Muffin Tops

Adult 9'X5' Double Fleece Blankets

Beef and Barley Stoup

Beef and Barley Stoup (Grandma D. style)

12 cups water

5 heaping Tbsp of Watkins beef soup base

5# potatoes peeled and diced

2# carrots peeled and diced or chopped in food processor

2 pkg of celery hearts, cleaned and diced in fine pieces

2 medium onions cleaned and chopped in food processor

¼ cup minced garlic

1 ½ tsp of celery salt

Place all of this in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low - medium low and simmer. 

Add 2 quarts of canned beef after removing any fat that has settled at the top of the jar. This can be substituted with 4# of a less expensive cut of beef, with fat trimmed and pressure cooked to get the same tender consistency. Pull apart the larger chunks of beef before adding to the soup. Use approximately ½ cup water to rinse canned beef jars and pour that into the stock pot as well. If you pressure cook the beef, add that juice/seasoning to the stock pot when the beef is done. 

4# lean ground beef (this is the part that makes it Grandma D. style… her famous bolltjes)

2 Tsp Lawry’s salt

4 Tbsp Worchesteshire sauce

Mix together well. Roll into small balls and cook in fry pan until done. Drain and place on paper towel.

Stir all of the cooked meat into the vegetable base. Add 2 cups of Quick Barley. Simmer for 2-3 hours stirring every 15 minutes or so as the barley can stick to the bottom of the pan.

Season with Lawry’s salt or salt/pepper to taste when serving. 

This freezes very well and the flavor becomes fuller when reheating.

Fresh Vegetable Salad

   I absolutely love this in the summer made with fresh veggies. Have to make do this winter with the others. Still yummy though. For a little extra color, you could add coarsely chopped orange and yellow peppers. This recipe is low carb and has healthy fat, just a touch. Enjoy!

Sabaro Salad

3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 large cucumber, cut in chunks

1 medium red onion coarsely chopped 

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp EV olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 pkg dry all natural Italian dressing

Whisk the above ingredients together. Quickly pour over the vegetables. Stir. Marinate the veggies and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Muffins

   My Mom used to make what I called refrigerator muffins. They were bran muffins that didn’t really taste like bran yet were healthy. Our family likes these so well that there’s usually a plate of these on the counter. I make a double batch of batter about every 3-4 weeks. They are a nice snack that satisfies the sweet craving and also work well for breakfast that you really don’t have time for, you can grab one as you run out the door.

   I used her recipe and made some alterations. The one thing I’ve found is that you really do not want to over mix when you add the flour. It effects the way the mix raises when you bake it at first. But even if you do, it resolves itself the longer you leave the dough in the refrigerator. 

Refrigerator Muffins:

4 eggs

1 quart buttermilk

1 cup canola oil

3 cups sugar

6 cups raisin bran cereal

½ cup raisins (I use a cup as we like raisins)

5 cups all-purpose flour

5 tsps baking soda

2 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, oil and sugar. Stir in cereal and raisins. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened. If desired, store batter, covered in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. To bake, fill greased muffin cups 2/3rds full. Bake @ 400 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. WAIT 24 hours before baking the first batch. DO NOT stir the batter in the refrigerator. Just take the amount of batter desired to make the amount of muffins you choose, recover and put back in the refrigerator. 

Notes:

• Soak the dried fruit that in HOT water for 30 minutes, drain it and add to the recipe. This leaves the batter moist and the fruit plump in the muffin when you bake it.
• I double this recipe as the muffins actually get better as the batter sits.
• You can substitute melted butter for the oil and it works fine. We like the texture of the muffin with the oil better.
• Use muffin paper cups to bake them in. It makes for easier cleanup.

Variations:

NO fruit muffins: Substitue regular bran for the raisin bran and don’t add extra raisins

Cranberry muffins: use regular bran and 3 cups of dried cranberries

CranRaisin muffins: use 1 ½ cups of raisins and 2 cups of cranberries