Sweet Potato Waffles

I just found this recipe through Taste of Home on Facebook. I've got to try this one.

Sweet Potato Waffles with Nut Topping Recipe

Sweet Potato Waffles

Ingredients

(6 servings, 20 minute prep, 5 min cook time per batch)

• 2 cups biscuit/baking mix
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1-1/3 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup canned sweet potatoes, mashed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash salt
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Maple syrup

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, brown sugar and spices. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, sweet potatoes, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined.
• Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pecans and walnuts. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve waffles with topping and syrup. Yield: 12 waffles.

Nutrition Facts: 2 waffles with about 2 tablespoons topping (calculated without syrup) equals 457 calories, 28 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 598 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Trick for Fluffy Pancakes & Waffles

For very light and tender pancakes or waffles, separate the egg and beat the white until stiff. Stir the yolk and other liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the beaten egg white. —Jonelle W., Trenton, Michigan

Sweetwater Market

We have a market here where local vendors (farmers) sell healthy choices of meat, vegetables, fruits, breads, honey, coffee, soaps, treats for dogs and even and socks & mitten made from yarn spun from the wool of the sheep they raise. I like to go to the market to purchase boneless/skinless chicken breasts. The chicken breasts are from free range and organically raised chickens. The majority of chicken breasts I find in the grocery stores have been injected with chicken broth that also includes sodium. In my opinion, if I want sodium in my chicken meat, I would rather add my own.

I was rather sad to find out there were no chicken breasts available at the market today. I guess I will have to search my grocery store for their version of "healthy" chicken meat. I am so happy I don't have to buy ground chicken anymore since I not know how easy it is to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the attachment for grinding chicken.

Today's purchases at Sweetwater Market included to celeriac bulbs, an onion, some sweet carrots, a breakfast scone (for Sunday), a breakfast cookie (devoured already), a loaf of raisin/pecan bread, 2 packages of ground turkey (for the days I'm too lazy to grind my chicken), beautiful brown eggs, dog treats and a bar of shea & oats soap.

I also received a mini lesson from one of the vendors about why egg shells are different colors. Very informative. I love going to the market - I even get a cup of free coffee since I paid my dues and I'm a "friend of Sweetwater Market." If you live in Muskegon, be sure to check them out. They are located at Hackley at the Lakes and are open during the winter every other Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm - so don't go next Saturday. They will be there again on February 12. Hope to see you there.

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake

Another delicious (but not so healthy) recipe from the new Taste of Home, Feb. & Mar, 2011 issue

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large pears, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup warm water

1) Pour melted butter into a 9 inch square baking pan; sprinkle with nuts and brown sugar. Arrange pears over nuts

2) In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Beat in egg and molasses

4) Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition

5) Spread batter over pears.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving place.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.

I served this tonight to friends T & S and da hubby. Da son passed on dessert - we were all thankful because everyone had 2nds.

Herbed Veggie Mix-Up

The new Taste of Home magazine arrived in the mail this week - full of delicious recipes - some healthy and delicious and others delicious and not so healthy. Of course, I have to try new recipes. Here's the recipe for Herbed Veggie Mix-Up:

Prep/Total time: 25 min.
Yields 5 servings

1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, julienned (or cut into matchsticks)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt (I cut this way back)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. white pepper

1) Place beans and carrots in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 7-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms and onion; saute until tender.

3) Stir in the parsley, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, green beans and carrots; heat through and serve.

I served this to T & S and my hubby & son tonight. It was delicious, great flavor. I really enjoyed the crispness of the veggies but the son complained that the veggies were too crisp. I guess it is up to the individual taste. If you like your veggies softer, be sure to allow for longer steaming time - especially for the carrots! No complaints on the flavor.

Pot Pie Recipe

Lately, I have been craving chicken potpie - no, not the high sodium, high fat, not sure what I'm eating kind of potpies I used to live on in the 1970's but real honest to goodness homemade potpies. I have tried two recipes - both were delicious, one is quick and easy while the other one requires a little prep time. The first recipe is made using cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. Be careful if you choose this recipe - cream of anything soups have added sodium and added fats. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust

6 3/4 oz can chicken chopped *

16 oz can mxied veggies, drained

10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup

1/2 t celery flakes

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t poultry seasoning

Fit pie crust into a 9" pie plate

Combine chicken and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; pour into pie crust

moisten edges of bottom crust with water; top with remaining crust

fold edges under and crimp; cut slits in top

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes

let stand 10minutes before serving

Serves 8

Note: Ready made pie crusts make this homestyle dish extra easy. A 10 ounce package of frozen oven roasted diced chicken, thawed and a 16 ounce package of frozen vegetables can be substituted for canned chicken and vegetables.

Make 'em mini: Use a muffin tin in place of individual caserole dishes when making mini pot pies, quiches or savory popovers - so quick and easy!

Enjoy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
The 2nd recipe does require extra work - but it is definitely worth it! It comes from a chef at Recipezaar , recipe #68214. I changed the recipe a little by adding a cubed potato to the chicken and carrots.

1 lb boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup half-and-half (I used low-fat evaporated milk)

2 cups frozen peas

2 pie crusts (frozen or from your favorite recipe)

1. Combine the chicken pieces, carrots, and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Simmer covered for 5 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat.
4. Add the mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, and flour and stir to thoroughly mix.
5. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add the chicken broth mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.
7. Add the cream and peas and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Roll the pastry into 12 circles about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter.
9. Place half in the bottoms of six 5-inch pie pans and fill with the chicken mixture.
10. Top with the remaining dough and pinch the edges together, trimming off the excess with a knife.
11. Cut 2 or 3 slits in the top of each and bake in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Tosca Rena's Banana Muffins

This was posted on Tosca Rena's Clean Eating Blog
I would like to try these muffins, putting the recipe here for safe keeping.....


Sunday Morning Moist Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup plain rice or almond milk

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon each baking powder and soda

1/2 teaspoon each cloves, cinnamon and allspice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

4 egg whites beaten until foamy but not stiff

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup blueberries

1 large apple cut into pieces

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line muffin tin with parchment paper liners

3. Place oats in medium prep bowl and pour milk over. Mix and let stand while you make the rest of the recipe.

4. In another medium prep bowl combine flour, ground flax seed, spices, baking powder and soda, lemon zest and salt. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

5. Put egg whites in mixing bowl and beat until fluffy but not stiff.

6. In small prep bowl mash bananas and add chopped apple. Mix well.

7. In large prep bowl combine flour, soaked oats, egg whites and banana mixture. Add blueberries. Fold until all ingredients are just blended.

8. Spoon into prepared muffin tin.

9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Yield: Makes 12 generous muffins to enjoy on a sunny Saturday with delicious coffee.

Paperback Swap.com

This is a win-win situation. I have bookshelves full of books. I will probably never read the books again. All the shelves do is collect dust. Today, I purged the shelves & removed my books. The books are now safely on their own shelf - away from da hubby's books. I listed all of my books on www.paperbackswap.com.

If you have not had a chance to check out the paperbackswap site, I encourage you to do so now. It is very easy to list the books you no longer want. Then, wait patiently for others to request your book. When you receive a request, print out the paperwork with their address on it, wrap up the book and head to the post office. Postage is less than $3.0o. Once they receive your book, they post to paperbackswap that the book has been received and *poof* your account receives one credit. You use your credit to "purchase" a new book to read - no extra charge. Paperbackswap has thousands of members just waiting to swap books with you.

If you sign up at paperbackswap, please tell them I sent you and link to me as friends if you so choose.

Have fun!

I am Flinging

I woke up this morning with a plan - to find my walk-in closet!!! When we bought this home many, many years ago, my children were impressed with the size of the closet. One of the kids wanted to know if it was daddy's bedroom! Well, over the years, the closet has gotten smaller and smaller. As a matter of fact, I couldn't reach the back corners of the closet. Well, today I hauled 9 bags out of the closet. Bags full of old text books, junk, more books, shoes and more junk. The closet is now well organized. There is a section of photos and scrap books that need some attention but at least everything is together for the day when I am in the mood to do that.

After accomplishing order in the closet, I move to my sewing room. I cleared off several book shelves and made room for all of my cookbooks to be housed together. Somedays I will weed the cookbooks to keep the ones that I really want and copy the recipes for the others to a cookbook journal.

Tomorrow I plan on restoring order to my sewing room! Stay tuned

Snow Day!!!

The hubby works 3rd shift. Today he arrived home shortly before 5:30 am and informed me there would be no school today because the roads were bad. I promptly tuned into our local TV station and was dismayed to find out the hubby did not have the facts - just gut instinct.

You see, I work for a school district that is notorious for being one of the few schools still open during inclement weather. There are many reasons why we are still open - we don't have buses traveling rural routes, our students need a warm safe place to be and our administration probably fears losing $$$ for too many days off school.

Never-the-less, I continued watching TV. Soon, the breakfast bar scrolled across the screen announcing school was closed. I bounced out of bed, ate breakfast, showered, got dressed, read some e-mails and touched base with friends on Facebook.

Then, I tackled the last cupboard in my kitchen that did not get de-cluttered last weekend. Unfortunately, the men in my life (my hubby & son) were still sleeping. The pots & pans clanging did not seem to disturb my husband but it wasn't long before my son came out with daggers in his eyes. Some men will never appreciate the value of clean and well-organized cupboards - even if it is early in the morning.

Is it too much to hope for another snow day tomorrow?

Busy Productive day today!!!

Today was/is a holiday - no work for me today. Well, no paying job today but boy I worked. I finally tackled cupboards in my kitchen and decluttered - four, almost 5 bags of trash was hauled to the dumpsters. Some of the items in the bags were outdated food - can you say 3 old cans of shortening (what was I thinking?) and some were knick-knacks that have worn out their usefulness. Some of them were covered with so much greasy dust it was impossible to clean them properly - bye-bye clutter.

I know da hubby thinks I'm crazy but da son will be happy to find the cluttered cupboard that houses different size containers - some with and some without lids - for leftovers has been neatly arranged! Only bowls with lids on, under or neatly stacked on top grace those shelves now. My spices are all arranged alphabetically (I still need to make a list so I don't buy duplicates) and the old spices have been tossed. Did you know McKormick has a website that tells you how old your spices are? Check it out, here is the link: http://mccormick.com/Spices101/HowOldSpices.aspx . I could not believe I had spices taking up space in my cupboard that were bottled in 1996 - rather old wouldn't you say?

Anyway, with Flylady's help, I hope my cupboards never get out of control again. It is way too much work to clean up the mess.

Date Night

Da hubby & I don't get out much. Sure we go shopping together, run errands and also go out to eat. It seems like we never get together with friends to have fun. Last night da hubby & I enjoyed an evening with friends. We went to a concert that was a fund raiser for a local charity then out for drinks and good food. I think we all had a good time - well, except for the first act at the concert (who shall remain nameless). We enjoyed listening to the Carl Webb Band and certainly enjoyed seeing and hearing Amaryliss. Max and Ruth Bloomquist certainly know how to put on a show.

Now, my task is to convince da hubby, Linda & Darrel that the boys should take us out for a Valentines Day dinner.....

Super Fling Boogie

Several years ago I joined www.FlyLady.net. I haven't visited the site in a long time but something re-sparked my interest and I've gotten hooked again. This month the challenge is to spend 15 minutes a day doing the Super Fling Boogie. This involves going to a hot spot in the home and eliminating clutter. Last night and this morning I tackled my closet and dresser drawers. My closet has been so full that my clothes actually hang on bars across the bathtub we no longer use. Other pieces of clothing hang from hooks on the bathroom doors. My dresser drawers & cupboards were so full, it was almost impossible to close the drawers & doors.

Now, because my 15 minutes (I was actually inspired by the 15 minutes, I spent over an hour) of Super Flinging, my drawers and cupboards are neatly organized and the clothes in my closet are hanging neatly. Even my socks are paired and organized by color, type and holidays. The hooks on the bathroom doors are almost empty. (I'll clear them off this afternoon.) Goodwill will be the lucky recipient of all the clothing that is too large for me.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

This recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. My husband, son and I loved this bread so I'm sharing the recipe here for my friends.

Makes one 9 -inch loaf (You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour but the resulting loaf will be a little shorter and denser. If you don't have a standing mixer, you can make the bread by hand.

1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons honey
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups (9 2/3 ounces) whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups (8 1/4 to 11 ounces) bread flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup raisins
vegetable oil spray
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. Whisk the milk, water, honey, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter together in a large liquid measuring cup.
2. Combine the whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.
4. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup bread flour, 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. Add the raisins and continue to knead until incorporated, about 1 minute.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball.
6. Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Spray a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with begetable oil spray.
8. Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
9. Press the dough into a 20 by 8 inch rectangle, with the short side facing you. Spray the dough lightly with water and sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 inch border at the far edge. Spray again lightly with water, roll into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed.
10. Place the loaf, seam-side down, in the prepared pan. Spray the loaf lightly with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the loaf has nearly doubled in size, 45 to 75 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
12. Brush the loaf with remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter, then spray lightly with water.
13. Bake until the crust is golden and the center of the bread registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the loaf halfway through baking.
14. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours before serving.

(Joan's note: This bread came out of the oven and smelled so terrific. It barely sat for 15 minutes in the pan. We used an electric knife to cut the bread immediately - warm bread is fantastic!)

Sleep Study

Several years ago I visited the sleep clinic where they hooked me up with wires extending from my arms, legs, chest, and head. A camera was aimed at my bed with a microphone close by. A technician monitored my sleep and soon after falling asleep woke me up to slip a CPAP mask over my face to help stop the snoring. The diagnosis was obstructed sleep apnea. Throughout the rest of the night the technician adjusted the air flow until I reached a safe, comfortable level of sleep.

I've been using the CPAP almost every night since - until recently. Even with the CPAP I was not getting a deep restful night of sleep. Then it occurred to me - the restless nights started at about the time I hit the 20 pound weight loss mark!

I was again referred to the sleep clinic where, to my delight, I was informed I was not a candidate to spend a night at the sleep clinic. Instead, a special CPAP machine was ordered for me. The machine was set to manual and sent home with me. There is a small computer chip somewhere in the machine. This week, I will return the machine to the health care rental place and they will upload the data from the computer chip to the sleep clinic doctor.

Hopefully the data on the chip will provide the doctor with the information needed to adjust the CPAP to the right setting so I can get a good night sleep. I am surprised, even with the machine set to manual, I have only had two or three good nights sleep in the past two weeks since the machine entered this house.

I have been fortunate to maintain a high level of energy even though I have not had a good night sleep. I know this good luck is not going to last much longer - I'm looking forward to next week when the old machine is set to new settings. Hopefully the fix will be as easy as it sounds!