Teak Dog Tuesday!

Teak loves to ride in the car--preferably in Bizzuck's lap, even when he's driving.  Teak's favorite thing to do is stick his nose as far as he possibly can into one of the air conditioning vents, and then he'll breathe out through is nose really loudly.  Here he is in action.

Banana Oat Muffins

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

These muffins don't have anything to do with my parents' anniversary, but since I didn't get stamps this week to send them their anniversary card, I need to say it here.  Thanks for setting such a great example for us!  I love you SO much!

And now for some healthy muffins.

I felt very good about serving these to some of the teachers yesterday.  I guess I'm never too worried about how healthy something is, but I was proud of the substitutions I made in this recipe to make it healthier for us.  I used whole wheat flour, and in these I used applesauce instead of vegetable oil--a substitution that can always be made. 

A note about the bananas: If you're not going to eat all your bananas and they're getting too ripe, unpeel them and stick them in the freezer.  They're perfect for banana breads and muffins.  I pulled mine from the freezer, they defrosted in minutes, and they tasted great in this recipe. 

It yields 12 regular sized muffins or 36 mini-muffins.  I went with the mini-muffins, and they were yummy. 

Banana Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce!)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 400.  In a bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate large bowl, beat the egg lightly.  Stir in the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla.  Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly.  Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined.  Line muffin tin with paper cups or spray with cooking spray.  Divide the batter among them.  For regular muffins, bake for 18-20 minutes.  For mini-muffins, bake 11-13 minutes.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Every time I cook pasta, I wonder why I don't cook more of it.  It's cheap, it makes so much, and it's delicious.  I got the idea for this recipe from AllRecipes and added changed some things up.  To be completely honest, I didn't measure the amount of sun dried tomatoes, spinach, or mushrooms I put in, so I'm estimating on the recipe.  Use the measurements I'm using if you're curious, but if you know you love mushrooms (or any other ingredient), add more!   To make it heartier next time, I'll add grilled chicken strips.  Hope you enjoy!

Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 lb penne pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water
3  Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
1/4 cup baby portabello mushrooms
1 handful fresh spinach, runsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Pour in penne and cook for 9-12 minutes or until al dente.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat, and saute the garlic for 1 minute or until tender.  Mix in the spinach, and cook until almost wilted.  Pour in the reserved pasta water, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes.  Continue cooking 2 minutes or until heated through. 

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the mushroom-tomato mixture.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pizza Dough with Wine

Mario Batali knows his Italian food, so I adapted this pizza dough recipe from his.  He mixes the yeast in a mixture of wine and water!  I love the idea of it, and the crust was good and sweet.  Honestly, I like just about anything with wine and honey. 

When you use the wine, make sure it's room temperature so it won't upset the temperature balance the yeast needs to work its magic.  I used Riesling, my favorite, but you can use any white or light red wine.  I also used whole-wheat flour for this since it was all I had, and it didn't take away any of the taste.  If anything, it made me feel better about eating more of it.  It wasn't a thin crust, so if you want a dough that's a bit heartier, this is the one for you. 

Also interesting about Mario Batali's recipe is that it ends as you're about to bake it.  He gives no time or temperature, so use what you know to work.  I don't have a pizza stone, so I baked it on a baking sheet at 425.  I prebaked the crust for 8 minutes, covered it with toppings, and then baked it an additional 10 minutes. 

You really should try this.  Once the wine is open to cook with, just pour a glass for yourself!


Pizza Dough with Wine

1/4 cup light red or white wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups flour

Place wine, water, and yeast in a large bowl, and stir until dissolved.  Add the honey, salt, and 1 Tbsp olive oil, and mix well to combine.  Add 1 cup flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter.  Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes, incorporating as much of the flour as you can with the wooden spoon.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and firm.  Place in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, using remaining tablespoon of oil, and cover with a towel.  Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes. 

For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into four equal pizzas and knead into rounds.  For one large pizza, knead into one large round.  For either, let rest fifteen minutes. 

Teak Dog Tuesday!

Today's edition of Teak Dog Tuesday consists of one picture of Teak and two pictures of shoes he destroyed--within the week.  Teak and I have not had a good week.

Goodbye, pair of black and white wedges.  I used to love wearing you with a black dress.

Goodbye, favorite pair of brown sandals.  I loved your sequins; they really dressed up the flats.  I'll miss you dearly.

Not innocent.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

If you like Reese's peanut butter cups, you're about to thank me.

This little recipe from AllRecipes couldn't be any easier or tastier.  All you need is a box of brownie mix (with the eggs/oil/water it requires), a bag of miniature Reese's peanut butter cups, and a mini-muffin tin.  What you get is a chocolately and peanut-buttery bite of goodness. 

The recipe below won't be exact in its amounts of oil, eggs, and water simply because you follow whatever the directions are on the back of the box of brownie mix that you have.  I used Pillsbury brownie mix because it was on sale last week.  I'm sure Duncan Hines or Ghiradelli or especially a homemade recipe would be wonderful.  Just make it easy on yourself--and really, this couldn't be easier.

You're welcome.


Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

1 box brownie mix
eggs
vegetable oil
water
1 bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare brownie batter according to package directions.  Thoroughly spray mini-muffin tins with cookie spray or use foil liners.  Fill muffin tin cups half full with batter, and then place an unwrapped peanut butter cup in the center of each cup.  Bake for 20 minutes, and allow to cool before removing them from tins.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

When Bizzuck told me recently that his favorite food was macaroni and cheese, I knew it was time to search for another good recipe.  Found it!  Thanks, AllRecipes!

We loved how creamy this macaroni and cheese is, and I loved that this particular recipe won't break the bank.  Sometimes, the fancy macaroni and cheese recipes can get pricey when you have to buy 3 ounces of this fancy cheese and 3 ounces of that expensive cheese.  This recipe isn't putting on airs.  It uses Velveeta.  And it is delicious. 

When you're making it, you may wonder, like Biz did, where the rest of the macaroni is.  Don't worry; the ratio is perfect after it's baked.  I hope you like it as much as we did. 

Creamy Mac and Cheese

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups milk
8 oz American cheese, shredded (I used the four-cheese Mexican blend)
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
1/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Blend in flour, mustard powder, and pepper until smooth.  Slowly stir in the milk, beating out any lumps.  Add the cheese and Velveeta, stirring constantly until smooth. 

Drain the cooked noodles and stir into cheese sauce.  Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs over the top.  Cover the dish, and bake fro 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is thick and bubbly.