Onion Orange Molasses Muffins

I asked Anthony what he wanted for supper. He asked me what the options were. I told him the first option was bread with corn in it and tomato soup. He said, "Oh, cornbread." I said, "No, bread with corn in it." He was like, "um, no." He said maybe orange muffins with tomato soup. Then I decided to add onion and molasses! And so onion orange molasses muffins came into being.

The muffins turned out fantastic. Anthony thought they tasted similar to onion bread and that the orange made them very moist. I thought the molasses gave them a pretty color as well. Anthony said he could see them accompanying a steak dinner. They were quite dignified muffins.

Onion Orange Molasses Muffins:

1 1/2 Tb Molasses

1/2 Diced Onion

1 Peeled and Chopped Orange

1 Egg Beaten

1/4 Oil

3/4 Milk

2 Cups Flour

2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 Tsp. Salt

1. Simmer onion and orange in molasses on the stove.

2. Beat egg. Add oil and milk. Blend.

3. Dump flour, baking powder, and salt on top of wet ingredients. Blend.

4. Add simmered ingredients from stove.

5. Bake 19 min. at 400 degrees in lightly greased muffin pan. 

Apple Lime Gingerbread

We had a mid-afternoon meal today. It included soup and apple lime gingerbread. I added the leftover pulp I had from juicing yesterday to my gingerbread recipe. We loved this gingerbread with fresh apple, lime, kiwi, and ginger fibers in it! I used the gingerbread recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook Celebrating The Promise Limited Edition. I think every kitchen should have such a reference tool. I got this big thick book when I was living on my own. I had frequently given similar large books to friends and family as wedding gifts. It's the gift that doesn't stop giving. Timeless. A kitchen dictionary.

Dinner Ready For Whenever

This afternoon I combined some leftovers from the last couple days to make vegetable soup. This evening I made some chocolate banana bread off of RachaelRay.com. I think my soup and this bread will make a cozy meal for sometime this weekend.

Sticking With Our Food Budget

I'm a stickler for goals and budgets (so glad Anthony doesn't mind). My plan lately has been to go grocery shopping every two weeks, and we are at the end of the second week. Sometimes my stubbornness with a food budget leaves a few things to be desired in the kitchen. Today for instance, we had some leftovers in the fridge however Anthony and I are both sick of those at present, and we are out of eggs and about out of milk.

We may have been short on a few ingredients but I could still make a frappe. I decided to make a mocha frappe for us for a snack before dinner, but at the last minute, I remembered seeing a pumpkin spice frappe on Pinterest that I've been wanting to make. I decided to do that instead. I put some leftover coffee in the blending cup, ice, pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, powdered sugar, and the end of the milk. I couldn't start the blender, but Anthony was kind enough to help me. Did I mention it was the very end of the milk? Maybe an 1/8 of a cup. We tried the concoction. Hmm. It was a little strong. We drank a little more. I exclaimed, "Nasty! Not going over well with this pregnant lady. I think I'll stick with mocha frappes for now." I did actually pour the rest down the sink. I may stick to my budget, but I don't torture myself with nasty food or beverages. We would just have to forgo a frappe this afternoon.

"Now what to make for dinner," I thought. I couldn't make pancakes, no eggs or milk. "Biscuits? Pumpkin biscuits?" And that is what I made. I followed my biscuit recipe but substituted pumpkin for milk. The biscuits were soft and flavorful. On my first helping, I spread honey nut cream cheese on my biscuits, and poured maple syrup over them. On my second helping, I spooned homemade peach butter from Anthony's family. "Yum . . ." Food budgeting can be rewarding and delicious.