blueberry maple oatmeal muffins w/ pecan streussel

Top of the muffin to ya! All the Seinfeld fans know that I'm not just being whitty when I say that, but quoting the wonderful Elaine Bennice. Pretty sure Elaine wouldn't have tried to give the bottoms of these muffins to the homeless - she would have eaten them right along with their tops! When I saw this recipe I thought they sounded good. Good enough to wake up earlier than normal and make them before I went to work yesterday (only food could get me out of bed before I absolutely HAD to)! This recipe is killer and I'm pretty sure I'll be making it for many breakfasts in the future.

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Muffins w/ Pecan Streussel

From the Closet Cook

Ingredients

-batter-

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. maple syrup

3/4 c. vanilla yogurt

1 over ripe banana

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 egg

1 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)

-streussel-

1/4 c. pecans

1/4 c. all purpose flour

pinch cinnamon

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions

1. Mix brown sugar, syrup, yogurt, banana, butter, egg, & rolled oats in a bowl & let sit 10 minutes.

2. Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon & salt in a bowl.

3. Mix wet & dry ingredients along w/ berries until just mixed.

4. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pan.

5. Mix pecans, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, & butter until crumbs are formed.

6. Spoon streussel onto muffins.

7. Bake @ 375 degrees ~ 20 minutes.

*I'm definitely going to double the streussel next time I make these, just fyi*

sKiLlet VeGgiE LaSaGnA

Right now I'm thinking two things: 1) that Hugh Jackman is way hotter than Hugh Grant, and 2) that this recipe is going knock your lasagna-loving socks off! I decided to put the movie 'Music and Lyrics' in while I blog instead of 'Australia'...you know, the one where Wolverine (the official "sexiest man alive") dumps a bucket of water over his half-naked body. What in the world was I thinking?! Whatever, I'm over it. Never mind. So, this is the first lasagna I've ever dared to make, and I'm not gonna lie, I only did it because the cook time is 30 minutes and it looked super easy. FYI it was easy, and it was an absolute HIT! The only lasagna I've ever really loved was the Stouffer's Vegetarian Lasagna from the freezer at the grocery store, and this one totally trumps that one. Also note, as I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of the chunky tomatoes, so the fact that this calls for you to puree them was a plus. You could definitely add chunks if you wanted to, though. Try this one, for sure - you'll be happy you did!

Skillet Veggie Lasagna

adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1/4 c. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes, diced

4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, or 4 tsp dried

kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 large egg

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

6 sheets no-bake (oven-ready) lasagna noodles

1 carrot, peeled into ribbons

1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons

3 1/2 c. baby spinach

1/3 lb mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (or shredded)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic; cook until golden, 1 min. Add tomatoes, 1 Tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste; cook until saucy, ~5 min. Transfer to a blender & puree. Return 1 c. of sauce to skillet and reduce heat to low; reserve remaining sauce.

2. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, remaining herbs, 1/2 tsp. salt, & pepper to taste in a bowl.

3. Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle w/ olive oil & season w/ salt and pepper. cover w/ half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella & 2-3 Tbsp of sauce. Repeat the layers, ending w/ noodles.

4. Top w/ the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover & simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20-25 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish w/ more Parmesan & herbs.

dutch oven buh-tatoes that ROCK!

Our food-filled trip to the Pacific coast was two weekends ago, but this past weekend we went up to the City of Rocks in Idaho to do some rock-climbing. It's pretty much Richard's new favorite thing in the world to do (comparable to this whole cooking adventure I'm on), and its growing on me, too. Seriously though, I'm no pro, so after an exciting morning and afternoon of climbing I went back to our campsite to whip up a dutch oven dinner of BBQ chicken & potatoes. The title of "buh-tatoes" is one of those family inside jokes that only my family will think is funny, but my family looks at this blog, so the rest of you will just have to endure the Porter sense of humor. We're hilarious, I know. Anyway, This was the only hot meal we had that weekend & it was freaking FREEZING, so everyone loved it. Although, I'm sure they would have loved it anyway. And I'm sure you will, too!

Me getting ready to climb "swiss cheese"

Coming down...and freaking out - yep, I'm definitely

crying like a baby in this picture! Only time it happened

all day...cross my heart. anyway,

see how the rock face looks like swiss cheese?!

Dutch oven buh-tatoes

adapted from my Dad (Don Porter)

Ingredients

10-14 medium russet potatoes, sliced ~1/4 inch.

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz)

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped or sliced

1 lb bacon, chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Put onions and butter in dutch oven, over coals. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions start to look translucent, then add bacon & garlic. Cook about 10 minutes, until bacon is looking done. Add soup and mix in with bacon & onions, then add potatoes and stir to coat with soup/bacon mixture. Cover and cook ~1 hour, or until potatoes are tender and done. Top with cheese and let sit 5-10 minutes to melt before serving.

I told them to make "yummy faces" and this is what I got.

My baby and me, trying to stay warm in

our sleeping bag after dinner.

~the DECLICIOUS California coast~

Now, I don't know how many people even know about this blog, let alone check it on a regular basis - but if you are one of my favorite people in the world who DO, here is my explanation (including pictures) of why I haven't posted in forever. My Man and I headed to Northern Cali and drove down the coast for our 3rd anniversary - it was AWESOME!!! Don't think I just left my love of food here in the Beehive State, though...hahaha...we ate plenty, and I documented lots of it! Anyway, I'm back with a vengeance, so I just thought I'd give you all a heads up!

One of the many beaches we stopped at - gorgeous!!!

Dinner salad w/ yummy blueberry vinaigrette.

Crab cakes in the small fishing town of Eureka.

I ate this entire thing by myself...don't judge me.

The Loleta Cheese Factory where we sampled 38 kinds of cheese

hahaha that's no joke!!!

The Redwoods were AMAZING!

Didn't buy any chocolate because of all the cheese we ate...

My baby & me sharing a malt - so romantically retro.

Brunch in San Francisco - best egg dish EVER!!!

hasselback potatoes w/ herbed sour cream & zucchini crisps with grilled salmon & tilapia

I was watching the Food Network Channel the other day, of course, and Sunny Anderson was making these potatoes. I'd never heard of them before, but I looooooove garlic so I had to make them ASAP. And I thought it would be perfect to pair them with the zucchini crisps I saw on the FN website! Just FYI, these crisps are probably our favorite zucchini side of all time...they'll definitely be a regular summer side from here on out! We don't usually mix fish, but we only had one left of each, so we shared...the salmon was my favorite. For me, this was the perfect summer Sunday dinner!

Zucchini Crisps

from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network Channel

Ingredients

cooking spray

2 medium zucchini (~1 lb. total)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 c. plain dry bread crumbs

1/8 tsp. salt

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

Hasselback Potatoes w/ Herbed Sour Cream

from Sunny Anderson on the Food Network Channel

Ingredients

16 oz. red new potatoes

3-5 garlic cloves, sliced

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

herbed sour cream: Mix the following ingredients

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, or 1 tsp dried

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

preheat oven to 400 degrees. using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato. toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour. transfer to a platter and top with herbed sour cream.

.Paula's chocolate chip zucchini bread.

Paula Deen...there's not much I can say about this lady except how much I ADORE her! Other than my love of food and budding interest in cooking, she is the reason I started watching the Food Network Channel so much (and when I say so much, I mean that every time I sit down to watch TV, its always the first channel I check - I even look at their website everyday!). She is a freaking hoot, and she'll without a doubt make you laugh while she makes you drool over her food. She cooks mostly southern food, and in almost every dish I've seen her make she uses an insane amount of butter...not the healthiest, but right up there with the tastiest! Anyway, I don't have many pictures of this bread 1) because I didn't grease the pan well enough, so it got ripped apart, and 2) because we ate it pretty dang fast! It's FANTASTIC - the orange zest gives it a little tang that I'm sure you'll love...we did!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

by Paula Deen of the Food Network Channel

Ingredients

3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. grated zucchini

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. pecans, chopped

1 Tbsp. orange zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease 2 9x5 loaf pans. sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & spices. in a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. add sugar and continue beating until well blended. stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, & orange zest. stir in sifted ingredients & pour into loaf pans. bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the middle clean. remove loaves from the pans and cool.

~cherry clafoutis~

I was looking for a fresh cherry recipe last week, and I thought I'd probably end up making a pie, but then I found this -which I don't even know how to pronounce! It looked good and different, so I tried it, I'm mighty glad I did. Rich had a life-ruining experience with a bad batch of German pancakes right after we got married, so anything with that spongy egg-y texture he's not really wild about, but the myself and the others who tried it enjoyed it MUCHO! I actually had it for breakfast the next two days since Egg Man didn't eat any...thanks, babe! The almond was my favorite part, other than the cherries, of course!

Cherry Clafoutis

by Anne Burrell on the Food Network Channel

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 lb. fresh cherries, pitted & halved

1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted

1/2 c. sugar

pinch salt

4 eggs

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lemon, zested

powdered sugar to dust

Directions

generously butter & flour 7x5 baking dish, or 6 individual wide, flat gratin dishes. add cherries, in an even layer to dish. in food processor, add almonds, sugar, flour, and salt & pulse until coarsely chopped. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla & zest until homogeneous. Add in melted butter & flour mixture & whisk until smooth. Pour over cherries. Bake 35-40 minutes @ 325 degrees, until center is set & top is golden brown.

Dust with powdered sugar & serve with ice cream.