Cowtown Kitchen Tip - Baking

Fellow bakers,

Here's a tip from Cowtown Kitchen!

When making breads or muffins that call for nuts, raisins, cranberries, etc., dust them with flour before incorporating them into the batter. This will keep them from falling to the bottom of the pan while baking. You'll have them evenly distributed throughout your muffin or bread!

Yours truly,

The Muffin Man
(aka Cowtown Kitchen)

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's a recipe I tried from Paula Deen's cookbook, "Christmas with Paula Deen." They are surprisingly healthy; it is Paula, after all! :-) I served them last night at a holiday party and they were a hit. Make sure to serve them warm.

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

- 24 fresh mushrooms, stems removed

- 1 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach, chopped and thawed

- 2 oz cream cheese, softened

- 4 oz of feta cheese crumbles (about 1 cup)

- 1/2 cup of finely chopped green onions, green and white parts

- Salt, to taste

- 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wipe the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel to clean. Drain the spinach in a colander and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, cream cheese, feta cheese, green onion, and salt to taste. Mix well. Fill the mushroom caps with the mixture and place on a cookie sheet.

3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Serve warm.

*Health Tip - substitute reduced fat Feta crumbles and 1/3 less fat cream cheese in the filling. Be sure not to use fat free items, as they will not melt well in the oven.

*Cowtown Kitchen Idea - add 1/2 a cup of bacon bits to the filling for a little extra flavor.

Here's a link to Paula's cookbook if you are interested in more recipes!

Christmas with Paula Deen

Enjoy!

Cowtown Kitchen Tip - Pancakes

Hi gang! Here's a Cowtown Kitchen tip for you.

I love making pancakes for breakfast but when you actually decide to do this you plan on spending a lot of time. This makes pancakes feel like an ordeal. If you have extra, nine times out of ten, I bet you end up throwing them away.

In the past I've tried freezing pancakes but they end up freezing together and if you are lucky enough to separate them successfully, they end up getting soggy when you reheat them in the microwave.

So, here's the tip!

Next time you decide to make pancakes, make extra. Any that you don't eat, follow the steps below:

- Let the left over pancakes cool.
- Make stacks of pancakes with a piece of wax paper between each one.
- Put the stacks in a airtight freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible!
- Toss them in the freezer.

Then, when you're ready to eat any number of them...
- Take out the pancakes you want to eat.
- Pop them in the toaster!

You'll have warm pancakes that aren't soggy!! To keep them from getting crunchy, heat them in the toaster until they are just warm. If you want them hotter, zap the stack in the microwave for a minute or less.

It's left over pancake perfection!!

Enjoy!

Reindeer Mix

This fun snack is compliments of my good friend, Kendahl Brown. Enjoy this little munchie at parties or give it out in goodie bags. All portions can be altered, but here is what worked for me.

Combine the following:
- 1 box of Corn Chex
- 1 box of Wheat Chex
- 2 bags of Bugles
- 1 bag of pretzel sticks
- 2 bags of Christmas colored M&M's

Melt white chocolate, milk chocolate, and/or butterscotch chips and drizzle over the above mix. Spreading it out over wax paper makes clean up a breeze!

Store in airtight containers until ready to bag and give, or serve.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry - Everything but the Kitchen Sink!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I've been out of pocket for a while but wanted to give you a new, fresh idea.

Stir fry is one of the easiest meals to prepare and can have great nutritional benefits.  One of the reasons I enjoy stir fry so much is because there really is no set method to the madness.   Typically, I prepare stir fry when I have veggies in the fridge that I've just got to use or they are going to be wasted.  Chopping them up and throwing them in the wok is a great way to make sure that you get the most out of your grocery shopping!

Some key things that I keep around to ensure a more "Asian" approach are sesame oil and sake.  Rice wine vinegar can also be used to provide Asian inspiration.  Your local grocer will carry some type of Asian chili paste or Sriracha.  Be careful, this stuff packs quite the punch even in small doses!

I usually start with garlic and chopped onion in the sesame oil.  After that, I throw in frozen veggies (rinsed to remove extra ice/water, but not technically thawed) and then frozen shrimp.  If you're not a shrimp eater and would prefer something like chicken or beef, switch the order of the veggies and the protein.  In other words, throw in the chicken with the onions and garlic to ensure ample cooking time.  Shrimp cooks light years faster than chicken.  

Many grocery stores also sell "Asian Stir Fry Vegetables" in the frozen section.  I use frozen veggies when I've been out of town and haven't been to the store.  Frozen vegetables, frozen shrimp, and rice are staples I keep on hand that ensure I don't have to eat out when I haven't been to the store in ages.  (As in a previous post, note the importance of a well stocked freezer.)

Edamame (shelled) is also great to toss in.  It brings a lot of protein to your meal and therefore can make your meal well rounded even if you didn't have meat to throw in.  I also keep cans of water chestnuts, baby corn, and bamboo shoots on hand.  Remember though, you don't have to have the typical Asian veggies.  Any veggies will do.

Coupling this with rice or noodles can make a complete well balanced meal.  As I stated earlier, rice and pasta are staples that you can (and should) keep on hand.  They will save you in a pinch!

I hope this post is helpful.  If you need more ideas, let me know.  Stir fry is my go-to meal when I haven't been to the store and just don't feel like eating out.

Have fun with it!