English Muffins

Nic and I are breakfast people through and through. Anytime of day is good for any type of breakfast. English muffins with jam happen to be one of our favorite quick bites. Thomas muffins were our favorite until one day I decided to see if I could make them myself. It wasn't the cost but the desire to make them myself. I know, I know...I'm strange like that.

Once I use a couple more cans of crushed tomatoes, I'll have the rings I would like to use for another recipe. :-) I'll post that one once I try it. This is the recipe that I've been making lately. Courtesy of KingArthurFlour.com.

English Muffins English muffins are amongst the most popular breakfast foods. Quick and easy to eat, they can be as simple as a muffin-with-jam to all-dressed-up with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for an elegant eggs Benedict. 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten 4 to 4 1/4 cups (17 to 18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour 2 teaspoons instant yeast Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Use the "dough" or "manual" setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes. Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side. Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle. When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you'll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins. Yield: 16 muffins. Nutrition information per serving (1 whole muffin, 2 halves, 59g): 140 cal, 3g fat, 4g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 24mg cholesterol, 194mg sodium, 78mg potassium, 38RE vitamin A, 1mg iron, 77mg calcium, 55mg phosphorus. ©2007 The King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

They were super easy and delicious!


I also didn't use a cutter...I just used one of my larger glasses. I dipped it in flour each time to make sure it didn't stick.


This particular time, I had my griddle set to 300. It took about 15 minutes on the first side...

I did notice that I had to leave them on the griddle longer than the recipe called for but that could be that my griddle is getting old and doesn't heat as evenly as it used to. It also might be that I like mine a little more brown than store bought.

...and 10-12 minutes on the second side.

I love the flipping part. You can see the little pillow of goodness sink into the warm griddle. Try it, you'll see.

Since you probably wont be able to fit all of your muffins on the griddle at the same time, start round 2! :-)

It's important that you split the muffin properly so that you can utilize all of those nooks and crannies we've just worked so hard to get. Not just any knife or even the worlds greatest bread knife will do. You must use a fork! Go all the way around the edge. No wiggling, or sliding. Just poke in a straight line all the way around.

Then split when you've come to where you started.

As I was saying before, this is best toasted with your favorite jam. As I was making these, I went to the basement to grab another jar of my homemade jam only to realize that it's my last pint!
Let's get a closer look. Mmmmm......

I guess you'll be seeing the recipe for that soon too! Stay tuned as strawberry and blueberry season season is just around the corner!

Lasagna

Well, this blog comes out of my love of cooking. Over the years I have collected and adapted recipes to my families liking. This recipe is one that I've been making since my husband and I started dating nearly 7 years ago. This started as his fathers adaptation of his mothers, which has worked its way to becoming my creation. Handing down recipes the way all Italians do. The way legends are made.

My Lasagna starts with a basic meat sauce.

1 Onion, medium to large (depending on how much you like onions)
4-6 Garlic Cloves, fat (depending on how much you like garlic)
2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes (I'll be trying my hand with fresh toms this year. Check back for details)
1.25 lbs Ground Beef
1.25 lbs Italian Sausage (I prefer hot but medium works great for those that don't like heat)
Basil
Parsley
Oregano
Black Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
1/4 cup red wine (optional)

First step is to chop your onion and garlic. Put about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in your stock pot and toss in the onion and garlic. I like to get this good and caramelized before adding the meat. I think that waiting for them to turn a pretty brown takes a lot of the bite out of the onions. While these are working their magic in the pot, go ahead and mix your meat together. Snip the casing off of the sausage and blend it well with the beef. By blending it, you will ensure good chunking, as I like to call it. I couldn't stand getting a bite of beef, then a bit of sausage. Now the flavors will marry perfectly. Go ahead and add it to the onions and garlic. Make sure to move things around so all sides get brown. You also have to do a little stirring and banging to make sure the pieces break up small enough to be bite size. While the meat is browning, take the opportunity to measure out your spices. I usually do things by the palm full and eyeball it but I've also made this more times than I can count. If you had to force me, I'd say it's probably about, 2 tablespoons each (basil, parsley and oregano), 1 teaspoon each (black pepper and salt). Set aside. Once meat is browned and cooked all the way through, add both cans of tomatoes. If you are going to add red wine, you would do it now. Rinse the 2 cans of toms with the 1/4 cup of red wine and add to the pot. Toss in your bowl of seasonings and stir. For now your meat sauce is ready and waiting on the other layers of the Lasagna. Let it cook while you're doing the other preparations. Letting it thicken a little will make sure your lasagna isn't runny. This could also be the part where you stop if you just want a meat sauce for spaghetti, ravioli, etc.

Cheesy Layers
1 Large container Ricotta Cheese (28 oz. I believe...the largest my grocer carries)
2 lbs Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4-1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese (Depending on your preference)
Basil
Parsley
Oregano
Black Pepper

Dump your ricotta into a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon each, basil, parley, oregano. Add 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add desired about of Parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Leave shredded Mozzarella aside until later.

Now comes the assembly. The no boil noodles are the easiest. If I'm making this for a crowd, I'll make it in my large glass casserole dish. When I'm making it for just me and hubby or for my parents, I use the smaller, disposable tins (Not my favorite choice but I haven't yet invested in small and medium ceramic dishes yet) and put the extras in the freezer.

Layers go...from bottom to top
Meat sauce
Shredded mozzarella
Noodles
Ricotta mixture
Meat sauce
Shredded mozzarella
Noodles
Ricotta
Meat Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella

Make as many layers as you can fit in the dish. Just make sure your top layer is Mozzarella. If it mounds slightly you should be fine. Press it together to make sure nothing will fall off and place a cookie sheet under the casserole dish to catch any drippings when baking.

Now you're ready to bake at 400 until the cheesy top is golden. If you will be refrigerating this prior to baking, reduce your temperature to 375 and bake until golden. These make perfect freezer meals as well. I have had good luck baking small portions directly out of the freezer @ 350. I would not recommend baking from frozen on anything larger than 3 portions. You might get a golden top with a chilly center. Just make sure you take it from freezer to refrigerator the night before if you are making a family size. Once taken out of the oven, let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting. No one likes a runny lasagna.

Next time I make this, I will take pictures of all the steps. Happy eating! Enjoy!