Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Nothing is better than a fresh baked muffin in the morning.  From scratch muffins always taste better than the box mixes and are not much more work.  Since I still have so many strawberries leftover from my curb market binge buy, making strawberry muffins was the obvious choice.  These are made with cream cheese which makes them especially delicious.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar.  Then  add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix until just combined.

In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the cinnamon.  Then add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix.

 
The batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough.  Stir in the strawberries.

Then spoon batter into a paper lined muffin pan.  Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes,until the tops are golden.  Then cool on a  cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

This recipe makes about 12 muffins.

As with all muffins these are best eaten the day they are made.

Old-fashioned Strawberry Skillet Cobbler

On our way home from the beach, we stopped at a curb market in Chilton County.  I bought a huge basket of strawberries, a basket of peaches, and some green plums.  Now we have way more fruit than we can eat, but I just can't pass up locally grown produce.  The surplus of fruit gave me a good excuse to make this old-fashioned cobbler.

This cobbler is really simple.  It can be made with any kind of fruit, even canned fruit.  I prefer it made with fresh fruit.  It really is best made in a cast iron skillet, but if you don't have one any 8 inch baking dish will do.  Cast iron just retains heat so well that you will always get crisp edges.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Skillet Cobbler

1/4 cup butter, 1 stick

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 & 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degress.  In a 8 inch cast iron skillet melt a stick of butter.

Meanwhile in a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk.

In the hot skillet pour the batter into the melted butter and top with the strawberries.  Put the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is golden brown.

It is best served warm or at room temperature.  I tastes great on its own, but it is even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Beach Eats...Pensacola, Florida

For the past few days I have been relaxing on the beach in Pensacola, Florida.  Pensacola is only a few hours drive away and we have family there so it is very convenient for us to visit.  Pensacola is by far one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  The sand is almost pure white.  In spite of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Pensacola Beach is still untouched.

I didn't cook while I was there, but I sure did eat some good food.  It was actually really nice not to have to cook and not to have to clean the kitchen.  Now for me no trip to Pensacola is complete without a visit to Peg Leg Pete's Oyster Bar.  It may seem hard to believe that this restaurant with a pirate theme can have such good food, but they do.  There is always a long line of people waiting for a table, but waiting is fine with me it gives me a chance to grab a Bushwacker in the bar downstairs.

A Bushwacker really is the perfect beach drink.  Its a blend of rum, cream of coconut, and ice cream with a shot of 151 proof rum floated on the top.  Now a Bushwacker is reason enough to visit the bar, but there is also a band.

And an amazing view!

When your table is ready you really don't want to leave the bar.  Too bad they don't serve food in the bar.  The food is amazing and the portions are huge!  There is no way you will leave hungry.

At the time all this food and four Bushwackers didn't seem like such a bad idea, but today when was struggling to button my pants it was a different story.  I would hate to know the calorie count of this meal, but it was worth every calorie.

Another great place we ate was McGuire's Irish Pub. From the outside it looks just like an other Irish pub, but inside there really is a pot of gold.  Well not gold, but an awful lot of money. 

Dollar bills are stapled to everything. They provide the the stapler and the marker and you write your name on your dollar bill and you dollar becomes part of the decor.  If you don't mind eating surrounded by dollar bills and under the glow of neon bar signs, then you will love this place.  They also have this fantastic bean soup that only costs 18 cents.  Definitely the cheapest thing I have ever eaten at a restaurant.

While Indian food is by no means traditional beach food, I always seek out Indian restaurants every place I go.  In Pensacola we found one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever eaten at, The Taste of India.

The decor inside was minimal, but they had large TVs on the wall playing Bollywood music videos. I have become a huge fan of Bollywood films so I really enjoyed this.  Plus the food was fantastic!

Their onion kulch was one of the best things I have ever eaten.

Beach Vacations are never long enough.

Porcupine Meatballs

It's odd the things I remember from when I was a kid.  Like the dishes my mom used to use when she cooked.  It seemed like every recipe had its own serving dish.  My mom had a specific plate that she always used when she made fudge, a certain bowl she always used for mayonnaise and tomato salad, and these meatballs were always made in a brown Pyrex baking dish.  Now I don't have that same baking dish, but these meatballs still taste as good as I remember.

Just in case you were wondering the are not made out of porcupine meat.  The get there name because of the way they look.  When the rice cooks it pokes out of the meatball like a porcupine's spines.  This is a great recipe to make for kids, that adults will love too.

Porcupine Meatballs

1 & 1/2 lb ground beef
2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 & 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
15 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbs brown sugar

In a bowl combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, 1/2 cup beef broth, onion, garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.  Then form into 1 & 1/2 inch meatballs.  If you make your meatballs too big the rice in the center will still be crunchy.  Place the meatballs in a 2 quart shallow baking dish.  Then in a bowl mix together 1 cup of beef broth, the can of tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.  Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cover the baking dish with foil.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Then remove the foil and bake for about 15 to 20 additional minutes.

These homey meatballs are delicious.  Be sure to serve them with plenty of bread to sop up the sauce.

You might also be interested in Apple Fritters, Home-style Grillades and Cheese Grits, and Fried Green Tomatoes with Guthrie's Sauce.

My First Durian

Now some of you might think I'm a fool to try this...especially if you remember my experience with the durian cookies.  Click HERE to read about my durian cookie experience.  If you didn't know durians are the worlds stinkiest fruit, but many people love them.

When I was at the Asian market the other day they had a whole crate of durians in the freezer case.  I couldn't resist.  I just had to buy one.  I know frozen is not the same as fresh, but since there are no durians growing in Alabama I'll just have to take what I can get.  So I left it on the counter to thaw overnight. 

I had planned on cutting it outside, since I know it has such an awful smell.  But, just as I was about to cut it a huge thunderstorm came up and it was pouring rain outside.  So I had no choice but to cut it inside.  

The skin was woody and hard to cut through.  Surprisingly it didn't stink near as bad as those cookies.  I think maybe it being frozen helped tame the smell.  It smelled like fruity rotten onions, but not near as bad as I thought it would be.  Inside there were chambers full of the edible fruit.  The flesh was about the texture of softened butter.  Not very appetizing, but I tried it.  Like I said very unappetizing, but the flavor was not all that terrible.  One spoonful was enough for me.  I hate wasting food, but the durian went into the trash can.  I really want to try a fresh one day.  Its on my bucket list.

Five Spice Chicken with Basil Sauce

I think I must have been born on the wrong continent, because I love Asian flavors and rice so much. If anyone asks me where I would like to go eat I will always pick a Chinese, Japanese, or a Thai restaurant. I even carried my mom to an Indian restaurant for Mother's Day. Asian food just has such strong and complex flavors that I love. Now don't get me wrong I love all types of food, but Asian is my favorite.

Yesterday we went to the Asian market. It was lunch time and they have a small restaurant inside, so we figured we might as well have lunch. I had this delicious dish. I had to ask them how it was made. So last night when we got home I prepared the same dish. With a few slight changes, just to make it more eater friendly. The original dish was made with chicken cut into small chunks with the meat still on the bones, which made it difficult to eat so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Five Spice Chicken with Basil Sauce

4 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 small dried chilies
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs sugar
10-12 Thai basil leaves
3 tbs peanut oil

Toss the chicken with 2 tbs of soy sauce and the five spice powder.  Let it marinate for a few minutes.

In a wok over a high flame heat the oil.  Then add the ginger, garlic, and chilies.  Fry until they are fragrant, about a minute.

 

Then add the the chicken.  Brown the chicken till it is cooked through.

Then add 1 tbs of soy sauce, the oyster sauce, sugar, and the basil.  Cook for about a minute.

Serve with steamed rice.

If you can't find Thai basil, just use regular basil.  The dish will still taste great.

Orange Dutch Baby Pancake with Fresh Berries

A dutch baby pancake has to be one of the simplest dishes to prepare and it is probably one of the most impressive.  Its perfect for breakfast and brunch, or even a light dessert.  You probably have all the ingredients to make one on hand.  A good dutch baby is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  The key to making a good dutch baby is room temperature ingredients, a hot oven, and a hot cast iron skillet. 

Orange Dutch Baby Pancake with Fresh Berries

4 tbs butter, cut into small pieces

3 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp orange zest

powdered sugar, for dusting at serving

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven.  Meanwhile in a blender combine the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, sugar, salt, and the orange zest.  Blend until smooth.  The batter will be thin.  Then remove the skillet from the oven.  Add the butter and place back into the oven until the butter is melted.  Then remove the skillet from the oven and pour the batter into the hot skillet.  Place the skillet back in the oven and  bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until it is puffy and golden brown.   Serve imediately with a light dusting of powdered sugar and some fresh berries.

Make this for Mom on Mother's Day!  I'm sure this will make her day.

Mango Fried Rice

During the week there are so many things to do and there is so little time to cook.  So tonight I whipped up this quick fried rice and an avocado shake for dinner.  Fried rice is the perfect meal when you are pressed for time.  It only takes about 10 minutes to cook and is  great for using up leftovers.  I just happened to have some leftover ham in the fridge, but you could use shrimp, chicken, or even tofu.  Fried rice needs to be made with day old  cooked rice, but if you don't have any leftover rice you can put fresh cooked rice in the a uncovered bowl in the fridge for a few hours.  I planned ahead and cooked my rice last night.

Mango Fried Rice

2 tbs peanut oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
2 hot green chilies, sliced into thin rounds
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs curry powder
1 tsp sugar
2 cups cooked ham, diced
4 cups cooked rice, cold and day old
1 ripe mango, chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a wok over a high flame add the peanut oil.  Then add the shallot, garlic, green chillies, and ginger.  Fry until fragrant, about a minute or two.  Then add the egg and fry for about a minute.  Then add the chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, curry powder, and the sugar.  Cook for about a minute.  Then add the rice and the ham.  Break up any large chunks of rice and fry for about 5 minutes.  Then add the mango and fry for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the green onions and cilantro.

So about 10 minutes for the rice and 5 minutes for the shake.  Pretty quick meal...huh?  And only one pan and a blender to wash.