PUMPKIN DATE MUFFINS/BREAD

When I found myself restless on Sunday, I naturally gravitated to my kitchen. It was a beautiful sunny day even though the weatherman had called for rain. It would have been a good day for a Sunday afternoon drive, but instead I spent half of the day in the kitchen and Wayne was organizing some things in the newly remodeled bathroom.

I had two recipes I wanted to make - one for a Pumpkin Date Bread and one for an Apple Fritter Bread. I wanted to make the latter to take to the thrift shop the next morning. It sounded like something the volunteers would like. I thought I would make the Pumpkin Date Bread for us and maybe give some away. Recently when I shared one of my quick breads Friend Julie asked me if I thought she could make it as muffins instead of a big loaf. I told her I thought so, but she could also make it as two mini loaves. She said she didn't have any mini loaf pans and thought she would try it as muffins. That gave me the idea to make the Pumpkin Date Bread as muffins instead of as a loaf. 

Well, it worked out great. Wayne liked the idea, too. I told him we could always freeze some of the muffins and he liked that idea. I had cut the recipe from a magazine (?) and glued it in my Blue Binder that I started many, many years ago. Ruth McKay from Hopkins, MI had shared the recipe for her diabetic husband. She said she appreciated recipes that fit his restricted diet but were still nice and moist and flavorable. 

As I said, I made 18 muffins instead of an 8 x 4 - inch loaf. I also used eggs instead of egg substitute and butter instead of margarine. I ended up giving Friend Sharon four of the muffins and we are going to enjoy the other twelve. I am freezing some so that we spread out our enjoyment. We do love dates! 

PUMPKIN DATE MUFFINS or BREAD

1/3       cup butter, softened

3          tablespoons brown sugar

Egg substitute equivalent to 2 eggs (I used 2 eggs, beaten)

1          cup solid-pack pumpkin

1          cup whole wheat flour

1/2       cup all-purpose flour

1          teaspoon baking powder

1          teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2    teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2       teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4       teaspoon salt

1/4       teaspoon ground cloves

1/4       teaspoon ground allspice

1/2       cup buttermilk

1          cup quick-cooking oats

 1/2      cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 4 - inch loaf pan or muffin tins to make 18 muffins with non-stick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

Beat in egg substitute (or eggs, beaten) and pumpkin.

Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk and

add to the creamed mixture alternately with

buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients mixture.

Stir in oats and dates.

(You might notice in my pictures that I scrape the sides of the bowl, often.)

Pour into loaf pan or divide batter into 18 muffins. If you are not concerned about sugar, I would suggest at this point that you sprinkle just a little sugar on top. (I will do this the next time.)

(I use my ice cream scoop. Measures perfect amount.)

Bake the loaf for 75 minutes (check after 60) or 20 minutes for muffins. Check doneness with a toothpick.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ANGEL COOKIES

 It seems like all I want to do lately is bake. I could be sewing, but except for five face masks I made yesterday, I haven't sewed in many weeks. I really do need to get back though as I need to finish a baby blanket I started maybe a month ago for my cousin's new grandson. I have the top finished, just currently stuck on what to put on the back. At the rate I'm moving, Garrison will be grown before I finish it. 😢

So the kitchen is where you can find me most days. Today as Wayne was cutting himself a slice of the Grape-Nuts Bread, he said, "You should sell this. You could open a shop and sell your biscuits and bread, but knowing you, you would want to diversify." Ha...he's right. I would be featuring different baked goods every day. You would just have to drop by every day to see what I was selling that day.

I picked up one of my cookbooks this morning America's Best Recipes - 1992 Hometown Collection and starting flipping through it. I noticed that I had checked several recipes and some I had even written "Blog" on them to let me know I made and shared it here. If I didn't do that, I would forget. To be honest some of the ones I had written blog on, I don't remember making them. 

I ended up putting some stick-on strips to make some of the recipes that I wanted to remember to check out again. A few I wrote down on my notepad to try to cook within the next week or two. Wayne asked me what I was doing, if I was looking for recipes? I held up the cookbook so he could see all of the green tabs showing and said I had found a few. He ended up waving his arm around the room and said something about how many cookbooks I had. 

The recipe for these chocolate chip cookies was the first one I saw when I opened the book. I immediately got a stick of butter out of the refrigerator to get at room temperature before I did any thing else. Just reading the recipe, I knew I would be making them before the day got away from me.

The name intrigued me a little - Chocolate Chip Angel Cookies. I kept rereading the instructions to see if I was going to shape them into an angel, but no just into a ball and roll in the sugar. After eating one still warm out of the oven, I think the name refers to how you feel eating one. They are so good, melt in your mouth, and you think you have died and gone to heaven (and therefore an Angel).

The most disappointing thing is the recipe said it made 5 dozen cookies and I only got 4 dozen + 3 cookies one of which had no chocolate chips or nuts since I scraped the sides of the bowl to make a one more cookie. It will be hard for me to share any of these with a neighbor.

The recipe was contributed by Monty Bordelon from The Cajun Connection Cookbook, Trinity Catholic Church Booster Club in St. Martinville, Louisiana.  

CHOCOLATE CHIP ANGEL COOKIES

1/2     cup butter, softened or at room temperature

1/2     cup shortening

1/2     cup sugar

1/2     cup firmly packed brown sugar

1        egg

1        teaspoon vanilla

2        cups flour

1        teaspoon baking soda

1        teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4     teaspoon salt

1        10 - 12 ounce package chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

1         cup chopped pecans

Additional sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease two cookie sheets. Set aside.

Cream butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl til smooth.

Gradually add the sugars, beating well at medium speed.

Scrape the sides of the bowl often.

(Since I was using the same 1/2 cup measuring cup, I added the white sugar and then added the brown sugar.)

Add egg and vanilla and

beat well.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in another bowl with a whisk.

Add to creamed mixture,

mixing well.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Shape dough into 1 - inch balls and roll in sugar.

(I used my cookie scoop, rolled in hand to form a ball, and

then rolled in sugar in a small bowl.)

Place balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 14 to 15 minutes (15 if using the parchment paper).

Remove cookies and allow to cool on wire rack. (Make sure you enjoy one while still warm.)

You know these would be a great gift for the holidays to friends, neighbors, and family. 

INSTANT POT BAKED PENNE

Well, I have had my Instant Pot (IP) for a week and I have learned so much and am not as intimidated as I was initially. After doing the water test that the company recommends, I tried cooking brown rice. It took two tries before I was successful (read about it HERE), but I did have success with the second time. I even made Paula Deen's Rice Pudding with some of it but I haven't had a chance to write that recipe up yet. Later this week, hopefully.

Then I decided I would use it as a Slow Cooker and bake some Slow Cooker Herb Bread, but it didn't do as well as it does in my "real" slow cooker. I'm not sure why it didn't work, but there are a couple of reasons maybe why. I didn't use Rapid Rising Yeast as I did before and so the dough wasn't as risen as usual after the first hour, but I went on and proceeded anyway. Then I cooked it for only 1.5 hours forgetting that the recipe said 1.5 to 2 hours. I should have cooked it longer. So I will just have to give it a try again.

My third attempt was to make this Baked Penne Casserole. It was really exciting. I got to use the Saute function when I cooked the ground beef and I got to use the Pressure Cooker function to cook the pasta and casserole. It was so easy and tasted fantastic! I was sold on my IP after that try.

I said it was so easy and it was. The really funny thing about the experience though I must share with you. Basically after the casserole cooks, you do a quick release of the pressure and open the pot to add the cheese and let it sit to melt. Well, I couldn't get the top off the IP. 

I was in the process of texting my DIL Sara about something else and I had to interrupt the discussion to tell her I couldn't get the lid off. This is how our conversation went with all the typical typos (hint) you have to know where and what punctuation marks I would be using: 

ME Sorry to change the subject but if I can open the lid to the infant pot has it not released all of the pressure well what do I need to do 

SARA I don't understand what you mean (I'm not really surprised, I don't hardly understand myself reading it now. lol) 

ME I'm cooking something and when it got done I was supposed to release do a quick release and then open the lid and add the cheese I've done the quick release but I can't get the lid to open (now that makes more sense) 

SARA Oh hmmm 

Sara Kinda push down as you try to turn it open 

Sara No more air is coming out? Pin is down? (Gosh Sara uses punctuation marks) 

ME OK Pushing down opened it.  It took almost 2 minutes to get steam out. Is that normal 

SARA Yes.. some the fuller it is the longer it takes to release pressure 

Sara Some things 

ME Turned out good. (and then I sent her this picture)

SARA Looks good

So I will give Sara credit for my success because if I hadn't gotten the top off, we wouldn't have been able to enjoy it and I wouldn't be sharing it with you. I said she was a sweetheart putting up with her crazy mil.

INSTANT POT BAKED PENNE

1        tablespoon oil

1        lb ground beef

1/2     yellow onion chopped (I used minced onion)

1        teaspoon garlic powder

2        teaspoons Italian seasoning

3/4     teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

2        tablespoons tomato paste

2        teaspoons Balsamic vinegar

4        cups low sodium beef broth (I make my own using beef bouillon cubes and hot water - I used 5 cubes to the 4 cups of hot water for added flavor.)

1        14.5 - oz can diced tomatoes

1        16 - oz package penne pasta

1-2     cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2 cups)

Brown the beef using the saute option on the IP.

Add oil and

then the ground beef and cook til done.

Add the onion, garlic powder, thyme, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar.

Cook for 30 second, stirring constantly.

Pour the beef broth into the pot and scrap any bits off the bottom of the inner pot using the spoon that comes with the IP or a wooden spoon as I did. (I didn't have any bits, but I scraped the bottom anyway. If you don't do this, you might get a burn warning - which I still haven't seen)

Stir in the tomatoes and

dry pasta.

Make sure pasta is covered with liquid.

Put the lid on the pot and press the Pressure Cook function and set the timer for 3 to 4 minutes. (3 minutes if the box says to cook the pasta less than 9 minutes and 4 minutes if longer. My pasta said to cook it for 11 - 13 minutes so I set the timer for 4 minutes.  Remember it will take maybe 10 minutes for the pressure to build and then the pressure cooker starts cooking. (I'm getting use to this extra time required.)

Once it has cooked for the amount of time,

do a quick release of the pressure (turn the lever to the right - the steam will start releasing - you will see the steam and hear it hissing) and

open the pot when all of the steam has released. Be careful as you remove the lid as there will be water in the lid and you can make a mess. I have a towel and dry it as soon as I left it. 

Stir in the cheese and

cover with the lid (I just rested the lid on top) and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Serve immediately. I added a little pepper.

This is so good and heats up just as good. I put a serving in the microwave and heat for a little over a minute on the reheat pasta setting. The recipe makes so much for just two people, I ended up freezing some of it for later. I will get it out the night before to let it thaw in the refrigerator over night and then reheat it as above in the microwave. 

I think I am going to be in the LOVE group instead of the Intimidated group. You have to read my first post if you missed it. Check it out HERE. You can read  HERE about my learning to cook brown rice in my IP and HERE for chicken breasts.