#2,696: Homemade Latte WITHOUT an Espresso Machine

So I have been really into drinking lattes lately, but I am TERRIBLE at making them at home.  I use my Keurig in the morning and my coffee just seems super diluted no matter what I try.  I hate spending at LEAST $4 for coffee at a coffee shop (even if they do offer deals on numbers of purchases), so I figured there had to be an easier way of making them at home.  After several failed attempts, I came across this video which actually seemed to work for me!  So I figured I'd pass along this link in case anyone wants to try it too. 

First of all, I had to pull out my actual coffee maker...not my Keurig.  And I had to double the recipe so that I could fill Tervis cup (and it's a smaller one!).  My first attempt at this, I had one cup worth of a latte...yeah, I drink way more than a small/tall!

My next job/step is to learn how to add the cute latte art!  :)

4 tbsp ground coffee
10 oz water
1 cup milk
And I definitely needed 3-4 packets of stevia.  But I like my coffee a bit sweet

You will also need a glass jar with a lid.

Brew the 4 tbsp of ground coffee with 10 oz of water.
While that is brewing, place 1 cup of milk in a glass jar and microwave on high for 30 seconds. 

Remove the jar from the microwave and put the lid on the jar.  Shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds.  

Remove the lid and continue heating the milk for an additional 30 seconds.  Watch closely so that it doesn't bubble over. 

Pour your brewed coffee into a large mug (my Tervis is a 16 oz one!).  Add desired sweetener, and then add the warmed milk and foam.  

#2,695: Carrot Cake Banana Bread

One of my favorite places to go in the grocery store (when I actually step foot into a grocery store thanks to Walmart's Pick Up service!), is the clearance section.  I never know what I'm going to find and what deals I'll be able to snag.  Recently I was able to get a box of carrot cake mix for 50 cents.  So I've been trying to think of a way to health-ify it so I can give it to my family (preferably as some sort of breakfast food).  When I saw the 2 very ripe bananas on my counter, I knew someone had to have combined the two, and a quick Google search led me to this recipe.  Thankfully I had an extra banana waiting to be used up in my freezer, so I was good to go on whipping this one up.

Matthew wouldn't even try this because "It has carrots in it.  I can see them!".  The girls and I however loved this.  It is super moist!  I love the addition of the coconut in it too....the girls didn't seem to notice that it was in there.  

1 package (15.25 ounces) carrot cake mix, dry

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil) 

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I omitted)

1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for topping (optional)

Optional Cream Cheese Spread (I did NOT make this)

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined and a batter forms. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Top with additional coconut if desired. 

Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to completely cool.  Once cooled, slice and serve with sweet cream cheese spread if desired.

If desired: While the bread cools, whip together the ingredients for the spread until smooth. Cover and until ready to use and refrigerate any leftovers.

#2,694: Instant Pot Mexican Rice

I needed something quick and easy to go with the Taco Beef Bake with Cheddar Biscuit Topping I was making for my family for dinner.  It should be no surprise that I wanted to make something in my Instant Pot, so when I found this recipe (and that I had everything on hand to make it), I knew it was going to be exactly the thing that I wanted to try!  I was able to throw the Taco Beef Bake into the oven, then start to make the rice, and both were done at the same time!  (Score!)  

Those of us who love rice, really enjoyed this dish.  The other two, were more content to eat the main dish.  However, this rice was perfectly cooked and seriously so good!  I will definitely be making this again in the future!  

2 tbsp avocado oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

3/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cups long grain white rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

dash cayenne pepper

Set the Instant Pot on saute and add your oil and onions. Leave the lid off and stir frequently.  Saute the onions for about 4 minutes and then add in the rice and garlic.  Saute the onions and rice for about 2 minutes, until they begin to turn a golden color.

Add in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper and stir. Scrape the bottom so the rice doesn’t burn.  Close and lock the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to Manual HIGH for 8 minutes.

When 8 minutes is up and Instant Pot beeps, do a quick release of the pressure.  

#2,693: Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Like I mentioned in my previous recipe/post, I was told to bring a dessert to Easter this year, and since the traditional Lamb Cake was already being made, I wanted to make some sort of cookie.  Not being the best baker (because I don't do well with exact measurements), I figured this recipe looked easy enough for me to handle, and for the kids to help out with. This dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours in the fridge, but can be made up to 5 days in advance (although that seems like an awfully long time to prep it and then leave it in the fridge.  We wouldn't have any dough left if I waited 5 days to make it.  

To make this easier to handle when cold, right after you make this dough (prior to refrigerating it) portion out each cookie amount and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet (with each cookie dough ball right next to one another so you could get a lot on one sheet), then cover it with foil and put it in the fridge until the next day.  

When ready to bake, pull them out of the fridge for about 10 minutes and then place on a separate cookie sheet spread out so they were about 2 inches apart from one another.   

By the way, these are REALLY good cookies.  There are a lot of M and M's in this dough (an entire bag of them!!), and I made these more on the smaller side for a cookie, but it was a great grab-and-go snack/dessert.  

PS: I'm super thankful that this isn't my year to make the Lamb Cake and that I have probably 3 more years until I have to do it again!  Here's a pic of my Lamb Cake the last time I had to make it.  That poor lamb.  His head kept leaning more and more until it completely fell off! 

  

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt, optional and to taste

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate M and Ms (or another variety of M and Ms, or chocolate chips may be substituted)

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.  Add the M and Ms and fold in by hand.

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray, and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly under cooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than ten minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

#2,692: Spring Flower Pretzel Bites

I had to bring some sort of dessert to my cousin's house for Easter, and I knew my brother and his girlfriend already had the Lamb Cake covered, so I wanted to bring something small and easy to grab as you walked by.  I had the kids help me make these super easy pretzel bites, so this was a total family project.  These are so simple and so good!  I would definitely make this again!  This would be cute for a baby shower with just pink and blue candies.  Or just made with colors of a certain theme, school cools, etc.  I had never heard of Butter Snap Pretzels, but here is a link to what they look like and where I got them.

Butter Snap Pretzels

White Candy Melts

Pastel M and M's

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicon baking liner.  Place the butter snap pretzels in rows on the baking sheet.  Put one candy melt on top of each pretzel.  Warm in oven for 2-3 minutes - you don't want them melted, just softened.

Quickly place one M and M in the center and surround it by 5 or 6 "petals". Gently press them down to "secure" them in the candy (they are definitely cuter with the "M" facing down so you can't see it).  

Let cool and serve. (You can speed up the cooling time by placing them in the refrigerator for a few minutes).  Store in an airtight container - enjoy!

April Fool's Cake Pops

My family doesn't necessarily try to prank our kids on April Fool's Day, but when I saw my cousin share this post on making cake pops out of brussel sprouts, I knew I had to bring these to Easter! 

These definitely look a lot like a cake pop, and even my dad didn't know there was something wrong with these.  They were really easy to make.  I just cut the bottom off the RAW brussel sprout and kept pulling away leaves until they were the size of a traditional cake pop.  Then I melted some chocolate (I bought this kind at my local Walmart) and dipped each one in.  I added some candy sprinkles and then placed it in a Styrofoam rectangle to keep it standing upright.  

I don't know what was funnier...the kids who took a big bite right away, or the ones who just kept eating the chocolate off it?!

#2,691: Irish Cheddar, Bacon and Potato Muffins

I've been trying to make each of the monthly muffins that Food Network Magazine put out at the beginning of the year (one for each month), and I personally thought these savory muffins sounded good, but I figured I was the only one who would probably eat these.  I was surprised that Allison enjoyed these and said they tasted a little bit like breakfast pizza...she's kind of right.  It does remind me of that a little.  The other two kiddos were not fans, although Matthew just licked his so I can't really say that counts as a true vote either way.  I liked these, but didn't love them, so I probably wouldn't make them again.  Not bad, just not my favorite thing to eat.

Also, they stick quite a bit to the paper liners, so using silicone muffin tins might be better to use!  

1 large Yukon Gold potato (8 ounces) (I'm so lazy I used refrigerated shredded hash browns)

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1¼ cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

3 slices bacon, cooked with 1 tablespoon bacon grease reserved

4 ounces Irish cheddar cheese, diced

¼ cup chopped fresh chives (about ½ a bunch)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

(I totally omitted this step) Cook the potato in the microwave. Poke the potato 5-6 times with a fork and wrap in a damp paper towel. Cook until the potato is just cooked through, about 4-5 minutes, being sure to turn it once during cooking. Let the potato cool. Once you can handle it carefully peel off the skin and grate the potato. Lightly season the grated potato with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, egg, and tablespoon of bacon drippings. Pour the mixture into the well of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Carefully fold in the grated potato, bacon, cheese, and chives.

Evenly divide the batter among the prepared paper liners. The batter should fill each to the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the top of the muffin is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to completely cool.

#2,690: Super Moist Banana Bread

Now this is definitely a moist banana bread.  I usually start to get nervous when it calls for 3 bananas because I'm afraid it's going to be too banana-y (is that a word?!), but figured I'd give this recipe a try with the kids.  They loved it!  The totally devoured it for breakfast for 2 days.  Although this does have quite a bit of sugar in it, so next time I'm going to cut back on that and see how it turns out. 

3 medium Bananas

3/4 cup Sugar (or 1/2 c honey)

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1 Egg

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 tablespoon Cinnamon 

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mash your bananas.  Add the egg, sugar (or honey) and cooking oil to your bananas.

Add the dry ingredients to your banana mixture and stir just until moistened.

Spray the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cook for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in middle comes out clean.  Allow pan to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack.

Remove the bread from the pan, and allow your bread to fully cool on a wire cooling rack.

#2,689: Instant Pot Fried Rice

I had total mixed reviews on this recipe.  First of all, I liked it...but it was NOTHING like fried rice, and I even added in some coconut aminos and sesame oil to amp up the flavor.  Would I make this particular recipe again, probably not only because it didn't taste like fried rice.  But would I make rice in the Instant Pot again?  For sure!  I'm still on the lookout for a more authentic fried rice recipe, but for a veggie rice, this was good. 

2 cups Long Grain Rice

2½ cups Vegetable Broth

2 Carrots

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cup Frozen Peas

2 Medium Eggs (I omitted only because I ran out of eggs!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Add rice and vegetable stock in your instant pot. Mix so the rice is spread around evenly. Throw in diced carrots and close the lid.

Instant Pot Settings: turn the vent to “SEALING” position, press “MANUAL” and adjust the time to 3 minutes.  When the instant pot finished cooking, press “CANCEL” button. After 10 minutes, release the pressure manually.

Now mix the rice, it will be quite sticky but it should change its texture and lose quite a lot of its stickiness. Move the rice to a side and press the “SAUTE” function. Add oil and frozen peas and saute for about a minute before mixing everything together.

Make a well in the middle of the rice and add beaten eggs. Stir the egg into rice and fry everything together for a further 1-2 minutes before turning off Instant Pot completely. Taste it and if needed, season with salt and pepper.

#2,688: Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli

As a family, we all really enjoyed this quick Instant Pot dish.  The only complaint I had to this was that the broccoli was too hard for my liking.  I think it needed way more than 5-10 minutes to cook and soften.  Personally, it probably needed closer to 20 minutes for my liking.  Other than that, we really, really enjoyed this.  

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 pounds of flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain

1/2 cup diced shallots (I used sweet onion)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

2/3 cup beef stock 

1/3 cup of coconut aminos (or sub low sodium soy sauce)

2 T plus 1 tsp honey

3 1/2 cups of broccoli florets

1/2 T arrowroot or your favorite thickener/flour (I used cornstarch)

1/4 tsp salt

crushed red pepper

Whisk coconut aminos, chicken stock, honey and fresh ginger together. Set aside.

Set Instant Pot to Saute. When it's hot, add olive oil and shallots and sauté until they begin to soften and become fragrant. Add in garlic and cook an additional minute.

Pour stock mixture into the Instant Pot and add in sliced flank steak. Cover and lock your Instant Pot and set to manual/pressure cook for 12 minutes. When cook time is up, allow to naturally release for 5 minutes before finishing with a quick release.

Carefully take off the lid and remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid and make a slurry by whisking in 1/2 T of arrowroot starch. Mix until well combined and then return to pot. Set Instant Pot to sauté and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in salt. Turn pot to keep warm.

Add in chopped broccoli florets and stir everything together. Place lid on IP and give the broccoli 5-10 minutes to steam from the heat of the pot.

When broccoli is to desired tenderness, garnish with some scallions, crushed red pepper, and additional grated ginger if desired.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.

#2,687: No Yeast Soft Pretzels

I always love a good warm soft pretzel.  But I am not a patient, yeast-using type of cook, so I was looking for an easy recipe that I could use that omitted it.  We whipped this recipe together really quickly, and I gave each of the kids enough dough to make 2 pretzels.  You would think I was torturing them asking them to roll out logs of dough.  Once they were done and put into a semi-pretzel shape, we coated half of them with an egg wash and salt, and the other half was coated with cinnamon and sugar.  It was a 50/50 split vote whether we liked the salty or sweet pretzels.  Both were good though.  These are a bit dense (but I expected that!), but still pretty good.  I don't think these compare to a good soft pretzel, but for a quick, easy recipe, I thought they were ok! 

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cups milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

topping suggestions: coarse salt, cinnamon, sugar, toasted sesame seeds, etc. 

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Stir together the first six ingredients to make a soft dough.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour on the counter. Divide dough into two balls. Knead it. Put bowl upside down over balls for 15 minutes.

Divide each ball into four balls, resulting in eight total balls. Roll each ball into a long rope, about a foot in length and form into pretzel shape.

Spray cookie sheet and place pretzels on pan.  Beat egg and brush over pretzels. Sprinkle on your desired topping.

Place in the oven for 9-11 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

#2,686: Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Although I thought this recipe sounded wonderful, I wasn't sure if my family (particularly my husband) would agree.  But I figured I'd take a chance and make it anyways (and there was some leftover Texas Roadhouse Pot Roast in the fridge if my husband absolutely hated it!).  Plus it gave me an excuse to try another Instant Pot recipe.  I made the meat mixture ahead of time on the stove when I had some extra free time, and so that I didn't have to spend as much time in the kitchen right at dinner time when it's usually a little crazy.  This would also be a great prep ahead meal for a quick weeknight dinner. 

Anyhow, I figured I was pushing my luck with this recipe but wanted to push it just a bit more, so I added some frozen riced cauliflower into the mix...AND MY FAMILY NEVER KNEW.  Score!!  Actually my kids were more concerned about the corn they could see in this dish.  Babies.  

I was so scared that the noodles wouldn't be cooked but I left it to fate and tried it anyways, and was shocked when the noodles were cooked after only 5 Instant Pot minutes!  

By the way, not only did we enjoy this dish, but it was really good as leftovers too! 

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons taco seasoning

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1 - 14.5 oz. can of fired roasted diced tomatoes (I used picante sauce)
I also added about 1/3 cup of frozen riced cauliflower

2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 1/2 cups)

8 ounces small pasta of your choice, uncooked (I used 12 oz of elbow macaroni)

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded 

Optional Garnishes

Freshly chopped cilantro

Freshly chopped green onion

Sour cream

Chopped red onion

Extra cheese

Fresh salsa

Shredded lettuce

Set your Instant Pot to sauté. Add the ground meat and onion and cook until browned, stirring while it cooks. Once it is cooked add in the taco seasoning, frozen corn, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth and pasta. Cover and seal the lid. Change the Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH and set the time to 5 minutes.

When the Instant Pot beeps showing that it is done, do a quick release. Once all of the pressure/steam is please turn off the Instant Pot. Remove the lid keeping the lid pointed away from you and stir the taco pasta together. Add the cheese to the pasta mixture. Cover the Instant Pot (do not seal it) and let the cheese melt for a minute or two. Open your Instant Pot and stir.

Serve the taco pasta in bowls with garnishes.

#2,685: Texas Roadhouse Pot Roast

We don't eat at Texas Roadhouse, so I can't vouch for the comparison to what they serve, but I can tell you that we loved this recipe!  I also highly doubt that Texas Roadhouse serves this as sandwiches, but that's how my family enjoys roasts the most.  

We eat some form of a roast fairly regularly and it's always hit or miss if my kids enjoy it or not.  I wasn't sure if they were going to be fans of this one, and in fact, would have bet they did not.  They completely proved me wrong!  We had 3 different meals leftover this week so we had a leftovers night, and both of the girls chose this meal over the other choices.  I'd say that's a good sign.  I too ate the leftovers but ended up making these as sort of nachos (chips, leftover meat, and some cheese) , which was also absolutely delicious!  We loved this recipe and I'd definitely make it again!

As I mentioned above, I served this as shredded beef sandwiches.  I just shredded the meat with 2 forks, and then put it back into the sauce to soak up more flavor.   

2 - 2.5 lb chuck roast

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper (any color), chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup water

Place roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Top with vegetables, BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, water and spices.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  

#2,684: Instant Pot Green Beans with Mushrooms and Bacon

I've made this recipe three times now since I originally found it.  Personally I think it's easier to make this separately and not all in the instant pot.  I use my griddle to cook up a pound of bacon, and I only use what I need and save the rest for another time.  In a saute pan I cook the onions and mushrooms, and then in the instant pot I cook the green beans.  I don't know if I'd boil or steam green beans in a pot again.  I am always hit or miss if they turn out or not.  Sometimes they are perfectly cooked, and other times they are over cooked.  But each time I make them in my Instant Pot I end up eating all of them and they are cooked perfectly!  In fact, I'm making this again for dinner tonight!  

1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed (while fresh green beans are best, frozen will work in a pinch)

6 ounces bacon, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

splash of balsamic vinegar

sea salt and pepper, to taste

Place green beans in inner pot of pressure cooker.  Add enough water to barely cover the beans.  Put on the lid of your cooker, checking that the seals and all components are in good shape, including being in the sealing position.  Set to high for 1 to 2 minutes (fresh green beans) or 3 to 4 minutes (frozen green beans).

Once cycle is complete, hit the cancel button and allow pot to do a quick pressure release.

Drain green beans into a colander.  Set aside.

Turn pressure cooker to Saute function, or put stove-top cooker over medium heat.

Add bacon.  Let fat render.  Add onions and garlic.  Add mushrooms a little later, in time for them to get soft, but before bacon is too crispy.  Once bacon is crispy, onions are translucent, and mushrooms are soft turn your Instant Pot off and add the green beans back to the cooker.  Add a splash with vinegar and stir to combine.  Season to taste. 

#2,683: Applesauce Carrot Muffins

As I've mentioned before, I'm always looking for healthier, make ahead, breakfast ideas for my kids.  One thing I love about them being a bit older now, is that they can take care of breakfast all on their own.  But I especially love when they want/ask for something that's more healthy for them in the mornings.  They've been asking for the roasted carrot-orange muffins I made a few weeks ago, and I just wasn't in the mood to roast and puree more carrots.  So I decided to try this recipe out on them instead.  To make it even more appealing, I had one of the kids help me make these too. 

One of my kids wouldn't try these at all, but the other 2 thought they were good.  They were excited to eat them for breakfast, and I was excited they got some fruit AND vegetable in it.  

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used all purpose flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2-3 medium carrots)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.

Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, honey, egg, vanilla, and applesauce.

Stir ingredients together until just combined and there are still some spots of flour remaining.

Fold in the shredded carrots just until combined (don’t overmix or the muffins will be dense).

Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins freeze wonderfully and keep well if covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

#2,682: Crispy Garlic-Sage Potatoes

I had some fresh sage in my fridge and some baby yellow potatoes on my counter needing to be used up, so I found this recipe to use them with!  The original recipe used sliced Yukon gold potatoes, but I just used my baby gold potatoes instead and was able to skip the step of slicing them up.  I'm not sure why this recipe says to bake these on the bottom rack.  My gut was telling me this was a bad idea so I kept them on the top rack until the last 10 minutes.  As you can see from the very dark specks in this photo, the sage and garlic pretty much burned.  Keep this on the top rack!  It was still good though and yes I'd make this again.  

4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes cut into wedges
1/2 c olive oil
6 chopped sage leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 garlic cloves, smashed

Original directions: Put a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 375 degrees F. Peel 4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes and cut into wedges. Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil, 6 chopped sage leaves, 2 sprigs sage, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread on the hot baking sheet and roast 30 minutes. Stir, then add 8 smashed garlic cloves; continue roasting until golden, about 30 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees F and cook until crisp, 15 more minutes. Season with salt.

What I did: I cooked mine at 400 degrees on the TOP rack for 20 minutes.  Then I added a few more chopped sprigs of sage and about 1 tbsp minced garlic and moved it to the BOTTOM rack for 10 minutes until they were done cooking.  Next time I'll keep them on the top rack and only add the garlic at the very end.  Although I loved the crispy sage, my family thought it was a bit too overdone.  

#2,681: Quinoa Veggie Chili

With it being Lent this time of year, I'm looking for vegetarian dishes I can make to eat during the week, but primarily on Fridays.  I liked that this recipe had everything I already had in the house except for the zucchini, so it was a clean-out-the-pantry kind of a meal too! 

I felt like the flavors of this were a bit dark and strong, but I'm assuming that's partially because I only used one can of the diced tomatoes.  Next time I would add a bit more water to dilute the flavors a bit.  I also added about 4 oz of plain greek yogurt right to the dish when it was done cooking to help mild the flavors out a bit and I did definitely enjoy that addition.  I loved eating this topped with some cilantro, a little bit of avocado, and some crushed tortilla chips!  

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, sliced and quartered

1 green pepper, diced (I used and orange bell pepper)

1 red pepper, diced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I only used 1 can)

14 oz water 

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup medium salsa (I used picante sauce)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 cup cooked quinoa

Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, sour cream (or greek yogurt), cilantro

In large pot, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute yellow onion until translucent. Add in chopped green and red peppers and zucchini, and saute for another 5-6 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste.

Add two 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes, beans, cooked quinoa and spices. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add that to the pot. Last, stir in ½ cup of medium salsa and bring the whole pot to a simmer. Let the chili cook for at least 20 minutes on medium-low heat.

Top with desired toppings.  

#2,680: Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

I was looking for a recipe that I could make to take to a friend for lunch and definitely wanted something I could use as a way to try in my new favorite cooking vessel, my Instant Pot.  I loved that this recipe required me to throw everything into the Instant Pot at once and I had almost all of the ingredients already on hand. 

Once this recipe was done, I pulled the chicken out and shredded it in my stand mixer.  Personally this recipe calls for WAY too much chicken!  I only had .6 lb of chicken thighs and only used about 2/3rds of it in the chili.  But I'm not a huge chicken fan so maybe if you love chicken thighs you'll want to add it all it.  I thought it seemed like a crazy amount. 

I stole a bowl of this for myself (sorry Heather!) and topped mine with some chopped cilantro, a little bit of sour cream, and some crushed up tortilla chips.  I enjoyed this a lot!  I would definitely make this recipe again! 

1.3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (I only used about half a pound or less and shredded it after it cooked)

5 cups chicken stock homemade or store-bought

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1 medium onion diced

2 (15 oz) cans can white northern beans drained and rinsed

4 oz diced green chilies, undrained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, and place the lid on and lock it.  Use the manual keys to set the Instant Pot to 13 minutes manual.

After the cooking has completed, use the quick release lever to release the pressure.  Carefully remove the chicken thighs, and use two forks to shred the chicken.  Return chicken to the pot, and serve immediately.