Yoghurt Oatmeal Muffins aka the yummiest muffins ever aside from those pumpkin ones!

 

So last week I mentioned those muffins we made.

They were, of course, a hit with all residents here and were demolished in about 2 days.

Because they are that good.

(I always say this but PLEASE let me know if you make any recipes I suggest. It thrills me to no end)

I originally got the recipe from this blog WAAAAAAYYYY back in the day (I've been blogging forever) but I see she's made her blog private.

This is why you should always PRINT your favourites and stick them in a flipfile, which is exactly what I do.

My printout is dated 28 May 2007!!!

Anyway, I'm going to tell you how I make them.

Ingredients
1 cup oats (any, I'm not fussy)
1 cup yoghurt (again, anything although the recipe says plain yoghurt, I like to jazz it up with a flavoured yoghurt. The flavour is very subtle = DELICIOUS! Last week I had strawberry so strawberry it was)
1 egg
1/2 cup oil (I always put slightly less oil in any recipe - like 50 ml - somehow it makes me feel more virtuous? and fill it with milk)
1/2 cup sugar (same here - I used 3/4 cup which is plenty of sugar)
1 1/4 cup self-raising flour (or plain flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)
Any extras you like is optional - 1 banana, chocolate chips, raisins (last week I threw in a large handful of raisins)

• Preheat oven to 220 Celsius (mine is a VERY hot oven - like its owner, hahaha - so I turn it down to 180 once it reaches 220 for the actual baking)
• Mix the oats and yoghurt and leave in the fridge for about 30 mins.
• Stir in egg, oil, sugar and the flour last
• Remember with muffins, no over-mixing, just enough to combine
• I find that I need a little bit of milk at the end. Just a splash. You'll feel it when you can stir comfortably.

I use muffin liners and I spray "Spray and Cook"/ "Cook and Bake" (whichever is cheapest when I need to buy a can) (Pam for the US girls) into each cup.

They make 12 large muffins. I usually make 6 large and 12 mini ones because the kids like the novelty of the small ones... and they're MUCH cuter!

The recipe says it takes 20 minutes. I say stay in the kitchen and check from 12 minutes onwards if you have a hot oven like mine, definitely from 15 minutes with normal ovens. Stick in a toothpick and if it's clean, take them out. Don't let them overdry.

They are DELICIOUS.

please excuse my muffin pan. it is very well-loved. I have a new pan too but that one doesn't work as well...

Everyone will gobble them up and you'll have to make another batch tomorrow.

The recipe says they're good for 3 days on the counter. They've never lasted that long around these parts :)



And now, since it's the last day of the month, D and I are doing date night 3, Up in the air (LOVED it when we saw at the movies), so we're going to enjoy some of those muffins and a nice mug of tea.

How was your Saturday?

I'll have to find and link to the amazing pumpkin ones. I can't find it on my Pinterest board!!!

My food love language is "apple"

I often joke and say my love language is apple but it's true - I love, love, LOVE anything with apples.

Apples are my favourite fruits and I always have at least one in my bag.One day when I'm bored (HA!) I'll go through my pics and find pics of my hand with an apple in it. I can think of PLENTY!



Anyway.

So, of course, I love apple anything in a recipe. YUMMY!



Two months ago (I started writing a few weeks ago and then calculated and it's actually two months... gee, time flies), I went to a friend's for lunch and then I had another supper plan with other friends.

We had our lunch (late) and I started making moves to leave until one of my friend's other friends said, "but wait, you need to taste my apple tart" and of course, I screeched to a stop.

I had to leave so I got my piece to take away and when I eventually had it, OH MY WORD, so delicious.

The next day I contacted the lady and begged (!) for the recipe. She must think I'm mad but know this, if I have anything super delicious at your house, I will beg for the recipe, ok?



I still haven't made this myself but I've been handing out the recipe to all and sundry because it was just that good.

My colleague (the ISTP from yesterday's post) made this and also now can't stop raving (in an introverted fashion :)) about it.

DELICIOUS!

What is your food love language? 

PS of course I also say that when God put cinnamon with apples, oh, man, heaven right there! :)

Quick flop-proof apple pie

Ingredients:

1 tin pie apples (small.410g)

150ml milk

150ml cake flour

150ml castor sugar

2 teaspoons oil

2 teaspoons baking powder

Cinnamon

1 round pie plate

Spray pie plate with spray & cook (Pam for the Americans)
Put pie apples in pie plate and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Place all dry ingredients in bowl.  (cake flour;castor sugar;baking powder)

Mix together milk & oil.

Make a well in dry ingredients and mix in milk & oil.Pour over pie apples and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake in a preheated oven = 180C (the lady didn't specify how long it had to bake. I'd say probably around 30 minutes but stay in your kitchen and organise while this is baking)

Serve hot with fresh whipped cream (I don't eat cream - delicious just as is)

ENJOY!!

PPS The italics are my contribution!

New, Pinteresting recipes... just for Laura

So I have on my 37 things list to cook 12 new “main course” recipes.

When I last updated my page, I'd done 7 - pan pizza, chicken with peaches, honey chicken with pineapple, enchilada casserole, aromatic chicken, mince, noodles and sweetcorn, chickpea and pita bread salad.


I then set out to finish up those last 5.

1. Quesadilla buffalo burgers

Source: skinnytaste.com via Marcia on Pinterest

I don't eat buffalo but minced beef (or chicken) would work. And I used wholewheat pita to contain it all nicely.

It was a lovely, quick meal for a change but I need to work on the burger part as mine were not all that tasty to start...

Still I would do it again.

2. Spicy sausage pasta

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Marcia on Pinterest

This one was a big hit and I've already made another pasta recipe based on the same, one-pot principle.

The only change I made was using beef instead of turkey sausage. Next time I will use pork but D is not too fond of pork. Is there anything better than a pork sausage though?! YUM!

This one is staying on our menu rotation.

By the way, this is my new way with recipes. I pin everything I'm likely to try, take the laptop to the kitchen and if we love it, then only will I print a copy for my flip file :)

3. Skinny Chicken Divan

Source: skinnytaste.com via Marcia on Pinterest

This one was a little too skinny for me because it uses chicken stock instead of a cream-based sauce. My old recipe uses a cream of chicken soup plus mayonnaise (always Crosse and Blackwell Lite).

It's nice enough though; in fact, we're having the second half of it for supper tonight.

4. Macaroni cheese

I already make a good and healthy macaroni cheese (to which I add carrot cubes - the kids don't even know and they think it's cheese because of the orange) but I'm always game to try anything pasta.

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Marcia on Pinterest

I made this on Saturday and both the kids and D loved it. I preferred mine but I will admit this is EASY, delicious and quick.


5. Black bean quesadillas

I made these last week after I noticed I had two packs of wraps in the freezer. I'm into clearing the freezer regularly so I force myself to get creative and use up all the odds and ends. Which is exactly why we had pasta with butternut and bacon last night :)

I saw this recipe on Deanna's blog and since I don't know what black beans are, I used a can of chickpeas. BTW, I can't find red kidney beans (dry) anywhere in Jhb. If you see some, please tell me where. I like to cook them myself but have had to buy tinned because I can't find them.

They were SO easy and SO delicious. I sampled one while I was cooking and shared with the other 3.

BTW, this is how I introduce new foods to my kids. I heat our food, have a taste and go "mmmmm" and then they also want to taste. I'll give them one bite and then say, "no, Baby, this is MY supper. Would you like some for your supper tomorrow?" and that's how it works.

A huge hit with me, D and both babies. D and I had two quesadillas each (4 quarters) and the babies had 1 each. The mixture was just enough for the 6.

If you have it with a bowl of soup (because it's winter) or some salad (in summer) it will stretch further... or maybe not :)

We're having some more on the weekend, this time with red kidney beans :)

6. Bonus - cinnamon muffins

Source: cozycottagecute.com via Marcia on Pinterest

I also made these last week (it is SO nice cooking in winter).

I've been looking at Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for years and years but I just can't get past all that butter and sugar.

So when I saw these on a blog, I thought, "hey, I can do that" and so I did.

This recipe is just perfect. I adjusted it as I always do and I always skip the glaze.

It felt like a little slice of heaven in my house. And I was a rock star wife and mother because everybody loved it.

D said the other day he's LOVING the fact that I'm making so many new (nice) things to eat and I just smiled. My secret's Pinterest :)

This is why I'm writing this post, Laura, because you asked for recipes the other day and I was too lazy to comment and write all that I was thinking :)

So which recipes are you going to try???

Please share your favourite cooking and baking pins with me!

I'm officially done with those two items on my 37 things list but that doesn't mean the fun in the kitchen stops!

30-minute rolls, lemon bars & your go-to recipe

On my 37 things list, I put down to try 12 new main course and 12 new baking (sweet) recipes. 

Well, why this surprised me I don't know but I did most of the 12 sweet ones in about 3 months ... but the main course part didn't go that easily.

I'm always game to try something new but we mainly stick to what we know and love.

These are my lessons:

1. I really love making sweet things. I have tons pinned and I'm always seeing more. Good thing I have a filter of any recipe that takes more than 1/2 cup butter/ 1 cup sugar is out. Otherwise, anything apple, lemon or cinnamon goes :) Just look at my pinterest board.
2. my kids don't like their fruit mixed up with chicken unlike their mother (e.g. chicken with pineapple, chicken with apricots, peachy chicken, etc)
3. I really, REALLY don't like cooking in my hot kitchen in summer. Louisa, how does late August look for our cooking/ baking date? (as an aside, Louisa and I made a baking (friend) date about 6 months ago. I'm pleased to say we're such real friends that we keep getting together and not baking! But I'm still game!)
4. I only seem to pin pastas and breads.................

Anyway, about 3 weeks ago I looked at my list and realised I need to get a move on with the recipes.

Source: yourhomebasedmom.com via Marcia on Pinterest

I'd recently pinned these 30-minute rolls so I tested them on a Friday evening.

this is a serious question - how on earth do you get nice neat SMOOTH rolls like on the recipe blogs?

baked!

Mmmmmm - I'm drooling just looking at this pic

i love these angles with the nice blurry background

pulled open to see inside

it's just asking for some butter!

They were DIVINE - we all loved them and the kids even went "mmmm" while they were eating :)

This is definitely a family favourite - I made them again last weekend but they didn't look any prettier so I didn't take new pics. I really need to figure out how to make them look as good as the "control" pic.

Moving on.

I also tried to make these lemon bars with lemon curd since we don't have lemon pie filling (as the recipe called for) in South Africa but they didn't work.

They tasted fine (actually super delicious) but they were very flat. I may make them again if I decide to serve them with hot custard - yum! I actually had a thought - maybe I should try them with pineapple or apple pieces???

Source: kathewithane.com via Marcia on Pinterest

So that's another two for my list.


But over to you - please give me your no-fail winter main course recipe that's either

1) easy and can be assembled in 30 minutes or less
2) takes longer but it makes a ton of food that I can put in my freezer (these are my favourite kinds of recipes)

Bonus - is healthy and low-fat!



Do you enjoy baking bread?
How often do you consciously try new recipes?

The easiest cookies ever - oats and raisin

 

These are my favourite biscuits to make because they're easy, they yield a lot and they're drop cookies.

Flour all over my counters and on the floor makes me a little bit crazy.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (when I do a batch for the babies, I only use half a cup)
1/2 cup margarine (100 g, roughly)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk - I probably end up using 2/3 because the mixture always feels like it needs more
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 cup oats (any brand, any time - this recipe is very forgiving)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
½ - ¾ cup raisins

Method

TIP - when you're mixing the dry ingredients, mix another batch or two so there's even less mess in your kitchen next time :)

* Melt the butter in the microwave with a sheet of roller towel on the top so you don't mess.
* Cream. (Beat with a hand mixer if you also don't have strong arms like me).
* Add the dry ingredients and the egg.
* Combine
* Grease your baking sheets or use baking paper like I do
* These are drop cookies. Take a teaspoon full of the dough and place on baking sheet.
* Allow for space to spread during the baking process.
* Flatten them out a little bit with the back of a teaspoon or fork and some water.
* Bake at 350 degrees/ 180 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes. I suggest that you check them so that they don't start burning around the edges like mine sometimes do.

Yields about 4 dozen.

They are DELICIOUS and I'm not sure how long they last because they're gone at my house within days.

What was the last thing you baked?

PS Happy Valentine's Day :)

I'm linking this post to all these lovely parties.

Sweet & Savoury Snacks - easy Christmas gifts

this is what they looked like

This is a long post - get ready with your cup of tea.

I made two versions: Savoury and Sweet

Here’s the Savoury version:

• 9 cups of cereal (I used O-Tees, Popped Rice and Corn Flakes – the cheapest house brand version in some cases, otherwise I think it was the Bokomo brand)
• 1 cup nuts (peanuts)
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup bagel chips (I used cream crackers because I had half a packet left – basically any savoury biscuit will do)

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a huge bowl, one where you can stir the ingredients and they won’t fall out

In another smaller bowl, melt in the microwave and cover the bowl with paper towel to avoid splats:

• 6 Tablespoons butter (I used margarine)
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons flavoured salt (I only use 1 teaspoon since I don’t like very salty things and I did a cheesy version at first and the next time I did a garlic and herb version)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder (I used flakes)
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

·        A note on the seasonings – do one batch exactly as is and then you’ll know if it’s salty enough for your taste.

1. When the butter mix is melted, pour half into your bowl, stir well and then pour the other half and finish stirring.
2. Put the bowl in the microwave for one minute, take out and stir, and then do another minute and stir. Don’t do two minutes all at once – you don’t want it to burn. My microwave is 1000W so adjust accordingly.
3. The smell of the Worcestershire sauce is quite strong at this point. Don’t worry,  that’s normal.
4. Empty  your mix onto 3 cookie sheets lined with wax paper to absorb the excess oil and cool down.
5. I left mine out for about 20 – 30 minutes to cool down and then packaged it all up.
6. While the mix is cooling, prepare the containers.

I used scrapbook paper on clean formula cans. I put the mixes in plastic snack bags inside the cans so people could re-use my pretty cans. 

Then I made the top pretty, tied a ribbon, a tag and a little ornament and voila – a pretty, frugal gift straight from my heart.

I had a pack of 20 ornaments and I have about 4 – 5 left. 

It’s hard to say how much this makes because both D and I snacked before I packed it all AND I kept a tin for us.

At a guess, I’d say about 6 small formula tins.

Sweet Snack Mix

• 5 cups of cereal (I used 6)
• 1 cup biscuits (I used Marie biscuits the first time, Tennis biscuits the next time) The one is a plain, buttery biscuit and the other has coconut in it.
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chocolate chips (let me tell you my trick – you will pay about R20 for a small bag of choc chips but only R13 – R14 for a large 200 g Cadbury’s slab. Get the slab and a big butcher’s knife and have at it. I go on the diagonal, swivel my chopping board  and chop on the diagonal again. It seems to be quicker that way. Within minutes you’ve got nice chocolate chunks in your favourite chocolate instead of the boring choc chips, and you’ve saved R7)
• If you don't like raisins or chocolate, add 2 cups of anything - dried fruit, sweet nuts, etc.

Mix the cereal (not the choc or raisins) in a huge bowl.

In another smaller bowl, meltthe following in the microwave and cover the bowl with paper towel to avoid splats.

• ¼ cup butter (I used margarine) – this is 55 g margarine (I feel all clever but meanwhile I’ve just made a LOT of this stuff)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

1. Pour half into your bowl, stir well and then pour the other half and finish stirring.
2. Put the bowl in the microwave for one minute, take out and stir thoroughly.
3. Add raisins and chocolates and stir again.
4. Lay out on wax papered cookie sheets for 20 – 30 minutes, package nicely and enjoy.

When I handed these out at work, they were a huge hit.

Now here’s the beauty of these snack mixes.

You can adjust the recipe according to taste.

I also made a healthy version for the babies

• Cereal
• Raisins
• Dried fruit, chopped up

(no butter, no sugar)

They eat theirs when we eat ours.

The family that snacks together stays together? :)

These are sweet mixes I keep ready to combine. I forgot to keep the chocolate (and I threw in some Smarties too - candy-coated chocolate buttons) separate so I won't microwave for that extra minute. It will still be fine because I made that mistake once before. 

This is another one of my tricks because I hate messing up the kitchen so I do it once, measure dry ingredients for at least 2 more batches and then it's easy to quickly whip up something :)

this one has raisins, smarties and chocolate chunks

and Marie biscuits

I did two cans each for some friends - a savoury and a sweet

And once more...

I hope it was worth the wait. Please let me know if you make it, if you try different ingredients and if your recipients LOVE it like I do :)

What are your quick and easy gift ideas? (not necessarily in the kitchen or handmade)