Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Do you know about this muffin man?

I needed a snack for the rest of the week and our trip to DC and VA this weekend. So I decided to make these delicious muffins. I used a basic recipe I had found, but changed a few things to my taste. I love this muffin it is sweet yet nutty and very satisfying.

Wheat Germ and Banana Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 16 muffin cups with foil muffin papers.

1) Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in wheat germ.

2) Combine bananas, milk, eggs, oil and vanilla extract in large bowl and whisk to blend.

3) Mix in dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing equally.

4) Bake muffins until tops are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Baby Back Rib Chili

Yes now that my season is done I get to make some dinners for Jason and I. My parents came this weekend with some food for us and happened to bring a small slab of ribs. We were not sure what to do until we came across the idea of rib chili. Here is the recipe I came up with, a variation of several different recipes Jason found.

1 or 2 slabs baby back ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/2 lb ground beef
2 large white onions
1 large bunch celery
2 jalapeno diced
1/4 or so of a bottle of beer
1/4 cup or so olive oil
14 fresh plum tomatoes (2 cans (28 ounces) whole tomatoes)
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (14.5 oz) kidney beans, (pureed if you like)
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans
1 palmful cocoa powder, or 3 to 4 ounces chocolate syrup
1 palmful chili powder
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons brown sugar
8 to 10 shakes Worcestershire sauce

1. Partially precook ribs in a 450-degree oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and remove from pan. Sauté the onions, celery, and jalapeno in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for a half hour or so, then remove the ribs from the oven, pour off the grease, cut them into two-rib sections, deglaze pan with beer and add ribs and pan juices to pot.
2. Cook over medium heat for several hours, scraping up anything that sticks to the sides. After a couple of hours, you should be able to easily remove the bones from the ribs using tongs. Serve.