Teak Dog Tuesday

Champion hole-digger.

Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

I confess that I've only baked a dozen of these cookies.  The rest of the batter is still in the refrigerator, in danger of never seeing the oven because of how yummy it is. 

This couldn't be easier to put together, and you probably have all the ingredients already in your kitchen.  You could definitely add chocolate chips to these; I didn't put them in the batter because I'm not a chocolate fan.  I did melt a baking chocolate square and smear it on top of some of them to please Biz.  The plain peanut butter ones are all mine.

Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup water

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, cream together eggs, water, butter, and peanut butter.  Stir in the cake mix and mix well.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in oven, and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet before removing to wire racks.

Mammy's Mexican Cornbread

This is GOOD.  I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it's from Mammy's Restaurant in Natchez, Mississippi (via my mom).  It's easy and quick to throw together, and it's delicious, especially because of the layer of cheese in the middle.  (It's easier to see in the second picture.)  We had this with some tortilla soup--yum.  I'll definitely make this again. 

Mammy's Mexican Cornbread

1 1/2 cups corn bread mix (1 pkg Jiffy)
1 (8oz) can cream corn
2 jalapeno peppers chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups greated Cheddar cheese

Mix together all ingredients except cheese.  Heat heavy oiled (10-inch) skillet, and pour in half of the batter.  Sprinkle cheese over batter, keeping cheese from touching the sides of the skillet.  Add remaining batter.  Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. 

Bizzuck's Birthday Dinner

Happy Birthday, Bizzuck!

Since today is Biz's birthday, I don't have any new recipes to contribute, but I will highlight some good ones I've already posted--the ones Bizzuck requested for his birthday dinner.  He chose the Pesto Chicken Panini Sandwich, the Creamy Mac and Cheese, and of course, Texas Sheet Cake.  That can attest to how delicious they are! 

I'll be back with a new recipe soon.  We're off to celebrate tonight!

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.