Sweet Potato Muffins

It seems like the only time I think of making sweet potatoes are around this time of year.  I make them the way my father-in-law taught me - you prick them several times with a fork, rub all over with a little bit of butter and wrap thoroughly in aluminum foil and bake in the oven.  We had a few leftover sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving (as we usually do) and I decided to use part of one to make some muffins. My hubby had one of these Saturday morning and gave them a 9.5 out of a possible 10.  I personally think they deserved a 10.5!!  Dominic gobbled his muffin right up, so I know that he agreed with me :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato, skin removed and mashed
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put paper liners into a 12-muffin tin and set aside.  In large bowl, put all ingredients in the order above.  Mix well with large spoon, by hand, until mixture is smooth.  Pour evenly into muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on rack about 10 minutes.  Makes one dozen muffins.

Cranberry and Oat Bars

I have never been brave enough to battle those crowds on "Black Friday." But, if I was adventuresome enough, I would definitely toss a few of these bars in my purse to keep me fortified for all that shopping!!!  I ate one of these this morning and I wasn't hungry for hours.  One of these bars would also be an excellent afternoon snack with a glass of milk for the kids and a cup of hot coffee or tea for you!
  
Ingredients:

1 cup margarine, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl, put all ingredients in the order given except the oats and cranberries.  Mix ingredients by hand or with mixer until smooth.  Fold in the oats and cranberries gently with large spoon until well combined.  Pour batter into ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Apple Crunch

The hubby recently went grocery shopping and brought back a five-pound bag of red delicious apples.  I told him that was a lot and he said, "Dominic likes apples doesn't he?"  We all like apples here and we could probably eventually eat that many, but lately I have been thinking about making an "apple betty."  I started searching through my collection of cookbooks and found something in a cookbook published in 1938 by The Midland Flour Milling Company in Kansas City, Missouri, called an "apple crunch."  I've heard of buckles, cobblers, and crisps, but never a "crunch." One of the products the company produced was/is Town Crier Flour. I did a little research and couldn't find very much information on the company and whether Town Crier Flour is still being manufactured.  I'm not 100% sure where this cookbook came from.  My grandmother was from Missouri and her dad was a baker, so it makes sense that it might have belonged to her.  But, I did acquire some cookbooks that belonged to my mother-in-law and she did a fair amount of baking, so it might have been hers.  In the ingredient list, it had nutmeg or cinnamon with no measurement listed.  I guessed at how much to use and whether I should use cinnamon or nutmeg. Being a cinnamon gal, I picked that spice over nutmeg.  I love this cookbook because it has 300 recipes all using the Town Crier Flour.  I guess I have another 299 recipes to try!!!

Ingredients:

6 large apples, peeled and cored, sliced thin
1/2 cup white sugar

Topping:

1 cup white flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside.  In small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon with large spoon until well blended. Using two knives "cut" in the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs.  Set aside.  Peel, core and slice the apples and put in a single layer on the bottom of the baking pan.  Sprinkle the white sugar on top of the apples.  Cover evenly with the topping mixture.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apples are soft and bubbly.  The hubby and I had this after breakfast, but it would be superb warm with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for an after dinner dessert  :)

Mexican Taco Dip

Now that we are into the month of November, it seems like suddenly we're into the holidays!!  That means going to parties :)  Instead of taking the usual chips and salsa to your next get together, try making this mexican taco dip.  I whipped this up in less than ten minutes, so if you get invited last minute to a party, don't worry.

Ingredients:

16-ounce can refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
Taco seasoning mix (1.25 ounce package)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small tomato (seeds removed and diced)
Tortilla chips

In small bowl, mix refried beans and salsa together until creamy.  Spread evenly on the bottom of 9-inch pie pan.  In separate bowl, mix sour cream and 2 1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix.  Save remaining taco seasoning mix for the next time you make tacos or this dip :)  Spread sour cream mixture on top of beans and salsa.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly on top.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge until ready to eat.  When ready to enjoy, toss diced tomatoes on top.  Serve with tortilla chips.