Fruit and Yogurt Muffins

These muffins have been the hit of the summer around our house. I made them the first time in mini form for one of Andrew’s snack days at daycare. When I picked him up that afternoon, there were two left...and the second we got in the car, he opened the container, grabbed a muffin in each hand, and proceeded to stuff both of them in his mouth.

So, yeah. He really loves these muffins. I’m lucky if I make it through an entire weekend without him asking me to make a batch. Which I usually always do, because I’m crazy about them too.

This is definitely one of the best muffin recipes I’ve ever tried. The yogurt makes them incredibly rich and moist, and adds a ton of flavor too. The thing I love most about this recipe, though, is that it’s so incredibly versatile. You can use any combination of fruit and yogurt that appeals to you. So far we’ve tried blueberries with blueberry yogurt, blueberries with vanilla yogurt, raspberries with peach yogurt, and strawberries with strawberry banana yogurt (pictured above). Andrew’s favorite is definitely the peach-raspberry version, and mine is the all-blueberry version. Next time I’m going to use lemon yogurt and pair it with blueberries, raspberries, or cranberries; I think the lemon flavor would add a really delicious tang to these. Apple yogurt really has its possibilities, too, especially with apple season coming up. You could even use a mixed berry yogurt, and add any combination of fresh or frozen berries you like. And you could probably use those fancy flavors, too -- Boston cream pie, key lime pie, etc. See? The possibilities really are endless!

The first time I made these muffins, I was surprised by how thick the batter was and how hard I had to work to get everything incorporated. But the muffins turned out fine. If you’re worried about the batter’s thickness, though, you could always add a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin it out a bit. I usually get 15 to 18 regular-sized muffins out of this recipe.

These are soooo yummy. Seriously. Try them!

Fruit and Yogurt Muffins
source: Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 8-ounce container yogurt, any flavor
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, vanilla, butter and fruit. Stir mixtures together just until combined (batter will be very thick). Scoop into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Greek-Style Chicken Skillet

This recipe has been sitting at the top of my “coming soon” list for weeks now, just waiting to be shared. Poor little recipe. Just because I’ve waited so long to share it certainly doesn’t mean it’s not delicious, because oh, it is. For something that comes together so quickly -- and uses a can of condensed soup to boot -- you won’t believe how flavorful this dish is. The bell peppers are sweet, the zucchini and garlic are savory, and when they’re combined with the tangy, sharp bite of feta cheese, this meal really does offer the perfect balance of flavors. We served ours over plain orzo pasta, although the couscous mentioned in the original recipe would be a great choice too. Even my two-year-old loved this and asked for seconds. That alone means this meal will surely be repeated in our house!

Greek-Style Chicken Skillet
source: very slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 medium)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 10.75-ounce can condensed tomato soup
2 cups cooked orzo pasta
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. In a 12-inch skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until juices of chicken run clear, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

2. Add zucchini, green pepper, onion, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to skillet. Saute for 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in water and soup, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring once.

3. To serve, divide orzo among dinner plates. Place chicken on orzo. Spoon vegetable mixture over chicken and orzo. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was felled by a horrible cold that I picked up from my beloved little petri dishes children, and I spent the entire day curled up on the couch in a Benadryl-induced haze. I’m feeling much better now, though, and today I have a really delicious fruit salad to share with you.

This is a great way to celebrate summer’s best fruits: cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries. Add a tangy, tart, sweet dressing to the mix, and it’s an explosion of flavors and textures. This was a huge hit with my family.

Because of the water content in the fruit, this isn’t something you can make way ahead of time, but you could probably make it a couple of hours before you eat and be okay. You could also layer the fruits (directions for that are in the original recipe, which I’ve linked to below) and get a little bit more time out of it that way. This also isn’t something that keeps well in the fridge, but with a fruit salad this delicious, there probably won’t be any leftovers anyway. I’m taking this to a Labor Day picnic this weekend, and you should too.

Summer Fruit Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing
source: adapted from Betty Crocker

For the dressing:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

For the fruit:

3 cups cut-up cantaloupe
1 quart strawberries, sliced
2 cups blueberries

1. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed about 3 minutes or until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Set aside.

2. Mix fruit together in a large bowl. Gently fold in dressing. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

Weekly Meal Planning, week of 8.30.10

I have to post this quickly today. After writing about my grandma's zucchini bread on Friday, I realized it had been a while since I visited her...so that's exactly what I'm going to do as soon as I pack up the boys. There are some good eats coming up this week...I can't wait!

Monday: BLTs, chips, cantaloupe

Tuesday: Ranch macaroni and cheese (OMG YUM), steamed broccoli

Wednesday: Bacon, roasted tomato, and provolone panini, chips

Thursday: Sloppy joes, fries, cantaloupe

Friday: Pizza night

Saturday: Brown sugar bacon waffles, cheesy hash browns

Sunday: Joe’s ribs, grilled corn on the cob, Monterey ranch bread

Zucchini Week: Grandma's Zucchini Bread

Would you believe me if I told you I’d never made zucchini bread before? For the longest time, my grandma and Joe’s grandma kept us supplied in homemade zucchini bread all summer long. But then my grandma moved to an assisted living community, and Joe’s stopped making it on such a regular basis, and fast-forward to this summer when I realized I hadn’t had homemade zucchini bread for at least three years. The only solution was to make my own, and I certainly had enough zucchini on hand to do just that.

The only problem was deciding on a recipe. There’s no shortage of zucchini bread recipes out there, and I had no idea where to start. But then, on the bottom shelf of my kitchen bookcase, I spied an old, pea-green Betty Crocker recipe box. It belonged to my grandma, and she passed it on to my mom when she moved, and I inherited it when my mom passed away. I hadn’t looked through it for a while, but I thought I remembered seeing Grandma’s zucchini bread recipe in there, so I immediately started pawing through the old, stained recipe cards covered with my grandma’s spider scrawl. I ended up finding not just one zucchini bread recipe, but two.

The two recipes seemed to be variations on the same, with just a few changes here and there, and they didn’t include baking temperatures or times. So I had to do a little bit of guessing. I also changed up Grandma’s recipe just slightly, by substituting applesauce for half of the “salad oil” (which is really just vegetable oil, but that’s what she always called it).

When I smelled the loaves baking, I was immediately transported back in time. I love it when foods are attached to long-forgotten memories. This bread tasted exactly like I remembered Grandma’s tasting: rich and spicy and moist and absolutely perfect. I’m so glad I have Grandma’s recipe, and next time I make it I’m going to take her a loaf. I think she’ll get a real kick out of that!

Do you think I sliced myself a thick enough piece? ;)

Grandma’s Zucchini Bread

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat on medium heat until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture and mix just until moistened. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.

4. Divide batter evenly between 2 greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took the full 65 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

:::

As if I haven’t shared enough zucchini recipes with you this week, here are some more of my favorites:

Zucchini casserole
Worcestershire-glazed vegetables
Zucchini alfredo
Zucchini-wrapped pork chops with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella cheese
Vegetable-stuffed zucchini
Summer vegetable and pesto tart