Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients:
1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C honey
1 t salt
3 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1/2 C milk
1/2 C buttermilk
2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 380.
   
2. Put liners into 12 cupcake slots (or spray the slots with nonstick spray).
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, slat, and baking powder.
   
4. Add the egg, milk, oil, and honey then stir until well mixed.
5. Pour batter into cupcake slots.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
   

My Love Affair Continues

I love having frozen spinach!

Seriously, you may remember that I bought a bunch of fresh spinach and wondered about whether I could freeze it and then I decided to just freeze it fresh. I learned that you shouldn't thaw it out before using it but steam it or cook with it straight from the freezer.

I have been making this delicious spinach pasta using the frozen spinach ever since. It works great.

Saturday I decided to make spinach-chicken-alfredo calzones. I took two bags of my fresh/frozen spinach and while still frozen and in the bag I broke up the pieces of spinach (so much easier than cutting it) and then poured it right into the sauce. Oh, so yummy! Fresh taste, convenient, nutritious, economical ... what could be better?

Yeah, I'm in love with fresh/frozen spinach!

Food Friday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Orange Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1 C coarsely chopped orange sections (about 2 oranges) or you could use a can of mandarin oranges
• 1/2 C diced red onion
• 1/4 C diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 t minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t black pepper.
4. Add pork to pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
5. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 17 minutes*.
6. Let stand 5 minutes then cut across the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices.
7. Combine 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, oranges and remaining ingredients.
8. Serve the salsa over the pork.

*You can cook the pork however you like it: grill it, slow cook it in a crockpot, or as directed here.

Matching Purses

For this project I used a pair of Eden's old pants. I used one leg (that had some cute embellishments on it) to make a purse for her Baby-doll. I used the top part of the pants to make a purse with pockets for Eden. Voila! Matching Purses!

We've been on vacation for a while and I really missed my sewing machines. There is much "catching up" to do at home so I won't be taking on any big projects for a while but it just felt really good to do a little sewing. Eden loves these bags and thinks it is so fun to have matching purses with her Baby-doll.

It is SO good to be home!

Food Friday: Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

2 T minced cilantro (fresh is best)

2 1/2 T lime juice

1 1/2 T olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 t salt

1 C chopped tomato

2 T chopped onion

2 t lime juice (more)

1/4 t salt (more)

1/8 t ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

Directions:

1. Combine cilantro, 2 1/2 T lime juice and olive oil in a gallon sized Ziploc and knead to mix the ingredients together.
2. Add the chicken breast and let marinade for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and then discard the marinade.
4. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 t salt.
5. Cook the chicken (on your grill or in a pan or in the oven - however you like it best).
6. Prepare the salsa by combining tomato, onion, 2 t lime juice, 1/4 t salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl.
7. Add the avocado and stir gently.
8. Serve the salsa over the chicken and with rice as a side.

Food Friday: Greek Chicken with Capers and Feta

Got some capers lying around? Try this recipe!
Tired of the same old food? Try this recipe!
Don't want to heat up the house with your oven? Try this recipe!

Have I convinced you?

here we go then...

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 T flour
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 C thinly sliced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 t of the bottled kind - you know I love that stuff!)
• 1 1/2 C chicken broth (use fat free to make this a low fat recipe)
• 1/3 C golden raisins
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T capers (because they were just sitting around anyway)
• 1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
• 4 thin lemon slices

Directions:

1. Flatten each chicken breast so it is about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Combine flour and oregano in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and mix.
3. Place the chicken breast in the bag and make sure each one is well-coated (do it one at a time).
4. Heat oil in a large skillet (medium-high heat).
5. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes on each side; remove from pan.
6. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute 2 minutes.
7. Stir in broth, raisins, and lemon juice; cook 3 minutes.
8. Add the chicken back in and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
9. Remove chicken from the pan but keep it warm.
10. Add capers and feta cheese to the pan, stir with a whisk (plastic coated so you don't scratch your pan) until you have a creamy sauce.
11. Top each chicken breast with a generous amount of sauce and 1 lemon slice.