Blueberry Mug Muffins

Original Recipe: provided by my mom

 

This is a fun, quick project for kids to do (unless they dump over flour; then it becomes a laborious chore for me).  The muffins are surprisingly tasty, considering how they're made.  It's one of those things that's easy for me to say "yes" to when they ask, and it makes their day.

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup white flour

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of cinnamon [or nutmeg]

1/2 Tablespoon butter, melted

2 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons fresh blueberries

 

Directions

1) In a standard-size mug, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon together until fully combined.

2) Add butter; stir until uniform.

3) Add milk; stir until uniform.

4) Mix in berries.

5) Microwave on high for 90 seconds.  Muffin will rise during cooking and sink back down afterward. 

Kid Participation: Everything!

Soft Pretzels

Original Recipe HERE

 

I made these for St. Patrick's Day.  I knew the kids probably wouldn't like the usual corned beef meal and other traditional Irish "delights" (a term used loosely for the dishes of an area not known for its cuisine).  So I went the cop-out route and served green food.  Including pretzels.  Because I added green food coloring to the dough.

 

These were really easy - and actually easier to do by hand.  I started the dough in the stand mixer, but I didn't like the way it seemed to be going, so I took it out and kneaded it with elbow grease.  Any shapes can be made from the dough, but I went with the universal pretzel shape.  The dough was so elastic that it kept retracting; I couldn't get it to the 20" ropes the original recipe made.  So my pretzels were small and chubby.  Next time I'll let the kids play with it and see what shapes they come up with.

 

I got 12 pretzels: 7 salt and 5 cinnamon-and-sugar.  The flavors weren't as pronounced as I'd hoped.  I wonder if rolling the dough pieces in the salt or C-and-S before forming into their shapes (instead of just sprinkling them afterward) would give better coverage and intensity.  Probably the easiest thing to do is just make little pretzel balls (or make the ropes, then slice them into bite-size pieces) and experiment with a variety of coatings.  These were dense (see original's notes about flour use) yet the perfect degree of softness.  They remained so the next day, but they were gone within 24 hours so I don't know how well they last past that.

 

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups warm water

1 packet active yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2-3/4 cups all-purpose white flour

1 large egg

course sea salt for topping [optional]

cinnamon-and-sugar for topping [optional]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

(2) Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir until mostly mixed (about 1 minute)

(3) Add salt and sugar; stir.

(4) Add flour, 1 cup at a time and mixing after each addition.  Continue until dough is no longer sticky and bounces back when poked.

(5) Turn dough out onto floured surface.  Knead about 5 minutes.

(6) Shape dough into a ball.  Cut in to evenly-sized quarters.  Cut each quarter into three evenly-sized pieces (end result of 12 individual pieces of dough).

(7) Roll dough into a rope with an even diameter, aiming for at least 18" long.  Make a circle out of rope.  Hold together two loose ends together; twist and press back down onto bottom of circle.

(8) Beat egg; pour into shallow dish.  Dip pretzel into egg wash so all surfaces are covered.

(9) Put pretzel on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with topping.

(10) Bake 10-12 minutes.  Turn oven to broil for approximately 2 minutes to brown tops (watch closely to avoid burning).

(12) When done, remove to cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix ingredients

* Knead/punch/tug/torture dough

* Form pretzel shapes

* Sprinkle toppings

* Freak out with joy at seeing homemade pretzels served for dinner

Stovetop Popcorn

Original Recipe HERE

 

I love popcorn.  I love unhealthy popcorn.  I love movie theater popcorn saturated with the butter-reminiscent sludge they have.  I love microwave popcorn in all its hazardous chemical glory.  I realize that this is a problem.

 

Lately I've been using a paper lunch bag and plain kernals in the microwave.  Surely better, but I wanted to get away from microwaving entirely.  This method produced awesome crunchy (without being dried out) popcorn that I then drizzled with genuine melted butter and sprinkled with salt.  Old-school but worth the little bit of extra work.

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola, peanut or grapeseed oil [I used grapeseed]

1/3 to 1/2 cup popcorn kernals

Salt [optional]

Butter [optional]

 

Directions

(1) Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium-high heat.

(2) Add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels to oil.  Cover pan.

(3) When kernels pop, add remaining kernals.  Cover, remove from heat.

(4) Gently shake pan to ensure all kernals are covered with oil.  Wait 30 seconds.

(5) Return pan to heat. Once popping starts in earnest, gently shake pan on burner.  Keep lid slightly ajar to allow steam to release.

(6) Once popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove pan from heat and immediately transfer popcorn to serving bowl.

 

Kid Participation: Watch the action without getting too close to the hot pan.

 

Creamy Dill Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is a handy recipe to have because, while I always have all of these particular ingredients on hand, it's extremely forgiving and can be tweaked to suit preferences.  One could use different seasoned salt or fresh onion and dill.  I wonder if it could be warmed in the microwave and served as a hot dip - maybe with a little shredded mozzarella added to make it more melty?

We ate it with baby carrots and raw broccoli.  Husband and I both thought it was good, but my kids started out enthusiastic and then lost steam.  Neither finished their portion.  My guess is the dill flavor was too strong; next time I will ease up on it.

Ingredients

1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt [I used Jane's Krazy]
1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 Tablespoon dill weed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan [optional]

Directions

(1) Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.

(2) Whisk in seasonings until thoroughly mixed.

(3) Work any lumps out of Parmesan.  Whisk into dip.

(4) Store in refrigerator until ready to use (ideally several hours).

Kid Participation:

* Whisk ingredients

* Try it, tell me you like it, and then don't eat it when it's served to you

Peanut Butter & Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is based on the recipe linked to above, but I have a similar recipe bookmarked that is peanut butter-based.  I added the yogurt and peanut butter of that one to this guy, and this is the end result.  It's a good fruit dip because the cream cheese and peanut butter ensure it won't be too sweet (unlike popular ones that involve Cool Whip or marshmallow fluff).  I thought it was a success, and my kids ate all of theirs and asked for more.

We dipped apple slices and grapes in it and would've used bananas next.  Also, I served carrots and broccoli with a separate dip alongside this, and my kids both dipped their vegetables in this one instead.  Whatever...as long as they're eating the green stuff, I don't care about the unorthodox fashion.  I think this would be good with graham crackers and Nilla wafers, in which case I might throw in some mini chocolate chips to make it more of a dessert dish.

Ingredients

1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup plain or French vanilla yogurt

3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Fruit for serving

Directions

(1) Cream together cream cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.

(2) Add brown sugar and cinnamon.  Whisk or stir until sugar is dissolved. 

Kid Participation: Combine all ingredients.

Honey Bars

Original Recipe HERE

These were an easy thing to make since I had all the ingredients on hand.  I'm not a fan of dried fruit or nuts in something that looks like a dessert-ish bar; it confuses my taste buds and my brain cannot decide whether it's processing a sweet treat or a healthy snack.  In the cup of dried fruit the recipe calls for, I mixed craisins, golden raisins..and mini chocolate chips.  Next time I'll leave out the raisins (which I only included because my kids like them) and go with more chocolate.  I used pecans for my nut selection and thought they worked fine.  Husband remarked that he could detect the honey flavor, and I could smell it while baking, so the "honey" element doesn't get lost.

I used a 9x9 silicone pan, so my bars were pretty thin.  They baked for 19 minutes (should have been 18, but I was feeding the baby) and were done upon removal from the oven.  I let them cool a few minutes and then cut them into two large slabs.  I removed them from the pan (much easier to do than from a regular metal or glass pan) and put them on the rack to cool more quickly.

Ingredients

3 egg whites

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)

1 cup dried fruit

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose white flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 chopped nuts

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan.

(2) In a large bowl, whisk together salt, flours, nuts, oats, and cinnamon.

(3) Add dried fruit; stir until well-coated.

(4) In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, vanilla, and oil.

(5) In a third bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

(6) Combine dry and wet ingredients until well-mixed.  Fold egg whites into mixture; do not overmix.

(7) Pour batter into pan.  Bake 25 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk together dried ingredients

* Whisk together wet ingredients

* Crack eggs

* Pour batter & smooth in pan

Hummus

Original Recipe HERE

*N* has always happily eaten hummus, but for some reason I never made it myself.  Which is odd, because I made all her baby food and some of *J*'s (not as much since he was a pickier eater as a baby...something he has more than made up for).  And hummus is (1) easy, and (2) healthy.  So I guess I'm just lazy and can't resist the lure of the frequent commissary coupons for Sabra brand.  Tonight, not feeling well, I didn't have the energy or stomach to make a real meal.  I had the makings for hummus and a recipe bookmarked, so I went for it.

Both kids loved it.  *N* asked for crackers and all I had were Tomato & Olive Oil Triscuits (thanks, major winter storm, for preventing me from restocking our pantry for days and days).  She scooped the hummus and ate every last cracker, as well as every carrot and celery stick I provided...without a single protest.  Veggies with nary a cross word?  Unbelieveable.  And *J* used the carrots and celery as spoons, but I'll chalk that up to him not realizing he was supposed to eat them.  Much of his hummus was consumed with his hands and he kept asking for more.  So I will be exploring more hummus options - roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, served on bagels, made with dried beans, and so on, since it seems to be a winner in our house.

Ingredients

2 to 3 teaspoons sesame seeds, rinsed & drained

1 15-oz can chickpeas

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

2 Tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

(1) In small pan on medium-high heat, toast sesame seeds until just turning golden brown.

(2) In food processor bowl, combine sesame seeds and all ingredients except oilve oil.  Process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

(3) Add olive oil; process until smooth.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients to food processor bowl

* Operate food processor