Banana Streusel Muffins with Caramel Glaze

These are the best banana muffins that have ever touched my tastebuds! I came up with this recipe yesterday. I was confined to the house for most of the day. A great big, giant spring broke over the garage door and the thing wouldn't budge until a overhead door technician (I believe that's the PC title for garage door repair man) came and took the whole darn thing apart and put it back together again with new hardware. With the car stuck in the garage, I decided to take the opportunity to catch up on the laundry and do a little baking. Here was my thought process when developing this recipe: banana muffins are good. Banana muffins with streusel topping are better. Banana muffins with streusel topping AND glaze would be amazing. And they were. I tell the truth.

I started out by combining the dry ingredients; flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, in a large bowl.


Now we're ready for the not-so-dry ingredients. Most important ingredient in Banana Muffins:


I mashed three of these babies with my pastry cutter.


Now this might make you laugh at me. You probably know that you can cut the fat in baked goods such as muffins and cakes by substituting applesauce for the oil or shortening. For some great tips on substituting applesauce in baked goods, click here. I decided to cut the fat in half. I used 1/4 cup of my homemade applesauce from the freezer and 1/4 cup of melted butter. As you keep reading, you'll see that I load on the streusel topping and generously drizzle these muffins with caramel glaze. Cutting the fat here is kind of like ordering a Diet Coke...with a Big Mac and fries. Next time I'll be healthier. Next time I'll substitute applesauce for all of the fat. Next time I'll just sprinkle the tops with a little flavored intstant oatmeal. Next time...


Combine the melted butter, applesauce, egg, sugar, and vanilla with the mashed banana.


Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients in and stir until just combined. One of the secrets of a tender muffin is to not over stir. The more you stir, the stronger it makes the gluten bonds in the flour. However, you want to make sure that you stir enough that you don't miss anything. It's not pleasant to bite into a chunk of baking soda that got missed in the mixin'.


Now for the streusel topping. I combined flour, brown sugar, and quick oats and then cut in 2 tablespoons of butter until crumbly.


Spoon batter into muffin cups until they are 3/4 full. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of the streusel mixture onto each of the muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until they test done with a toothpick. Let them cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before removing them to a cooling rack.


One of my family's favorite desserts are my famous Banana Bars. Topped with caramel icing, they were my inspiration when creating the glaze for these muffins. Start out by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of brown sugar.


Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk and bring to a boil.


Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and stir until smooth.



You'll want this glaze to be drizzling consistency. It should fall freely and continuously off of your spoon. If it's not quite "there" after adding the powdered sugar, add a little more milk, by 1/2 teaspoonfuls until it's viscous enough to drizzle over your muffins. Drizzle the glaze generously over the cooled muffins, using a spoon. When you finish the drizzling, feel free to lick the spoon, the pan, and anything else (save the muffins) that this decadent caramel glaze landed upon in the drizzling process. I did. I couldn't help it. One taste and it was love.


Just look at this! These muffins are giving my banana bars a run for their money as "best banana baked good". Not only will they be the perfect addition to your brunch line-up, I bet they could smooth over any number of problems. Issues with your child's teacher? Just send in a batch of these. Ticked off your neighbor? Ring their doorbell with a basket of these on your arm (and a smile). I mean it. These are powerful muffins. They exude love. Love muffins. He he!


If you've got a busy Sunday morning schedule, it may not be realistic to rise and shine and bake a fresh batch o' muffins before brunch. No problem. Make them the night before. Do you have one of these? I love my little cupcake caddy. It's been my saving grace when toting cupcakes to the preschool. Don't have one yet?
Well, Mother's Day is next weekend...


Banana Streusel Muffins with Caramel Glaze

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated Sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup brown Sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick oats
2 tablespoons cold butter

Caramel Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown Sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup powdered Sugar

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, butter, applesauce, and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Combine the first three topping ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375°
for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before
removing to a wire rack.
For glaze, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Whisk in confectioners' sugar. Drizzle generously over cooled muffins.

Onion Pie

I've been stumbling across this Onion Pie recipe for over a year. I love that it's low in fat and calories and...well, I just love onions. It seemed just perfect for a Sunday brunch and I couldn't wait to finally try it out.

You'll want to start by halving then slicing 2 sweet onions. Vidalia is the most widely available sweet onion, originating in Georgia. California grows a variety known as the Sweet Imperial. Other types include Walla Walla, Texas Sweet, Carzalia Sweet, Oso Sweet, Arizona, Granex, and Maui. Choose onions with tightly closed necks that are absolutely dry, avoiding onions with a thick, woody center in the neck. The skin should be bright and shiny. If you notice dark, powdery patches under the skin, forget it, as this is an indication of a common mold which will eventually spoil the flesh.



Sweet onions have a shorter shelf life than common varieties due to a higher water and sugar content. It's best to use the onions for this recipe soon after purchase. The high water content of sweet onions means that you'll need to cook these onions down for a bit. Nobody likes a watery quiche. In a large nonstick skillet, cook onions in butter over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until very tender and the water has evaporated.



While the onions cook, prepare your pastry. You can make your own if you've got the time and a wonderful pie crust recipe. I like to use pie pastry sheets. They still allow you to put your own homemade touch on the pastry, when you flute the edges, yet it's still a quick and easy approach to executing the recipe. Put your pastry into the pie dish.



Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.
Bake at 450° for 6 minutes. Remove foil; cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 425° degrees while the pastry cools.



Back to the filling. Use 1 cup of non-fat evaporated milk and...



1 cup of egg substitute.



Mix the filling ingredients with salt and pepper. If you're not concerned about calories, you could use a cup of cream or half and half and 4 eggs for the filling. Honestly, this dish was so delicious that I really didn't miss the fat.



Spoon the cooked onions into the pastry shell.



Pour the egg/evaporated milk mixture over the onions.



Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait about 5-10 minutes before slicing this up so that it has a chance to "set up". Man, this was good!


Sweet Onion Pie from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty Magazine


2 sweet onions, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
1 cup egg substitute
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, cook onions in butter over medium-low heat for 30
minutes or until very tender. Meanwhile, line unpricked pastry shell with a
double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes. Remove
foil; cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 425°. Spoon onions into pastry
shell. In a small bowl, whisk the egg substitute, milk, salt and pepper; pour
over onions. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center
comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1 piece Calories: 187 Fat: 9 g Saturated Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 10 mg Sodium: 510 mg Carbohydrate: 20 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 7 g Diabetic Exchange: 1-1/2 fat, 1 starch, 1 very lean meat.

Weight Watcher's Points per serving: just 4!

Romaine and Orange Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

If I had made a Top 5 Favorite Salads list, this one would be on it. It's perfect for a brunch, all light and cheerful looking with the pretty mandarin oranges. It's a perfect blend of flavors and textures and the dressing is out of this world.

I prefer to do as much prep work ahead of a brunch as possible. One of the great things about this salad is that you can make the dressing the day (or days) before your brunch. I used my food processor, but a blender would also work. Put the sugar, 1/2 cup of chopped red onion, apple cider vinegar, ground mustard, and salt into the food processor and puree.


The red onion gives it a pretty color. Don't you think?


Reduce the speed and add 1/2 cup of oil and blend until creamy.



Stir in a teaspoon of poppy seeds. I put mine into the refrigerator until I was ready to serve the salad. Give it a good shake before serving.



I assemble my salad right before serving, but I have allof my prep work done ahead. The day before, I brown and crumble the bacon, toast the almonds, and chop the celery and green onions. I store them all in separate sandwich baggies in the refrigerator. When it's time, I fill my bowl with romaine, and toss the other ingredients on top.



I like to toss the dressing with the salad right before serving. However, if there's a smaller crowd, I serve the dressing on the side because the leftovers will keep for an extra day or two without the dressing.



Romaine and Orange Salad with Poppy seed Dressing

6 slices of bacon- brown, drain, set aside

Dressing:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Reduce speed and add oil. Blend until creamy. Stir in poppy seeds.

10 cups torn romaine lettuce
10 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup toasted almonds
2 chopped celery ribs
1/4 cup green onions


Toss romaine with crumbled bacon, oranges, green onions, celery, and almonds. Top with dressing.

Taco Salad

Taco salad is one of those meals that often finds it's way into the rotation at our house. It's in my "Favorite Recipes" notebook...not that I use a recipe anymore. I've got the basics down and I just start dumping. It's quick, it's easy, and it's yummy. This recipe makes a good-sized salad, so I was thrilled to receive the news of unexpected dinner company. My uncle called just as I was chopping the tomatoes. He and my cousin were passing through our town for a college visit. "Have you eaten?" I asked. "No." "Well, come on over! I've got plenty." Taco salad really isn't that good the next day. The chips get soggy, the lettuce gets wilty, the cheese...a little slimy. I was glad to feed two more guys and just put away a tiny Tupperware of salad when dinner was finished.

Here's how it comes together.

I use about 8 cups of lettuce. I just chop a head of lettuce up. I throw 4 cups in the bottom of a large bowl.


Next, half a can of rinsed kidney beans.


And one chopped tomato.


A sliced green onion.


Some sliced black olives.


About half a pound of prepared taco meat.


Sprinkle with shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.


The next layer was supposed to be about 2 cups of broken Doritos. I use baked Doritos to lower the fat and calories in this recipe. I forgot to take a picture of the chip layer. After the chips, I repeat all of the layers again: lettuce, kidney beans, tomato, green onion, black olive, meat, cheese, and chips again.

Here's the finished product.


For dressing, I mix some sour cream with salsa. It's also good with Western dressing or Ranch.


Taco Salad

1 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
8 cups shredded lettuce
1 can rinsed kidney beans
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups reduced fat cheddar
4 cups baked Doritos
2/3 cup light sour cream
2/3 cup salsa

Prepare beef with seasoning according to package directions. In a large bowl, layer lettuce, beans, tomatoes, green onions, black olives, meat, cheese, and Doritos. Mix the salsa and sour cream to make the dressing.

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here!

Minestrone with Tuscan Polenta Bread

Do you believe in love at first sight? I got that "love at first sight" feeling as I read the recipe for Tuscan Polenta Bread in the May edition of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. I was sitting at the breakfast table with my children, sipping my coffee and dodging Cheerios when my eyes locked on this recipe. Pancetta, sundried tomatoes, shallots, rosemary...I had to make it! With what? We certainly couldn't just eat bread for dinner, right? Hmmm. Well, an Italian sort of soup, of course. The coffee started working on my sleepy brain. Wait...here it comes...Minestrone! Yes! That's it. It went on the meal plan.

It wasn't until this afternoon as I was bringing this recipe to life that it occurred to me that this is just the Italian food version of a good old favorite in our house: chili and cornbread. Duh. Do you know that saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? As far as we're concerned it applies to this meal. Next time, I'll stick with my good old chili and cornbread. It certainly wasn't horrible, totally edible (the baby actually loved it), but it didn't live up to my expectations. I love that Minestrone that I order in Italian restaurants. Light yet hearty, flavorful and savory. This one missed the mark a bit. It just wasn't restaurant quality. And that love-at-first-sight Tuscan Polenta Bread recipe? Well, maybe you remember a time when you had a big crush from afar on that special someone? And then by some miracle (or strategic flirting) that someone asked you out. Of course, you accepted the invitation, trying to hide your enthusiasm (Yes!yes!yes! Mental happy dance). That special someone showed up at your door, took you out...and you wanted it to work, you really did, but it was just, well...average? Ho-hum. Just not "THE ONE" (maybe this just happened to me...a couple of times). There was just no spark. Nothing. THAT is how I feel about this Tuscan Polenta Bread. I'm officially disenchanted. Still, I'm sharing these recipes here. Maybe you can improve upon them. Maybe my tastebuds are broken. I mean, geesh...pancetta, sundried tomatoes, shallots, rosemary...

First, let's start with the minestrone. Certainly, one thing that this recipe has going for it: it's super quick and easy. Dump,dump, dump. Maybe that was part of it's downfall. Here are the ingredients: beef broth, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, vegetable juice (I used Spicy V-8), stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta, frozen soup veggies, Italian seasoning, and not pictured: sugar (because I forgot) and fresh spinach (because my husband had to pick it up at the grocery and he didn't make it home before I took the pic).


Combine the rinsed beans, broth, vegetable juice, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and sugar. Bring it to a boil and then add the veggies, return to a boil, reduce heat, and cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes. I think that mine simmered for about 40 minutes while I waited for the spinach to arrive.


Cook 1 cup of pasta and add to your soup. I used this little tubular pasta, ditalini.



Then toss in 2 cups of chopped spinach and heat through.



Top with some freshly grated parmesean cheese.



All right. Now for the Tuscan Polenta Bread. The recipe calls for either pancetta or bacon. I went with the pancetta a)because I've never cooked with it before and I was curious and b)because I wanted it to be more "authentic". FYI: pancetta is more costly than bacon. Although, I'm not sure how "authentic" Pennsylvania pancetta is. According to the packaging, that's where this pancetta originated. I'll get to the bottom line here: bacon would have been fine in this, possibly better. To me, pancetta had more of a "pork" smell when it cooked (and I would know a pork smell, read about my pork expertise here). Also, pancetta is not smoked, which apparently is one of the reasons I love my bacon.


I fried my pancetta until crispy. Then, drained and set it aside to cool and crumble.


Next, I combined the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Give em' a stir.


Now for the "wet" ingredients: I combined half and half, a couple of slightly beaten eggs, and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl.


I drained the sundried tomatoes and chopped them.



Add the crumbled pancetta, chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped shallot (I used green onion), and rosemary to the half and half mixture.


Dump the cornmeal mixture into the wet ingredients all at once.


Stir until just moistened.


Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the baking dish and place into the pre-heated 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.


Pour battered into heated dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.


Your bread is done when it passes the toothpick test. That means, when you stick a toothpick into the center and pull it out, it comes out clean. No batter or crumbs hanging on.


Let's cut a slice.


Ah. There it is. Looks pretty, doesn't it? Kind of like piece o'savory fruitcake, minus the fruit. Wait, tomatoes are a fruit aren't they? Full of goodies. Remember? Pancetta, sundried tomatoes, shallots, rosemary... I'm still sad about it.


Here are the recipes, both from Better Homes and Gardens.

Minestrone

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients
3 14-ounce cans beef broth
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 11-1/2-ounce can vegetable juice
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1-1/2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables (such as Italian blend)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
2 cups cooked pasta, such as medium shell macaroni or mostaccioli
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine beef broth, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Bring to boiling; add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Makes 8 servings (12 cups)

4. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through Step 1, except cover and chill overnight. To serve, reheat soup over medium heat. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta; heat through.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 223, Total Fat (g) 2, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 0, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 1152, Carbohydrate (g) 43, Total Sugar (g) 6, Fiber (g) 8, Protein (g) 11, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 48, Calcium (DV%) 8, Iron (DV%) 18, Starch (d.e.) 2, Vegetables (d.e.) 2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Weight Watcher's Points per 1 1/2 cups: only 4! Eat up!

Tuscan Polenta Bread

Prep: 25 min.
Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-3/4 cups half-and-half or light cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
9 slices bacon or 3/4 cup chopped pancetta, crisp-cooked and drained
1 8-oz. jar oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and snipped
1 Tbsp. chopped shallot
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary
Butter, softened (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees��F. In medium bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pan. Place in oven for 5 minutes. Remove skillet or pan from oven; carefully swirl oil in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.

2. Meanwhile, for batter, in large bowl combine half-and-half, eggs, and remaining oil. Crumble bacon. Stir tomatoes, bacon, shallot, and rosemary into egg mixture until combined. Add cornmeal mixture all at once to egg mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot skillet or pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut in wedges. Serve warm with softened butter. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 367, Total Fat (g) 18, Saturated Fat (g) 6, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 9, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 82, Sodium (mg) 553, Carbohydrate (g) 46, Total Sugar (g) 3, Fiber (g) 2, Protein (g) 11, Vitamin C (DV%) 49, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Weight Watcher's Points: 8 pts. per slice. My person analysis: save your calories!