Muffins, Biscuits, & a Casserole

I didn't cook for my family at all last week, but I did make a few recipes. Here they are:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

Muffins:

1 (14 oz.) Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread

3/4 c. milk

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large egg

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 c. chopped pecans

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray.

2) Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add egg, sugar, and lemon peel. Beat until smooth.

3) Place pumpkin bread mix into large bowl. Remove 3/4 c. dry mix and set aside in small bowl to make topping. Add milk, oil, and egg to remaining bread mix in large bowl. Stir 50 strokes or until blended.

4) Fill each muffin cup with about 1/4 c. batter. Make indentation in batter with small measuring spoon sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Put 1 heaping tbsp. cream cheese mixture into each muffin.

5) Add melted butter to reserved dry mix. Stir with fork until crumbly. Add pecans. Crumble about 1 tbsp. over each muffin.

6) Bake 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove muffins from pan. Place on baking rack to finish cooking.

Yield: 12 Muffins

The muffins were delicious! They were so easy to make (since I used a box mix). I'll have to make them again when it's actually fall.

Yorkshire Pudding

3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. whole milk

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. butter

* All ingredients should be at room temperature.

* Sift flour and salt in a bowl.

* Stir in milk, eggs, and water.

* Beat vigorously for several minutes with a wire whisk.

* Cover and chill about 1 hour.

* Heat butter in a pie plate, placed in 400 degree oven.

* When butter is hot, beat batter again for several minutes and pour into the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour. Then, bake at 300 degrees for 1/2 an hour to an hour.

I got this recipe from Eric and Tara after we had it at their house awhile ago. I would have a picture of the final product if my camera hadn't somehow managed to screw it up. It's very hard to explain exactly what Yorkshire Pudding is. FYI - it's not pudding at all. It's more of a bread/pastry type thing - typically served alongside a dish that has gravy. So, I don't really know what to tell you - it's good by itself and I'm looking for a recipe that it is supposed to be served with.

Cheddar and Garlic Drop Biscuits
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1) Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and 1/8- 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder in a mixing bowl.
2) Cut in shortening using a pastry blender.
3) Mix milk and then cheese into mixture with a wooden spoon.

4) Drop by large spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.
5) Bake at 425°F for 10-12 minutes.
6) Mix melted butter and 1/8 teaspoons garlic powder together and brush on warm biscuits as soon as you remove them from the oven.

This is one of my favorite recipes to make - they taste so similar to the biscuits at Red Lobster. So, in a word, they are DELICIOUS! So easy, buttery, and flaky. Yummmmmmm!

Light King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
1 (10-ounce) can fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (10-ounce) can fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (8-ounce) block reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation
Sauté onion and bell pepper in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third tortilla pieces in bottom of a 13- x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with one-third chicken mixture and one-third cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

I did tweak this recipe a little bit (more to my taste). I'd tell you, but this blog entry is getting a bit long. It turned out to be really good. I'm not usually a huge fan of casseroles, but I needed something that was easy to reheat for lunches and all this week. It can also be frozen, so it'll be a good "make ahead" recipe when Shawn and I need something quick.