

Mountain Man Breakfast

This is our favorite crowd-pleasing breakfast when camping, made over coals in a cast-iron dutch oven. Today I am chopping the veggies in preparation for making it tomorrow a.m. for my church. We will cook three large batches in roasters. My kitchen smells amazing--a mix of Jimmy Dean sausage (my favorite), onions and peppers. Yum!

You can make it at home by layering ingredients in a large covered casserole dish.

The original recipe is from Lodge Cast Iron Cookware, but we added to it. The original version has hash brown style potatoes, meat, eggs and cheese. You can omit all the additional ingredients and with just those it will taste good. Just not ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! ;-)

Layer the following in a dutch oven or casserole dish. If cooking in an oven, preheat to 350 degrees F.

1 lb. bag tater tots (or hash browns) deep fried or baked according to package directions
(If cooking in a dutch oven, cook potatoes in oil and then continue the recipe)
1 lb. cooked chopped bacon, ham or sausage (I like sausage best.)

Add some or all of the following:

one chopped onion
some chopped mushrooms
about 1 cup or more of chopped green pepper (we use a mix of green, red and yellow ones)
1 can of water chestnuts, chopped
about 1 cup sliced olives.

All of this is very approximate and we do cook the peppers and onions a bit beforehand.

Slightly beat 1 dozen eggs (or more if needed, depending on how many you are serving), and pour over the top of the potatoes and vegetables. Cover and cook till eggs are almost done. Add about 3 cups shredded cheese. (Lodge calls for 1 lb. cheese, but I think that's overkill.)

Cook till cheese is melted and eggs are done.

Serve with salsa if desired. I'm labeling this "make ahead" because you can cook everything except the eggs, tater tots and cheese beforehand and then layer it together the day you want to eat it.

Orange Marmalade French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) sourdough French bread loaf, or other fairly heavy white bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices (enough slices to cover the pan twice)
Cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) jar orange marmalade (I use sugar free or lite)
2 3/4 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans

What to Do:

Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Butter half the bread slices and arrange, buttered side down in a single layer in the pan. Spread marmalade evenly over bread. Butter remaining bread slices and arrange another layer, buttered side up.

Whisk together the milk, sugar, vanilla, spices and eggs. Pour this over bread, pushing top slices down into egg mixture if needed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Sprinkle casserole with pecans. Bake at 350° (preheated) for about 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

It is fairly sweet if you do not use sugar free marmalade, but if you like you can serve with honey or pancake syrup to which you have added one teaspoon rind and two tablespoons juice per 1/2 cup.

Chicken or Turkey Quiche

This is nice for after Thanksgiving, of course, but I had turkey to use up so made this for company last night. I couldn't find my usual recipe, so I invented this one. Ken and I decided we liked it better than the one I used to make. As for the company, judging by their comments and the amount they ate, I think it was a hit. We served it with a tossed green salad and dessert. I would like to serve it as a breakfast sometime as well. Two of us thought it needed salt, and two did not. I would add some salt to the egg mixture. Perhaps this would depend on the cheese you use.

2 1/2 to 3 c. left over stuffing or one 6 oz. pkg. chicken or turkey flavored Stove Top or similar stuffing mix
5 1/3 oz. can evaporated skim milk or 5 oz half and half
1 c. chopped cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 c. chopped onion that has been sauteed in a little butter till soft
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (I like to saute them with the onions.)
1 c. shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese
1 clove minced garlic, or about 2 tsp. of the minced garlic that comes in a small jar
Chopped parsley, optional
4 beaten eggs
tomato wedges for garnish, optional

If using stuffing mix, prepare according to package directions. Press stuffing into 9 or 10 inch pie plate or quiche dish, forming a crust. I used a "deep dish" pie pate and it was perfect. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine meat, cheese, onions and garlic. In another bowl beat together eggs, milk, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle meat-cheese mixture into hot crust. Pour egg milk mixture atop. Add parsley.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Bake quiche 30-35 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with tomato wedges, if desired. Makes 6 servings (we cut it into eight pieces, since there were four of us, and everyone had two).

Breakfast Veggie Egg Bake

This morning I am hosting the first of two breakfasts at my home for the women of my church. Here is the menu:

Coffee
Orange juice
English Muffins in a Loaf* (sliced and toasted)
Cheesy Apples*
Veggie Egg Bake

Here are the ingredients for the egg bake. Everything is approximate.

12 beaten eggs
One onion, diced
1/3 red pepper, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/3 green pepper, diced
1/3 yellow or orange pepper, diced
one can water chesnuts, diced
1 cup cooked and chopped, ham, bacon, or sausage
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
one clove chopped garlic
1/2 c chopped cilantro, 1 cup chopped tomato
salt and coarse ground pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Anything you don't like in the list is optional, except the eggs.

Coat a casserole dish or a 9 " x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. Cook the bacon or sausage, reserving a small amouunt of grease in the skiller. If you use ham, use a Tbs. or so of butter. Cook the veggies (omit the tomatoes) in the greaase/butter with the garlic, salt and pepper, till tender (not soft; they will be cooking some more) and set aside. Beat the eggs and then add the cooked veggie mixture and raw tomatoes if you use them. Heat for about 10 minutes at 325 degrees, or till eggs are mostly cooked. Add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Return to oven and heat till eggs are done and cheese is melted.

I made individual servings of this in souffle cups and put a spoonful of fried potatoes in each one before adding the eggs. The remainder is going into the fridge for breakfast in a skillet tomorrow a.m. I think I overcooked them a bit, so watch the time carefully.

Here are a few pictures of the women.

It is a beautiful morning here in Wisconsin--the kind of day you wish you could put in a bottle and uncork around February. What a nice way it was to start a busy day!