Apple Pie Muffins

Have you seen the muffin man?  Well, which way did he go?  He just stole my apple pie muffins!!  Wait, that wasn't the muffin man!  It was my husband, & I am pretty sure he had two adorable little girls as his helpers!  Looks like I need to whip up some more, huh?  


Ok, let's prepare the batter ingredients.

Beat the flour, egg, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, & brown sugar until well combined.  

Stir in the diced apples.

Now, lets assemble the ingredients for the strudel topping.

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Stir the strudel topping together using a fork.

 Grease your muffin cups, or spray them with Baker's Joy like I do - or line with muffin liners if you wish.  Fill the muffin cups to the top with the batter.

Sprinkle generously with the topping.

 
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

These are also really good with pears, or a mixture of pears & apples. They have such a wonderful 'pie' flavor to them either way you decide to do it!

Apple Pie Muffins

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Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups self rising flour (or all purpose flour+1 tsp baking soda & 1/2 tsp salt)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups packed brown sugar
• 2.5 cups apples, peeled & diced

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, & salt (or use self rising flour).Beat in the egg, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until well combined. Stir in the diced apples. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.
3. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, & melted butter.. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

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Bacon Cheese Dip

Super bowl is right around the corner, and I know that a lot of you are looking for some recipes for the big game.  So, what better time than now to pull out the recipe for my Bacon Cheese Dip!  It is so good, and makes plenty - so it's perfect for a crowd.  If you don't have a crowd to make it for, that is no reason to not indulge though.  The leftovers are awesome!

Here is what you need:

Fry the bacon in a pan until crispy.  Drain the bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel.  Discard all except for about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease, & saute the diced onion in it.  Season with salt & pepper.  Yum, right?  

Beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 16oz cheddar cheese, & sauteed onion.

Chop the bacon...

Fold in the bacon, & spread the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish.

Cover with more shredded cheese & a good sprinkling of paprika.

Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.

Serve with chips, crackers, or toasty bread.

Bacon Cheese Dip

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Ingredients:

• 2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups of sour cream
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 16oz shredded cheddar cheese, plus a little extra for sprinkling on top (1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on how cheesy you want it - I go for the cup!)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Paprika to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fry the bacon in a pan until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.  Saute the diced onion in the reserved bacon grease until translucent - season with salt & pepper.

Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 16oz of cheddar cheese, & the sauteed onion in a large bowl until smooth.  Chop the bacon, & fold it in.  Spread the mixture out into a 2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, & paprika to taste.

Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.  

Serve with crackers, chips, or bread.

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Clean Out Your Cupboards, Week 3

Welcome to the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, co-hosted by me (Crystal) here at Mrs. Happy Homemaker, Laura at Frugal Follies, Denise at Shopper Strategy, Robbie at Going Green Mama, and Rebecca Jean at Midnight Maniac.

Wow, I have made it to Week 3!!  I have somehow managed to do pretty well again!  I had no idea how well my pantry was stocked! I made one trip to the store this week, but only for things to make some homemade baby food, milk, eggs, butter, juice, & some fresh fruit.  Total spent was less than $40.  

I almost ran out to the store to buy some noodles, but instead I substituted the noodles from a few boxes of mac n' cheese that really needed to be used up, and my kids used the powdered cheese mix on a bag of popcorn.  Which, by the way, if you haven't tried that...you should!

I think that I will do well again this coming week too.  I still have enough left in the pantry to make another weeks worth of meals, but I sure will be glad to go & restock everything.  It really surprises me on how well stocked I was though.  I really didn't realize how much of surplus of food we had in there!

For those of you participating, how have you been doing?  Leave a comment & let me know!  If you are a blogger, link up below.  

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Ugly Pecan PIe

Pecan pie has long been one of my ultimate favorite foods.  It is rich, gooey, and so, so good.  Most pecan pies are traditionally made with corn syrup, but my pecan pie is made with butter.  Don't let it's unattractive appearance fool you.  Remember what your mama used to tell you?  It's not what is on the outside, but what is in the inside.  The very same principal applies to this pie!  It is the BEST pecan pie I have ever had & never lasts long in our house. 

Here is what you need:

Beat the eggs until frothy.

Stir in melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, & flour.

Fold in the milk, vanilla, & pecans.

Pour into the prepared pie crust.

Bake on 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 & cook for about 45 minutes.  After it has cooked for 20 minutes total, it would be a good idea to remove it from the oven & cover the pie crust with a pie crust shield, or tin foil to prevent burning.

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack.  The pie will deflate a little while it cools, and the top will crackle a bit.

Ugly Pecan Pie

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Ingredients:

• 1 prepared pie crust
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans

Instructions:

Beat eggs until frothy.  Stir in the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, & flour.  Fold in milk, vanilla extract, & pecans.  Pour into the prepared pie crust.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees, & cook for about 45 more minutes.  After it has been cooking for 20 minutes total, it would be a good idea to remove it from the oven & cover the crust with a pie crust shield or tinfoil to prevent burning.

Cool on a wire rack.  The top will sink a little, & lightly crackle as it cools.

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Bacon Stuffed French Toast

I have been seeing french toast recipes that call for bacon everywhere lately!  It is like bacon is trying to send me a subliminal message or something.  I just HAD to make me some french toast with bacon inside!  So, after looking at all the recipes, I came up with what I wanted to do with mine.  Interested?  Just a bit?  You know you are.  I mean....not only is it french toast...but it's stuffed with BACON.  Bacon is the food that all the other foods want to be like.  

Here is all that will you need.

Cook the pound of maple bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Drain on paper towels, & set aside.  Try to resist eating all the bacon.

Beat an 8oz package of softened cream cheese with 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, & 1 tsp maple extract.

Spread the cream cheese/brown sugar mixture onto about 18 slices of bread.  Using your finger, scrape the sides of the bowl & eat anything you can scoop up.

Break the pieces of bacon in half & distribute amongst half of the bread slices.

Top with the remaining slices.

In a shallow dish like a pie plate, combine 5 eggs with a little more than 1/3 cup of milk.  Melt a couple tablespoons of butter on a griddle or skillet.  Dip the 'sandwich' into both slices in the egg mixture, & place on the preheated skillet.  Cook until nicely browned on both sides.

Serve with butter & syrup.  

See how good this looks?  Trust me - it tastes even better!
 

Bacon Stuffed French Toast

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Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of bread (about 18 slices)
• 1 (16oz) package maple flavored bacon
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 packed cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons milk
• 2-3 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Drain on paper towels, and set aside.

Beat together the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and maple extract until creamy.  Spread the mixture on each of the 18 slices of bread.

Break the pieces of bacon in half, and distribute evenly amongst half of the bread slices.  Top with remaining slices of bread.

In a shallow dish, like a pie plate - whisk together the eggs and milk.  Dip both sides of the 'sandwiches' in the egg mixture.  Melt the butter in a skillet or a griddle.  Cook the french toast on both sides until nicely browned.

Serve with butter and syrup.

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