Mmmm... Apple Pie Muffins

I wanted to try something other than banana muffins so last night I made Apple Pie Muffins.  They turned out really well so I thought I would share them with you....well you'll have to make them yourself.  I'm not going to do all the work :)

Apple Pie Muffins 


You will need :

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 cups diced apples
•  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour into the flour mixture and sprinkle the diced apple into the bowl as well.

Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of melted butter while tossing with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.

Looks like I need to get new muffin tins

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

I really enjoyed these muffins and I hope you will too.

Tip:  If you do not have buttermilk you can use 1 tablespoon vinegar and enough milk to make 1 cup.  Mix together and let sit 5 to 10 mins.

I will never buy chicken fingers again.....I'll just make them

The other day I was planning on making chicken fingers, basically just using chicken breasts and Shake n Bake.  My husband then informed me that he hates Shake n Bake and asked me if I had a recipe for breading instead. While I didn't at the time, but I started searching and this is what I found.

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 quart oil for frying

1. Place chicken strips into a large, re-sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk and garlic powder. Pour mixture into bag with chicken. Seal, and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
2. In another large, re-sealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, bread crumbs, salt and baking powder. Remove chicken from refrigerator, and drain, discarding buttermilk mixture. Place chicken in flour mixture bag. Seal, and shake to coat.
3. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Carefully place coated chicken in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

I added a few more spices in with the dry ingredients to suit our tastes, such as cayenne pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning and chili powder.  I also coated them twice.  I made a mixture of 2 eggs and a bit of milk.  Once they had the first coating on, I dipped them in the egg mixture and coated again.  I also doubled the coating recipe.

This is now the only way I'm going to make chicken fingers, they are so good I was craving them for days afterwards.

The hunt for great granola.

I recently realized how much of my grocery budget I had been spending on granola bars.  We go through at least 2 boxes a week usually more.  Spending over $3 per box for 5 bars, so I decided to see if I could find a good recipe to make my own.  Luckily I found it.

The thing I really like about this recipe is that you can put anything you like in it as long as you have about 3-4 cups of fillers ( eg. choc chips, almonds, raisins, dried cranberries, mini marshmallows) and it is so easy.

Easy Granola Bars

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. 

                                           here are the dry ingredients

 Press flat into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. 
Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

Here is the final product.

Enjoy :)