Morning Glory Muffins

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (April 2011)
Recipe Source: Cook's Country TV (same link)

I was starting to write my review in my head while I was baking these, assuming they would get a grade lower than an A. The prep on these muffins takes quite a while. Grating carrots, peeling grating an apple, squeezing liquid from the apple and pineapple, toasting the walnuts and coconut, then processing in food processor! That is a lot for a muffin. And because I always try to multi-task I burned some of the coconut when toasting. I tried taking the burned pieces out and toasted a bit more. There was a burned coffee smell in my kitchen and I was sure these wouldn't taste good.

But I was really happy when I tasted one. The texture was perfect. One of the best I've ever made. These are not super sweet, so really a good muffin for breakfast. I have never tried to make these muffins before because all recipes I saw had walnuts and raisins which I don't like. But since these walnuts are ground up, I thought it would be ok, and it was. I think they added nice flavor to the muffin.

These are definitely some work, but I think they are worth it to have in the freezer for a quick breakfast that is a little less sweet than most muffins, but still very tasty.

The only change I made to the recipe was to replace 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of white wheat. I still used 1 1/4 of regular flour. It worked well.

This recipe is currently available for free on Cook's Country website since it was feature during the current season of Cook's Country TV, so grab it now if you are interested.

Graham Crackers

Prep Time: 33 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes per pan

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: D.I.Y. Cookbook

I wasn't too interested in this cookbook when I saw it announced by ATK, but I saw it at the library and decided to check it out. I actually really like the book, and am considering purchasing it. Their new layout of cookbooks is much improved over earlier cookbooks, which I hated for many reasons. Also it is a fun read.

Many of the DIY recipes are on the ATK Feed website but the graham crackers are not. These are delicious. Much better than store bought. And very easy to make. The 33 minutes of prep was mostly taken up by the rolling out of the crackers, cutting (or scoring them) and docking them with a fork. I started baking the first pan while still having more to roll out, and it worked fine. I was done with the full recipes in under an hour.

The flavor comes from graham flour, which I found at my store with the Bob Mill's flours. It used 1 1/2 c. of the flour, so I have enough to make the recipe probably 2 more times. Considering graham crackers are so expensive, it may be cheaper to make your own. But really, they taste so much better, I don't think I would want to buy them again. Even for making them just to break up into a crust. (Although if I was going to that, I would skip the scoring step.)

I haven't tried anything else from the book yet, but I will definitely be trying at least a few more recipes. I also would like to try the cinnamon graham cracker recipe as well.

Sour Cream Muffins

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 23-26 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

This is not my favorite blueberry or muffin recipe, but it does use white whole wheat flour and tastes pretty good. The reason I will make these again is that it uses up 1 c. of sour cream. I have a tendency to throw away sour cream because I don't use it enough. This is a good recipe to use it up. Also, the batter can be made up to 4 days in advance, so if you want to have fresh muffins in the morning, this is a good one to use.

January/February Everyday Food Favorites

I posted this list of Favorites from January/February last year, but I'm posting again because I wanted to bring up again and try to remind myself to review some of these recipes in more detail this month. I'm using my favorites list to create meal plans for the month, and it is good for me to use recipes that I've already tried and are successful!

I've reviewed these recipes:

• Pork Bulgogi
• Brownie Hearts - A good choice if you would like to cut out shapes of brownies. The leftover pieces can be used to make "truffles" as well.
• Sausage and Kale Soup
• Spicy Black Bean Soup (not as good as CI's recipe, but a little simpler and still good)
• Mini Mocha Cheese Cakes - Nice for a "lighter" dessert
• Triple Chocolate Lighter Brownies - one of those "black bean" brownies (just a little) that is pretty good 

Not reviewed yet:

• Apple Pie Cake - I really need to review this recipe. It is unique and good.
• Pork and Apple Stew
• Sweet Potato Wedges - This recipe introduced a new favorite food to me. I had never liked those mushy overly-sweet holiday recipes for sweet potatoes, but made this way, I found out I loved them. I make this often all fall and winter long and have for the past 8 years.
• Valentines Day Cookies
• Pot Roast Hash - I only made this once, because I rarely make pot roast, but remembering this recipe makes me want to try it again.
• Lentil and Brown Rice Pilaf - This takes a while to carmelize the onions, but it makes very plain ingredients yummy.

Want to try still:

• Heart-Glazed Cornmeal Cookies
• Cheddar Biscuits
• Denver Omelet Cups