Country Applesauce Pecan Muffins #MuffinMonday

Made with thick homemade applesauce, these country applesauce pecan muffins are rich with the flavors of brown sugar and cinnamon. They are a great breakfast muffin or afternoon snack.

Weekend before last, ahead of a routine test on Monday, my husband was instructed to start on a soft food diet. We headed to our big hypermarket for a shopping trip, picking up clear soups and other tasty morsels he could eat. “How about applesauce?” he said. “Sure,’ I replied. I turned back towards the fresh produce, as he turned toward the cans and jars. We both stopped.

“We are not going to buy applesauce!” I exclaimed. “You know how easy it is to make applesauce!” Plus, I pointed out, we were having pork chops for dinner – his last solid meal for a couple of days - so we’d need applesauce for those as well.

Sure, it takes a while to peel and core the apples (and toss them in a little fresh lemon juice), but you know exactly what you get when you are done. Pure applesauce, with a hint of lemon. If you choose your apples wisely, you don’t need to add sugar.

How to make applesauce:
Put the juice of one small lemon in a large mixing bowl. Peel, core and chop 3 Granny Smith apples and four Red Delicious, tossing the chunks in the lemon juice to stop them turning brown.

Place the lot in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup or 60ml water. Keep the fire on medium low and cover the pot with a tightfitting lid. Check it often, stirring the apples when you do. Cook until the apples are very soft and can be mashed easily with the back of a spoon. Taste the applesauce and add a little sugar, if necessary. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Country Applesauce Pecan Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup or 125g pecans
2/3 cup or 132g brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup or 80ml canola oil, plus a little extra for greasing muffin pan
1 large egg
1 rounded cup or 250g applesauce (see instructions above or use store-bought sauce)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180C°. Toast the pecans on a dry baking pan as the oven preheats. Watch them closely and shake the pan occasionally so the pecans don’t scorch.  This won’t take long. Remove from the oven and chop coarsely.

Grease 12 standard muffin cups with a little canola or line the pan with paper liners.

Divide the chopped pecans, setting aside a generous handful to sprinkle on the muffins before baking.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the larger pile of chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another smaller mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk the oil, egg, applesauce and vanilla extract together.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just mixed.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Top with the reserved chopped pecans.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Karen from Karen’s Kitchen Stories for hosting this edition of Muffin Monday while I am on the road from the east coast to the west with my daughter. We are in New York state right now and are headed to Cleveland, Ohio this morning. As I mentioned in my last post, my Instagram feed is always kind of a weird mix of images, but for the next eight days, it's going to be filled with sights from our cross country trip. Do follow along!

Meanwhile, make sure to check out all the other goodies my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Banana Cookie Butter Oatmeal Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Blueberry-Peach Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Cherry Surprise Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Corned Beef Stuffed Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Country Applesauce Pecan Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sour Cream Muffins with Mixed Berries from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Chili Peach Vinaigrette

Don’t let the pale peach color of this lovely chili peach vinaigrette fool you. The flavor is tart, sweet and spicy, in my opinion, the perfect combination. Use it to dress your favorite salad or as a marinade for chicken or pork.

This spicy recipe kicks off the start of a big, bold adventure. As you read this, my younger daughter and I are on Day 1 of a cross-country trip from Massachusetts to California. We left the home of dear friends in Hingham, MA today, and are on the high road to upstate New York. If all goes to plan, we’ll hit the west coast on Tuesday, August 8th.

Since it’s the height of hot summer in the northern, I decided to do something different on this blog for August. I’ll be sharing some of our favorite fresh salads and dressings, beginning with this chili peach vinaigrette.

(Of course, since it’s not actually August yet, I’ll still have a Muffin Monday post for you tomorrow.)

Our accommodations are an eclectic mix of Airbnb homes, interstate motels and even one lodge in the Grand Canyon National Park. No doubt we’ll be craving salads the whole way. My Instagram feed is always a strange place to be, but follow along to travel with us from sea to shining sea.

Chili Peach Vinaigrette

Ingredients – Yields 1 cup or 240ml
6 oz or 170g ripe, firm peaches, washed, pitted and chopped (1 large peach or 3-4 small peaches)
1/2-1 small red chili pepper
1/4 cup or 60ml natural apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup or 30ml canola or other light oil
1 tablespoon honey, or more, if needed
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder (like Coleman's)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or in an appropriate vessel with a hand blender until smooth.

Taste and add more honey, if necessary. If you are lucky your peach will be sweet enough and the extra honey will not be needed.

Store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Love salads and unusual dressings? Check out some of my favorites.

• Spicy Asian Noodle Salad with Lobster 
• Tuscan Bean Salad
• Summertime Fresh Corn Salad
• Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

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Chili Cheese Dog Baked Potatoes

Ban the bun and pass the potatoes! These chili cheese dog baked potatoes will be a favorite at your next family dinner or barbecue.

After making a good pot of hearty spicy beef chili to serve over a chili cheese omelet a few weeks ago, I was looking for ways to make the leftovers into different meals. One night we had chili cheese dogs. Not being much of a bread person, I ate the first one in a hot dog bun and then had a second wienie straight on the plate with just the chili and toppings.

The next day, with leftover chili still to eat, I considered my options. A bowl of chili with tortilla chips? Another chili cheese dog? And then it hit me. Chili Cheese Dog Baked Potatoes! No buns, just lovely baked Russet potatoes with their toasted skins cut open and fluffy insides filled with all the good stuff a chili cheese dog would have. Genius, no?

I may never eat a chili dog in a bun again.

Chili Cheese Dog Baked Potatoes

Ingredients - for 2 chili cheese dog baked potatoes
2 large Russet potatoes
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup or 240ml chili of your choice - or make my hearty spicy beef chili
2 good quality wieners
4 oz or 113g sharp cheddar, grated

Optional toppings:
Chopped onions
Minced fresh jalapeños
Mustard

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Scrub your potatoes clean and dry them thoroughly. Poke them several times with the tines of a fork. Rub the potatoes with the oil and place them on a baking pan. Or, if you have metal shish kabob skewers, you can put one through each potato and put them directly on the oven rack.

Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes or until they are cooked through.

Panfry or grill the wieners until they are golden on the outside and hot on the inside. Warm the chili as well.

Once the potatoes are done, cut them open lengthwise and use a towel or oven mitts to push them open from the ends, to fluff up the insides. Add a wiener to each potato.

Top each with half of the chili and then the cheese.  Garnish with additional ingredients, if desired.

Enjoy!

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing creative hot dog recipes and I am hosting! Please check out the fabulous recipe links below.

Many thanks our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and my co-host Mary Ellen from Recipes, Food and Cooking who will be handling the Twitter chat this evening.

Cheesy Dogs

• Cheesy Pretzel Dogs by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Jalapeño Popper Hot Dogs by Life Tastes Good

Meaty Dogs

• Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Fruit Salsa by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Honey BBQ Hot Dogs by Home Sweet Homestead
• Hot Dog & Hamburger Cowboy Beans by Soulfully Made

Regional Dogs

• All American Hot Dog by The Freshman Cook
• Banh Mi Hot Dog by Cricket’s Confections
• Buffalo Hot Dogs by The Crumby Kitchen
• Copy Cat Detroit Coney Dogs by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Matcha Ochazuke Hot Dog Rice by NinjaBaker.com
• Memphis Hot Dog by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Philly Mushroom Swiss Dog (Low Carb) by My Life Cookbook
• Sauerkraut Stuffed Dogs by Gourmet Everyday
• South of the Border Hot Dogs by My Blissful Mess

Tex Mex Dogs

• Chili Cheese Dog Baked Potatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Burrito Dogs by Our Good Life
• Hot Dog with Chili Sauce by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Taco Hot Dog is Nacho Regular Dog by Sunday Supper Movement
• Hot Dog Breakfast Tacos by Pies and Plots

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Salmon Soba Noodle Buddha Bowls with Ginger Sesame Dressing #FishFridayFoodies

Pan-fried salmon soba noodle Buddha bowls with ginger sesame dressing are easy, tasty and healthy too. They can be made ahead of time and chilled, if you like cold salmon like we do, or assembled when you are ready to eat with warm salmon on top.  Either way, you are going to love the flavors of this dish!

Years ago my father was living in Southeast Asia. Every time I went to visit him, I flew on the Japanese national carrier, JAL. Their menu never seemed to vary, at least in Economy. You had the choice of a Western meal, invariably a small hockey puck-sized filet mignon steak, overcooked, grey and flavorless. Or the Japanese meal, a small bowl of delicately flavored miso soup with slivers of seaweed and cold soba noodles with a delightfully salty savory dipping sauce. There were other parts to the meal to accompany the noodles, but those were the highlight for me. A revelation of tender chewiness unlike any noodle I had met before. And their dipping sauce was heaven. I guess you know which meal I would choose.

Ever since, I’ve been a fan of soba noodles. And, frankly, Japanese food in general. When was the last time you’ve ever heard that airplane food was a positive convincer for a whole country’s cuisine? I owe JAL a debt of gratitude.

You might think the star of this recipe is the salmon, sitting there on center stage on top of the Buddha bowl. And it is lovely, especially seasoned with the shichimi togarashi. But I’ve got to tell you that what makes this dish special is the homemade ginger sesame dressing. It’s so easy to make – and it keeps well in the refrigerator. It’s also what adds the most flavor to this cold soba noodle salad.

You’ll have ginger sesame dressing leftovers with this recipe so try it on a fresh baby spinach salad with oranges and maybe some toasted almonds. Another of our favorites.

Salmon Soba Noodle Buddha Bowls with Ginger Sesame Dressing

Ingredients
For the ginger sesame dressing:
1/2 cup or 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup or 60ml apple cider vinegar
2 in or 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I like Kikkoman’s.)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon tahini paste
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

For 2 salmon soba noodle bowls:
2 salmon fillets, skin on (about 4 3/4 oz or 135g each)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Shichimi togarashi – Read more about it here.
7 oz or 200g soba (buckwheat) noodles
7 oz or 200g snow peas (mangetout)
1 medium carrot, grated
3-4 small crunchy radishes, sliced
1/2 cup or 120ml ginger sesame dressing, plus a couple of tablespoons
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Small bunch green onions, chopped

Method
First, make the ginger sesame dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a blender or in an appropriate vessel with a hand blender. Process until smooth and emulsified.

Refrigerate the dressing as you prepare the rest of the ingredients. It will keep well in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.

Season the salmon fillets by sprinkling salt, black pepper and shichimi togarashi on both sides. Cook them skin side down in a hot pan just until you see the color lighten inside the skin. Remove the salmon from the pan and place on a plate skin side up. Use a thin blade to gently remove the skin and put it back in the pan.

Cook till crispy. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

Season the skinless side with the salt, pepper and shichimi togarashi. Return the salmon fillets to the hot pan and cook to your desired doneness. I know some people like salmon a bit rare inside, but we like ours cooked through. (Unless we are eating sushi or sashimi, in which case, we love it complete raw. It’s all or nothing with us.)

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once it comes to a boil, add in the soba noodles a few at a time and give them a bit of a stir so they don’t stick together.

Bring water back up to a boil and then immediate reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 6-7 minutes for thin noodles, 7-8 minutes for thicker ones, or according to the package instructions.

In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add in the snow peas.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and add some ice cubes.

Drain the noodles and snow peas in a colander and rinse with cool water, washing them till the water runs clear.

Soba noodles are quite starchy and washing them is essential so do not skip this step. Now put them in the ice water until completely chilled. Drain well in a colander until dry.

Pick the snow peas out of the chilled soba noodles and set aside.

Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss them gently to coat. Add the sesame seeds and toss again to distribute them well. You can cover and refrigerate the noodles now and assemble your salmon soba noodle bowls later, if need be.

To assemble the noodle bowls, start with the dressed noodles, then top with the snow peas, grated carrots and sliced radishes. Add in the salmon. Drizzle on a little more of the dressing and sprinkle the bowl with the green onions. Don’t forget to add the crispy salmon skin! This is our favorite part anytime we cook salmon.

Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodie group is sharing Buddha bowls for your dining pleasure. Fresh and healthy Buddha bowls are apparently all the rage right now, with their starches or grains, protein and fresh vegetables. Many thanks to our host Sue from Palatable Pastime for pushing me to make my very first Buddha bowl! Check out the other seafood Buddha bowls right here.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Chive Potato Filled Cheeseburger Meatloaf Bundt #BundtBakers

Elevate meatloaf to a whole new level with this chive potato filled cheeseburger meatloaf Bundt recipe. It is a delicious new family favorite and a beautiful centerpiece for your Sunday supper or buffet table.

This month our Bundt Baker host is Colleen from Faith, Hope, Love and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice and she challenged us to use our Bundt pans to bake something untraditional.  I briefly considered making a pork terrine - a pâté de Campagne of sorts – or a crustless quiche. But the honest truth is that I didn’t feel like eating either of those things. What I really felt like eating was meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

And so, this chive potato filled cheeseburger meatloaf Bundt was born! It was an absolute hit with my favorite taste-tester/husband. After enjoying the meatloaf for dinner the first night, he took meatloaf sandwiches to work for lunch for the next few days, declaring them fabulous.

Chive Potato Filled Cheeseburger Meatloaf Bundt

Ingredients
For the chive potatoes:
1 lb or 450g waxy potatoes
1/4 cup or 57g butter
1/4 cup or 60ml cream
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous bunch green onion tops, chopped - save a little for garnish

For the cheeseburger meatloaf:
1 slice sandwich bread
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
1 1/2 lbs or 680g ground beef
1/2 lb or 230g ground pork
1 small onion, minced finely
1/2 cup or 50g grated extra sharp cheddar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder (like Coleman’s)
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1/4 cup or 60ml ketchup

To line the Bundt pan:
1 teaspoon canola or other light oil
8 slices bacon

Method
Peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil them till tender in lightly salted water. Drain the potatoes and mash them completely with a potato masher. Stir in the butter and cream and season the mashed potatoes with salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the 350°F or 180°C and brush the 12-cup Bundt pan with the canola oil. Line the pan with the bacon.

Rip the bread into rough pieces and, in a large bowl, pour the milk over it, pushing the pieces down into the milk. Soak until all the milk is absorbed. Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

Carefully spoon two-thirds of the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Press it down and then use a spoon to create a channel in the middle.

Add the green onion tops to the cooled mashed potatoes and mix well. Spoon the potatoes into the channel in the meat.

Top with the rest of the meat mixture and press it into the sides and middle.

Fold the excess bacon over the top of the meat mixture from the sides and middle.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or till the internal temperature of meatloaf reaches 160°F or 71°C.

Cool the chive potato filled cheeseburger meatloaf Bundt for 15 minutes in the pan. Carefully turn it out onto a baking pan.

Raise the oven temperature to 400°F or 200°C and roast the meatloaf for 15 minutes more or until golden. I turned the top element of my oven on for the last five minutes, to heighten the color. You might want to do the same.

Cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a side of lightly cooked green beans or perhaps a green salad.

Enjoy!
 

Check out the creative list of untraditional Bundts we have for you this month:

• Bacon, Zucchini, Raisins and Cheddar Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Cheesesteak Bundt from Cookaholic Wife
• Cherry Bundt Breakfast Danish from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Chicken Fajita Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chive Potato Filled Cheeseburger Meatloaf Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• Classic Vanilla Flan Bundt from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Pasta Chicken Bundt from Sneha's Recipe
• Soap Bundt Cake from La Mejor Manera
• Spinach Pasta Surprise from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

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Chili Maple Bacon Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

Soft on the inside and chewy on the outside, these chili maple bacon cookies are also the perfect combination of sweet, salty and spicy.

This is the cookie for your bacon-loving friend who doesn’t usually eat cookies. (Like me.) The subtle maple flavor and the fresh kick of chili from the spiked syrup balance the smokiness and salt of the bacon. But make no mistake, these are still plenty sweet enough to be called cookies.

I’m not much of a cookie eater but these guys with bacon and chili have me hooked! If you like cookies with bacon, you might also want to try my Brown Sugar Bacon Cookies or my Bacon Dark Chocolate Bourbon Cookies.

Ingredients - for 2 dozen cookies
1 lb or 450g smoked bacon, divided (11-13 thin slices)
1/4 cup or 60ml maple syrup
1 small hot red chili pepper
2/3 cup or 156ml canola or other light oil
1 cup or 200g sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups or 250g flour +62g

1/4 cup or 60g turbinado or demerara sugar for rolling

Method
Mince the chili pepper finely and put it in a microwavable measuring cup or bowl with the maple syrup. Warm the syrup (about 30 seconds should do) and then leave to cool so the chili pepper flavor and heat will infuse the syrup.

Fry the bacon until crispy then drain on paper towels. Once cool, mince it finely. Divide the bacon bits into piles of about two-thirds and one-third. We’ll mix the bigger pile into the cookie dough and use the smaller one for rolling the dough balls.

Note: Once the maple syrup is cool, you can strain out the chili pepper if you’d like. I like to leave mine in.

In a mixing bowl, stir together oil, sugar, egg, maple syrup, baking soda, salt and vanilla.

Add in the bigger pile of minced bacon.

Mix well, then stir in the flour, stirring just until it is mixed in.

Refrigerate until stiff.

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C and line two or three cookie sheets with baking parchment or silicone liners. These cookies do spread out so I baked them only six at a time.

Mix the turbinado or demarara sugar with the reserved minced bacon in a bowl.

Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll the dough pieces into balls and then roll in the sugar and bacon.

Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Cool on the cookie sheets then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

This month my Creative Cookie Exchange friends are sharing cookies with chili. Check out the great list of recipes:

• Black Pepper Romano Herb Shortbread from Cream and Butter Baking
• Chile Chocolate Coins from The Spiced Life
• Chili Maple Bacon Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Cayenne Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Ginger-Chile Caramel Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

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