Cranberry muffins are a great fall treat and are perfect for the upcoming holidays. For this recipe you can either use fresh cranberries or frozen. Some of the ingredients include sugar, butter, sour cream, cranberries and vanilla extract. These muffins are topped with a delicious mixture of sugar and nutmeg. If you are looking to make good use of cranberries this holiday season give this recipe a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter or margarine (softened)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (chopped)
Topping-
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in sour cream with a spatula. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until moistened and well combined. Fold in cranberries.
Step 2: Place batter into greased or paper-lined muffins cups until each cup is ¾ of the way full. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over each muffin.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and remove to a wire rack to finishing cooling.

If you enjoy Mexican foods you probably know using plain chicken in your recipes can get old after awhile. Although, there is nothing wrong with using plain chicken, it may be time to add a marinade to your recipes. This lime chicken marinade is perfect for Mexican dishes such as quesadillas, tacos, or burritos. You can even grill the chicken breasts whole and eat them that way. The chicken should be marinated for at least 6 hours but overnight is recommended to get the most flavor. The marinade ingredients complement each other nicely. To give you an idea, some of the ingredients include red wine vinegar, lime juice, lime zest and garlic.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 lime (juiced)
2 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 green onions (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
Zest from ½ lime

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a sealable plastic bag or bowl combine red wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and lime zest. Add chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 6 hours to overnight.
Step 2: Once chicken is done marinating, heat and grease an outdoor grill (or indoor grill pan) and grill chicken until it is fully cooked and has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Lemon butter chicken is an Italian dish that is very easy to love, but at the time can be very easy to hate. On the positive side, it’s delicious, just glance at the ingredients. On the negative side it’s very unhealthy. I wouldn’t recommend eating this all the time, but if you want to treat yourself to a delicious and unhealthy meal once in awhile, it’s perfect for you. The lemon butter sauce is a combination of butter, white wine, lemon juice, and heavy cream. Some of the additional ingredients that go into this recipe include mushrooms, bacon, artichoke hearts, and capers. With an ingredient list like this, this recipe could be hard to pass up. If you don’t want to use chicken, shrimp would also be delicious in this recipe.

Ingredients:
Lemon Butter Sauce-
¼ cup white wine
5 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup butter (chilled)
salt and pepper (to taste)
½ lb bow-tie pasta
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (pounded to an even ¼” thickness)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 ounces bacon
6 ounces fresh mushrooms (sliced)
6 ounces artichoke hearts (drained and halved)
2 teaspoons capers (drained)
Fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make lemon butter sauce- In a saucepan over medium heat add white wine and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil and boil until the liquid has reduced by 1/3. Stir in heavy cream, and simmer until it becomes thick. Gradually add 1 tablespoons of butter at a time to the sauce stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook bow-tie pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a bowl mix together flour, salt and pepper. Lightly coat the chicken with the flour mixture. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Place chicken into hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees. Remove from the pan.
Step 3: Add bacon to the same pan that the chicken was cooked in. Stir in mushrooms, artichokes, and capers. Cook until the mushrooms are soft. Cut the chicken into small strips and return them to the skillet. Stir half of the lemon butter sauce into the mixture.
Step 4: To serve- place the pasta in a large bowl. Stir the chicken mixture into the pasta. Stir in additional lemon butter sauce as desired. Garnish with fresh parsley.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Fall is the best time of year for baking because several things are in season. One of those things just happens to be pumpkin. Pumpkin cake is one of my favorite things to make with pumpkin puree. This cake is delicious and very moist. Fans of pumpkin bread will love this recipe. The original recipe calls for a 12×18 inch cake pan but two 9 inch round cake pans will work as well if you want to make a layer cake. You can add chopped walnuts into the better if you choose; I just put them on the top. The frosting is an outstanding cream cheese frosting that goes perfect with the pumpkin flavor. This is the perfect cake for fall, give it a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Cream cheese Frosting-
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (softened)
½ cup butter (softened)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12×18 inch pan. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl beat sugar and oil until combined. Blend in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared 12×18 inch pan.
Step 2: Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Step 3: To make frosting- In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners sugar until the frosting has become smooth and achieved spreading consistency. Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake.

Shrimp bruschetta makes a great appetizer for parties. I gave these a try at Red Lobster awhile ago and decided to make my own at home. These bruschetta use ingredients such as tomato, basil, and balsamic vinegar. The original recipe calls for grilling the shrimp. What I did was use pre-cooked salad shrimps, thaw them and use them like that. I also added crumbled feta cheese to the recipe. If you are looking for a great tasting appetizer for a party, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
3/4lb small cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined with tails removed)
2 roma tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 (8 ounce) baguette (cut into ¼ inch thick slices)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Thaw salad shrimp according to package directions. In a small bowl combine olive oil and garlic. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine shrimp, tomato, basil, balsamic vinegar and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush oil mixture over baguette slices. Grill baguette slices for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
Step 3: Place baguette slices on a large platter. Top with shrimp/tomato mixture. Top with feta cheese and serve.

I know to some pumpkin turkey chili may sound a little odd, but surprisingly, it’s really good. If you are worried about it having a strong pumpkin flavor, it does not. It is actually very pleasant. This is a great way to make good use of those fresh pumpkins this time of year. You can also use canned pumpkin if you prefer. The recipe itself is very basic; you can add additional spices such as cumin if you choose. It would also be a good idea to adjust the amount of chili powder to your liking; some people might like a little more seasoning. You can add beans if you like, I added a can of kidney beans and a can of black beans into the mix.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion (chopped)
½ cup green bell pepper (chopped)
½ cup yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1lb ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash salt
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, yellow pepper, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Stir in turkey and cook until evenly browned. Drain and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin puree.
Step 2: Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. When ready to serve top each bowl with cheddar cheese and sour cream.
(Makes 6 Servings)

It’s been awhile since I have put up any recipes that make good use of fresh apples, so I figured I would share my apple muffins recipe with everyone today. Most of you probably already have an abundance of apples ready for use at this time of year and this recipe is perfect for that. These muffins have a delicious cinnamon topping that everyone is sure to enjoy. Some of the ingredients in the muffins include chopped fresh apples, flour, butter, and vanilla. This is a pretty basic recipe that is easy to make and will be out of the oven in no time at all. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups chopped apples
Cinnamon topping-
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
Step 2: To make cinnamon topping- in a small bowl mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the tops of the batter in the muffin pan.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

If you have an abundance of zucchini this recipe for zucchini brownies might be exactly what you are looking for. Not only are these brownies a way to put that zucchini to good use, they are also some of the best brownies I have had in awhile. The brownies are so moist you might even have to eat them with a fork. To top things off, they are covered in a delicious chocolate frosting. When you are making the batter you will notice it is extremely dry, almost to the point where it’s like crumbs. This is normal and once it starts baking in the oven, the moisture from the zucchini will come out and moisten it. These are so easy to make and delicious, it’s well worth giving them a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups zucchini (shredded)
½ cup chopped walnuts
Chocolate Frosting-
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup margarine
2 cups confectioners sugar
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl mix together oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well blended. In another bowl combine the flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. A little at a time stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Step 2: Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
Step 3: To make the frosting- In a small saucepan over low heat melt together the cocoa powder and margarine. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl blend confectioner’s sugar, milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir in the margarine/cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies and cut into squares.