Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Protein Bars

These are my favorite on the go snacks! Now that the fall semester is back in full swing, this is my snack of choice right before heading into class when I need to be concentrating on what the professor is saying rather than an empty stomach. They are packed with healthy oats, milk powder and really, who doesn't love chocolate? Here's how to make your own . . .

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry milk powder
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons peanut butter (I like to use crunchy)
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. Place peanut butter in a microwave safe dish and micro for about 30 seconds. Mix peanut butter in with dry ingredients. Beat egg whites until foamy and add vanilla. Stir egg white mixture into dry ingredients and mix until all ingredients are moistened. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray and spread ingredients into pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Place pan on wire rack to cool, then cut into bars. Makes 12 bars.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

I think these are my new favorite muffins, although I am sure I will feel that way about any new tasty recipe!  The combination of orange and cranberry is super delicious ~ just try them, I think you will agree! This is a double recipe that makes 24 muffins, but you can easily cut it in half for just 12. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 (12 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)
4 eggs
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup milled flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 (6 ounce) package dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and orange juice and beat well.
• In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.  Add half of dry ingredients to egg and butter mixture and stir with a spoon (DO NOT use beaters).
• Stir in buttermilk, remaining dry ingredients and dried cranberries.
• Divide batter into 24 muffin cups, either lined with paper cups or sprayed to prevent sticking.
• Sprinkle the top of each muffin with sugar.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake muffins for 18-22 minutes.

 Serve warm or place in freezer to be enjoyed later!

Tractor Cake

Got an order for a Tractor Cake and I was a little perplexed about how I was going to pull off the tractor part.  This was for a baby shower and the invites featured a silouhette of a tractor.  How hard can this be I thought ~ well, to my frustration, it was pretty stinkin' hard!  My first attempt resembled something my 15 month old granddaughter might do. I was not impressed and I knew my customer wouldn't be either.  I dashed off to Wally World to find a toy tractor to put on the cake.  I knew in shopping for my grandson a few months ago there had been LOTS of John Deere Tractors available in all sorts of sizes in the toy department.  Evidently, that was then, and this was now, because there was not one toy tractor of any kind on the shelves!!!   Later that night, I visited Tarjay and found a CAT.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it would have to do because I was so outta time! I think the results were pretty good and my customer seemed pleased.  Besides as this little boy gets a little older he will have a fun toy that makes really cool sounds.  This was a vanilla cake with raspberry filling, buttercream and chocolate icing.  YUM, YUM!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

 I thought it would be fun to start sharing some of my favorite recipes and since I am all about muffins these days, I thought this would be a great place to start.  I found this recipe on line and tweaked it a little and these are my results!

Anything that starts with creamed butter and sugar has got to be good . . . right?

 And the juice of a lemon for a nice little zing . . . kinda cuts the sweet taste!

Now I don't have one of those fancy "zesters," but somehow I make this work.

We are getting there with most of the "wet" ingredients.

Here is my assortment of "dry" ingredients.

Ahhhh, the wet and the dry ~ now to put them together.

This is important, use a spoon when you mix the wet and dry together. You don't want to overwork the batter.

Don't worry about "overfilling" the muffin cups.

Cooked to perfection!

How's this for a breakfast or snack?

And while I was working, I heard the sounds of my grandchildren playing.

What wonderfully vivid imaginations they have!

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose white flour

¼ cup milled flax seed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Juice of one whole lemon

½ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Place whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flax seed in a bowl.  Mix together and set aside.

Place softened butter and sugar in a bowl.  Beat with electric mixer until fluffy.  Add lemon zest and ricotta cheese and mix well.  Next add eggs, lemon juice, and almond extract and continue to beat well.

Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir well.  Add buttermilk and stir until all ingredients are moistened.

Prepare muffin pan with either paper liners or spray.  Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops of muffins with broken sliced almonds and white sugar.  Turn temperature down to 350° and place muffins in center of oven.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.  Place cooked muffins onto cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  These freeze well and can be placed in the microwave oven for 30 to 50 seconds on high for a fresh out of the oven taste.

Do You Know the Muffin . . . Lady?

Here are some muffin varieties to tempt you. All muffins are filled with healthy ingredients such as whole wheat flour, flax seed, fresh buttermilk and real butter. They are great for breakfast or a late night snack. The muffins can be frozen and then microwaved until you are ready to eat them. Go ahead, you know you want some!

• Banana Nut Muffins ~ sweetened with ripened bananas and pecan topping
• Lemon Ricotta ~ fresh zing of lemons with ricotta cheese and a hint of almond
• Apple Raisin ~ fresh apples, raisins and cinnamon with cinnamon and sugar topping
• Apple Cranberry ~ a perfect blend of fresh apples and dried cranberries
• Banana Chocolate Chip ~ adding chocolate chips to banana muffins, but of course!
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip ~ chocolate muffins with chocolate chips . . .'nuff said!

Muffins are $15 per dozen

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake ~ need I say more?

Serves 12 to 16

$25

Menu for March

Entrees – $25 each (serves 4-6)

1.    Baked Pasta – pasta baked in a marinara meat sauce with a blend of mozzarella, ricotta & parmesan cheeses.

2.    Lemon Chicken – chicken breasts sautéed in olive oil and then slow cooked in a light lemon sauce.

3.    Pot Roast & Veggies – slow cooked roast with potatoes, carrots, onion & celery.

4.    Spinach & Mushroom Quiche – fresh spinach, mushrooms and onions lightly sautéed in olive oil, and mixed with a blend of Colby & Monterey Jack cheeses.

5.    Barbecue Chicken – chicken breasts slow cooked until tender, shredded & slow cooked again in a blend of special sauce.

Salads & Sides – $10 each(serves 4-6)

1.    Baked Macaroni and Cheese – southern style baked mac & cheese with a blend of Colby, Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar Cheeses.

2.    Fresh Green Salad – Romaine lettuce, glazed pecans, mandarin oranges and blue cheese.

3.    Spinach Strata – a layer of 9 grain bread cubes covered in a layer of sautéed onion, fresh spinach, Colby, Monterey Jack & Asiago cheeses & soaked overnight in a mixture of eggs, milk & spices.

4.    Cheese Spoon Bread – corn meal, eggs, milk and sharp cheddar cheese.

Vegetables - $9 each (serves 4-6)

1.    Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes – small red potatoes cubed and seasoned with fresh garlic & spices.

2.    Baked Squash – yellow squash, onion, butter & spices baked for a delicious take on a popular vegetable.

3.    Baked Sweet Potatoes – sweet potatoes baked & then scooped out & blended with butter, cinnamon & brown sugar.

4.    Fresh Green Beans – green beans cooked just until tender and perfectly seasoned with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Breads - $6 each

1.    Focaccia – 10” round of Focaccia with caramelized onion, fresh apple and blue cheese.

2.    Parmesan Bread – yeast bread with Italian spices & Parmesan cheese.

3.    Asiago Cheese Bread – yeast bread with Italian spices & Asiago cheese

Desserts – individually priced

1.    Coconut Pineapple Pie – experienced this pie a couple of years ago while vacationing on Edisto Island ~ absolutely delicious! $12

2.      Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate & Cranberries – delicious twist on the traditional oatmeal cookie. $10 per dozen

3.      Chocolate Chocolate Brownies – pure cocoa, chocolate chips and marshmallows ~ super rich! $12 per dozen