Blueberry Grapefruit Coffee Cake Muffins

These muffins are gluten free.  I use my gluten free four blend.  I was inspired to make these muffins for the Ocean Spray Grapefruit Contest.  I made a batch two days in a row.  They are a huge hit with family and friends.  Enjoy!!! 

Ingredients:

2 TBS butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Place cupcake papers into 12 count well pan.  Spray papers with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
3.  In medium size bowl whisk together butter, 3/4 cup sugar, egg, sour cream, oil, juice and vanilla until completely combined. 
4.  Add to bowl, salt baking powder, baking soda, flour, walnuts and blueberries.  Mix thoroughly. 
5.  In small bowl mix together 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon.
6.  Fill each paper 1/2 way with batter.  Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
7.  Bake in oven for approx.. 12-14 mins or until done. 


Note:  Alternative method:  Muffin papers and be filled with half the batter, then with sugar/cinnamon mixture and topped off with more batter.


Makes 12 Muffins

Red Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit/Cream Cheese Filling

Red Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit/Cream Cheese Filling

This cake reminds me of my Italian Grandmother, Maria.  She loved to cook and 

bake.  I remember helping her peel potatoes and snapping beans in her kitchen, 

as a young girl.  We would go to her house on Sundays and eat her homemade

noodles.  I can see her now rolling out the pasta dough on her huge cutting board

Grandpa Gabriel made for her.  One of my Grandmothers favorite things to do was 

to create all kinds of different homemade cakes, made from scratch.  She would 

surprise everyone with a cake of their choice on any special occasion.  I would 

sit and wait for the phone to ring so I can put in my order.  One of my favorite cakes 

was her Maple Walnut Cake.  She made so many, how can I choose? 

 I decided to this Grapefruit Cake in memory of her. She loved to eat Grapefruit every

morning for breakfast.   I created many varieties of Grapefruit Cake 

but I wanted to create one with more of a Grapefruit filling.  You can also make this 

cake with a sugar/cinnamon walnut filling, like a coffee cake.

#Hellmanns, #foodfrommemories, #ContestEntry 

Grapefruit Cake 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1-1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I used Hellmann's)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 Tbs grapefruit zest, 3 Tbs for garnish

1 cup grapefruit juice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2-1/4 cups flour

1 cup Pink Grapefruit Preserves 

Directions:

1.  In large bowl add butter, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, zest, juice and 

vanilla.  Mix well

2.  In separate bowl sift salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.  Add 1/2 tsp 

xanthan gum, if using gluten free flour.  


Directions:

1.  In mixing bowl add butter, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, zest, juice and 

and vanilla.  Mix well.

2.  In separate bowl swift together, salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.  

Combine two bowls together.  Mix well

3.  Pour into greased baking pans.  I used (4) 6 inch pans.

4.  Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for approx. 15 - 20 mins, depending on oven.

Remove from oven and let cool.  

5.  Layer cream cheese icing and grapefruit preserves between each layer.  

Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ozs soften cream cheese

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cream

Cheddar Stuffed Pork Chops

How to feed a crowd.
What do you serve when you have many dinner guests coming for a visit?
You want to serve something satisfying and of course, delicious.  With so much to do lately,
I decided to make this simple stuffed pork chop recipe.  I almost went with chicken but hey, we haven't had pork in a while.
The coating mix was made in the morning and took only about 3 minutes to pulse together.  I stored the mixture in a baggie until ready to use later that day.
While shopping for nice pork chops I couldn't find ones I liked so I decided to just buy a whole pork loin.  This is a nice tip because pork loins are cheaper to buy. Cut what you need and freeze what is left over.  Now on to the stuffing...
My original thought was to do a cheesy stuffing.  Many times when using shredded cheese you loose a lot of the cheese during cooking, because it oozes out.  Since I also needed breading for the stuffing, I decided to use cheesy crackers instead.  This gave me the cheddar cheese taste I was looking for in the recipe and also the texture, for the stuffing.  I also used the cheddar crackers for the outside of the pork chop.  It gave my chops a nice crispy crunch and also looked so pretty.  I used Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers.  They have the right amount of flavor needed, and they are gluten free.  The butternut squash was the perfect veggie to add to the stuffing.  The color combo was amazing.
Serve these chops with a side of homemade apple sauce, salad or potatoes.
What would you serve as a side, dish with these delicious pork chops?

Note:  Stuffing can also be made ahead of time.  Refrigerate and remove when needed.


Ingredients
6-8 pork chops, boneless (cut 1 1/2 inch each)
1 recipe coating mix.  See recipe below
2 TBS cooking oil
2 TBS butter
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup sweet onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minsed
2 cups(10 ozs) butternut squash, riced ( I used frozen)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
2 TBS sage, chopped fine
1 cup Three Bakers Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
4.5 ozs Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers, ground
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, course
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1.  Slice a slit in the center of each chop, not cutting through to back end.
2.  Coat each chop in coating mixture, covering entire chop completely.  Place on baking sheet.
3.  In large skillet, heat oil and butter on medium heat.  Add celery and onions.  Cook until soft approx. 15 mins.  Add garlic and stir.
4.  Add squash, parsley and sage.  Stir and cook for additional 5 mins.
5.  Add crumbs and ground cheddar snackers.  Stir to combine all ingredients in skillet.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Remove from heat and let cool. (approx. 15 mins).  Note: I add to separate bowl to cool faster.
6.  Add beaten egg.  Fold into mixture.
7.  Stuff approx. 1/3 stuffing into each chop.
8.  Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 mins, or until cooked


Pork Chop Coating Mixture:
4.5 oz Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers
2/3 cups Three Bakers Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
2 TBS Parsley

Directions for Coating:
1.  Add all ingredients to food processor.  Pulse together until well blended.  Add contents to bowl.

Turkey Pizzadilla

Turkey Pizzadilla

What is a pizzadilla?  The idea came from, what we all know is as a quesadilla.  

A quesadilla is a flour torilla filled with cheese, meat and/or veggies heated then folded.

Ingredients:

1 Three Bakers frozen cheese pizza

1/4 cup chopped turkey

2 TBS sliced red onion

2 TBS sliced black olives

2 TBS sliced mushrooms

extra mozzarella for top, optional

pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

1.  Cut frozen pizza in half.  Add all ingredients, on one half of the pizza.  Carefully add other half

     of pizza on top.  Place in preheated panni press on high heat for approx. 5-7 mins, or until toasted.

     Slice with pizza cutter. 

Note:  Can also be cooked in toaster oven or cooktop skillet.  If using the skillet method heat on one

            side until toasted, flip and toasted other side.

Cinnamon Raisin Sugar Donuts with Pumpkin Filling

Cinnamon Raisin Sugar Donuts with Pumpkin Filling

Who doesn't love the aroma of Fall spices penetrating through the kitchen?  I know I do.

Since I had some roasted pumpkin leftover, I decided to create a sweet dish for dessert.

I wanted something simple that the kids can help me make.   I was also thinking of

kicking it up a notch and serve fancy to guests.  Well, then it hit me, donuts!  Donuts have become very popular lately.  Restaurants are serving them up in all ways with different

variations of fillings, some very unique fillings.  I stayed with a traditional Fall time flavor, pumpkin.

Now, to make the donuts.  I did not want to fuss, creating a donut dough.  Besides, who has the time for that?  That is when I came up with the idea of using bread.  Yes, bread!  

Three Bakers make a cinnamon raisin bread I knew would be perfect for this recipe.

It is already packed with all the flavors I was striving towards.  

For the filling, I decided to use mascarpone cheese, which is Italian cream cheese.  You may also use regular cream cheese; if you choose, it will still be fantastic.  Try not to overeat by the spoonfuls.  You will definitely want to save some for the donuts.

Whip up a batch of these cute little donut holes in no time.  Everyone will be happy you did.  

Donut Ingredients:
6 slices Cinnamon Raisin Bread, sliced in small cubes
2 TBS pure maple syrup, or honey
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
2 TBS cinnamon
4 TBS white sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, or butter, melted

Pumpkin Filling:
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, or cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup pumpkin pie filling (I used fresh pumpkin, but you can use canned)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 TBS pure maple syrup, or honey

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  In medium size bowl add cubed bread.  Beat egg with remaining ingredients.  Pour over top of bread.  Toss, making sure all cubes are coated.  Let sit for 30 mins.  Toss again.
3.  Add wet bread cubes to food processor and blend for a few second, creating a dough.
4.  Begin rolling into approx. 1 inch balls.  (I used a small cookie scoop).  Note:  Dough mixture will be wet.  To prevent sticking to hands, keep hands wet.  Place donuts on greased baking sheet two inches apart.  Bake for 15 mins.
5.  Mix cinnamon and sugar in small bowl.  Roll each donut into melted oil/butter.  Roll into cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Eat alone or serve with pumpkin filling and whipped cream
6.  To make pumpkin filling:  Add all ingredients to bowl.  Whisk or with hand blender, blend together until smooth and creamy.  Approx. 1 min.

Spiced Apple Butter

Smokey, Spicy, Sweet, and Crunchy!  This will satisfy YOU when you have the MUNCHIES?
Warm, toasty turkey sandwich with ooey, gooey melted pepper jack cheese, and crunchy salty bacon.  Combine these ingredients, with this homemade version of spiced apple butter and you will have a winner.  Nothing spells "Fall" like what you are about to sink your teeth into.

Yes, you can purchase store-bought apple butter and it will do just fine.  For me, I like being creative and putting little spins, on my recipes.  When I think of "Fall", I think about all those "Fall time" spices.  What better way to use them but in a whole different recipe, than what we are used to.

What is Apple Butter?  Believe it or not, it does not contain any butter at all.  Apples are cooked down, pretty much like apple sauce, but longer.  It is simmered slow and long until the liquids are cooked out, creating a caramelization.  Can you taste it?  Now, go fill your kitchen with the aroma of this very versatile recipe.  Spread on a sandwich, crackers, or even your favorite meat for dinner.  It is worth every minute, making this recipe.


Turkey Apple Butter Sandwich

Ingredients:
4 slices Three Bakers Rye Bread
4 slices smoked turkey breast, thick
2 slices spicy pepper jack cheese
2 slices fried bacon, crispy
1 TBS homemade spiced apple butter, see recipe below

Directions:
1.  Assemble sandwich to your liking.  Toast your bread or press for the best results.


Spiced Apple Butter Ingredients:
6 Fuji apples, peeled and sliced (discard peels and cores)
2 cups water
3 TBS cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla ( I used Madagascar vanilla)
1 piloncillo cone, or 1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar (piloncillo is unrefined sugar found in the spice section)
1-star anise or 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
1.  Add all ingredients to a large nonstick saucepan.  Cook on med/high heat until boils.  Reduce and simmer for approx. 90 mins, stirring every 10-15 mins.
2.  Remove cinnamon stick and star anise.  Puree with blender or food processor, until smooth.  Return to heat and simmer for an additional 30, stirring every 5-8 mins.  Apple butter will caramelize and turn a dark brown color.  Do not allow apple butter to stick or burn.
3.  Add apple butter to 3 (8 ozs) sterilized jars.  Store in refrigerator.  Jars can also be stored on the shelf by using the "Hot Water Bath" method.


Note:  This recipe can also be made in a crockpot or slow cooker.  See the manual for usage.

New England Style Clam Cakes

New England Style Clam Cakes

Thought I said Crab Cake, didn't you? No.....Clam Cake!

Clams were readily available over the years, in New England.  My Dad would buy bushels of them for family picnics in the yard.  Many times he would have some left over and make clam cakes or stuff into shells and bake.  This was very popular growing up and still is.

There are many varieties of clam cakes.  You can make them like a croquette with mashed potatoes or like a fritter, deep fried.  

One of my favorite ways to make clam cakes is with a bread stuffing.  This recipe is so easy to make, and hardly takes any time at all. You can also purchase reusable clamshells, stuff and bake them.  They make great appetizers for party guests. Oh, and they freeze well, also.

I decided to make these into patties and serve as a main meal.  They were very tasty. Serve them with your favorite sauce (tartar, remoulade or

just a simple creamy dressing).  I also like a tropical or citrus salsa served on top.  It is very refreshing. If you like spicy, then spice it up!!!

New England Clam Cakes

Ingredients:

2 TBS oil

2 TBS butter

1 cup onions, chopped fine

1 cup celery, chopped fine

1 cup red bell peppers, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

6-8 slices Max O Mega Bread, cubed in small pieces

2-6.5 oz cans baby clams, drained.  Reserve 1 cup juice

½ cup cilantro, chopped (or parsley)

¼ cup grated cheese

2 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS sweet paprika

⅛ tsp salt

⅛ tsp pepper

Directions:

1. In skillet, heat oil and butter on med/high heat.  Add onions, celery and peppers. Saute until veggies are soft, approx. 12-15 mins.  Add garlic, stir. Remove from heat and put aside.
2. Add cubed bread to mixing bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients, toss.  Let sit for 5 mins, tossing occasionally to allow bread to soak up liquid.
3. Add sauteed veggies to mixing bowl.  Toss. Mold into patties
4. Place in skillet with hot cooking oil.  Cook for approx. 3-5 mins on each side, or until golden brown.  Remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with favorite sauce or salsa.