Pam Bigelow's recipe for muffins

I've made this great recipe for muffins countless numbers of times.  Got the recipe from Pam Bigelow about 25 years ago....

Muffins (Pam Bigelow)

400 degrees, 15 minutes

Makes 12 full muffins

Sift into mixing bowl (or combine in a mixing bowl and thoroughly stir with a fork):

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

Mix well in a 2-cup measuring cup:

1/3 cup melted butter (can use vegetable oil instead)

1 cup milk

1 egg

Pour over the flour mixture.  Stir only enough to dampen flour.  The batter should not be smooth.

Whole wheat – substitute ¾ cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of white flour

Chicken Kebob Bake

This is really good when you scewer it and put this on a grill. But, do I have a grill? No. So I improvise. I have to admit with this one though, that the improvising may not have been such a great idea. Maybe you could see the list and improve upon it? Or you could grill it, and be happy.

Chicken Kebob Bake, Adapted from Cooking Light July 2011.

Put in a plastic bag to marinate for 15 minutes
(I typically don't think a marinade is worth anything, but this one proved me wrong.)
1 TBSP brown sugar
Oil Olive
1 TBSP Fresh Lime Juice
A little bit o' pineapple juice
Chili Powder
Cumin
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
Black Pepper
Salt
Red Onipons
Chopped up chicken chunks
Red Bell Pepper, chopped into chunks

Take your marinade and put it in a glass pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

You can also add it to a skillet (I baked mine, and it was easy). Look at the easy!

Before....

I added my pineapple in the marinade, but I regret it now. I would suggest adding the pineapple after the chicken has baked. Or, you know, you could break out the mesquite and, well, you know...

This was so easy to clean, I think I cried a little! All you use is a knife, a cutting board, a plastic bag, and a glass pan. It has your veggies and fruits, and chicken.

You can also add a Nectarine Salsa to go with this, I suggest trying it:
1 Nectarine
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Sliced Red Onion
1 avocado
Lime Juice
Salt
Red Pepper
*Cilantro* is optional, I'm not too crazy about it.

After!

Restaurant Review: Ali Baba's Grill

Something new for the blog, a restaurant review! I recently went to Ali Baba's Grill with visiting family. Here is my short review:


Ali Baba's Gril
Golden, CO (Off of Highway 93)
Price: $-$$
We took a baby with us, so I'm assuming they are family friendly (?)

So much food! 

Pros1.
Great environment when I went. It's small and cozy. The decorations were very interesting and i enjoyed the atmosphere.
2. Big portions, I like to think that when I spend money, I get what I paid for.
3. The meat was good. The lamb Kebabs were well seasoned, soft, and very good. I also had chicken kebabs, which I thought were tender and tasty.
4. They had good rice.
5. They bring giant pitas to your table.

Cons
1. The falafel was too crunchy, well seasoned, but too crunchy.
2. The beef was okay. 
3. I wasn't overly impressed by their appetizers.

My final word is: I liked it and I would go again for the meat. You can try their appetizers and see what you think. I wouldn't suggest going unless you already knew you like this type of food, or you were truly willing to try something new.

I really enjoyed the Kebab Sampler

Chicken Turnip Pie

I have found a delicious success! Check it out in all it's glory:

Before Puff Pastry, BPP

Chicken Turnip Pie (Adapted from Cooking Light July 2012)

Maybe 5 pieces of cooked bacon, shredded into small bits.
Chicken,  shredded
Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, chopped
2 medium turnips, chopped
Carrots, chopped
1 Leek, chopped
Chicken Broth
Pepper
Peas or Corn

1 sheet of Puff pastry
2 eggs
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp milk

1. In a pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat
2. Add carrots, turnips, and onions, let cook
3. Cook chicken until no longer pink
4. Add bacon and chopped leak
5. Add chicken broth
6. Once everything cooks and begins to become tender, add peas or corn
7. Put mixture into a larger casserole dish, or into individual servings.
8. Fold puff pastry sheet over dish, folding sides inside of dish.
9. In bowl, add eggs, butter, and milk. Whisk.
10. Take a brush and spread egg mixture onto puff pastry.
9. Back at 450 for 45 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden. Do not allow it to get too dark burn. It is then burned. See photo for example. Whoops.

This was in the oven a little too long.

Not Quite Gumbo Soup

I want to keep things simple, and that's why I avoid anything put together by Martha. I have prejudicely believed her to make many things take more time than I would like to devote to any one topic. I was taken aback, however, when I found a relatively easy looking recipe for Gumbo. So I tried to make it, and have ended up with something very different from the original.

Not Quite Gumbo Soup Recipe (Adapted from Martha Stewart's Living July 2010.)
Olive Oil
1 package Italian Turkey Sausage
Chicken
Celery
Green Onions, in abundance
2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
Chicken broth
15 OZ can Okra
3 bay leaves
28 Oz Diced Tomatoes with Juice
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1. Put big pot on stove, add Olive oil and turn on to medium high heat.
2. Add chicken and turkey. Cook until it is no longer pink.
3. Shred chicken.
4. Add green onions, celery, and diced red bell peppers, cook for a few minutes
5. Add chicken broth, okra, diced tomatoes, bay leaves and cayenne pepper. I allowed this to cook for a while.
6. I added Worcestershire Sauce at the end, stir it in well, and then allowed a few minutes more to cook.
7. Serve in bowls!

Very tasty! Not really sure it's Gumbo....

Also,  don't wait to take care of things of a medical nature. I had an implant placed in my jaw two years ago, forgot to take care of it, went back today, and found out I'm in for a world of hurt. The bone in my jaw grew and formed inside and over the impantn, the denist could not finish the job. Sigh, I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson, but I have a feeling it's going to get worse and I'm going to learn more before it's over.

Chocolate Chip Contest!

If you ever buy exspensive chocolate, you might find yourself having the need to do a comparison of regular chocolates to reassure yourself that you made the right purchase. I did such a thing, with Jacque Torres chocolate recently, and I involved Rob and my mom in the final desicion, so I knew that I wouldn't be talking myself into believing something that wasn't true. Here are the brands tested:

The Contenders:
Nestle Toll House Bittersweet
Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet
King Soupers Brand
Jacque Torres 60%
Hershey's Special Dark

Here are my personal Ratings:
5th Place: King Soupers Brand
4th Place: Ghiradelli 60%
3rd Place: Nestle Toll House

And now, for the winner of the Chocolate Chip Contest....
Jacque Torres! By a long shot! Making Hersey's Special Dark, to me, a surprise runner up! Rob agreed, and I think my mom did too, that Jacque Torres was smoother, creamier, and had a richer chocolate taste.

There you go, I'm not entirely crazy! Although, I bet after seeing my results, and seeing how I ranked some chocolates, maybe you think I am crazy...

Basil Chicken

I'm all about easy, and I really wasn't having any of this "Joy of Cooking" business.... so I stole this from a King Souper's Recipe:

Basil Pesto Chicken
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Onions
1/4 Cup parsely
1/4 Cup Basil Pesto
A Whole Bunch o' Chicken

In a bowl, combine oil, salt, pepper, onions, parsely, and basil pesto. You can marinade the chicken for 15 minutes. The recipe said to grill it, but I don't have a grill, so I cooked it in a skillet. I turn the oven on, put the marinade in the skillet, and when I heard it start to cook, I threw the chicken in, making sure that the marinade got everywhere. I cooked it on both sides, cut up the chicken into cubes, and then cooked it further until their was no pink, only green pesto everywhere. That sounds like an evil plot, "No pink! Only green pesto everywhere, forever!"

I wish I had a grill, but this works!

Presto! Chicken! And then I added a side salad. That I got in a bag. From the grocery store. Wala!

I love salads covered in Blue Cheese Dressing. It's the real deal.

Strange and random confession, whenever I get home from work, I'm hungry and I need to eat. I typically use the first 30 minutes of coming home for eating on a bowl of cereal on the couch. Yesterday's choice was Rice Krispies, and I had to eat 3 bowls because that's the Cerealic Table of Conversion:

3 Bowls of Rice Krispies = 1 Bowl of Corn Chex
1 Bowl of Frosted Flakes = Very Hungry Me by Lunch
1 Bowl of Cap N' Crunch = Sacked out on the couch for 4 hours after immense sugar crash